We speak to the pastry maven about the desserts she conceptualises at Ignis KL
The dessert that inspired Viyern Ooi to forge a career in pastry is, in fact, the unassuming brownie. “I used to bake lots of brownies when I was younger and bring them to school,” the well-natured pastry chef reminisces as we sit outside Ignis KL on a breezy Monday afternoon. “It grew into a sort of obsession, and I am now very particular about them.”
A firm believer in fudgy over cakey, always, Ooi recalls that back when she was in college, most brownies available were more akin to chocolate cakes than their molten counterparts. “I would read a lot about fudgy brownies, and I went down a rabbit hole trying different recipes,” she chuckles.
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Though she enjoyed it as a hobby, Ooi never thought she would become a pastry chef, but when it was time to go to college, it was her mum who suggested she turn it into a career. After completing her course at Taylor’s, she went to Switzerland to pursue a higher diploma for a year and a half, where she met her partner, Lroy Lim, executive chef at Ignis KL.
She cut her chops in Turkey and New York before moving to Singapore for a job at Saint Pierre. “Working around the world gave me exposure and the skills to adapt to different environments,” she recalls. “I was fortunate to be surrounded by good people.”
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