Growing up as a picky eater, Gordon started learning the skills to cook up his own dishes. Little did he know, this would end up being his bread and butter in the future.
He went on to pursue a course in business, but not forgetting his passion for food, he also picked up culinary courses, learning how to cook a variety of cuisines such as Thai, Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese, and even plant-based foods.
This love for food brought him into the F&B line where he worked for five years, gaining industry know-how and expertise.
Like many in the field, Gordon always aspired to have his own F&B business. Yet, for a while, it remained simply a dream.
“It was the gamble for survival due to MCO complications that finally sparked the courage and motivation with supports from friends,” he revealed.
Thus, in that uncertain time, Gordon decided to jump into something even more uncertain—starting his own F&B business called eggQme.
An eggciting new idea
The idea for eggQme actually came from a friend of Gordon’s.
The friend also wanted to start up an F&B business, and thus approached Gordon to start a joint venture.
Given Gordon’s expertise in various cuisines, they had lots of options to play around with. But in the end, they chose tamagoyaki.
Tamagoyaki is essentially Japanese rolled omelettes, featuring both sweet and savoury notes. It’s typically regarded as a side dish, but for eggQme, it’s the main star.
“I had the most confidence in terms of saleability and the least competition,” Gordon explained. “From there, I started the R&D to create what eggQme is offering now.”
eggQme’s offerings are straightforward yet fascinating. Essentially, they’re serving up tamagoyaki, but with a concept of mix-and-match toppings and sauces.
Currently, eggQme offers nine sauces and toppings with a total combination of 81 varieties.
Toppings include Turkey Ham, Mushroom Duo, Fish Roe, Smoked Duck, Seaweed, Eel, Bonito Flakes, Baby Octopus, and Prawn.
Meanwhile, the sauces, which bring the dish to the next level, include BBQ, Tom Yum, Chimichuri, Cheese, Garlic Lime, Mentai, Teriyaki, Honey Mustard, and Signature.
“New flavours were introduced based on seasons and statistics where we learn the demands of our customer,” Gordon explained. “Most sauces and toppings were developed inhouse by myself, based on past experience, knowledge, and also trial and error.”
eggQme sells their creations through a few options—a half slab (two pieces of tamago) with two sauces for RM6 or a full slab (four pieces of tamago) with four sauces for RM10.
You can also opt for two pieces of tamago with two sauces and two toppings for RM10, or four pieces of tamago with four sauces and four toppings for RM18.
“Every morning starts with cracking 100 to 300 eggs and blending them with broths,” Gordon described the process. “Toppings are cooked and prepped then ready to be mobilised to the selling spot.”
This whole process takes roughly around four hours, the founder revealed.
At the selling spot, the rolled omelettes are cooked fresh in batches, with the quantity based on the crowd flow to ease serving flow while ensuring quality.
Cracking on with the vision
As mentioned, Gordon actually started eggQme with a friend as a joint venture. Due to funding issues, though, they soon separated.
Even though eggQme was a team of four at one point, now the founder himself handles everything.
It’s certainly not easy, running a business as a solopreneuer. But there are perks to keeping a business lean.
“Sales can be as bad as double digits on rainy days to about RM5k a day,” he said about the finances of the business.
Another challenge resides in awareness.
Given the novelty of their offerings, many locals may be quite resistant to try their tamagoyaki. The founder pointed out that some customers don’t know what the dish is, while others are hesitant to try fresh tamago, which might be quite eggy.
In any case, Gordon said that the feedback has been rather positive, as they’ve seen a fair share of returning customers.
Eggsploring the future
As a street food vendor, eggQme is rather nomadic, bringing its offerings to a number of different locations.
On Mondays, you can find them in SS2, while Wednesdays are spent in Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park. They’re stationed in OUG on Thursdays, then Setia Alam on Saturdays.
Looking ahead, Gordon is keen on opening new branches. He also envisions offering franchising opportunities, given the replicability of his recipes and concepts.
“But it’s not the time yet in my opinion, as the market is quite stale for now,” he said.
So, instead of that sort of expansion, eggQme is first preparing to be more active in events and catering. Down the road though, the founder has a new and exciting dream—a tamago bar concept.
With his persistence and passion, it’s certainly a possibility if he keeps rolling onwards.
Featured Image Credit: eggQme
