When I spoke to Pieter Buijsse in 2022, he was appearing on under-30 chef lists and attracting plenty of attention. He’s still only 32, but now he’s a co-owner of a new Chapel Street restaurant, with the keys in his hand and an opening date to work towards. Rah Dining takes its cue from the Silk Road and the way ingredients and ideas travelled between cultures. Pieter’s eight-course menu will move from China through India and Central Asia towards Turkey. He’s clear that he isn’t setting out to reproduce traditional dishes from each place; he wants to learn from their flavours and techniques and cook through his own fine dining experience. You’ll also be able to stop in for a snack or two and a glass of wine. For now, he’s testing dishes in a hired kitchen nearby and working out, among many other things, who’s going to supply the drinks trays.
Hi Pieter, it’s so nice to see you again. It’s good that you got in touch because you’ve got really exciting things happening. I was looking back at our last chat, which maybe was around 2022, 2023. There was a lot of hype around you because you were in the 30 chefs under 30 and a Young Chef of the Year finalist, and you seemed to be making a really big name for yourself. You’d come in from the Peninsula, and you’d come back into Melbourne, and people used words like “innovative” and “exciting young chef” and so on. How are you feeling these days?
I’m feeling just as innovative and I’m feeling just as much of a superstar as I was back then. No, I’m just joking around.
We met around 2022, 2023? In that tiny little office.
I know. I think it was literally two square feet where we sat cramped up against each other and had an espresso and a little chat.
Tell me what’s happening for you now.
I’ve got a really exciting new project coming on. We, and I want to say “we” because it is myself plus a couple of other people, found this space on Chapel Street and wanted to create a new restaurant and do something completely new, something that hasn’t been done. For me, it’s a big jump from being just the guy who cooks the food and flips the eggs and cooks the burger to being a business owner operator. I’m excited to start a new venture, which is going to be coming very soon to Melbourne.
We were speaking off mic about the fact that it’s revolutionary, and we haven’t seen the likes of this before in Australia, perhaps.
Yes, I think the main thing is it’s all about the concept. What we’re going to do is create a Silk Road dining experience. The Silk Road runs from China to Turkey, touching on all the different cuisines along the way. All these different cuisines individually have been highlighted throughout Melbourne, throughout Australia. You can get some of the best Indian food in the world. You can get some of the best Lebanese food, Chinese food, Turkish food, you name it. But having it all in one concept together is something that has not been done in Melbourne. I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been done in Australia. I think it’s been done a couple of times across the globe, but that’s about it.
Is that all on the menu at once, or how will it work?
We’re going to have different offerings. The big show is going to be the degustation menu, where the Silk Road starts in China and ends in Turkey. It’s an eight-course degustation. You sit down, you start in China, you get the authentic flavours from where the Silk Road starts, transitioning into India, into the other areas, ending up in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, touching on Lebanon, the Persian, Iran area, and eventually ending with the last course in Turkey. I hate the kind of people who make it as if dining is an experience and, “Look at us taking you on a journey.” But we’re going to do it anyway. For us, it’s an experience to take you from point A to point Z and show you what we’re doing along the way in that area.
When did this idea come to you?
The group that is supporting me in this: I’m the head chef and co-founder of Rah Dining, which is going to launch at the start of November. I started speaking to the other co-founder, around three months ago. Full disclosure, it was his idea. We started talking about it and exploring what that could look like, how that feels, and what that is realistically on the plate and as a feeling in the restaurant. We were very much aligned in how we wanted to translate the concept onto the plate and into the feeling that you get as a customer in a restaurant.
How much research have you done about the Silk Road or about those cuisines? How do you get to know those foods?
In terms of physically going there, we’re both from Melbourne. We’ve been here for a long time. We’ve both eaten in some of the best Indian restaurants, some of the best Chinese restaurants, some of the best Lebanese restaurants. I’ve always been influenced by all the individual cuisines, and now it’s a matter of bringing it together. But the way we’re going to bring it together is not a traditional way of doing it. I’m a 32-year-old white boy from a country town in the middle of nowhere in the Netherlands. What’s my business trying to cook a better curry than the Indian grandma in India did back in the day? That’s not what I’m here to do. What I can do is learn the flavours, learn the techniques, translate them and make them relevant for dining in Melbourne in 2026, 2027. How can we make it relevant, exciting and something new for now?
We’re not going to make you pick up silk and carry it across the country, but we want you to understand the journey these people were on. So a simple product like rice: rice in China used to be used in stir-fry, fried rice. Then it moved to India, where they made biryani. From there it would go to Uzbekistan, where it was plov, and then it would go to another country where they made something else out of it. It was a simpler time, for lack of a better term, where there were no borders, just people travelling and carrying products, ideas and concepts across the globe and making it a global thing. That’s, to an extent, what we’re trying to do here. We’re not pretending to be traditional Chinese chefs who are going to cook food better than the grandma in China does, but we can take those ideas, flavours and concepts and translate them into something new.
Pieter Buijsse, Rah Dining
It’s interesting, isn’t it? Because that word “authenticity” comes up a lot. Have we moved beyond that? Is it okay to cook other people’s food when you’re not from there?
I think there’s a time and a place for everything. If I grew up in Bologna and my nonna was making Bolognese sauce for me throughout my entire childhood, and I’m moving to Melbourne and opening up a restaurant where I’m going to make the best spaghetti Bolognese in Melbourne, I have a time and a place and a reason to be doing that. I don’t have that regarding the Silk Road. I don’t have my Chinese grandma cooking me dumplings when I was two years old. But what I can do is learn those flavours and, with my experience and background in mostly fine dining, turn them into an exciting concept that’s relevant these days.
Is that what it’s going to be called? Rah Dining? What does that mean?
Rah is actually referring back to the Silk Road. The Silk Road started in China, ends in Turkey, and from what it used to be, it was a very gruesome trek for people. They had all the silk in China and they wanted to sell it at the other end of the world, and people had to travel through all these countries to present these products and be able to sell them. From that concept, we want to take the people who come here. We’re not going to make you pick up silk and carry it across the country, but we want you to understand the journey these people were on. So a simple product like rice: rice in China used to be used in stir-fry, in a fried rice kind of thing. Then it moved to India, where they made biryani. From there it would go to Uzbekistan, where it was plov, and then it would go to another country where they made something else out of it. It’s a simpler time, for lack of a better term, where there were no borders, just people travelling and carrying products, ideas and concepts across the globe and making it a global thing. That’s, to an extent, what we’re trying to do here. We’re not pretending to be traditional Chinese chefs who are going to cook food better than the grandma in China does, but we can take those ideas, flavours and concepts and translate them into something new.
It’s exciting. When you take over a venue and set off as an owner chef, what do you need to do between now and opening?
I can show you my spreadsheet. Excuse my French, but a shitload. That’s what we need to do. There’s a whole lot of stuff to do. I’m just a dumb chef who once upon a time thought it was a really good idea to start cooking some food, and now all of a sudden I’m a co-owner operator of a business where so many other things become important: legal, licensing, your lease, all these kinds of things. I got the keys last Friday, a couple of days ago, and I was walking into the venue going, “Okay, what do we need to do before opening?” Simple things like, “I want to work from the venue next week. I don’t have an internet connection in here, so I’m going to need to organise internet.” I need to speak to some operators to get a POS system in place to get dockets printed in the kitchen. I need to speak to the waste removal company that’s going to empty the bins. I’m going to need to organise the liquor to be delivered. I’m going to need to sign up a whole bunch of companies willing to supply me with seafood, meat, veggies, whatever. It’s a learning curve in that sense. It’s busy as hell, and pretty much every single time you fix one problem, three new ones come along.
What about plates and cutlery? I see you’ve got some plates there.
Thankfully the people who have left us the place left us with the foundation of the restaurant. There are some plates, some cutlery, some equipment in the kitchen, but we’re going to need a whole heap of other stuff. That was actually today’s job: going through the kitchen, going through the venue and realising, “We’ve got enough water glasses, but what about trays to carry drinks? We need to buy trays.” It’s all these tiny little things. But it’s also super exciting to come to that concept. They gutted the whole venue, took all the decorations out, and yesterday I was looking at the app and thinking, “We’ve got a bunch of empty shelves. Are we going to put pictures or decorations that refer back to the Silk Road, or are we going to leave it bare?” AI is your best friend these days. You upload a picture and say, “Make this look like a cool restaurant,” and it uploads a picture and then you go, “Oh yeah, that actually could work.”
I feel like you have to be sure of your concept and the look you want heading in, because once you start, that’s what you’re stuck with. Even the font of the name, all that kind of thing.
One hundred per cent. There’s only one chance to make a first impression. I’m fortunate enough to be backed by a group, which is very much involved in the hospitality travel industry in Melbourne. They support us in the sense that we don’t want to launch this thing until it’s ready. We don’t want to do a half-arse opening just because we need a little bit of money and we need to make things happen. We want to set it up the way it’s supposed to be set up. We want to have the staff here, we want to have everything ready to go, and that’s when we give the green light. We’re finding our feet and trying to come up with the right things to do. The whole concept itself, it’s not like yesterday we turned over a bunch of tarot cards and came up with the concept and said, “You know what? We’re going to do this.” It’s very well thought out, very meticulously prepared, and now it’s all about the execution. The execution needs to be on point. The first week of November is the aim of the game, mainly because you’re jumping into summer. There’s lots of travelling, tourism, people going out, the weather is good. It’s some of the best months for hospitality in general, and we definitely want to pick some of that up. The main thing for us is to be ready when we’re ready, and we’re doing everything we can to make that happen.
It’s been a long time coming, and the closer it gets to opening, the more the pressure gets turned up and the more we’re feeling it. It’s exciting, nerve-racking and everything in between at the same time.
Pieter Buijsse, Rah Dining
You mentioned the degustation. Is it only degustation, where you come in and have that experience, or will there be à la carte options?
No, there’s à la carte as well. We’ve got 40 seats in the restaurant, 28 at the tables and 12 at the bar. We’re going to be offering an à la carte offering where you can come in, sit down, have a plate of food and a glass of wine, and be on your merry way for about $40 or $50, and be fed for the night. But we also want to give you an opportunity to come and sit down, experience the whole degustation. For a couple of hundred dollars, you and your partner can sit down and make a night out of it. We want to cater to both sides of the market. We want to make it approachable and we don’t want people to shy away from it being, “Oh, it’s a fine dining restaurant you can only go to on a special occasion, and it’s not my birthday, so I’m not going there.” Come here on a Wednesday night. After work, you jump off at Windsor Station, you’re on your way home, you’re a bit peckish. Come sit at the bar, have a glass of wine, have a plate of food, and be on your merry way. But at the same time, we want to offer the exceptional night out dining experience.
Who’s your demographic?
The demographic is very diverse. We’re in St Kilda, well, slash Windsor, Chapel Street, so the local people who live around here, the guy or the guy and girl who live in St Kilda, are definitely the ones who are going to be the target audience. But also people who have any kind of affiliation with any of the countries on the Silk Road. The people who grew up in China, India, Uzbekistan, Turkey, who feel any kind of connection, are definitely the people we want to relate to. But also, anyone who’s coming from Canada and is here for the weekend, or anyone who grew up in Europe or South Africa. Everybody’s welcome, obviously. We really want to have that strong connection to the Silk Road and the countries in that vicinity.
Have you already tied the menu down?
A couple of weeks ago, I hired a kitchen just around the corner from here and started cooking most of the dishes, tasting the menu, trying menu development. I would say at the moment, if I’m being optimistic, we’re 90 per cent there, and if I’m being realistic, we’re 75 per cent there. There are tweaks to be done and little changes to be made, but the concept is definitely nailed down. Now it’s about, “Do we want that sauce to be a little bit thicker, or do we need that garnish to be this or that?”
And you’re doing that by yourself at the moment?
At the moment, I’m in the process of hiring a bunch of staff, which is an interesting process in itself. I’m looking for a sous chef, which I think we’re pretty close to coming to a conclusion on. I’m looking for a venue manager, a waiter and a couple of casuals. It’s all coming along, but it’s hard finding good staff. Finding staff is not hard. Anyone who says finding staff is hard, they’re lying. Finding good staff, that’s hard.
And then I guess keeping them, because it’s good to build a team, isn’t it?
One hundred per cent. Especially with what we’re trying to do here, I need people to come on board who believe in the vision and want to expand on what we’re doing. We’re setting up a new restaurant and at the start it’s going to be hard. It’s going to be a lot of hard work and it’s going to be messy, because I’ve never seen a restaurant opening that’s not messy. I need somebody who’s up for a challenge, somebody who wants to take the bull by the horns and go, “I believe in this. I believe in you. I believe in the concept, I believe in the company. I believe in what we want to build here,” and take that journey with me. Somebody who just wants to tick over, wants to be secure and stable and safe — this is not the place.
What’s your leadership style like now?
I’ve been in charge of people for a number of years, ten plus, I’d say. My leadership has definitely evolved from when I first became the big boss. It was my way or the highway and crack the whip and all that kind of stuff. But nowadays I want people to be involved. If we’re making new dishes or changing concepts around the restaurant, if we’re doing anything new, get people involved from the start, make them excited about what we’re doing. Talk to them about it, get their input and then grow together from there. That’s where I’m at right now. We’re all in this together and we’re all doing something exciting. I want everybody to be along for the ride. The sous chefs, the venue managers, whoever I’m hiring, I want them to have a certain sense of ownership of it as well. This is not my restaurant. This is not my dream. This is not my be-all and end-all where whoever I’m employing is there to help me achieve my dream. Everybody who comes along for the ride, this is our dream. This is our restaurant. Sure, I’m the co-owner and I’m the one who pays the bills, but at the same time, whoever is here making this place a success, it should be their dream as well. This is our restaurant. I’m not ruling like a dictator and everyone has to follow in line. This is our place. I want the people who work here to feel like this is their second lounge room. You want to come to work, you want to feel comfortable with the people you’re with and the space you’re in, and I want people to take ownership of the restaurant.
I’m excited. I can’t wait for you to open.
Me too. It’s been a long time coming, and the closer it gets to opening, the more the pressure gets turned up and the more we’re feeling it. It’s exciting, nerve-racking and everything in between at the same time.
All the best for the next few weeks getting through that spreadsheet, and I’ll see you on the other side.