‘Being in Hong Kong has changed my life’: how a chef from London overcame burnout to thrive in the kitchen – now he works ‘smarter, not harder’

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“So far, the reception is great,” Draper says. “Because of the whole music element, there’s a fun vibe here. I get to have fun with the dishes and no one minds if the tables get a bit messy. Also, because the food is quite simply presented, it makes it easier for sharing as people just dive around.”

The inside of Melody in Sai Ying Pun. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Many Hong Kong diners may know Draper from his time as executive chef of Mr Wolf, where he began working in 2017, when it opened as part of late restaurateur Wayne Parfitt’s Castelo Concepts group.

As Mr Wolf evolved from serving pub grub to more refined fare, the versatile Draper adapted. In the UK, he had already proved his mettle in every kind of setting – from cooking fry-ups at pubs to working alongside fine-dining stalwarts Albert and Michel Roux Jnr at Roux at the Landau in The Langham Hotel London.

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“I did a year in the Leiths School of Food and Wine. I was 19 and I didn’t want to do a three-year course. I just wanted to get into the real world of cooking,” Draper recalls.

“I worked in one modern European kitchen doing quite squishy and beautifully dressed plates. Everyone would be responsible for at least six courses and we did 300-400 plates a night. It was so intense.”

That was also where Draper first came across the notoriously “violent, competitive attitude of London kitchens”, which taught him how to survive and keep moving.

He also credits Roux for giving him the opportunity to work within the French fine-dining sphere.

“We could afford to do things like stuff turbot with lobsters. I also learned all the old-school, incredible French sauces, and their importance,” he says. “ That was a really intense kitchen too.”
Whole squid stuffed with rice, garlic purée and oregano from Melody in Sai Ying Pun. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Even as an eager and ambitious young chef, he felt he needed to take a step back. He retreated to work at a gastropub in South London, where he would eventually meet Parfitt, who would offer him work in Hong Kong.

“I had never been to Hong Kong but I had to get out of that really aggressive style of working in London,” Draper says. “I was burned out.

“I also struggled a bit because hotels are just too corporate and rigid for me. I’m not particularly that way.

It’s not gone through seven different stages of preparation and there’s no tweezers involved.

Jamie Draper on his food at Melody

“When I came [to Hong Kong], it was clear there was a very different attitude towards hospitality. The friends I’ve got now within the industry are really close mates. Everyone respects and supports each other, not like in London.

“There’s much more of a social life here. Being in Hong Kong has changed my life. For the better.”

With Melody, Draper enters a new alliance with nightclub entrepreneurs Ravi Beryar and Adam Simmons. Photo: Jonathan Wong

With Melody, Draper enters a new alliance with nightclub entrepreneurs Ravi Beryar and Adam Simmons. There is more urban glam than Bali chic in the decor, but the space still has its DJ corner front and centre and a private music back room.

As for how he came to switch things up, Draper says: “I bumped into Adam at the races on a Wednesday night at Happy Valley and I just asked him what he was up to and he told me about this place. My ears perked up.

“It sounded interesting. I came here the next day. I was like, ‘OK’. I wasn’t looking to leave Mr Wolf but some decisions you don’t think too much about – like moving here to Hong Kong.

Duck breast with glazed sausage, sweet potato and shallots from Melody in Sai Ying Pun. Photo: Jonathan Wong
At his new post, Draper now gets to play around with different things, such as adding smoky finesse to his flavours – but otherwise he is mostly keeping the food simple and comfortable. He has introduced more Zen into his life, which is now reflected in his cooking.

Draper now feels like he has gone through a “less is more” approach, using a dish of glazed squid stuffed with garlic purée and rice as an example.

“It’s simple, but still looks very refined to me. I had something like this in the Philippines and I just changed it to a more Mediterranean flavour profile. And it works so well. It’s not gone through seven different stages of preparation and there’s no tweezers involved.”

I think you can focus too much on things. The carrot doesn’t need to be exactly in a certain place

Jamie Draper

He also enjoys learning from his Chinese chefs, too.

“I love watching [them] get out all those magic bottles of sauces and in five minutes they’ve got incredible plates of food,” he says, “whereas I come from a French style of background so it takes like three days to do something.

“It’s made me realise that you don’t have to work like that. You can work smarter, not harder, to make delicious food.”

More significantly, the new outlook has given Draper a way to see the bigger picture.

Draper at Melody in Sai Ying Pun. Photo: Jonathan Wong

“Being in Hong Kong has made me realise that we’re just cooking food, not saving lives,” he admits. “I think you can focus too much on things. The carrot doesn’t need to be exactly in a certain place.

“When I started I still had that horrible London aggression. It really wound me up and I don’t have that any more. I’m much more mellow now.

“I’m just cooking food. Trying to build memories. Giving people a good time.”

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