Why Adam Cliff Won't Open Another Samsen Restaurant in Hong Kong
(Bloomberg) -- The Samsen restaurant group is one of Hong Kong's standout success stories of the past decade, with daily queues outside each of the three outlets a testament to the enduring popularity of the Bangkok-style food and casual hip vibe.
Yet Adam Cliff, the chef-owner of the group, has no plans to open a fourth iteration — in Hong Kong, at least. An expansion to Australia is possible, however, as is a different concept locally.
The 39-year-old, who hails from Sydney, originally came to Hong Kong in 2013 to co-found Chachawan, the Thai eatery on Hollywood Road that's part of the JIA Group, before opening Samsen three years later in Wanchai's Stone Nullah Lane.Cliff, who is fluent in spoken and written Thai, has since opened two more Samsen outlets in Sheung Wan and, most recently, in Central's On Lan Street. I spoke to him in his newest restaurant about what drives him, what and where he might open next, and what he thinks of the competition. The interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Why do you think you have been so successful with Samsen?
I just want to give people what they want. I'm not here to try educate the market, I'm not trying to change their perceptions of Thai food. I just try to identify what I think the Hong Kong market will appreciate. The beef boat noodle soup in particular has all the elements that I think local Hong Kongers appreciate: it's got soup, there's noodles, it's sour, it's spicy, it's a bit salty, it's beef, it's all there.
The second is utility. I think Samsen is reasonably priced and it's important for us that people aren't leaving here thinking wow that cost me quite a bit and I'm going to reconsider before I go again. I want it to be so accessible so you can just go without thinking about it.
How important is consistency?
Consistency is a given, it's non-negotiable. Everything has to be the same or as close as it can possibly be. I have a brigade of about 50 chefs. I would say the vast majority of those chefs have worked with the company for five or six years or more, and they''re talented in their own rights. Saying all of that, I will still be in Samsen trying the food five, six days a week.
It just always intrigued me. The first restaurant that I worked at was an Aussie restaurant. I just happened to be working with a lot of Thai people and their staff food was more exciting to me than the food I was cooking for customers. And they ended up just opening their own Thai restaurant, invited me to join them. So I left the restaurant and joined them. And that I guess started quite a passion for me.
To keep improving. To continue growing the company one step at a time, very slow. For one of the most successful restaurants, which I'd say Samsen is, we are also quite slow in expanding and that's deliberate. I'm a big believer in just one step. Just like today, I was trying to develop one of our current dishes on the menu, just trying to improve it ever so slightly. And that's what I enjoying doing. And then when I feel that the team is strong enough and we're ready, then we'll take more of a jump. Whether that be another restaurant here in Hong Kong or maybe abroad.
Australia is always kind of at the back of my mind. The older I get, the more I miss home. I love Hong Kong and Hong Kong is definitely my home as well. But I do enjoy spending more time in Australia with mum and dad especially.
Final question on competition. You're seeing at least a couple of groups modeled on the concept you built.
I would say modeled on Samsen is a very nice way to put it. Yeah. You are seeing there is quite a lot here.
How do you feel about that?
I pay it the necessary attention that it deserves. It gets a little bit tiresome because Thai food is so broad. The next restaurant I open in Hong Kong, if it's Thai, it's not going to be a Samsen, it will not be this group, because it seems that at a lot of the Thai restaurants that open in Hong Kong, the menu is very similar. But Thai food itself is so broad, there are so many amazing dishes that people should be doing, but they're not.
This interview was originally published in Hong Kong Edition, a weekly newsletter. Click here to read our earlier interview with the makers of the Four Trails documentary movie, and here to read an interview with one of the creators of an unofficial 100-kilometer hiking route. To subscribe to the newsletter for free, click here.
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