Say someone hasn't been to either of your restaurants and wants to tick both off their to-do list; would you advice eating at Communal Table or Gen first?
 
JW: I would advise going to Communal Table first for the entry-level prices. When Freeform reached out on behalf of Momo's KL, asking us to bring Gen to KL, I suggested Communal Table, as it's more suited to the space. Communal Table's concept is more casual. Even our wine list is more youthful; we tailored it so there's only low-intervention and natural wines.

This is basically Communal Table’s first ever pop-up. It's a good opportunity to explain what the restaurant stands for, as there’s still a lot of confusion among people outside Penang, especially since Gen moved to The Prestige Hotel and Communal Table took over Gen's original address.

What are some best-selling dishes at Communal Table by Gen?

KN: The chicken wings stuffed with belacan fried rice and served with local caviar is a hot item.
 
Isn't that also on your pop-up menu for Momo's KL?

JW: Yes. What you'll taste at Momo's are existing dishes at Communal Table that have been tweaked for the two-day pop-up. For example, you would normally use a spoon to eat the Ginger Flower dish, which has cubes of compressed watermelon and ginger flower sorbet...

KN: ...but the plated dish will be presented as popsicles so you can pick them up with ease.

See also: 5 Penang-Based Lifestyle Brands That We Love

Can you shed light on a few more bites featuring local ingredients?

KN: There’s also a seaweed dish...
 
The one resembling a taco?
 
KN: Yes, with green curry mousse and sea grapes.
 
Sea grapes don’t travel well, so I've heard.
 
JW: It seems that seafood supplier Fish For It has found a way to safely transport it from Sabah to Peninsular Malaysia. As a giveback to them, we've literally named the dish 'Fish For It'.
 
KN: There's also a charcoal puff stuffed with Guinness mousse and barbecue chicken jerky.
 
JW: We use choux pastry for the puff, which reflects Communal Table's style of having fusion touches.

What's for dessert?

KN: Are you familiar with the 'cat ear biscuits' largely eaten by the Chinese community? We stuff those with a mixture of Milo, mascarpone and Nescafe.

See also: What To Know About Hungry Ghost Festival Offerings

I'm sure customers are surprised when they learn that you're respectively from Johor and Perlis, not Penang.

JW: I've liked Penang since returning from overseas. In fact, my first restaurant job in Malaysia was at a boutique hotel in Penang, and I had a good feeling about starting my own thing on the island. Now it’s hard to move away. 

KN: I was born in Penang, actually, but grew up in Perlis. Gen marked a nice return to Malaysia after a long stint of restaurant jobs in Dubai, the Maldives, et cetera.

JW: I prefer to hire Malaysians from different parts of the country. Being from Perlis, Kevin's food culture is very different from my own. I believe you actually have an advantage when you pull different ideas from diverse people.