Yew Ling Chow has always had a passion for cooking - but raising four children in Malaysia didn’t offer her any opportunities to turn her passion into a business.

“Now, I get to fulfil my dream through my daughter, Dorothy Ng,” smiles Yew Ling. “I work with her and our chef Koko Indrian and together we run Reynolds Street Sandwich Bar.”

Reynolds Street Sandwich Bar is tucked away amongst office buildings in North Melbourne - but locals in the know have been visiting the humble cafe for over twenty-five years. Yew Ling took over the business in April 2020, and in collaboration with Dorothy and Indonesian-born Koko, they have added their own flair to the menu. 

From a petite kitchen, they serve made-to-order sandwiches, a rotating dish of the day, and delectable desserts. Their focus is on using the freshest ingredients and making food that they like to eat, all at an affordable price. 

A case in point is Koko’s Fried Chicken burger, which sandwiches juicy thigh meat in a brioche bun slicked with yoghurt sauce to cut through the fat. The dish of the day may be Yew Ling’s recipe for warming satay chicken or Koko’s version of Indonesian fried rice. 

The sweet treats are Dorothy’s speciality, whether it’s a Basque cheesecake, lemon tart or peanut butter brownie cookies. Every Friday offers fresh profiteroles with different fillings. 

Dorothy and Koko first met as classmates in Melbourne ten years ago.

“We both studied culinary arts, and Koko was by far the best chef in the whole group. Over the years, we’ve kept in touch. At one stage, he was living in Canberra - but I lured him back to Melbourne to work with us,” laughs Dorothy.

After Dorothy graduated from culinary school, Yew Ling also decided to immigrate from Malaysia as she could see the business opportunities here. 

“Dorothy came here to study by herself and then worked in restaurants and realised it wasn’t her calling. So she and I started talking about starting something together, and in 2018, we took over a busy cafe in Toorak, Cooper and Milla’s,” explains Yew Ling. 

“After two years, we decided to close Cooper and Milla due to the increase in rent, the effects of the pandemic and to work closer to home. As we live in North Melbourne, we stumbled across this site in our walks and thought it suited us better - it’s small scale, there are just the three of us here rather than having to manage fifteen staff, and we are only open during the day on weekdays. For the first time in years, we aren’t working weekends!”

Plus, Yew Ling, Dorothy and Koko enjoy being a valued part of their community. 

“We cater mostly to the surrounding office workers, tradies and local residents. The North Melbourne Football Club comes in a lot and are great supporters,” says Dorothy.

“I get a lot of joy from all of my customers. Because this is a small shop, when our regulars arrive, we know who you are, and we know what you like to eat. There's a cute baby that comes in every morning with his dad. That’s the kind of community that we want to be part of and to serve.”

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna EncIO