Rice n Mics

In our third episode together, we're joined again by Chefs Junior and Norman for an update in their hospitality grind. We dive straight into what happened to Saigon Hustle, and how their culinary journeys have progressed since.

We also unpack how they navigate work-life balance, with Junior breaking down what it's like navigating the kitchen hours as a new dad, while Norman shares his perspective on setting up his work life balance to avoid burnout. We also talk about the global chef shortage, reading Google reviews for Hustlers, why you should listen to the rules of Omakase, and what Chefs really think when you order a well-done steak.

Go try out Junior's food at Hustlers!

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Items mentioned

The Omakase Rules

Gordon Ramsay well done steak

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Need a photobooth? Reach out to SonofaBooth - ⁠https://sonofabooth.com.au/⁠

Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠

Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:40 What happened to Saigon Hustle?

4:32 Why They Left & The Truth Behind Restaurant Split-Ups 

6:05 Hospitality Work-Life Balance: New Fatherhood vs. Setting Boundaries 

12:23 Chef Norman’s Career Shift After Saigon Hustle

21:11 Transitioning Culinary Styles: Asian Fusion to Portuguese Cuisine

24:36 The Hidden Challenges of High-Volume Bulk Cooking

29:07 Hustlers Menu Strategy: Seasonal Ingredients & Cost Management

35:26 Food Presentation vs. Taste: What Matters More?

41:57 Hidden tips in restaurant bills

43:38 Facing Competition & Staying Relevant in Sydney's Food Scene 

49:27 The hidden tip bill restaurant

52:11 Reading Google reviews of Hustlers

1:14:20 The Global Chef Shortage & Hospitality Crisis

1:22:13 Is AI & Automation Taking Over Commercial Kitchens?

1:27:55 Why You MUST Show Up On Time (Omakase Horror Story)

1:31:51 Banned From The Star Casino & Cooking in Sydney CBD vs. Smithfield 

LINK GORDON RAMSAY WELL DONE STEAK

1:39:54 What Chefs REALLY Think When You Order a Well-Done Steak

1:42:51 How Dietary Requirements Restrict Creative Cooking

1:46:27 Career Advice for Aspiring Chefs & Automated Cooking Tech

1:53:36 The Brutal Physical Toll of Working in Commercial Kitchens

1:55:30 Outro

I chat with Sydney comedian Harry Jun to learn about his journey from high school teacher to full-time comedy, content creation and media. Harry gives us the raw, behind the scenes look at the independent creative grind.

We dive deep in some Aussie millennial nostalgia (even though technically I'm gen Z), joining Good Game Spawn Point and Squad, navigating social media and exploring Harry's culture through his work.

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Harry's Links

https://www.instagram.com/_harryjun

_/https://harryjun.com/

https://linktr.ee/harryjun/

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Need a photobooth? Reach out to SonofaBooth - https://sonofabooth.com.au/

Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast

Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:01 Getting into Stand-up Comedy & ABC's Good Game

4:01 What is Good Game Squad on SBS?

5:54 Harry Jun's Career Background & High School Teaching

10:29 Quitting Teaching & Modern School Bullying Techniques

13:04 Touring as a Comic & School Social Media Policies

15:51 Performing Comedy in Chinatown & Dealing With Hecklers

23:06 What Makes a Hard Comedy Gig?

26:51 Reading the Room & Audience Body Language

29:07 Solo Comedy Shows, Performing for 2 People & Selling Tickets

37:02 Independent Comedy: Do You Need an Agent or Management?

40:36 Handling Hecklers & Finding Friendly Faces in the Crowd

43:09 Do Comics Have a Breakdown Before or After Sets?

44:47 Why Creatives Need to Hang Out With Non-Work Friends

48:32 Incorporating Culture Into Stand-up & 'Low-Hanging Fruit' Jokes

56:02 Sharing Your Heritage vs Disapproving Korean Aunties

1:03:25 Connecting With Korean Audiences & Comedy Inspirations

1:08:19 Using Animated Teaching Methods in Stand-up Comedy

1:12:13 Performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

1:19:28 SOAB AD

1:20:58 The Difference Between Gig MCing vs Performing a Set

1:25:31 Swapping Between SFW and NSFW Content Styles

1:29:36 Funny Interactions With Kid Hecklers & Future Projects

1:33:19 How to Keep Tour Costs Low & Knowing When You've "Made It"

1:38:24 What Career Would You Do Without Comedy?

1:42:40 Worst Comedy Gig Experiences & Nightmare Rooms

1:46:39 Performing Work-in-Progress (WIP) Comedy Shows

1:48:49 Meaningful Messages From Stand-up Fans

1:51:20 Dream Comedy Venues & Collaborators

1:55:36 Why Live Comedy is So Much Better Than Online Videos

1:57:13 Advice for New Creatives & Content Creators

2:03:13 Outro

I sit down with professional Executive MC and actor Terence Nguyen, aka 'The Main with the Mic'. Terence has built a brand as the area's MC, who has hosted weddings, corporate events, charity galas, but his path to getting here was far from typical.

We dive into his evolution from a kid in Western Sydney to a high-energy MC. He shares his foundational training at PYT Fairfield which helped him break the 'quiet Asian' stereotype which led him roles in major products like Anyone But You and Last King of the Cross. Terence also chats about his community work through the Asian Hustle Network and the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.

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Terence's Links

https://www.instagram.com/terencenguyenmc/

https://www.tiktok.com/@terencenguyenmc

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Need a photobooth? Reach out to SonofaBooth - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/sonofabooth/⁠

Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:38 Are MCs Naturally Confident? Public Speaking Secrets

3:48 Acting Career: IMDb, Maria Tran, and Takashi Hara

8:51 Starring in "Tuan’s Party" (Theatre & Performance)

17:25 Theatre vs. Corporate MCing & Trivia Events

21:07 Terence’s Origin Story: From Dinosaur Speeches to the Big Stage

26:16 Personal Development: Breaking the "Shy Kid" Stereotype

28:08 Wedding Inspiration: Immi & Nico’s Wedding and Toastmasters

32:04 University Life and Working at the Courthouse

34:50 Mentorship with Jeremiah Hartman: Violating Expectations

38:18 How to Find MC Gigs & Average MC Rates in Australia

42:37 Being a Chameleon: Adapting Your Energy for Events

44:48 What Makes a Good vs. Bad Wedding MC?

50:26 Studying Marriage Celebrancy

52:11 The Reality of Financial Uncertainty & Freelance Life

57:25 SOAB AD

58:55 Event Demand: Weekday vs. Weekend Work

1:01:23 Speaking Vietnamese: Assessing Language Proficiency

1:07:09 Is Basic Vietnamese Enough for Bilingual Weddings?

1:09:00 Native Vietnamese vs. Viet-Aus MCs & Word of Mouth Marketing

1:12:51 Pricing Strategies: How to Charge Without Undercutting the Market

1:15:56 Vendor Relations: Why Timing is Everything in Events

1:19:21 Client Chemistry: What Makes a Couple Great to Work With?

1:22:58 Essential Wedding Tips: Keep the Speeches Short!

1:28:00 The Worst Wedding Experience

1:39:14 Protecting Your Big Day: Why You Must Check Your Vendors

1:41:47 Community Impact and Working with Sydney Lane

1:44:52 Mastering Improv in Low-Stakes Environments

1:47:49 Favourite Wedding Trends: Chinese Wedding Traditions

1:56:37 Top Venue Recommendations, Dream Gigs, and Career Advice

2:03:35 Outro

We sit down with one of the OG creative and wedding videography veteran Andy Yang, where he shares the moment on a morning train commute was one of the many steps to slowly leave behind a stable finance career to pursue a life behind the lens.

We dive into the evolution of the Asian Australian creative scene, from Andy's early days filming YouTube covers and touring Asia, to navigating the high-stakes world of wedding videography (The SanDisk failure...).

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Andy's Links

https://www.youtube.com/@AndyYangVlogs

https://www.instagram.com/andyyang84

/https://www.andyyangfilms.com/

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Need a photobooth? Reach out to SonofaBooth - https://www.instagram.com/sonofabooth/

Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

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Chapters

0:00 Intro – Andy’s videography journey

2:25 Andy’s career before filmmaking – switching industries

4:11 How Andy became a videographer – breaking into content creation

9:29 Early life, creative background, and career foundations

14:40 Wedding videographer pricing – hourly rates, market trends, OG vendors

20:51 Pricing strategy for videographers – avoiding undercutting and managing client expectations

23:58 Working with real couples – Nathan & Annette and Andy’s signature filming style

28:40 Data loss in videography – backups, workflow, and AI recovery tools

36:11 Cinematic shooting style explained – Nathan’s on‑set experience

40:42 Editing workflow for videographers – dad content, storytelling, tour vlogs

49:12 How the YouTube creator landscape is changing

53:20 Behind the scenes of wedding videography – difficult clients and real experiences1

:01:14 Dad content and lifestyle filming – meal kits, home shoots

1:07:29 What makes an ideal couple client for videographers

1:10:43 Time management for videographers – structuring a full shoot day

1:12:56 SOAB AD

1:14:26 Crew meal etiquette – what videographers and photographers should know

1:17:44 Unique vendor ideas in the wedding industry

1:21:32 Working styles and camera gear – tools for modern videographers

1:28:46 Beginner videographer advice – how to start in photography and filmmaking

1:31:46 Advice to younger self – favourite wedding trends and industry insights

1:33:40 What couples overspend on – wedding budget tips and smart splurges

1:37:37 Outro – final thoughts on videography and content creation

If you were to ask a year ago, I would've said by day, Anna works 9-5 as a finance manager, and by night, she's LateNightAnna. But since then, she is all in on LateNightAnna, cooking, creating and building a food content brand that started with a viral Basque cheesecake during Covid.

In this episode, I sit down with Anna to talk about her journey from competing in MasterChef as a teenager, to starting a home baking business from scratch, to documenting her life in her 30s through food, travel and content creation. We chat about how she balanced a corporate career with creative passion, growing up Chinese-Australian in Sydney, performing on stages from singing competitions to national finals, and what it really takes to stay consistent when you’re building something on the side.

If you've ever thought about starting a side hustle, chasing a creative dream, or just love food content, this one's for you.

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Anna's Links

Youtube Channel

https://www.instagram.com/latenightannaa

https://www.tiktok.com/@late.night.anna

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Items mentioned

Noodle bowl: https://www.amazon.com.au/Sets-Containers-Microwavable-Restaurants-Self-Adhesive/dp/B0DPJVT1NW/

What we made: https://bylatenightanna.com/fire-carbonara-instant-noodles/

Anna's singing channel: https://www.instagram.com/annabanana.mp3

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Need a photobooth? Reach out to SonofaBooth

Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:07 Background, corporate life

6:42 Anna's singing journey, different languages

10:57 The basque cheesecake, covid business

17:26 How do you make a living?

21:54 Masterchef appearance

24:18 Why food content?

26:52 Mukbang, our relationship with food

31:37 Bao bae, starting a fast food brand

35:18 Growing up with food, inspiration

39:10 How did you learn to cook?

41:24 When was enough income to replace the corporate gig?

45:12 More followers =/= More income

49:27 Pivoting to long form content

51:43 Culinary Class Wars dishes

56:29 Travel content?

59:42 What is 'latenightanna'?

1:02:04 Son of a Booth ad

1:03:34 Cooking starts

1:06:53 Light vs dark soy sauce

1:12:58 Ingredient you can't live without

1:20:56 Are instant noodles your guilty pleasure food/personality?

1:23:47 Go to dish to impress someone

1:26:47 Drawing on cups

1:29:33 Advice for other content creators

1:37:14 Outro

Weddings hit different when it’s your close friends, and even more when you’re part of the chaos behind the scenes.

We sit down with Nathan & Annette to break down their wedding day - the planning, the emotions, the cultural expectations, family dynamics… and the moments that nearly didn’t go to plan.

I also reveal a big announcement of my own...

We chat through everything from proposals and adrenaline, to budgets, vendors, tea ceremonies, first dances, and what it actually feels like once the day is over and married life begins.

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Corey's mum's catering: msbunmee

Nathan's wedding venue: Highline

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Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

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0:00 Intro

3:11 Describe the wedding in one word

4:48 Tung's big announcement

9:07 Which knee to get on when proposing, adrenaline

14:50 Business class is crazy, having kids

17:14 How did Tung design the ring, new drip, wedding season

21:15 Picking the wedding venue

25:20 Parental input for the wedding, food choices, styling

30:54 The tea ceremony, Nathan's big reveal

37:03 Getting all the vendors, Tung becoming MC

40:52 What almost went wrong? Saving money

45:26 Consider being a celebrant

47:56 Feelings leading up to the wedding

50:23 Planning, parents inviting friends

54:29 The deck of cards

57:07 Budget, mid, high end venues, food options

1:00:28 Vendors for the wedding

1:04:58 Picking the first dance song, highlights

1:12:39 Would you change anything?

1:18:22 Planning Tung's wedding

1:20:24 How it feels to be married

1:23:14 Nerves, advice for future grooms/brides

1:26:54 BUDGET

1:29:12 Start planning

1:33:36 The photoshoot, potential destination wedding

1:39:05 Questions from viewers, engagement watches

1:42:54 Outro

Note: There will be video soon, working through some tech issues. Otherwise YouTube is where you can find it for now!

We’ve hit that stage of life where everyone’s either getting engaged, married, planning a Japan trip, or trying to buy a house. And somewhere in that chaos, the words “mortgage broker” keep popping up, but what do they actually do? Are they just a fancy search engine for home loans?

In this episode, Michael Nguyen joins us to break down the world of mortgage broking, answer the questions most first-home buyers are too scared to ask, and share what it’s really like working in the industry. Whether you’re buying soon or just curious, this one clears up a lot.

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Michael's email: [email protected]

https://www.professionalhomeloans.com.au/

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Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

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0:00 Intro

3:04 Inspiring kids with Dai Le

5:33 Growing up, selective schooling PTSD

14:00 TAFE, uni offers and experience

20:34 Becoming an Apprentice Broker

23:28 How do brokers get paid? The cutthroat side

28:10 Cut out the broker and save?

31:18 Struggling as an apprentice, abusing free gym trials

36:38 Getting from start to finish for a loan, compromising

40:02 Where to buy IPs

45:32 Can brokers get loans for themselves? Apprentice life

52:48 Be the dumbest guy in the room

55:26 Teaching other colleagues

57:23 Apprentice vs now

58:20 The self employment struggle

1:02:24 Fluctuating income, the first deal ever

1:04:56 Bad vs good broker

1:06:33 Why not go for the cheapest rate?

1:10:51 5% deposit scheme

1:13:38 Biggest first home buyer mistakes

1:18:02 Emotions of buying a place

1:22:24 Toughest deal

1:25:08 How afterpay/credit card churning affects home loans

1:27:17 Advice for aspiring brokers

1:31:11 Outro

Why are games of luck like the lottery, or even casual gambling such a big part of Asian culture? In this episode we dive into the weird world of superstition, fate, our experiences with gambling growing up and what we'd actually do if we won the lottery.

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Guests: Matt & Nathan

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Items mentioned

• ⁠Behind Asia's AWFUL Gambling Obsession⁠
• Gourd, crab, fish, tiger game
• Racist Pokie Joke Origin
• $43M Pokie Machine Malfunction
• Sex dice watch

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Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:46 How much was gambling around you growing up?

4:02 Las Vegas vs Macau, culture

10:47 Old vs New gamblers

13:35 Sports betting, VR betting, Crypto casinos

19:09 Zombie apocalypse, bidet tangent

21:12 Betting on anything, following trades, powerball

26:43 What would we do if we won the lottery?

35:55 Is hiring an in-house chef cheating on your mum? Proxy incense

39:27 Aunty claiming she prayed for you to win hypothetical

42:29 Stealth wealth

47:19 Enjoying work? Lean FIRE? Jobs we'd work at still?

50:32 Would you still credit card churn?

53:15 A farm!

53:48 Outro

What is it really like to serve the community you grew up in? Kevin Lam sits down to share how his parents' migration story helped shape his drive, path into city planning and eventually becoming a Fairfield Councilor.

We also chat about a shared hobby, motorbikes. As the co-founder of Sydney West Riders, Kevin's built a community of over 14,000 riders for over a decade, running charity rides, events, and track days.

Tune in now to hear all about balancing identity, giving back, and finding purpose in both work and passion.

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Guest: Kevin Lam

Sydney West Riders Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/327472683998295

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Want to get in touch? Send us an email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Follow us on our socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ricenmicspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music: aKu - Love Shine | aKu - The Final Blow

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:00 What it's like juggling so many responsibilities

2:51 Sydney West Riders origin story

7:51 What were we doing in Lithgow?

10:07 Career path - town planner

13:23 What's happening to the land across Cabra fire station?

14:47 Motivations for career from parents upbringing?

18:28 Running for 2016 Fairfield Council, how it works

25:55 Town planning, more info

30:07 Difference between mayor and local member

33:21 What does Kevin do as a councillor?

41:30 Biggest changes in council?

45:21 Will John St be the next food night market?

50:13 Are younger people more tuned into politics?

52:50 Most rewarding moments

58:03 Funny stories, media

1:01:32 Getting into motorbikes, safety courses

1:07:38 Motivation to keep going

1:14:28 Outro

When we got to a certain age, we're seeing our friends and us picking some sort of hobby that will determine our personality for the next several years. Maybe it's podcasting (I might be guilty), rebuilding cars, baking bread, or running a marathon to name a few... In this episode we chat about what we're doing to stay active/fit, and maybe we can reflect on this in a few years' time thanking our younger selves that we chose some of these things that we're doing to stay healthy.

This episode is in partnership with the Australian Government. @healthgovau

To find out more, visit https://www.health.gov.au/vaping

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Guests: Matt & Nathan

Items mentioned

WHO Bacon article

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:50 How has your approach to health changed? Hyrox?

6:18 What happens when you train too much

9:01 Pain tolerance, doctor scales

11:25 Necessity of warming up before exercise, extreme vs minimal activeness

13:45 Why is it taking me so long to recover from sickness, calisthenics

17:36 Doing more fitness for your future

19:55 Vaping segment

28:45 Why is it a challenge to be more fit now? Trying other sports

31:55 Body image, Nathan's experience with body dysmorphia

42:02 Cultural attitude towards fitness, nutrition

50:04 'Everything' can cause some sort of health issue

53:58 Eating is a CHORE

59:21 Prioritising eating at home

1:05:03 Mental health, career goals

1:10:30 What you can do to better yourself