q&a with chefs mark & mary
Meet Mark and Mary, the hearts behind LahKee — an intimate four-seat dining ritual born from partnership, memory, and a shared belief in the quiet power of food. What began as a pandemic side hustle to support family back home unfolded into a deeply personal expression of their intertwined journeys: from bakeries and Japanese kitchens to street food memories across Southeast Asia, all moving toward one table, together .
Guided by rhythm rather than rules, they cook in sync — a culinary tango shaped by instinct, music, and lived experience. Each evening at LahKee unfolds without phones, without distraction, letting flavors spark feeling and strangers become familiar. Here, food becomes a love story, intimacy becomes ritual, and every bite carries guests somewhere else — to night markets, forgotten memories, and a sense of home they didn’t know they missed .
Q: Let’s start at the beginning, how did the two of you find your way into the kitchen, and eventually into each other’s culinary worlds?
We met back in 2010, long before either of us imagined becoming chefs.
For me, the kitchen felt like home from the start — I grew up in a family bakery, surrounded by the rhythm of dough and early mornings. I stepped into the industry professionally in 2015 at a Mexican restaurant and worked my way up from there.
Mary’s journey couldn’t have been more diKerent. A colleague nudged her toward the culinary world, and she dove straight into traditional Japanese training under expert chefs. Two completely diKerent paths, two totally diKerent cuisines — somehow moving toward the same destination.
During the pandemic, we started a small home business. It was tough, and yes, we had our fair share of “creative diKerences,” but that’s where we discovered our real strength: together, we’re a powerhouse team.
Q: Lahkee is such a unique and memorable name. What’s the story behind it, and what meaning does it hold for both of you?
Thanks! We love the name LahKee : it’s really about culture, comfort, and a little wink to where we come from.
LahKee is inspired by Southeast Asia, where many beloved neighbourhood spots play on the word “lucky.” We wanted to bring that same vibe to Dubai, but with our own twist.
In Malaysia and Singapore, “lah” is a casual expression people use to end their sentences, warm, familiar, very home.
And “Kee” is a common surname in Southeast Asia, symbolising prosperity and longevity.
Put together, LahKee feels playful and familiar, yet full of meaning. For us, it carries our sacrifices, our dreams, and the joy we find in doing this work every single day.
Ultimately, it’s about serving humble dishes that make people happy, constantly improving what we do, and sharing our story through every single bite.
Q: The two of you built an experience around intimacy and secrecy. What sparked the idea to create a four-seat, no-phones dining ritual instead of a traditional restaurant?
We were really inspired by dining experiences from the '90s—you know, before everything had to be photographed and posted online.
Our goal was to strip away all the modern distractions, like phones and social media, and focus purely on connection. We wanted guests to really engage with the person across the table, share stories, and make new connections over a great meal in a dark, cozy environment. It's about genuine human interaction, not just the food.
Q: As a husband-and-wife team, how do you balance your personal relationship with the rhythm of a shared kitchen?
We handle it by keeping things strictly professional during work hours. While we always respect that we're married, in the heat of service, we treat each other as colleagues first.
The really amazing part, though, is the flow we've developed. It's tough to explain, but we’ve just fallen into this natural rhythm—a total 'kitchen dance,' you could call it. We seem to anticipate what the other needs without even speaking. It’s pretty organic, and as I often tell Mary, that kind of synergy is just something that happens naturally over time.
Q: The “baton” passed after every dinner is a poetic tradition. What inspired it, and what does it symbolize for you both?
That tradition is really just a simple symbol of love and care.
It was inspired by the idea that when you have an amazing, memorable experience, you naturally want to share that joy with the people you care about most. So, passing the 'baton' just symbolizes giving that gift of a great experience forward to someone dear to you.
Q: Your menu adapts to the moment and flows with your guests, no rigid courses. What does “cooking in rhythm” mean to you in practice?
For us, 'cooking in rhythm' is about ditching the typical restaurant rulebook.
Instead of a set plan, we pull inspiration right from our favorite memories—like the simple joy of sharing street snacks with friends in college, when money was tight but spirits were high.
It means we let the genuine feelings and happy emotions from those shared meals guide the menu, making every dish feel personal and warm.
Q: You describe Lahkee as a love story of food and culture. What parts of your heritage, travels, or personal memories shape the dishes you create?
LahKee is powered by our own memories.
Every dish on the menu carries a real story, a moment, a feeling, a piece of who we are. We don’t add items just to sell food; we serve dishes that mean something to us.
It’s personal, and that’s exactly why it tastes the way it does.
Q: Running one of Dubai’s most intimate culinary experiences must come with its pressures. What is one lesson or philosophy that keeps you grounded on busy nights?
Even on the busiest nights, we ground ourselves by thinking about starting a fire.
At first, the flame flickers and feels unstable. But once it catches, the heat evens out and everything settles.
Service is the same, once you find the spark and let the momentum build, the pressure melts away.
Q: What’s something people might never guess about each of you when you’re not in the kitchen?
You might never guess that we actually head to the park, guitar in hand, and sing our hearts out! It’s our favorite way to unwind and connect outside of the kitchen.
Q: Every dish is a surprise, evolving with the moment. Is there a technique, ingredient, or philosophy that often anchors your creativity?
Our go-to anchor might sound simple: we're huge fans of street food.
We genuinely believe the best way to learn about a food culture is to eat where the locals eat! We take all those authentic, real-life flavors and mix them with diKerent cooking styles and textures. It keeps our creativity honest and approachable.
Q: With only four guests at a time, you meet people in such a personal way. What emotion or memory do you hope they take with them after dining at Lahkee?
With just four guests, it feels less like a service and more like opening our home. We’re not hoping they remember our names or every dish, that’s not the point.
What we really hope stays with them is the feeling.
That moment when a flavor hits and suddenly they’re somewhere else , a night market, a smoky alley, a memory they didn’t know they missed.
If they leave carrying that joy, that spark, that little trip across Asia... then we’ve done our job.
Q: If you could host a dream seating — just four people at your counter — who would be at the table, and what journey would you cook them through?
Our dream seating would definitely be our parents.
We'd cook for them the simple dishes they made for us when we were growing up. We want them to know those priceless memories stick with us, no matter how far we travel or how old we get.
It would be a journey of recreating the simple, delicious home cooking we remember, made with the same love and care they always showed us.
Q: Lahkee already feels like a whispered secret in Dubai’s dining scene. What’s next for the two of you?
Let’s just say... our next chapter brings us even closer to our guests.
If you’re not following @lahkee8 yet, now’s the moment , something is rising, and yes... it rhymes with water.
A Kanagawa-sized wave is forming. You’ll feel it before you see it.
Stay close. The tide is about to turn LahKee.
