Cleo Most Eligible Bachelor 2019

“It took me a while to find my confidence.

- Sophie Hong, Adora Wong.

LEE SYAFIQ, 26

Syafiq doesn’t think he’s “hunky or super good-looking”.

“It took me a while to find my confidence. I used to feel like I wasn't as good-looking compared to other people,” says the newly minted CLEO’s Most Eligible Bachelor. “But I guess being able to put good food on the table helps?” he adds with a chuckle.

But it’s exactly his aw-shucks demeanor that makes him all the more endearing. The 1.85m-tall chef exudes a relaxed vibe and has a quiet demeanour, preferring to let his credentials do the talking.

The ITE graduate majored in Culinary Arts, and joined a cooking competition at Food & Hotel Malaysia, a trade event, while he was still in school. He walked away with a silver medal in the individual category for “Main course — Seafood Preparation”, and a gold medal in the team category for “Best Apprentice Team”.

He had also worked at Terra Tokyo Italian, a one Michelin starred restaurant. That’s where he met his business partner, and they decided to start their own venture with a hawker stall. The end result? The highly raved about BURGS by Project Warung. Their burgers are so good that they’ve been served to ministers and foreign delegates at big events like the National Day Rally. It’s been three years since, and they're now planning top open their third outlet.

And how does an eligible bachelor who has his hands full with running a business find the time to date?

“I try to make time whenever I can,” Syafiq says. So he might meet you for a couple of hours between meetings, do a quick lunch, or even have the entire date in the car as he (very helpfully) drives you to work.