EXPANDING HORIZONS

Permata Singapore's new culinary director, chef Mel Dean, reveals his inspiration behind progressive Nusantara cuisine and why each dish is more than an homage to the region's ethnic and cultural diversity.

- NIDA SEAH

He may be a familiar face in Singapore's culinary scene and la prominent advocate of halal products and services for the last 29 years, but chef Mel Dean has lost none of his enthusiasm for cooking, creating new dishes and reinventing old ones. In fact, as the new culinary director of Permata Singapore, he has made it his mission to elevate Nusantara cuisine.

Nusantara is an old Javanese term that generally means "archipelago". The cuisine, Dean explains, comprises Malay, Indonesian, Peranakan, Singaporean, Bruneian, Southern Thai and Filipino cuisines as these islands were all part of the Nusantara archipelago.

Chef Mel Dean and his team at Permata Singapore

The 55-year-old chef says he never had the opportunity to work with the right restaurant that would do justice to this heritage cuisine - until now. Under his direction, the progressive new menu showcases the vibrant diversity and ethnic flavours of the region while highlighting classic recipes in a modern way.

Palumara Grilled Chicken

It's a culmination of a journey that began early in his life. "As the only child of working parents, I had to make my own meals and my kitchen was my food science laboratory. I experimented with ingredients, spices and herbs," Dean says. By the age of 10, he would accompany his late grandmother and father grocery shopping, assisting and observing the mise en place and cooking techniques. "They used to run a food business and had amazing cooking skills," he recalls.

At 16, he cooked for 40 guests at a birthday party. "When I saw the facial expressions of the guests going 'wah so sedap' (meaning delicious in Malay), then reaching out for second helpings, I knew that was my calling as my cooking made people happy."