Jeremmy Chiam is young, talented and willing to risk it all
If not a chef, he would have wanted to be a policeman, specifically a plainclothes policeman in the Central Narcotics Bureau or the Secret Society Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department. Instead he studied engineering, dipped his foot into the heady waters of F&B, then went on a grand culinary tour of the world via Singapore Airlines as a steward. But the kitchen is where his heart and soul are. It took about 4 years, but Jeremmy Chiam eventually made it back.
Today, the 32-year-old is the chef-owner of Le Binchotan, a stylish 36-seater tucked away in Gemmill Lane. The restaurant was first opened in 2016, and Chiam had come onboard as head chef. Over a year into the operation, the owner dropped a bombshell. She was migrating and was planning to sell out or shut down. With the help of some friends, Chiam stepped in and bought over. “Le Binchotan was my baby too,” he says.
He hasn’t looked back since. At Le Binchotan, he continues to refine his Japanese-French dishes and menu, blending techniques, ingredients and inspirations from both traditions, although Chiam admits that he spends less time in the kitchen these days. His signature dishes include Uni & Caviar, where Japanese corn is cooked in bacon broth, then made into an umami-laden custard and mousse, and paired with creamy tongues of wild-caught bafun uni and shoyu pearls; and Smoked Chocolate, a rich, heady dessert featuring Valrhona chocolate cold-smoked with apple wood then melted with butter.
Describe your approach to cuisine.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
New Blood
The next-generation is breathing new life into the forgotten art of spice-mixing, peppering the traditional trade with renewed ideas and fresh perspectives.
Sharing Is Caring
Compared to its flagship at Serene Centre, Fat Belly Social at Boon Tat Street is a classier and bolder affair, in more than one sense.
Nutmeg's Role In Singapore's History
From tales of it being used to ward off the plague in mid-1300s Europe to one of the ingredients in dessert, we have all known, tasted, or at least heard of nutmeg. But not many know of the spice’s role in Singapore’s history.
New And Improved
The ever-profound chef-owner Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida finds more room, three to be exact, to express a Ha Ri philosophy at Hashida Singapore’s new location at Amoy Street.
Pairing Spice-Driven Cuisines With Wine
Pairing spice-driven cuisines with wine has long been a challenge but with a little imagination, it doesn’t have to be.
Let Land Grow Wild
Niew Tai-Ran has worn many hats: aeronautical engineering major, investment banker, avid surfer, and, for the last 14 years, winemaker. Discover how this Malaysia-born, Singapore-native is championing the “do-nothing farming” philosophy at his vineyard in Oregon.
The South Asian Misnomer
Incredibly diverse and varied than most know, Indian food is far more intriguing than butter chicken or thosai. Here is a crash course on the extensive cuisine from region to region, recognisable for the seemingly infinite ways of using spices.
Keepers Of The Spice Trade
From its glory days along trade routes to pantry staples all over the world, spices have become so commonplace that we’ve taken them for granted. For these three trailblazers, however, spice is their livelihood and motivation: Langit Collective working with indigenous rural farming communities in Malaysia; IDH’s Sustainable Spice Initiative; and chef Nak’s one-woman mission to share forgotten Khmer cuisine.
Sugar, Spice And Everything Nice
Like food, spices bring vibrancy and variety to alcoholic beverages. Surfacing in unexpected ways on the palate, find everything from cumin to tamarind, cloves to cardamom enriching these drinks.
Building Blocks From The Archipelago
For the smorgasbord of dishes found in Indonesian cuisine, it is a little known secret that the modest bumbu, in all its variants, is the bedrock of such flavourful fare.
