See Is For Sichuan
WINE&DINE|September 2017

Meet Eugene See, head chef at Birds of a Feather, who updates Sichuan flavours with Western flair

Charlene Chow
See Is For Sichuan

Head chef Eugene See rules the roost at Birds of a Feather (BOAF), a Sichuan-influenced modern European restaurant opened almost a year ago. Set in a two-unit shop house on Amoy Street, the interiors of all-day diner BOAF is an eclectic mix of lush plants, wooden furniture and loud decorative pieces such as ceiling lamps shaped like billowy clouds and wall art made of bulbs and copper pipes. An expansive bar greets you upon arrival, serving up classic and original cocktails.

See grew up in Malaysia loving Asian flavours, but chose to study French cooking techniques at culinary school. It was the precision and finesse of the cuisine that appealed to him. He then cut his teeth at French restaurant Guy Savoy in Singapore for nearly three years from 2010, before moving on to other restaurants like modern European diner San Bistro, located at Eastwood Centre.

His profile was just what BOAF owners, Liu Bin and He Ning from Chengdu, were looking for. The couple, who also own a popular cafe chain in Chengdu called Good Wood Coffee, wanted to bring the authentic taste of Sichuan to Singapore. They had at the ready a team of chefs from Chengdu, but needed a head chef who could marry the strong flavours of Sichuan with the refinement of Western cuisine. With See installed in BOAF, their unique all-day dining cafe and bar picked up one star and the Best New Concept special award in our Singapore’s Top Restaurants 2017/2018 dining guide.

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