Home Run

These professionally trained young chefs have traded their gleaming commercial kitchens and industrial-size appliances for a more relaxed private dining environment at home

- Naomi Tzi

Gourmands in Singapore are constantly looking for one‑of‑a‑kind dining experiences. Now, a new breed of professionally trained chefs have set up their own private dining ventures at home. They largely present omakase‑style menus and cater to parties of four or five each session. Their creations are unique, well executed and woven with personal touches. This is coupled with a more informal and intimate homey setting. Guests also receive the chefs’ personal attention throughout the evening. Bookings are hard to come by, but they are well worth the wait. Meet the young talents who inject plenty of flavour, personality and passion into their culinary concepts.

SIDE DOOR

Tryson Quek and Bannie Kang are two well‑known names in Singapore’s F&B scene. After helming Anti:dote at Fairmont Singapore, as head chef and head bartender respectively, Quek and Kang decided it was time for a different journey in their lives. The married couple left their full‑time roles for an opportunity in Taipei just before the pandemic hit.

From the outset, Quek, 35, and Kang, 32, were ambitious. They injected money, time, effort and passion into Mu, a fine dining restaurant with a speakeasy bar, which opened in March 2020. During their short time in Taiwan, they received various nominations and awards, including a Michelin Plate distinction. South Korea‑born Kang also won the Mancino Bartenders’ Bartender Award at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021.