Be like water, said the late Bruce Lee. In Jeremmy Chiam’s case, this might just work. The former chef-owner of Le Binchotan once parlayed high-end, FrenchJapanese gastronomy into a Hokkien mee takeaway mid-pandemic.
He now heads Iko, a contemporary Japanese izakaya that officially opened on April 22 – just three weeks before dine-in restrictions came into effect. “We’d been through worse during the circuit breaker.”
No stranger to turbulence, the 35-yearold spent four years as a Singapore Airlines steward and travelled the world while working for free at the Michelin-starred Parisian restaurant Sola owned by his mentor Hiroki Yoshitake.
Before that, he was, as he tells us with candour, “a typical lost teen who didn’t know what to do in life”. He’d elected to study engineering, but that wasn’t his thing. Chiam quit school and went through a string of odd jobs before landing a part-time service role at the now-defunct Ponderosa.
Denne historien er fra August 2021-utgaven av The PEAK Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 2021-utgaven av The PEAK Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
From Screen to Store
Heini Zachariassen, founder of global wine rating app Vivino on how its first retail store in the world brings data-driven curation to wine lovers.
In the Dining Spotlight
Renowned Dutch chef Sergio Herman, whose name has been associated with the Michelin Guide in the Netherlands and Belgium, is expanding his Asian footprint with his Singapore outpost, Le Pristine in Grand Hyatt Singapore.
All for One
How would you navigate a corner if you were hearing-impaired or enjoy school if you were on the spectrum? These architects posit that inclusive design must be part of mainstream standards to improve overall living environments.
Pods and Swirling Staircases
This quirky and playful home designed by Park Associates is shaped after its owners, a young family with three children.
Stories Behind the Kebava
Sufiyanto A. S., one half of the duo behind the Kebaya.Societe Instagram account, has had enough of seeing Malay identity erased and forgotten.
Good to Go
Driving classic Jaguars on the legendary Goodwood Motor Circuit is all the magic a motorhead needs.
Seasons of the Snake
Japanese architect Tadao Ando once again works his magic for Bvlgari, with the Serpenti Tubogas as an artistic canvas for nature's cyclical transformation.
Phoenix Rising
One gutsy retired pharmaceutical executive rescued two-century-old Swiss watchmaker Bovet, and today, its presence is stronger than ever in Southeast Asia.
Con Amore, Leggiero, Presto!
Chan Weitian injects new insights into Presto Drycleaners, blending operational innovation with time-honoured values.
Preserving Paradise
Gaya Island Resort takes eco-tourism beyond the expected, blending conservation efforts with authentic luxury.
