Singaporean chef-owner Javier Low struck out on his own a year ago to start IL Den, a Japanese-Italian omakase hole-in-a-wall. With his move to new digs this month, he is setting his sights on greater things
27-year-old chef Javier Low entered the established fold of Iggy’s restaurant when he was just 16 years old. Moving from an internship to a fulltime role after his National Service, he learnt his craft over the next five to six years under various chefs. Leaving as chef de partie, he ventured to Kyoto, doing a stage in Japanese-Italian restaurant Cenci and other restaurants. Stints at Japanese restaurants such as Kappo Shunsui followed upon his return home. By then, the doubts he was having about the opportunities he could find if he continued along the same path came to a head. He decided to start Il Den at Orchard Plaza, a one-man kitchen serving Japanese-Italian omakase meals. For him, it was a make or break decision. With his move to bigger premises at Bugis Cube this month, one might say he’s leaning on the side of making it.
What gave you the confidence to start IL Den?
As I was running the kitchen at Iggy’s for a few years, I never worried about handling the culinary parts of the job. It was also a confidence booster that the Japanese restaurants I worked for in Japan and Singapore really liked my work. But the business aspect was a very scary thing for me. That’s why I started small, did zero renovation and didn’t employ any staff. My startup cost was about $20,000. I thought if I lost it, I could still go back to a regular job and pay it off.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learnt over the past year?
This story is from the May - June 2019 edition of WINE&DINE.
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 May - June 2019 edition of WINE&DINE.
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.
