Meet the three chefs helming ç”°Magic Square, a year-long pop-up at Portsdown Road.
It’s not so much risqué as it is risky, putting three largely unknown chefs at the helm of an experimental kitchen. Nevertheless, in the spirit of supporting local talent, Tan Ken Loon of Naked Finn and Nekkid backed three chefs, Desmond Shen (25), Marcus Leow (26) and Abel Su (29), in starting ç”°Magic Square, a minimalist, loftstyle kitchen and incubator named after a series of paintings by Swiss-German artist Paul Klee.
Throughout the course of the space’s one-year lease, Shen, Leow and Su, in that order, would take turns presenting month-long nine-course tasting menus (priced at $78 per person) along their chosen themes and have a hand in managing the business side of things. They would also get to work with fresh, local ingredients, courtesy of Naked Finn’s network of local suppliers, 3 am visits to Jurong fishery port and an indoor vegetable farm. Though young, all three chefs have had kitchen experience at renowned restaurants such as Odette, Whitegrass, Curate and Iggy’s. On the pass since May, they are now into their second cycle of menus and going strong.
Having each done one round of menus at Magic Square, what are your thoughts?
This story is from the September/October 2018 edition of WINE&DINE.
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This story is from the September/October 2018 edition of WINE&DINE.
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