The Grind To Gold

Magic Square might be the hottest new restaurant trending on social media, but there is a lot more than meets the eye to this pop-up helmed by three previously unknown local chefs.

- Koh Yuen Lin

The concept is simple: a year-long pop-up where young local chefs take turns to showcase their menus on a monthly basis. Here, you will find three well-coiffured lads under 30 years of age, dressed in crisp white stand-collar shirts and smart navy-blue aprons, and all looking pretty intense while firing up dishes. The imaginative fine-dining style dishes they serve up have been positively lighting up social media: for instance, a kaya tartlet topped with handshelled peas, and a miniature bouquet of bitter local greens served with tamarind caramel.

Desmond Shen, Marcus Leow and Abel Su – previously unknown names to the public – have been making quite a sensation. Within two months of their first dinner in May, the 18-seater that hosts two communal sessions five evenings of the week was already enjoying brisk business, with reservations for the weeks ahead filled up. Magic Square, conceptualised and set up by restaurateur Tan Ken Loon – the creative force behind The Naked Finn and Nekkid Bar – has no doubt catapulted them into the limelight, but the platform was not designed for fame and glory. Like swans paddling furiously underwater, the chefs are pulling longer hours than they ever had, and stretching resources like they never did, in order to meet the tight budget set by Tan.

TRIAL BY FIRE