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.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September/October 2018 edition of WINE&DINE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ 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.
