Singaporean cuisine is diverse and deeply rooted in cultural values.

We had a conversation with Paul Liew, Director of KEK restaurant, about Singaporean cuisine and the Taste Obsession: Singapore campaign.

Hello Mr. Paul, could you please tell us a little about the Zi Char culinary culture of Singapore in general and at KEK in particular?

Mr. Paul Liew : Hello, Zi Char is a culinary term describing Chinese-inspired dishes where chefs use a pan to bring the food to life in many different ways such as stir-frying, deep-frying, braising, and even steaming. In addition, Zi Char today incorporates ingredients and cooking methods from other cultures present in Singapore, contributing to the richness of the cuisine.

At KEK, we embrace Zi char while incorporating flavors and ingredients from diverse cultures. This is what makes KEK's Zi char dishes unique. For example, our sambal-sauce water spinach is one of our signature dishes. We transform the traditional stir-fried water spinach by adding sambal, a Malaysian spice blend, to create a distinctive flavor. Through this fusion, we offer our diners a multicultural culinary experience.

Could you share more about KEK restaurant and specifically the signature dishes that have contributed to its reputation over the past 51 years?

Our restaurant is a family-run eatery that has been around for three generations in Singapore. My brother and I were the founders and played a key role in shaping the menu. We are the third generation members. Currently, I am the restaurant manager while my younger brother, Wayne, is inheriting the family's passion for food and has become the head chef.

The restaurant's signature and most popular dish is chili crab. In Singapore, this signature dish has two versions: one is intensely spicy, and the other is mildly spicy with a hint of sweet and sour. The chili crab at KEK is a blend of sweet and sour. This is a creation from my grandmother – someone I greatly admire and who taught me many valuable lessons.

Giám đốc KEK: ẩm thực Singapore đa dạng và thấm đẫm giá trị văn hóa - Ảnh 1. — Chili crab with a unique flavor from KEK.

This time, with the "Taste Obsession: Singapore" campaign, what surprises will KEK restaurant bring to diners in Vietnam, sir?

Certainly, it will still feature our signature Zi Char dishes. However, this is also the first time collaborating with Vietnamese chefs from Mùa Craft Sake restaurant, so I'm very excited to create a menu that brings the flavors of both Vietnamese and Singaporean cuisine to our diners.

Bếp trưởng Wayne từ nhà hàng KEK sẽ kết hợp với bếp trưởng Trụ Lang từ nhà hàng Mùa Craft Sake — Chef Wayne from KEK restaurant will be teaming up with Chef Tru Lang from Mua Craft Sake restaurant.

The first dish is stir-fried pork jowl with salted egg. This dish is very special because in Singapore, we import salted eggs directly from Vietnam, and this has become one of KEK's signature dishes. Another highlight that we are very excited to bring is fish skin salad. And guess what? We also import fish skin from Vietnam. Having the opportunity to go to Vietnam allows us direct access to the ingredients, and we didn't hesitate to include this dish on the menu.

Món gỏi da cá trong thực đơn kết hợp giữa 2 nhà hàng — The fish skin salad is on the menu, a collaboration between the two restaurants.

Sir, I understand that besides Zi Char, Singapore has many other types of cuisine. Could you introduce them to Vietnamese tourists?

We look forward to welcoming Vietnamese diners to visit the island nation and enjoy the diverse culinary offerings of Singapore. Hawker cuisine is a popular and well-known form of dining. Alongside this, dining at long-established brands (Heritage brands) is also frequently chosen and highly regarded by tourists. Furthermore, Singapore offers other culinary options such as fine dining, Michelin-starred restaurants, modern Singaporean cuisine (Mod-Sin), and much more.

Starting this July, renowned restaurants in Singapore will also join the "Taste Obsession: Singapore" campaign, bringing the distinctive flavors of Singaporean cuisine closer to Vietnamese people.

Chiến dịch Taste Obsession: Singapore được thực hiện nhằm giới thiệu ẩm thực Singapore đến người Việt — The Taste Obsession: Singapore campaign was created to introduce Singaporean cuisine to Vietnamese people.

Thank you for sharing!

"Taste Obsession: Singapore" is a campaign organized by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as part of the activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between Singapore and Vietnam in 2023. At the heart of the campaign is a series of collaborative events between restaurants and talented chefs from both Vietnam and Singapore. Through this campaign, STB aims to introduce Singaporean cuisine to Vietnamese people, offering diners the opportunity to experience the island nation's signature dishes, while also encouraging tourists to visit Singapore to experience them firsthand.

Don't miss the key locations and milestones of the campaign: