At The Dinner Table

Tell us more about what you do for work and how you first got into this line of work.
I’m a food and drink writer at Timeout Singapore.

Previously, I was doing branding work for craft beers and spirits, so I naturally had a little bit more interest in F&B, especially the realm of wine and food, so I would say I stumbled upon this quite organically.

How has it been going down this career path?
It’s been fun. It’s bringing me to a lot of places. Over lunch, I actually met up with Michael Ryan, a chef from Australia. He came down to Singapore for just two days for a collaboration with Oumi, which is a restaurant that serves up traditional Japanese “Kappo” cuisine, so we were there to taste what he had to offer. It was brilliant!

So yes, I basically get paid to eat and drink, but I’m putting my waistline on the line (laughs).

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten recently?
Well, it’s not the best place I’ve dined at, but recently, Mandala Club hosted this chef’s residency, where global chefs come to Singapore for a three-month-long residency.

These chefs brought in all sorts of exotic stuff like tubers from Peru, Indian corn, high-altitude leeks, mushrooms, things that we don’t get here basically, and they presented it to us in a very authentic way. They even built a mini oven out of clay just to showcase the food, and to show diners how native people cook tubers 3,000 meters above sea level. So it’s really interesting. It was pricey, but considering the fact that you don’t have to fly all the way to Peru just to experience the food, I would say that this is one of the best things I’ve experienced in recent memory.

If we’re talking about comfort food, I would say it varies, because I do have different comfort foods for different moods. A lot of what I find respite in would be things like a very good burger, fried chicken, and ban mian. That’s about it.

Is there anything that you hate eating then?
Wow, hate is a strong word (laughs), but I would say that I don’t like fresh coriander, especially the Asian ones. If it’s in a paste or pureed, then I’m okay, but I just really don’t like it fresh. I’ll pick it all off my food if I see it.

Outside of work and food, how do you like to spend your free time?
I enjoy playing football, and I play every Thursday night with a couple of friends of all ages. We used to be colleagues when I was an intern at a company when I was 16 or 17. We’ve been playing soccer together since then, all the way until now.

I also like going on hikes. Not that we have a lot of places to trek in Singapore though. Sometimes, I also like to go to the beach just to get some sun, or hang out at a cocktail bar to have a Negroni.

Is there a piece of advice or a quote that you live by?
I’m not super serious, so I think the motto I live by is to do whatever you want. Live your life. Simple as that, you know. And mind your own business. Let people live their best lives, while you live your own best life as well.

What’s one thing most people wouldn’t know about you?
That I’m a big softie (laughs). I don’t know, I’m always dressed in black, so people tend to think that I’m not very approachable, but it just takes a bit of time to get to know me, that’s all.

What are you looking forward to in this present moment?
My next meal—I live to eat (laughs).