Chef X @ Clarke Quay Central is an initiative by Far East Organization that provides home-based chefs and private dining chefs with a sandbox to operate their own full-fledged commercial restaurant within Clarke Quay Central mall for four or eight weeks. From 26 April 2024, each resident chef will serve out of a professionally designed F&B space fitted with commercial-grade kitchen equipment, with a dining area that can accommodate up to 24 diners.

Apart from physical resources, resident chefs will be offered guidance. They can look forward to receiving advice and tips - from menu planning, food presentation and recipe refinements, to business and human resource management, from Chef Isaac Tan, Head of Culinary & Product Innovations for Commonwealth Concepts (CWC), the F&B joint venture between Commonwealth Capital and Far East Organization. An industry veteran who has led dining institutions such as Bedrock Bar & Grill since its inception in 2008, Chef Isaac Tan currently steers 12 distinct brands under the group, including Fat Cow, Kinki Restaurant + Bar, and The Marmalade Pantry.

Each resident chef, who will helm the restaurant for four or eight weeks, will showcase their culinary skills and individual styles, cooking at the unit for dine-in customers, with the option of takeaway. The current line-up will see a rotating roster of four home chefs, cuisines ranging from asian platters, to heartwarming food inspired by grandmother’s kitchen and Korean kimchi-based dishes, to Japanese bentos and a seven course omakase.

Our second chef is Wanting Kimchi, operating from 1 July to 26 August 2024. We spoke to founder, Wanting, to find out more about her journey.
 

Wanting Kimchi

 

Wanting's earliest memories of food were tied to her auntie's kitchen. It wasn't a grand space filled with fancy appliances. Just a wok singing over a flame, a well-worn pot, and the rhythmic thwack of a mortar and pestle. Yet, from these simple tools, she conjured meals that were both magical yet ordinary, bursting with flavour and love.

The most prestigious task Wanting could imagine was of stirring the wok while her auntie preps ingredients for the next dish. Though Wanting wasn't truly cooking, she absorbed the essence of it all – the sizzle, the scent, the symphony of creation.

Fast forward to her own bustling life. It wasn't until she was living alone in Melbourne, then as a homesick postgrad in the UK, that she truly embraced cooking. Fuelled by a craving for the comfort of Asian Flavors, she took a leap – her first attempt at kimchi in a tiny UK kitchen.

But it wasn't enough. Ten years in the corporate grind of Singapore left her yearning for something more. The desire to nourish not just her body, but her soul, with food made from scratch. That's when Wanting finally gathered the courage to ditch the rat race and pursue a more primal passion: the art of creating meals that feed both body and spirit.

Wanting Kimchi will be offering their signature Kimchi & Banchan as well as hot dishes exclusively for Chef X!

Get ready to tantalise your taste buds with a dazzling array of Kimchi & Banchan! There will be Apple, Cabbage (aged & fresh), Chives, Cucumber, Garlic, Pumpkin, Radish, Scallion, Spring Onion and White Cabbage Kimchi available by the tub.

Banchan that are available by the tub will be Beansprouts, Braised Mushrooms, Garlic Sprouts, Japchae, Mayak Eggs, Potato Salad, Pickled Radish, Seaweed Salad, Seasoned King Oyster Mushrooms, Spicy Chicken Feet, Soy-glazed Potatoes, Spinach, Stir-fried Fishcake and Tuna Salad. Don’t miss out Premium Banchan that’s available in Honey-glazed Anchovies, Raw Marinated Salmon and Seasoned Cuttlefish options!

Wanting Kimchi will be serving up K-Style Caifan for lunch that includes Rice + 1 Regular + 1 Premium or Hot Protein of the Day. For dinner, look out for Specialty Mains that includes Kimchi Jigae, Kimchi Jjim and Raw Marinated Crabs. All dinner mains include 1 serving of rice and a small, non-refillable chef’s selection of side dishes.

Do note that Kimchi, Banchan and K-Style Caifan items will be offered on a rotational basis, ensuring you experience the best flavours available that day!

Head down to Chef X @ Clarke Quay Central #03-103 today. 

 

Need directions to Chef X? Check our Instagram highlights!

Interested to join as a chef and be part of Chef X?
Chef X is currently fully lined-up for 2024. Stay tuned to this space for updates. Register your interest here.

 

Find out more about our past chefs below.

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