
Local Caught Wild Crab pairs the sweet flesh of the crab with chilli ice cream and a curry leaf garnish Quality assurance Like most Singaporeans, the former Goldman Sachs banker had his doubts about the quality of local produce. But in January 2017, while filming a local TV series Hey Chef!, an encounter at Ah Hua Kelong changed his mind forever.

With black painted walls, plush carpeting and stage lighting — to reflect its location in the Esplanade — the 35-seater restaurant exudes a womb-like cosiness Local colour Crafting a menu that uses 80% local produce is a rare practice in Singapore, and certainly for a fine-dining, Michelin-starred restaurant. The other 20% is reserved for items such as pork (from Indonesia) and rice (from Thailand).

Ang Moh Chicken Rice is inspired by an improvised dish whipped up by Han’s grandma, who was a landlady/housekeeper for a British family during the colonial era Cooking from the heart Han’s grandma passed away from a heart attack in July last year, aged 88. “She had a good life. She was here drinking wine on Mother’s Day, and then two months later she passed away. I’d rather she pass away suddenly, than for her to [suffer] for a year. “Having this restaurant [allows me to] create dishes [in her memory]. As much as this is for myself, it’s also for my family to know that part of her still lives on. Rather than being sad about it, I want to celebrate what [my grandparents have] done.” The dish Ang Moh Chicken Rice (Western-style chicken rice) is a direct tribute. Comprising a diced chicken dumpling and a roux of chicken rice stock, it is inspired by an improvised dish whipped up by Han’s grandma, who was a landlady/housekeeper for a British family during the colonial era. Tweaking the recipe to suit the family’s tastes, she fashioned a button mushroom roux, using chicken seasoning powder, to complement the chicken rice. I savour Han’s version, astounded that anyone can come up with a variant as good as the original. “I’m cooking from the heart,” he says. And it shows. Most of his customers love the new offerings, although some are more accustomed to the texture-based surprises of the old menu. “The market is so fickle these days, we just do our best and hope that people can appreciate it.” Receiving the Michelin star in 2017 was a double-edged sword, he admits. “It gave us authority — we’re the only modern Singaporean restaurant in the world to have a star. It also gave us freedom to play around. Of course, it has given me stress as well. I worry about keeping it, or customers not being happy. I have to work harder than before, because expectations are higher. “Ultimately, it’s my customers that are the most important. I focus on them rather than the star. If we get a second star, of course I’ll be happy. If we lose the star, of course I’ll be shattered.” The next step in his culinary evolution: foraging. He wants to work with horticulturalists to explore what wild botanicals can and cannot be eaten. He wants to dig even deeper, to uncover what edible greens used to be grown in Singapore, and what recipes they were used in. And he wants to refine his cooking methods even further, blending traditional know-how with cutting-edge techniques. “I want [Singaporean cuisine] to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese or Korean cuisines. Hopefully in 10 years’ time, people will know Singapore not just as a financial hub. [Tourists might visit] the farms, or our produce will be used around the world. Labyrinth is not just a restaurant to me, but a platform to champion a cause and build an ecosystem.”
Timothy Chiang is a design junkie through and through, believing that everything from a doorknob to the entire building needs to display thoughtful design. He lives for meeting design luminaries. This article appeared in Issue 838 (July 9) of The Edge Singapore. Subscribe to The Edge now