Private Kitchens

Almost 20 years ago, I came across this concept of private kitchens when we were having our holidays in Hong Kong. It was a novel idea at that time. Eat at someone’s home that was turned into a private setting for guests with dishes cooked by an experienced chef at a fraction of restaurant prices.

The appeal was to go into a housing estate, into a person’s comfort space and have an unforgettable meal with friends. It was the rage at that time in HK. We had actively sought out these venues to experience them whenever we happen to be in HK for work or pleasure.

There is a resurgence of this concept in S’pore over the last 2 years again. It has partly to do with the fact that websites had started to promote local experiences for tourists and it is extra income for hosts in a developing gig economy. AirBnB calls them “experiences” and people with time on their hands can host a dinner event for strangers for profit. It is a win-win situation which aspiring cooks can whip up great food to share with guests in a homey setting.

Over the last 2 months, I have had the pleasure of trying 3 such places with a group of good friends. Their tables are filling up fast and table booking waiting times can now be as long as 9 months!!

The first one we had was called MixTape Chef. The young chef was passionate about cooking and together with his wife, decided to turn their HDB unit into a dining venue. He called the place MixTape in a tribute to his teenage years where he liked to create his own playlist on a tape and it is now like how he does with his food experimentation.

Being very interested in the food preparation myself, we had a very good discussion on his latest experiments with the seasoning of meats using the age-old method of apply shio koji, a rice yeast. The beef was very good and after the dinner, I bought some to try on my own too. His fusion food of local and western dishes was also very interesting. He had a chicken rice risotto item that was a play on Italy and our national dish. His kitchen also appeared in a new TV series on private kitchens a few weeks later and our group photo was featured! https://video.toggle.sg/en/series/home-dining/ep6/639535

The next private kitchen I visited was called “Lucky House Cantonese”. My ex-colleague managed to book a table for 10 three months ago – the wait list has since grown to 9 months… Coincidentally, this place was also featured in the following episode of the same TV series : https://video.toggle.sg/en/series/home-dining/ep7/641335 

Chef Sam had a passion for antiques and Cantonese food. His home was a rustic place he created 2 years ago and the experience is just like coming home to a meal at my grandmom’s home. He cooks everything using charcoal to preserve the original flavours of the fresh ingredients. The 12 of us had a great time and discovered that sake paired well with his food.

Just last Saturday, our group of uni mates went to the 3rd private kitchen that featured Peranakan cuisine called the Ampang Kitchen. Chef Raymond had a pretty impressive house where he shared the food he learned from a Penang master via a 14 days one-on-one training session in 2003. The private kitchen showcases his food but his main business is on the catering sector where one can order one or a few dishes for a potluck get together.

His food was very authentic and the “lemak” was shiok! Everything was homemade from scratch and the loving care put into the food preparation was evident. We were celebrating birthdays and the wines paired well with the spicy/sour dishes. Although there was too much food, we gladly asked for the leftovers to be packed as they will taste even better over time the next day.

It is not easy maintaining a private kitchen business. Your most busy periods are in the evenings and weekends are all work time. It is labour intensive and business may be sporadic at the start. One must have the passion for the business as the hours are long and clients may be critical. My hats off to them! As locals too, we should also support them wholeheartedly. The gig economy is still developing and this is just another aspect of that evolution.