SINGAPORE, April 2 — People who cook know that kitchen work is loads more fun when it is shared between friends. And it’s not just those of us who cook at home. This is a sentiment shared by professionals, too — and chef collaborations have become increasingly common over the past year.
Last October, for example, chef Asai Masashi of Bincho and chef Manuel Valero, formerly of Moosehead Kitchen-Bar, ran a month-long promotion that saw them cook three of each other’s dishes at their respective restaurants. On paper, the effort doesn’t sound particularly exceptional — after all, good chefs ought to be able to cook a myriad repertoire. But their vastly different backgrounds — Masashi’s precise Japanese execution of simple ingredients versus Valero’s creative, produce-driven Mediterranean cuisine — made it an interesting proposition.
For the most part, both chefs stuck to each other’s recipes, though Valero put a spin on Masashi’s classic Japanese chicken tsukune (meatballs) by serving it as an open-face burger with pita bread and finishing it with a drizzle of olive oil. Both chefs said the point of all this was the opportunity to learn from one another.
“Both of us work with charcoal, but in different ways — me with bincho-tan and Manuel with the Inka oven,” explained Masashi. “Working with Manuel showed me how the Spanish work with charcoal. Certain ingredients can work better with another culture’s technique.”
The collaboration was so well received that Moosehead eventually kept one of Masahi’s dishes — Bincho’s grilled beef tongue — on its regular menu.
Cooking outside the box
For other chefs in Singapore, collaborations allow them to do something different outside of their restaurants. Last December, chefs from The Cajun Kings and Burnt Ends got together for an event called The Whole Hog BBQ, which saw them building a pit from scratch to roast whole pigs.
“We went 36 hours without sleep for that event ... from working in the restaurant then going to the venue to build the pit, then back to work and back to the venue to roast the pigs before the event,” said Burnt Ends’ chef David Pynt. “But the sense of achievement of doing something interesting like that and seeing the enjoyment on other people’s faces made it all worthwhile.”
“There was a real sense of camaraderie,” added The Cajun Kings’ chef and co-owner Andrei Soen. “A lot of other chefs came down to see what was going on, as well as friends of friends and suppliers. It was awesome.”
A week later, the same crew, along with chef Bjorn Shen of Artichoke and Zdenek Kastanek of 28 Hong Kong Street, came together for Taco Party for 50 FOR 50, a street party held along Jalan Riang (where The Cajun Kings is located), with the profits going to charity. Each of the four chefs created their own unique taco — a Singapore taco from Soen, a Middle Eastern taco from Shen, a Filipino taco from Jeffery Claudio of Burnt Ends and a Czech taco from Kastanek. The event raised S$10,000 (RM26,940) for O’Joy Care Services.
“Collaborative events give us the freedom to do what we want to do, with our friends, which makes it a lot more fun,” explained Soen. “People think that restaurants are usually in competition with one another, but we are friends first. In many ways, the events help promote our respective restaurants and offer our diners food that they can’t get at our establishments.”
For the love of food
Tomorrow, Artichoke’s chef Shen and chef Anthony Yeo of Cocotte are taking the concept of collaboration a step further — by holding a brunch extravaganza at Cocotte over the long weekend. Both restaurants are extremely popular weekend brunch venues. Cocotte for its French country-style treats such as marinated chicken livers and steamed mussels with fennel cream; and Artichoke for its Middle Eastern-inspired food that includes fried chicken and smoked salmon pancakes with bacon chop.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Cocotte’s brunch trolley so this is very exciting for me,” said Shen. “(Both) opened at about the same time in 2010 and I’ve always looked to them as my ally because we both started offering communal dining at a time when most other restaurants were doing small plates. I often use Cocotte as sort of a benchmark for my restaurant — if they are doing well, then we should be doing well, too.”
At S$62 per person, the free-flow brunch trolley will feature dishes such as Artichoke’s slow roasted “lambgasm” and beetroot tzatziki with pistachio, as well as Cocotte’s fantastic roast chicken and pastries. But for the collaborating chefs, commercial gain is usually the least of their concerns.
“I’m not taking any money from this collaboration,” said Shen. “The plan is, later in the year, Anthony will return the favour by coming to cook dinner in Artichoke’s kitchen.”
Soen said: “As long as we cover our costs, we are happy to just have fun with it.”
More than anything, all the chefs agree that such collaborations make for a more vibrant dining scene in Singapore. Plans to do more are already in the works; among them is a hot dog party by Burnt Ends, The Cajun Kings, Artichoke and 28 Hong Kong Street and a collaboration between chef Masashi and former Ku De Ta chef, Dan Seagall. Dates have yet to be confirmed.
“I think collaborations foster a more closely-knit industry. I see it as a way to make friends and as a platform to share ideas and creativity,” Shen enthused. “It benefits the dining public as well because we are opening up the dining scene and breaking down the walls to eating.”
“These collaborations mean there are more interesting events for diners to attend, while for chefs ... well, our lives suck, anyway,” he quipped, citing the long hours chefs spend in their kitchens. “So if we can make friends with other people whose lives also suck — then great!”
The CO.Lab: Cocotte x Artichoke event runs from tomorrow to Sunday. Limited seats left. Email [email protected] or call 6298 1188 to book. Cocotte is at 2 Dickson Road. — TODAY
