Original subtitles

[bus passing by]

[upbeat music] [Audio Engineer] Speed.

[PA] Episode one, prologue, take one.

[AD] And action, Mark! [music stops]

Hey everyone, hope you're having an amazing day. It's Mark Wiens.

I'm in Singapore and today for lunch

I'm going to a restaurant right here.

It's called A.M. Vegetarian Food.

So, one of the foundations of how I

really learnt and developed to enjoy food

from all over the world

is that I grew up with my parents

who are missionaries and we travelled

and we lived in a number of different countries.

And so I was born in the United States

but since my mom was Chinese

we grew up eating a lot of Chinese food.

And my mom is originally from Hawaii

where there's a melting pot of Asian cultures.

So I loved eating Chinese food

I loved eating Japanese food

Korean food, Hawaiian food.

When I was about four and a half years old

we moved to our first country

outside of the United States

and that was France.

That was another thing that really influenced me

is being able to travel with my family

when I was growing up

having exposure to

a variety of different cultures and their foods.

I love the flavor of foods.

I love how food also just brings people together.

And I love the happiness [Mark laughing]

that food brings.

Delicious.

And so, I have so many memories of

gathering with friends or family around delicious food

and they're just positive memories.

And then on top of that, as I continued to travel

I noticed that

every single culture around the world

has some sort of special food

food that they find comfort in.

And so, food is

something that is really close to

so many of our hearts.

And that's why I think

I enjoy sharing food with others

why I enjoy making videos about food

and just the people that appreciate it.

It's been a lot of fun and this is really good.

[Mark's sister laughing]

I think we got it all. [both laughing]

[Mark] I'm a vlogger who travels the world

in pursuit of delicious food

and I've always been fascinated by Singapore.

Here, the obsession with food is real.

I'm exploring the extremes of this food paradise

that marries cultures and cuisines like no other.

From searching for soulful street food

to exploring the heights of fine dining.

It's a love affair with food

and I'm ready to eat!

[music fades]

[upbeat music] The last time I was in Singapore

was about six years ago so I'm excited to be back

and I remember eating a lot of street food

or what they call hawker food

and that's still a huge part of the food scene.

But the one thing that's really taken off

is the fine dining.

[steak grilling]

Singapore has some of the highest rated restaurants

in the world. But back in the '90s

fine dining was pretty much non-existent.

I'm here to meet Chef Justin Quek

who, along with a few friends

started Singapore's first independent

fine dining restaurant in 1994.

He's kind of like the godfather

and I'm curious to know how he did it.

[music fades]

[Justin] Actually, those days in Singapore

there were a few French restaurants

but they do classical cooking.

- Rich and creamy. - Yeah.

But I tweaked it. 80% French, 20% Asian.

- Ah. Okay. - Using less cream and butter

and top quality ingredients.

So when Asians tried it, they said

"Wow, that is really something new."

And they loved it!

Justin describes his food as French-Asian fine dining.

A blend of French techniques

with the delicate flavors of Asian cuisine.

Wow, Chef Justin, beautiful place here.

I love the decor. [music stops]

Love these plates.

Thank you, Mark. And today I'd like to share with you

two of my signature dishes

- Great. - that have formed my philosophy

from day one until now.

[calm music] This is my mushroom cappuccino

which I created when I opened my restaurant

- in the '90s. - Oh, wow.

It's wild mushroom broth, with a touch of milk

cream and butter, that's it. And I froth it up.

It's served with a little praline toast

hazelnut paste, with some sea salt

and roasted hazelnut.

Oh man, I love that frothiness on top.

Oh, wow. It's fluffy, it's foamy.

It's like a condensed mushroom umami

that's just coming through so nicely.

And it contains no chicken stock.

Just wild mushrooms and water.

Oh, man.

And now, have a bite of

the praline toast.

[Mark chewing]

And you drink the soup again.

Yeah, you've got that hazelnut like, salty sweetness.

- Absolutely. - And flakiness.

Not too rich, not too heavy.

- Indeed. - My god, it's delicious.

We're off to a wonderful start.

Thank you.

So this is my chef's platter. [music fades]

Prepared according to season and also our specialty.

[Mark] Wow.

[African music] What you have here is

a ceviche of Kagoshima hamachi

with ginger flower [scissors cutting]

microgreens and crispy parmesan.

[Mark] You can really smell

something bright and citrusy.

[Mark chewing]

That hamachi just melts in your mouth.

[Justin smiling] Fantastic.

[Justin] Next is the smoked mackerel parfait

with royal Oscietra caviar.

It's about balance.

The savoriness from the caviar

the silkiness from the parfait.

It just melts in the mouth.

Oh man, you can feel the creaminess.

- It's very light, right? - Yeah.

- Not heavy at all. - Yeah...

- Lighter than it looks. - Your lip... got gold.

[Justin laughing]

Oh, gold. I had gold on my lip! [both laughing]

All right, I'll go for another bite.

They really complement each other.

Thank you.

[spoon stirring]

[Justin] The third dish is har gow

but it's not your usual har gow .

Instead of prawns, we put in scallop, uni

coupled with yuzu lobster emulsion

white asparagus and ikura roe.

Did you say the uni is within...

It's inside the har gow.

We have to dehydrate the uni

to make it more like a paste.

From there, we mix it into the har gow.

- Not easy to do, but we did it. - Yeah.

This especially has meaning for me

because when I was growing up I used to love eating dim sum.

And one of the things I always had to order is har gow

and har gow is a shrimp dumpling

steamed.

And so, this is Chef Justin's version.

[Mark chewing]

OK, that's the bite right there.

So delicate so balanced.

Oh, that foam, the uni.

Oh, I love it. And then lastly?

[Justin] The French oyster trés trés grande.

That means very big, extra sized

because the Chinese like big oysters.

So what we do is just lightly poach it.

Poaching oysters is a skill.

If you overcook the oyster

it will be rubbery. [spoon stirring]

We serve it with some royal chives

and superior soya sauce.

And not forgetting the crispy vegetables.

A very Cantonese style but using French oysters.

[Mark] Wow.

[Mark chewing]

Yeah.

Oh man, the soy sauce.

It works together, right?

Everything kind of just... absorbs

that beautiful soy sauce.

I cannot let this soy sauce and the soup mixture go to waste

so I'm gonna... shot this.

So good.

Everything has a different flavor to it.

A different texture, a different flavor

and they all go together, like, in a harmony

when you're eating them altogether.

Everything is so thoughtfully combined

thoughtfully placed.

[music stops]

I have to ask you

how did you start your career?

Were you interested in European or French cuisine

from when you were growing up?

My career as a chef

[calm music] came by accident.

My mom is a fruit seller.

After my time in army

I thought, "Hey, I wanna go travel the world."

So, my friend said, "Why don't you go sailing?"

So I went to be a steward.

A steward, so I made the rooms and cleaned the floor.

So this was, like, a cruise ship?

- It's more of a merchant ship. - OK, all right.

After I sailed for three months

the cook got hepatitis B so I was

- pushed up to be a cook. - [Mark] Oh, cool.

[Justin] When I was in the French kitchen

I told myself that I'm gonna learn French cuisine.

I spent every single cent I had.

I went to France for training with no pay.

You eat only leftover food.

So, being Singaporean and being an Asian boy

they looked down on us.

"You don't speak my language? Forget it."

"You can pick salad and chop herbs."

The first French word I learnt in the kitchen

is nettoyage. It means washing.

But for me, it was never a problem.

I'm the first one in the kitchen

and the last to go home.

Until one day they gave me a stove and said

"Justin, today you'll take over this stove."

The rest is history.

I loved it because this training I got

was something money cannot buy.

The language, the culture

the cuisine, and the philosophy.

The four things I learnt when I was in France.

[Mark] Justin was a pioneer who paved the way

for Singapore's fine dining scene.

[funk music]

One that's continued to evolve over the decades

and now boasts a respected industry.

It's home to the most Michelin-starred restaurants

in Southeast Asia.

And sitting at the top of that list is Zén

with its coveted three stars.

Started by renowned Swedish Chef

Born Frantzén.

Zén offers an immersive

three-story dining experience.

[music stops] [door shaking]

It's locked.

[bird singing] [water flowing]

[door shaking]

Have you ever been to a restaurant

where the door is locked?

It really feels like a home.

I'm going to try ringing the bell.

[doorbell ringing]

[door opening]

- Hello, sir. - Hello.

- Well, come in. - Thank you very much.

- How are you today? - Great!

Great. Welcome to Zén!

- Thank you so much. - We will start you off here.

I kept you the window seat.

- Awesome. - Just have a seat over here.

Thank you.

Entering the restaurant

feels so homely immediately.

Like you're entering into a friend's home.

This is our arakor.

It's a very classic Swedish dish.

Mostly we do it like a potato rosti

but this is a potato roll

we fill it with sour cream

then top it off with vendace roe.

So it's a delicacy from the northern part of Sweden

and then some pickled red onion.

I recommend two bites.

That's a good tip. [music fades]

Wow.

It is great to know to eat it in two bites.

Otherwise, I probably would have one-bited it.

[calm music] Look at the detail.

Look at those little tiny micro herbs

on the top there.

[Mark biting]

[Mark chewing]

There are so many flavors that just keep on coming.

A hint of acidity

like a creamy factor, a crunchy factor.

[Mark chewing]

Wow. That's so delicate.

So refined, so much detail.

That's delicious.

[joyful music]

[Mark] The dining experience here has different parts.

You start off with some canapés

then you move on to this counter

where you're introduced to all the ingredients

that are used in your meal.

We'll start you off with scallops.

They come from the Isle of Mull.

They're hand dived.

- Big kudos to the divers. - They're huge!

They actually picked them up in the super cold waters.

They develop a lot of glucose

which is what makes them sweet.

We're also eating a signature dish of ours

which is the onion soup.

So, this is just the holy trinity of onion

- liquorice and almonds. - [Mark] Wow.

For the main course, we're having lamb.

So, this is a milk-fed lamb from the French Pyrenees

aged inhouse for about ten days.

- Oh. I can't wait to try it. - I hope you're hungry.

Yes! [music stops]

Right this way! [jazz music]

[Mark] Now, I'm heading to the next floor

for the main courses.

I'm really looking forward to seeing

what they do with those ingredients.

The man behind it all is

Executive Chef Tristin Farmer.

All right, we're gonna start you off with

our first course, a crudo serving.

Something bright, something fresh.

So you've seen the scallops.

Obviously they're shucked to order.

We're dressing that with Amalfi lemon kosho

some radishes, some myoga ginger

and we're infusing it

with truffle dashi. [joyful music]

[Mark] Oh man, the radish perfectly layered

over those scallops, which are thinly sliced.

So many details to this dish.

I can't wait to try this.

[Mark chewing]

That has to be the silkiest, smoothest

scallop that I've ever had.

[Mark] This, to me, really is a harmony of both

Nordic and Japanese flavors and techniques.

The quality of the ingredients

and the freshness

it's really shining in this dish.

I never want that scallop to end.

[music stops]

Chef Tristin, how would you describe the food here?

Is it more Japanese or Nordic? [chill music]

You could almost say it's like

a take on a Nordic kaiseki.

Nordic-inspired using a lot of Japanese techniques

and especially for us based in Singapore

we're very produce-driven.

We're so lucky because we've got the best of both worlds here.

We can get the best produce from Europe

and also from Japan and it's coming to us daily.

Wow. And I like how

every ingredient is there for a reason.

It's all about the ingredients.

We don't wanna put things on the plate

that's not necessary.

We're trying to let the ingredient speak for itself.

It's a lot of depth

and a lot of complexity to it as well.

So, are you ready for the next course?

We got one of our signature servings here.

This is a guests' favorite, the onion soup.

Made from the Roscoff onions and then to finish...

liquorice powder and also some liquorice cream.

[Mark] You can already tell that there are so many

different textures in here.

You wanna make sure to scoop all the way to the bottom

because there's more components to it

on the bottom.

[Mark sniffing]

[Mark chewing]

[Mark giggling]

Oh, wow!

That is so much more than you expect.

[Mark] The crunch of the almonds, the creaminess

almost has a buttery, oniony feeling to it on your tongue

and then the foam just kind of coats your entire mouth.

The liquorice!

The liquorice comes as the final taste that you get

just subtly there.

Incredibly tasty all the way to the last drip.

Wow. That was unbelievable.

[liquid pouring]

All right. [music stops] [tray putting]

So, the idea with the lamb.

[Latin music] [lamb grilling]

You want to get a lot of barbecue flavor into it

without overcooking it.

So, we call it HIIT-cardio style cooking.

It's on the fire for, like, 30 seconds

on really intense heat

then we let it rest for five minutes.

And we continue that for about 45 minutes

until we bring the lamb right up to temperature.

Perfect, there we go. Thank you.

Stand by sauce. Lots of nice oil inside.

[Tristin] We then have cooked egg yolk emulsion

and also the morels and also some wild asparagus

and then roses, grilled hard over the open fire

and then a lighter style lamb sauce to finish off.

- Thank you, Chef. - All right. You're welcome.

That is beautiful. [joyful music]

You can see that crispy lamb skin that Chef mentioned

was blasted with fire.

[Mark laughing]

Oh, wow! So tender.

So juicy with that skin

that has that intensity of smokiness.

That technique of grilling it and letting it rest

not only cooks it to perfection but it seals in those juices.

This has kind of, like, earthy elements to it

natural flavors.

Oh yeah, come, take a look at this.

You can see the morel, stuffed on the inside.

[Mark chewing]

[Mark laughing]

That has such a meatiness to it

and it's so silky.

Wow. OK, more lamb.

I'm gonna mop it up with my piece of lamb.

[music stops]

You can tell that everything has been so well thought out.

What does it take

to achieve this level, this standard?

The details matter, they really do.

We are almost obsessed over details

because we are looking at it, like

"How does the guest see the experience?"

And then just build it with herbs.

[Tristin] It takes a lot of people

to put this together every day.

It sounds very cliché

but it's true you're nothing without the team.

Yeah, please don't overcook it, all right?

Perfect. You're doing a great job.

And what I always say to all the guys here is

whether it's polishing a glass or cooking the lamb

if you're not scoring a nine out of ten or above

you know we need to do it again. And we just focus that way

and everything else naturally falls into place.

I love that philosophy.

Now it's time to relax a little bit.

We're gonna invite you up [upbeat music]

for a few more desserts.

So, by this point

guests would have had 14 courses or so.

I love how you start to feel more and more comfortable

throughout your meal, especially with the amazing service.

It's been a fantastic experience.

No, it's my pleasure.

Singapore has a very competitive

especially, fine dining scene.

How do you stay at the top of your game?

First thing I noticed when we came to Singapore

is actually there's a massive spectrum.

A lot of different price points from

hawker stands to fine dining restaurants.

Restaurants that have really good food, really good service

they do well, they're super busy.

And we use the best luxury products

from Europe, from Japan.

We're a team of 42 for 25 guests per service.

We want to just give each guest the best experience

and you're happy when you leave. That's all we need to do.

And have you always been into cooking?

So, I wanted to be a chef since I was young.

I left school when I was 16

and I knew straight away when I was leaving

that I wanted to cook.

It was always a passion up to a point

that I get very addicted to my job

and I think it's the best job in the world.

But maybe, actually, yours is the best

because you just get to eat food, right?

Yes. [Mark laughing]

Well, I think we can hang out well together.

As long as I'm cooking, right?

- You'll cook and I'll eat. - Yeah, of course.

[Mark] The experience here was unforgettable.

The moment I entered the door it was as if

I walked into the lunch party of my life.

The food, the warm hospitality

the thought and detail put into everything.

Thank you very much for coming.

[Mark] I left with a very full stomach

as I said goodbye to my new friends.

Thank you... [music fades]

- Good night. - Thank you...

- Bye-bye. - Thank you...

[upbeat music]

[Mark] Like Tristin said

there's a wide spectrum of food options

here in Singapore

from hawker to fine dining.

What's remarkable is how the best of both

worlds is equally revered.

So, I wanted to know

where a top fine dining chef like Tristin

goes for his hawker food fix.

[both laughing and talking]

We're at the famous Adam Road Food Center

home to plenty of local fare.

But one stall with an unmissable line

clearly stands out...

Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak.

Nasi lemak has a special place in Singaporean hearts.

It's a well-loved Malay dish of fluffy coconut rice

sambal, a kind of chili sauce

and various garnishes.

It's found in most hawker centers

and cost around $3 and up.

Abdul Malik inherited the business

from his father and turned it into

a successful chain of 50 outlets.

This remains his original flagship stall

and the lines haven't subsided

despite the expansion. [music fades]

Hi, guys. Come.

- Oh, wow. - Yes, Malik.

- Nasi lemak. - Here it is!

The Royal Rumble. [joyful music]

We call it the Royal Rumble

because we've got everything here.

And of course, the star is the rice.

We put pandan

[lemongrass hitting]

lemongrass

and we use basmati rice. [rice pouring]

[coconut milk pouring] We stir it

and cook with coconut water

in the rice.

And of course, the chili, the sambal.

We call it the Red Gold.

We cook with the best ingredients

for four hours.

All right, Tristin, let's dig in.

I've gotta try this rice first.

This rice is so fragrant.

The texture of that rice

it almost just crumbles in your mouth

but you have that amazing flavor of the coconut

and the pandan.

And then, with the sambal

it has a little bit of spice to it.

It's a little bit sweet

but it's such a harmony of flavor.

Just the right amount of heat.

That's why I call it the Red Gold.

Yeah, I can see why.

We have a secret ingredient inside.

Seafood from Japan

cooked by my principal, my mom.

- Wow. - You'd better say it's nice.

Nice! [Tristin laughing]

Can we have the recipe?

- No. - No?

[both laughing] [music stops]

So then, the chicken. [upbeat music]

We marinate the chicken for one whole day.

Dip inside the batter

and we fry it. [chicken frying]

The peanuts come from India

and the ikan bilis from Vietnam.

What type of fish is the ikan bilis?

- It's anchovies. Yeah. - OK.

The fish is a fresh fish.

We marinate it with turmeric

and we get it really fried [fish frying]

so you can even eat the head.

Then the potato cutlet.

We mashed it, coat it in egg [fork whipping]

and then we just fry it. [potato frying]

The otak is mackerel fish with a bit of spice.

- What spices? - Huh?

What spices inside the otak?

Secret ingredients inside.

- OK. - I cannot tell a chef.

All right, we're moving on.

I guess I gotta go straight in for that fried chicken.

And again, nothing can go un-sambal-ed .

The sambal is actually an amazing texture.

It's very smooth, almost like a spreadable jam.

It's like a chili jam.

The crispiness of that...

It's oily and juicy all the way to the bone.

OK, maybe the egg next.

With the sambal and some of that rice.

Oh, the egg is, like, so silky smooth

all the way through to the center.

You barely even feel the starchiness of the yolk.

The egg is amazing.

And then, the fried fish.

[Mark biting]

Crispy all the way through.

You can eat the whole face.

[music stops]

[joyful music] [Mark] For me, nasi lemak

is really one of those dishes that...

it's really a sum of all the parts

combined on your plate.

All the different ingredients

all the different items are important

but that sambal is really something special.

Using quality ingredients has that been

something you've always been pushing for?

Like what my dad always told me the customer is always the boss.

So, let the boss eat quality food.

Everything is the best quality.

[Tristin] This is the secret to anything, right?

Regardless of the cuisine

it has to start with good ingredients.

You don't have good ingredients, it's not the same product.

Correct. That's part of the reason

a lot of people come here.

And people come here for the atmosphere

the hawker culture that we have here.

So we need to keep

the culture of hawkers going in Singapore.

I'll tell you, the best food...

sorry, is not in restaurants

the best food in Singapore is at the hawker centers.

- This is the heart and soul - [Malik] Yes.

- of Singapore. - Yep.

Yeah. [music stops]

I mean, it's amazing that you have 50 outlets now.

What continues to drive you?

Seriously, I am not the kind of person

who likes to cook.

I wanted to become a pilot.

I honestly wanted to become a pilot.

- Yeah? - But my dad, he said

"If you pilot the aeroplane"

"who's going to pilot the shop?"

So actually, quite a few years ago now

I had the honor to eat here which I loved.

And also, it was a privilege back then

when I met your father. [emotional music]

My dad is a very special guy in my heart as well.

Two weeks before he passed away

he told me this

"Malik, make a promise with me."

"Promise me you'll expand the business."

"Second promise, please take care of"

"your siblings and your mom."

So I was like... you know

I...

I didn't know what to...

I didn't know what to say.

So I told him, "OK, fine. I promise."

And yet, I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

So I went out. I sat down outside the lift

and I...

I sat down there and I cried.

After he passed away, a few months later

I'm so lucky

my partner, who is our regular customer

came down and talked to me.

He said, "Do you want to open ten outlets in ten years?"

We managed to open, in six years

- 50 outlets today. - Wow.

That is, like, wow.

Thank you for sharing your story

and for carrying on the legacy of your father.

I'm just glad that we can really celebrate

your family and your father

through his nasi lemak.

Some customers come down here because of him.

Because they remember him to be...

Sorry, man. [Malik laughing]

No problem, man.

He started something special

- and look at it now. - [Mark] Yeah.

Think of how proud he would be to see the queue. All right?

Maybe he'd give me the recipe.

[all laughing]

[music stops]

[joyful music]

A sweet ending to an amazing experience.

It's called bandung which is a [ice stirring]

Malay drink that includes condensed milk

and rose syrup.

I really had an amazing time

meeting all the chefs

and something that's really stood out to me

is the dedication to using high quality ingredients

and the passion that they put in.

It's just incredible that in Singapore

you can go to an extremely high-end fine dining restaurant

but then you can also come to

a humble, laid-back hawker stall.

And I think it's that energy, when you're here

it makes you wanna just keep eating.

If you're a foodie, if you love to eat

Singapore has something to offer everyone.

[upbeat music]

[music stops]