Singapore, after midnight is hardly a food-starved desert and even foreign talent are aware of that fact. So we wonder where do chefs of world-renowned restaurants eat at after hours. Do they trawl the highways and byways of this city to find good food, or will they just stick to Good Ol’ Ronald. I met up with two chefs from Santi (famed for its authentic and luxurious Spanish cuisine, located at Marina Bay Sands) after their work hours, to find out.

It was midnight and Head Chef Daniel Chavez who is from Peru, and Chef de Cuisine Pepe Moncayo who hails from Spain are, quite understandably, hungry. We head off to a place where Chef Daniel frequents often. Close to the Kembangan MRT station, we ended up at Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup, which despite its name, is more of a cze cha place. Even though it was midnight, the place was packed. Rated in our Makansutra Guidebook for its mee suah, Chef Daniel is also a big fan of the dish here.

He remarks, “Where I come from, soups is just a starter but over here, it’s a meal and I love what you guys do with spare parts too. I find the soup used in the mee suah to be very unique too.” Chef Pepe, who has been in Singapore for two years says, “Where we come from, soups are usually only eaten during the cold season. We knew we were adapting to Singapore when we find ourselves eating soups in this country’s hot weather.” The mee suah served here boasts a beefy and herbal broth, which is very robust with a tinge of sweetness. The mee suah noodles are soft, firm and silky and it is served with spare parts like kidney and liver.

Besides the mee suah, he also likes the assam fish head served here. The chilli gravy is a mix of spicy (the more dominant flavour), sour and sweet. “The fish head is also very fresh here,” he adds. He has stayed in Singapore for four years and is constantly amazed at the variety of food served here. “Especially since, before living in Singapore, I stayed in Dubai, and in Dubai, food-wise, there really is nothing to shout about.” Another place they like to go to after work, is the frog leg porridge at G7 Sinma Live Bull Frog Claypot Porridge, at Geylang.

Chef Daniel admitted that during his four years here, he has never cooked at home. “Street food is so accessible and affordable, here. Singapore also has a wide variety of dishes. I think it may be impossible to try everything.”

Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup is at 467 Changi Road, and opens from 5pm to 4am.