We were conducting this interview at Yanti Nasi Padang, one of Loh Lik Peng’s favourite street food places and also rated in our Makansutra Guide Book. “I find Yanti’s very comfortable. When it comes to nasi padang, I like it when there are a good variety of dishes. But most, importantly, as with all food, it’s the taste that matters. The nasi padang here taste very authentic.” He also admits to having most of his lunches at street food joints. “Hawker centres are the best place to have a good and affordable meal.” He adds, “Singapore’s food culture is strong. You can spend $800 a night or $8 a night on food and all of it is good.”

Local front and the celebrity chef

As much as possible, he tries to employ local chefs for his restaurants. Chef Sebastian Ng from Ember Restaurant and Chef Anthony Yeoh from Restaurant Cocotte are some examples. He adds that due to the cost of property in Singapore, it has been very difficult for many aspiring restaurateurs to stay in business. “I feel when it comes to setting up a food business, whether it is a hawker stall or a simple restaurant, the set-up cost is really high. Also, the banks here, if you ask if you could take up a loan to start a restaurant, they will just laugh at you.”

With the recent influx of celebrity restaurants establishing in Singapore, how does he feel it affects the local dining scene? “I think restaurants helmed by celebrity chefs will give the local chefs a place to train. Obviously, we still need a balance and we don’t want our dining scene to be totally dominated by foreign chefs but these places do create opportunities for local staff.”

He also believes that in the next five years, Singapore will see a rise in locally trained chefs emerging from the polytechnics, ITEs and culinary schools. “However, the weakness in these culinary courses is that there seems to be a strong emphasis in Western cuisine and most students prefer to pursue Western cuisine after they graduate. I guess for Chinese cuisine, there is a lot of apprenticeship involved. It will be good if there could be a government initiative to promote the education of Asian cooking. ”

Personal Projects

Recently, around late November last year, he launched a Spanish tapas bar called Esquina, inspired by the bars he visited in Barcelona. “I always wanted a tapas bar but it wasn’t easy finding the right space, as I really wanted a long narrow interior. So when we found the right location, that’s when everything falls into place.”

“In terms of space, I like to work in Chinatown. I’m not looking to open a restaurant chain, like we will never do another Cocotte or whatever. I like heritage buildings. There’s just something about them that gets my creative juices flowing. I like the sense of history and story behind them.”

So what drives him? “I don’t have a concrete plan. It’s about doing things I want to do.” Next in store for him includes the new restaurant Pollen, opening in June this year at Gardens by the Bay and he is also interested in pitching another project in London.

Peng’s sincere wish for the New Year includes, “I hope this year, we don’t get a severe recession!”