Where: Bukit Chermin Road, Keppel Club
Tel: 6276 9138
Opening hours: 11:00am-2:30pm;
6:00pm-10:30pm on weekdays;
10:30am-2:30pm;
6:00pm-11:00pm on weekends
When Peony Jade opened its first outlet in Clarke Quay back in 2004, it quickly gained a loyal following for serving up the rambunctious notes of Sichuan food alongside the delicate flavours of Cantonese dishes. The restaurant proved to be so successful that it opened a second outlet at Keppel Club, which received a Bib Gourmand award in the debut of Singapore’s Michelin Guide.
Its success today can be attributed largely to 34-year-old Executive Chef Ricky Liew who assumed his current role in 2011. Of Cantonese descent, Liew has always remained true to his roots spending years honing the art of Cantonese cooking. He has trained in the kitchens of three-Michelin-starred restaurant The Eight in Macau as well as some of Singapore’s top-notch Cantonese institutions like Lei Garden and Crystal Jade.
The key tenets of classical Cantonese cuisine are its emphasis of fresh ingredients whipped into dishes with skillful techniques. The experienced chef is mindful to keep flavours light without being bland and to allow the ingredients’ freshness to shine despite having a battery of condiments at his disposal.
This approach may appear simple, but it’s a true test of a chef’s skill, says Liew. For instance, more than 30 spices and condiments are used to create the restaurant’s soy sauce chicken – all of which has to be used in exacting amounts.
In another Cantonese classic, the black char siew or roasted pork is a real test of the chef’s mastery of heat and time control. It has to be roasted until just as it chars, to acquire a smoky aroma without being burnt.
Infusing a Western Touch
Still, that doesn’t mean Liew stands steadfast only to tradition. In fact, it is from this perch of 20 years of experience in classical cooking that gives him insight and confidence to innovate new dishes and breathing fresh air into the local Cantonese food scene.
His trials of blending western ingredients into classic Cantonese dishes yielded surprising results. One unique dish that Liew created is the black truffle red grouper which employs classic Chinese cooking techniques, but infuses the flavours of the entirely Western ingredient into a fish prized in Cantonese cuisine.
In another creation, he marinates Spanish iberico pork in western herbs before cooking the meat, allowing for the herbaceous flavours to stand as the highlight of the course.
Recommended reading: View all Behind The Bib stories here