Tucked away in a nondescript corner of Little India, Chef Kang’s Private Kitchen is the kind of place that would make any food lover’s radar quiver if they knew where to look. This isn’t some flashy, Instagram-friendly restaurant. No neon lights or velvet ropes; instead, you step into a modest space that feels more like you're crashing a family dinner than dining at a MICHELIN-Starred institution. Chef Ang Song Kang runs the show here, an unassuming maestro who’s been quietly cooking for some of the world’s greatest names, without making a peep about it.
The menu at Chef Kang's Private Kitchen is all about classic Cantonese comfort food, presented without any unnecessary frills. But don't let that simplicity fool you. Kang's mastery of wok hei — that smoky, elusive flavour that comes from years of perfecting the art of stir-frying and controlling fire — is evident in his dishes that are both mouthwatering and memorable. So much so that diners even claim that you can “smell the wok hei” just by looking at photos of Kang’s dishes.
As is the tradition in private kitchens, the menu here isn’t extensive. Kang prepares dishes based on what’s fresh, what inspires him that day, and what wine you are having with your meal. It’s the type of restaurant where you need to place your trust in the chef’s instincts and let him guide you through his culinary expertise.
Since having opened in 2015 and being recognised with One MICHELIN Star since 2017, Chef Kang's Private Kitchen has been solely manned by Kang himself, tirelessly working with the power of fire to conjure dishes that leave many a curious diner beyond satisfied.
(Right image courtesy of Jana Tan)
On Journeys and Milestones
Kang turns 60 this year, marking a milestone in his life that has also prompted him to make the decision to close his eponymous Private Kitchen.
Chef Kang’s Private Kitchen’s last day of operations is on 10 October 2024. “I am tired, and I need to rest,” says Kang with a sigh and a smile.
"I've been in the kitchen since I was 12," Kang recalls, with a matter-of-fact shrug. "I was supposed to start at nine, but I was so small no one would take me in." There’s no room for sentiment here — just the cold reality of a kid forced to grow up fast. While most children were worrying about schoolyard scuffles, Kang was hustling to keep his family afloat, taking on the kind of responsibility that would crush most adults. “I might have been a kid, but I had to think like a grown-up,” he says, the weight of those early years still lingering in his voice.
“I chose the restaurant job for one simple reason: I didn’t have to worry about food. Two meals a day, every day, and that was enough for me. The paycheque wasn’t much, but at least I knew I’d keep my stomach full. Funny thing — within 10 minutes of getting hired, the first question I asked wasn’t about the hours or the pay. I just needed to know if they’d feed me. That’s all I cared about,” he continues.
Kang’s life back then was all about scrubbing tanks and cleaning aquariums — a monotonous grind that stretched on for years, 10 to 12 hours a day, every single day. It wasn’t glamorous, it wasn’t pretty, but it was survival. He tried getting into restaurants — knocked on a few doors, but no one wanted him. Rejection became routine.
The hustle, though? That took time — time to figure out which kitchen needed a hand, which place might give him a shot. And meanwhile, his three brothers and sister were too young to work, leaving Kang, the eldest, with no choice but to keep pushing forward.
No Stranger to the Kitchen and the Cellar
Kang continues to share that, eventually, after decades of hard work, he finally found a Singaporean chef — a master of zi char (stir-fry dishes) — who took Kang under his wing and trained him with the culinary prowess he possesses today. “I’m no stranger to the kitchen. Before I started scrubbing tanks at 12, I was already cooking when I was a kid, learning from my mother — she was the real deal, a proper chef. Maybe that’s why it [cooking] stuck,” Kang shares.
“Then one day, I hit a point — I was 36, and I thought, why not try something on my own terms? That’s when I set up my own zi char spot in Singapore — at Blk 29 Havelock Road. A leap of faith, maybe, but it felt like the right move.” At this point in time, Kang had already started a family and had more people lean on him. “I had to do something that was my own so that I could learn more things and expand my skill set.”
According to Kang, cooking is the only thing he really knows. He never finished much schooling — just primary school — but instead of seeing that as a limitation, he funnelled his focus into what he does best: cooking. “It’s all the experience I’ve ever had,” he says, as though decades of culinary mastery are nothing more than a passing thought.
But mention wine, and his whole demeanour shifts. A deep, knowing smile spreads across his face. “I love wine,” he admits, almost sheepishly. At Chef Kang’s Private Kitchen, there’s no sommelier lurking in the background; it’s Kang himself who handles the pairings. “I learned about wine from my guests,” he says, a testament to his openness, his willingness to listen, absorb, and grow.
And here’s where it gets really interesting. Kang isn’t just a chef who knows how to cook — he seems to understand wine in the same magnitude. You bring a bottle of Pétrus, and he won’t just pop the cork. No, Kang will tell you to hold off, to wait until the very last moment so the wine can show its best face. It’s rare to find a chef who gets both the food and the wine. Most places, the sommelier and the chef are playing their own games. But Kang weaves them together, cooking to match the wines you bring, creating something far more intimate, far more personal, and far more difficult, than just following a recipe.
Kang lets slip one of his personal favourites when it comes to pairing wine with Chinese food — a good Bordeaux. "It stands up well to the savoury and spicy dishes," he says. “But if we're talking versatility, it's Pinot Noir that takes the crown.” Still, when it comes to his ultimate pairing? It’s his Prawn Paste Crispy Pork Belly alongside a crisp, elegant white from Meursault.
A Final Dance with Fire
Upon his retirement after the 10th of October 2024, Kang plans to travel — specifically to Japan and France — and catch a breather before deciding what to do next.
"I keep changing, like the restaurant. We've been through so many phases, so many reinventions. I've torn the place down and rebuilt it three times since we opened, and now — now it's time to step back, take a breath.
(Left image courtesy of Jana Tan)
Wok hei — it’s not something you just pick up. It’s hard, and frankly, I don’t see many in the younger generation willing to take it on. Cooking with fire? It’s dangerous. It’s hard on the body, the lungs. But that’s what’s gotten me this far.
It’s not just the wine pairings with Cantonese food I want to be remembered for — I want to be remembered as the man who danced with fire. Life’s burned me a few times, but I kept moving. That’s what wok hei is — learning to tame the flames. Knowing when to let the fire rise and when to bring it back. The trick? Don’t let it control you. Same with life, right? The ups and downs — they’re like the fire. You’ve got to dance with them, not let them burn you up. That’s why I call it a dance. The fire’s not your enemy. It’s your partner,” he says with a glint in his eye.
Chef Kang’s story isn’t one of grand fanfare or some meteoric rise to fame. It’s about grit, perseverance, and the sheer will to keep going when the fire gets too hot. He didn’t ride the wave of celebrity chefs; he stuck to what he knew, quietly perfecting his craft in a kitchen that’s seen more flames than you’d care to imagine. And now, as he steps away from his beloved wok, you get the feeling that the restaurant world is losing something real, something raw, something we won’t easily replace.
There’s no tearful farewell, no dramatic exit. Kang’s bowing out just the way he lived his culinary life — with humility, fire, and a nod to those who understand that true mastery is earned through scars and sweat. Chef Kang’s Private Kitchen may be closing its doors — his Bib Gourmand eatery, Chef Kang's Noodle House, will still live on for now —, but the legacy of his wok hei will linger, floating in the air like that last wisp of smoke from a fire that refuses to die.
Many thanks to Brand Cellar for the images used in this article.
