He joined the restaurant in in September 2007, bringing with him a passion for art and sculpture. Today, he integrates aesthetic elements into cooking while constantly refining his culinary techniques. So important is art to him that he created 18 pottery works that are displayed throughout the 120-seater restaurant.
Come June 29, Chef Leong will redefine the "Classics" in three canapés prepared for MICHELIN guide Singapore 2017 Star Event, namely Crispy Roasted Pork Belly, Jade Dumplings and Golden Crab Pearl. All three canapés offer a twist to classic Cantonese dim sum.
Roasted Pork Belly (金砖烧腩)
One of the classics of Cantonese cuisine would be roasted meat, and Chef Leong has prepared one of his signature dishes, the Roasted Pork Belly.
"It is very difficult to maintain the tenderness on the inside while making sure the skin is crispy during the roasting process of the pork belly. You have to spend time to study and research on it," he says.
After years of trying various methods, Chef Leong now deploys both slow cooking methods (文火) and high heat cooking (武火) to attain the best texture. The result is golden slabs of juicy meat with a crispy top layer.
Chef Leong regards dim sum as a classic. He says: "A myriad of techniques and skills are required to make dim sum, which can only be trained over the years.“
In his Jade Dumplings, the chef skilfully demonstrates the savoir faire that only working 30 years in the kitchens can impart. The filling of finely diced king oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots and other vegetables is first pan fried. Next, he adds freshly squeezed spinach juice into a dough mixture to give the dumpling skin the desired "Jade Green" colour.
It's when the two meet that his skills come to the fore; the actual dumpling folding process. "It’s like grinding an iron rod into a needle," he explains. "You have to train your hands to move nimbly like a needle and thread. Only then you can fold the dumplings as if you are stitching a piece of cloth."
"Crab meat stuffed into the crab shell is a classic Cantonese dish. However, instead of stuffing the filling into the crab shell, I refined the recipe to make a delicate canapé, the Golden Crab Pearl," says Chef Leong.
"This is one of the most memorable dishes for me, since I learnt to be a Cantonese Cuisine Chef," he explains.
Come and be the first in Singapore to celebrate with your favourite local chefs and restaurants as they receive the city's Michelin stars. Book your seats here.
