"I think what I love most about Latin cuisine is how similar their food is to ours in Asia. It's very relatable. For example, one of my favourite dishes is ceviche. When I think of ceviche, it reminds me of Thai cuisine with its high acidity, lots of spice, and fresh herbs. Their various salsas are also like the sambals and acars we have in Malaysia, and tortillas are similar to rotis," stated Malaysian chef Adrian Chong Yen of Sol Kitchen & Bar, the only Latin American establishment in the MICHELIN Guide Vietnam 2024 edition and a recent Bib Gourmand recipient.
Yen's journey began at fifteen, inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s "Kitchen Confidential", which led him to leave high school for the restaurant world. After honing his skills in Singapore, he learned the value of relentless dedication: arriving first and leaving last. Following his instincts and seizing opportunities in Vietnam, his career faced its greatest test during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many businesses retreated, Yen and his partners expanded, a bold move that ensured their survival and growth, resulting in the creation of Sol Kitchen & Bar.
“And with all our shared similarities in terms of culture and palates, it's not hard to see that Asians will continue to embrace Latin American cuisine,” he explains amidst the alluringly high energy of Sol Kitchen & Bar on a busy Saturday night, where diners enjoy digging into their signature seafood towers while Mariah Carey’s "Fantasy" and other '90s hits play in the background—the vibe perfectly matching the chef’s vibrant energy. The life, joy, and fire behind the food are also why he is so passionate about the cuisine.
“A relaxed vibe provides the perfect foil to Latin-American recipes crafted by Adrian Chong Yen, a Malaysian chef who worked in Singapore for 12 years. His à la carte menu is eclectic and appetising, featuring empanadas from Mexico, scallop ceviche from Peru and burrata salad from Italy. Sol is also famous for its red meat, including marinated steak served with chimichurri sauce, BBQ ribs glazed with fish sauce, and whole roasted chicken served with mojo sauce,” writes our MICHELIN Inspectors.
However, one dish that Yen favours is the soft-shell crab chicharron—a playful creation that perfectly embodies his culinary philosophy. “I like to keep it simple. I try not to exceed three components in any dish we create. Simplicity is always best.”
Becoming the soft-shell crab chicharron dish
“I came up with this idea when I was experiencing ‘late-night munchies.’ What I mean by this is, after a night out, you get home, it’s late, and you’re on your couch, craving something to eat. Usually, this is when I’m most creative,” the tattooed chef shares.It was an evening when he was craving some guacamole and chips and thought to himself, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could use a different vessel to scoop the guacamole instead of always using chips?’ That’s when his signature was born.
“I guess you can say this was the lightbulb moment,” he says.
The science behind the dish
According to Yen, he used guacamole as the canvas, and after multiple failures and successes in research and development, he thought of using soft-shell crab.“The beauty of this dish is just the simplicity of it all. Guacamole has always been a staple on our menu and trying to introduce a new version of it to our diners had to stand out,” says Yen.
He sought out different crispy textures and proteins that would compliment the subtle flavour of the guacamole. The solution was to begin with the classics. They played around with crispy pork belly, fried chicken, chicken skins, and BBQ burnt ends. However, it was unsuccessful as those delectables were too heavy as an appetiser. “How about seafood?” the chef recalls of his development process. “We tried crispy squid, deep-fried eggfish, fluffy catfish, and so on.”
Et voilà, a soft-shell crab is his final puzzle. “Aside from the visuals, soft-shell crab also packs the flavour of the ocean. And once paired with the heartiness of guacamole, it was the flavour pairing I’d been looking for. It’s a kind of surf and turf guac style.”
But the challenge didn’t just end there. It’s a constant battle with perfection. The team tried to tweak the batter used to coat the crab, which took the longest time to get right. “We wanted the coating to be extremely light and crispy, so we finally ended up with a 70% vodka batter. The reason for this is that alcohol evaporates at a much higher rate, leaving behind a very thin, crispy layer.”
Once they got the batter down, the team completed the dish with a lightly pickled red onion and coriander salad. And, of course, adding a little extra something—smoked salmon roe for extra umami. The crunchy dish is served with ancho salsa on the side for additional heat.
Secrets to his signature dish
“The secret to this dish is preparing it with love!” Of course, the final touch is the chef’s passion, adding a Latino flair as a perfect finishing touch for diners. “Jokes aside, I think the secret is simply a well-fried crab and getting the guacamole’s texture and flavour just right.”The energetic chef concludes, “I’m a firm believer that food shouldn’t be complicated but should achieve a perfect balance of flavours and textures. These three ingredients are paired together to create a well-balanced dish—it sums up our philosophy really well.”
Illustration image: © Mervin Lee/ MICHELIN Guide Vietnam
