A series of collaborations in Manila between Philippine- and Singapore-based chefs organized by the Singapore Tourism Board kicked off recently when Chef Josh Boutwood of The Test Kitchen, Ember and Helm partnered with Chef Kevin Wong of Seroja to produce a 10-course tasting dinner the reflects the best of their respective backgrounds and experiences in the kitchen.
Text and photos by Alex Y. Vergara
In a bid to reaffirm Singapore’s position as the region’s culinary hub and invariably attract more Filipino foodies to visit the city state, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), through a series of collaborations with Philippine-based chefs, recently launched “Served It, Singapore!” in Manila.
For its opening salvo, STB, led by executive director for Southeast Asia John Gregory Conceicao, had arranged a one-night only collaboration between Singaporean Chef Kevin Wong of Seroja and British-Filipino Chef Josh Boutwood, the man behind such local restaurants as The Test Kitchen, Ember and Helm, his newest baby at Ayala Triangle Gardens.
But as John shared in his welcome remarks, the series of collaborations between Singapore- and Philippine-based chefs has been happening since 2022, even before global travel restrictions began to ease up. Chef Chele Gonzalez, for instance, flew to Singapore sometime last year to collaborate and share ideas with a local chef there.
“We started in Singapore,” said John. “We didn’t come here to take over. Our thrust is really more on collaborations because chefs learn more from one another.” Such collaborations, STB hopes, will result in an exchange of ideas that would extend to the dishes, as Singaporean chefs introduce their Manila-based colleagues to “the flavors of Singapore,” and vice versa.
The intention, of course, is to attract more Filipinos to visit Singapore and sample classic as well as new culinary delights it has to offer. “Singapore is positioning itself as the culinary capital of Southeast Asia,” John added. “Then I remember somebody telling me that it’s the culinary capital of the world. So, for now, we’ll just say Singapore is a culinary capital. You decide and let us know where you think we should position ourselves.”
Chef Josh chose Helm to stage his collaboration with his Singaporean colleague, who flew to Manila from Singapore with two junior chefs to personally prepare and co-host the event consisting of a 10-course tasting menu, from appetizers to desserts, and wine-pairing dinner. The two chefs and their respective teams had their hands full attending to two successive batches of diners within the course of the evening.
Since the dishes were presumably created specifically for the occasion, the two chefs also went direct to the point, so to speak, as they did away with fancy names to describe their respective creations.
The featured tasting dishes included Chef Josh’s Beef Percik, Lauk Pauk; Seabass, Sunchoke, Kombu; and Egg, Barley and Kale, and Chef Kevin’s Bluefin Tuna, Tamarind Caviar; Sambal Tarlet, Leek Floss; and Scallop, Podi, Kesum . The nearly two-hour dinner was divided into three phases, with each phase ushered in by a featured wine.
Los Vascos Rosé, for instance, accompanied the Chef Josh’s Mussel, Lemongrass, Chawanmushi, the second of 10 featured dishes, down to the fifth entry, which was Egg, Barley, Kale.
For the Scallop, Podi, Kesum and Duck, Soursop, Black Pepper, the evening’s sixth and seventh dishes, respectively, the event’s sommelier paired them with a refreshing white, the Las Huertas Chardonnay.
The evening’s third and last featured wine, the Blasson d Aussieres, a robust and full-bodied red, made its debut just in time for the eight dish, the Beef Percik, Lauk Pauk.
The slab of medium-well steak was made more flavorful and visually interesting, thanks to Chef Josh’s decision to combine it with such side dishes as sweet potato, sorghum, sambal, daikon and a smattering of rice.
To cap off our entire gastronomic journey, Chefs Kevin and Josh each made their respective desserts, which were served one after the other: Kurma, Pine Nuts, Coconut, which consisted of coconut ice cream sitting on a bed of Kurma, a type of curry, pop rice and finely chopped nuts; and Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate, a medley of dark and white chocolate lavished with what appeared like brownish caramel syrup, but was in fact burnt and melted white chocolate.
To make the collaboration more manageable, Chefs Kevin and Josh alternated in serving their respective creations initially to the first batch of diners consisting of paying guests before later welcoming the evening’s second batch composed mostly of journalists and fellow chefs.
Since the cozy but ultra-modern restaurant with an open kitchen can only sit up to a maximum of 26 diners at a time, it was nothing short of a privilege to earn a place at the table. Every time the two chefs put the finishing touches to their respective creations, they gamely bantered with guests in between, even posing for pictures with them.
“After many years of working in different countries for someone else, reflecting the flavors and cultures of these places in my cooking, I finally said to myself, why not do something that mirrors my own culture and vision. And that’s how Seroja was born,” said Chef Kevin.
Chef Josh, for his part, said: “A lot of you know that Helm started in BGC. Last month, we finally moved here to our new home at the Ayala Triangle Gardens. We outgrew the original place and felt we needed a new environment where we could do a lot of new things.”
As a global traveler and foodie himself, Chef Josh cited Singapore as one of his favorite cities to visit for a number of reasons. “For one, it’s so close [to Manila] and convenient to go to. People who visit Singapore regularly, especially those with young children, know that there are a myriad of things you could do there. And for those who enjoy food, there’s a range of great selections,” he said.
Asked about the inspirations and creative process that went through as they worked on their collaboration, Chef Josh said in his trademark aw-shucks demeanor: “We winged it. With this kind of synergy, it just naturally came together.”
Although they serve very different food, Chef Kevin couldn’t help but notice how seemingly aligned many of their respective processes and visions in the kitchen and dining room are, even down to the choice of plates. “It’s kind of crazy because when I stepped inside Helm for the first time, it just kind of feels similar to Seroja. For one, we use the same plates. Even some of our techniques are quite similar. It’s like what he does is what I also do,” he shared.
