Profile | Michelin Guide Singapore triple awardee Kevin Wong on his four-hands dinner with Barry Quek at Whey in Hong Kong, and the inspiration for his restaurant Seroja

The chef-owner of Singapore fine-dining Malay restaurant Seroja, awarded a Michelin star and green star, explains its focus on local flavours and old recipes

Wong looks ahead to his four-hands dinner with Barry Quek of Hong Kong’s Whey and says he’s eager to eat at cha chaan teng and learn about Cantonese cuisine

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Seroja’s Chef-Owner Kevin Wong. 

Credit: Seroja

Karen Tee

Published: 11:15am, 5 Aug 2023Updated: 11:05am, 9 Aug 2023

If there is one chef who is currently the toast of Singapore’s culinary scene, it would undoubtedly be Kevin Wong.

At the recent unveiling of the Michelin Guide Singapore 2023, the 30-year-old Malaysian was the man of the night – picking up three awards, including a coveted one star for Seroja, the restaurant he opened in October 2022.

For two nights, on August 8 and 9 – dates chosen to coincide with Singapore’s National Day, on August 9 – Hong Kong’s one-Michelin-star modern Singaporean restaurant Whey will be hosting Wong for a four-hands dinner.

Together with Whey’s Singaporean chef, Barry Quek, Wong will create a gastronomic feast inspired by the Lion City’s diverse food culture.

Seroja’s Borneo raw sugar bahulu cake. Photo: Seroja

“I enjoy cooking with people who share the same passion for food – cooking is about friendship. He has been sending his guests from Hong Kong to me and I have been sending guests from Singapore to him,” says Wong, who is a Singapore permanent resident.

“For this four-hands dinner, we would like to create a menu that is very collaborative. Instead of me doing Seroja food and him doing Whey food, we want to collaborate on a menu that is co-created just for the event.”