Two local stars are hoping their fame will help them succeed in the restaurant scene here.
Singapore, November 20, 2012
Two celebrities are opening new restaurants and they could not be more different. Popular TV actor and foodie Moses Lim is the face for Zhen Zhou Dao - Singapore Style Porridge, a cafe which opened yesterday at Tanjong Katong Road.
Music producer Dick Lee's nickname, Mad Chinaman, is the inspiration for MAD, short for Modern Asian Diner. It opens on Dec 1 at The Grandstand, formerly known as Turf City.
They join the stable of local celebrities who have ventured into the food and beverage business which includes TV host Pornsak Prajakwit's Thai restaurant chain Porn's, Irene Ang's Fry Bistro in 96B Club Street, Adam Chen's burger joint R Burger at Hitachi Towers and footballer-turned- restaurateur V. Sundramoorthy's Indian restaurant Chat Masala in Upper East Coast Road.
While they may not be celebrity chefs, their star power has helped gain publicity for their restaurants. Lim, who played the popular Tan Ah Teck character in local sitcom Under One Roof in the 1990s, says the elder of his two daughters, Ms Grace Lim, 34, jokes that she "does not have to pay for publicity" for her father's brand name.
Ms Lim runs the 32-seat porridge cafe with her husband Sean Goh, a former civil servant who wanted to open a food business.
Lim, 63, a well-known gourmand who runs a gourmet club and takes travellers on eating tours to destinations such as Langkawi and Hong Kong, says: "I know that running a restaurant is not easy, so I made sure that Sean was willing to take up the challenge, as well as learn basic kitchen skills."
For three months, Mr Goh, 32, trained under a hawker in his 70s, who runs a porridge stall in an Ang Mo Kio coffee shop that Lim frequents.
Mr Goh says: "It has been a life-changing experience for me to ditch the corporate world and get down and dirty. Since I used to work long hours, I might as well do something I'm interested in."
The chatty Lim candidly admits that the idea to serve porridge is somewhat "selfish" because it is something he likes to eat. He says: "Porridge and cafe are two concepts you don't usually fit together. Someone asked me why I combined something very 'cheena' and very 'angmoh'. This concept is new and refreshing and my chef friends won't be worried about direct competition."
Also riding on a strong concept and a famous name is the multi-million-dollar restaurant MAD, which will open next month.
It came out of singer-songwriter Lee's plan to use the name Fried Rice Paradise, which he has copyrighted.
Lee, 56, says: "I was tired of stopping people from opening their eateries under the Fried Rice Paradise name. So I thought about doing something myself and felt that Andrew would be the best person to go to.
"We didn't use Fried Rice Paradise because we didn't want people to think that we only sell fried rice. So we came up with MAD instead. We decided to do tapas and dim sum."
Executive chairman of TungLok Group Andrew Tjioe had previously secured the space at The Grandstand for his new Chinese restaurant, TungLok XiHe Peking Duck, which opened early this month, as well as for a new seafood outlet, which is now replaced by MAD.
Lee's creative side is also showcased in the curated playlist at the eatery, as well as the retail gallery selling artwork from artists he has handpicked.
Both men got along like old friends as they kept brainstorming ideas throughout the interview with SundayLife!.
Mr Lee says: "See, this is what it's like to work with Andrew. He understands my concept and made it 3-D. He never questions the music and I don't question the food."
On his foray into this new concept, Mr Tjioe says: "The dining landscape has changed quite a bit with the integrated resorts and foreign chefs with Michelin-starred backgrounds coming in. But we prove that anything good doesn't have to be done by foreigners."
While other celebrity food ventures such as a popiah restaurant by national bowler Remy Ong and a Mediterranean cafe in the former Le Meridien Shopping Centre by former footballer Nazri Nasir have failed, Lim and Lee believe that their food concepts are fresh and new to Singapore. They are also banking on both adventurous eaters and those who like comfort food.
In fact, Lee and Mr Tjioe are so certain their collaboration will succeed that they hope to replicate it overseas in the future.
Pornsak says the success of his four Thai eateries is due to his aggressive expansion strategy. The latest Porn's outlet opened at The Star Vista mall in the Buona Vista area two months ago.
He says: "My main tactic was guerilla warfare. When I had enough capital to start a new outlet, I just went ahead. We chose to open in a shopping mall this time as that's where all the big boys are, and I want to be one of them."
He is looking to open at least one more eatery next year, as well as a Thai takeaway kiosk.
Others who are also eyeing the business include local photographer Aaron Wong, famous for his underwater photography, and who has shot the likes of Chinese actress Gong Li and American singer-actress Mandy Moore.
He is planning to open a bubble tea outlet called Little Beach House, which will also sell vintage homeware that he has collected and restored.
Of the celebrity-restaurant trend, social worker Gracia Chen, 28, says: "Celebrities can ride on their star power to open restaurants but I think it's even more important that the food is good.
"If not, it wouldn't matter who opens it, no one would go. So far, I do enjoy the food at Porn's and I trust that Moses Lim's porridge cafe will be good since he is a foodie."
What: Inspired by music producer Dick Lee's Mad Chinaman moniker, this 8,000 sq ft restaurant combines the culinary minds of TungLok Group, Bakerzin, Bar Stories and local wine distributor Top Wines.
The 173-seat restaurant, which opens next month, is at The Grandstand, formerly known as Turf City.
In the kitchen is Spanish chef Roberto Hernandez Sevillano, formerly from Esmirada Group's Bodega Y Tapas restaurant. It will serve dim sum and tapas, as well as meat grilled in a charcoal-fired Josper oven.
Expect to spend an average of $50 a person, including drinks. Diners can buy bread from Bakerzin's bakery and relax with a ****tail from Bar Stories or wine from Top Wines. There will also be a retail gallery selling products made by local designers, as well as T-shirts and mugs carrying the restaurant's logo.
Where: The Grandstand (formerly Turf City), 200 Turf Club Road, 01-20/21, opens on Dec 1, 11.30am to 3pm (Mondays to Saturdays), 10am to 3pm (Sundays and public holidays), 6.30pm till late (dinner daily)
