When you talk about culinary talent, Singapore is one city that’s far from lacking. Plenty of amazing chefs from some of the world’s top restaurants are based here, serving their lip-smacking creations daily to hungry, discerning diners. But beyond the prestigious awards given to well-established chefs in the industry, there is a new wave of talent emerging from behind the curtains. This month, the spotlight is on young chefs in their mid-twenties who are offering something fresh and intriguing to Singapore’s cutthroat dining scene – one that has shown time and again that it’s either sink or swim, and nothing in between.
We speak to three young talents whose stories are as distinct as their cooking. Blackgoat’s Fikri Rohaimi takes a deeply philosophical stance and emphasises ‘purity’ in food. His Jalan Batu stall is all about cooking protein over charcoal and capturing food at its freshest, most ‘à la minute' state. Then there’s former badminton athlete-turned-chef Shanice Lim, who transformed her Covid passion project into a full-time gig. She now dishes out her signature har cheong gai nasi lemak at So Lemak. And when it comes to opening a Peranakan eatery fresh out of National Service, Ernest Ang of Kokoyo Nyonya Delights tells us he “didn’t know where [he] got [his] confidence from” either.
At times, their youth shows in flashes of idealism, hesitation and bashfulness, but what stands out is their unadulterated passion for the craft and endless search for perfection. More than that, these young cooks embody the fearlessness so synonymous with the Gen Z spirit – a willingness to not just shape their journey, but let their journey shape them.
Read our full interview with Fikri, Shanice and Ernest here.
1. Fikri Rohaimi, 25, Blackgoat
At 25, Fikri runs the halal-friendly Western stall Blackgoat at Jalan Batu Market & Food Centre, where his cooking is rooted in charcoal-grilling, purity of produce and an intuitive approach to flavour. He recalls early memories of watching his grandfather scramble eggs in olive oil and the smell of lamb wafting through the house. Those sensory imprints will go on to steer him towards an internship at award-winning barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends at the tender age of 17 – his first taste of working in a kitchen.
On Fikri’s menu at Blackgoat, he highlights a lamb dish: premium free-range Australian lamb glazed with a tare made of cooking caramel, seasoned with rose and sumac and served with garlic jus. There’s also the unique addition of winged beans – a nod to his Malay heritage. He explains that balancing heavier flavours of smoke, salt and oil with floral and acidic notes is central to his style. Besides the lamb, the team dishes out slabs of grain-fed Black Angus beef, restaurant-standard desserts that are piped-to-order, and glorious cheeseburger stacks that sell out like hotcakes.
When we ask Fikri who his culinary heroes are, he isn’t quick to list big names. Instead, he cites his peers at Blackgoat, with whom he runs the stall. “Everyone has their own set of talents… they inspire me daily”. That said, some of his mentors in the cooking world include chefs Joel Chiam and Toraik Chua (TC) from three-Michelin-starred Zén, where he also worked shortly. He also lists Victor Arguinzoniz from Asador Etxebarri, Bertrand Grébaut from Septime and other international chefs as sources of inspiration.
Looking ahead, Fikri hopes to move into a dine-in venue eventually, while upholding his ethos of serving food of the highest quality, even if it means he will profit less. The young chef isn’t blind to the idealism of that statement. “I don’t know if it will work,” he caveats, “but I intend to find a balance between being able to survive financially and commitment to the cuisine”.
2. Shanice Lim, 27, So Lemak
Former national badminton athlete Shanice Lim is famous for swapping shuttlecocks for spatulas, and she now helms the popular hawker concept So Lemak. “The turning point for me was when I had to decide between continuing to play badminton and pursuing sports studies, and doing something else. I knew that sports studies wasn’t my interest at all.” Around the same time she has to make this pivotal decision, Shanice happens to be neck-deep in cooking videos and culinary books penned by the great Anthony Bourdain. A chain reaction is sparked, and a two-year stint at Restaurant Zén comes shortly after.
The idea for So Lemak stems from boredom, which some say is the greatest source of creativity. Turn the clock back to 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and you’ll find Shanice workshopping ideas for something that will blend her love for F&B and business. She turns to her grandmother’s traditional recipes for coconut rice, ngoh hiang and har cheong gai, as well as advice from colleagues with plenty of culinary experience up their sleeves. Soon, she’s converting her humble home-based business into a successful brick-and-mortar – one that churns up to 100 kilogrammes of ngoh hiang in an industrial freezer.
At So Lemak, one of her standout dishes is the ayam berempah, a labour-intensive dish involving a whole chicken leg marinated in spices then deep-fried to crisp, golden-brown perfection. Shanice is also building a second menu grounded in charcoal grilling and woodfire techniques, an area of expertise that she has carefully honed over the years.
On her future plans, she remains open-minded. “I have no rigid plans as of yet. I’m interested to see how it goes,” she says. Already active in video and content creation, she views the next two to three years as a period of opportunities and evolution. “I started this without a backup plan, and I’m prepared to take it from there.”
3. Ernest Ang, 24, Kokoyo Nyonya Delights
The youngest of the bunch, 24-year-old Ernest Ang set out on his own when he was fresh out of National Service, launching his Peranakan eatery Kokoyo Nyonya Delights in Serangoon. He candidly admits that he “didn’t know where [he] got [his] confidence from”, but his cooking draws deeply from his grandmother’s recipes and a childhood spent in the kitchen experimenting, messing things up and deriving sheer joy from flavours and ingredients.
Ernest’s culinary hero is Gordon Ramsay, admired for his rapid rise to fame (earning three Michelin stars in a span of three years) and longstanding professional success. “I don’t think anyone else is as influential as him in the industry,” he says.
The signature dish at this unassuming heartland eatery is a quintessential Peranakan classic: beef rendang. Except that instead of chuck meat or short ribs, Ernest’s choice cut is the Golden Coin or the heel muscle of the calf. The rarely used cut contains a thin layer of tendon, which takes time to render, but yields exceptional results. “No one else, not that I know of, uses this cut for beef rendang,” he tells us. The cherry on top is the delicious sambal telur (egg) that comes on the side.
We’ve learned by now not to ask of five-year plans, as it seems almost impossible to predict in Singapore’s tumultuous culinary scene. “Hopefully I’m still here in five years, of course,” Ernest laughs. But for now, the young chap is laser-focused on executing plans for the foreseeable future. “At the moment, I just want to get this right”. Look forward to dishes like ayam buah keluak on the menu, as well as traditional breakfast sets with kaya toast, half-boiled eggs, kopi and all the works.
Oh, and when you visit, make sure to check out the sweeping assortment of Nyonya kueh by the counter, heaving with everything from kueh bingka (baked tapioca), ondeh ondeh and kueh salat made with black glutinous rice.
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