Franco-Asian flavors at Solaire
CONTINUING its Culinary Masters Series, Solaire Resort and Casino brings Singapore’s top celebrity chef Justin Quek and his signature Franco-Asian dishes to the restaurants Red Lantern and Lucky Noodles.
“The Culinary Masters Series is another example of providing the best experience to our guests that is distinctly Solaire. By bringing in renowned and internationally decorated chefs from all parts of the globe, Solaire gets to share the fascinating ingenuity and creativity that are behind some of the best gastronomic creations that have garnered praise and recognition, and at the same time, widen the culinary horizon of our patrons,” said Knut Becker, Solaire’s Vice-President for Food and Beverage, in a press release. Mr. Quek honed his mastery of French culinary techniques while training in Paris for a year from 1991 to 1992. He then returned to Singapore and was appointed as the personal chef of the French ambassador to Singapore. Mr. Quek also cooked birthday dinners for the late Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew for 21 years beginning in 1993. He has previously opened restaurant businesses in Shanghai, China and Taiwan. In 2010, Mr. Quek returned to Singapore and established Sky on 57, a 240-seat fine-dining restaurant at Marina Bay Sands.
Prior to coming to the Philippines, Mr. Quek gathered insights from his Filipino colleagues about Pinoy food preferences. With this information in mind, the chef decided to introduce a mix of meat, seafood, and good sauces.
“When I cook something, I don’t want to spoil the product. It should taste the natural taste,” Mr. Quek told BusinessWorld shortly after the media lunch at Red Lantern in Solaire on Sept. 3.
Mr. Quek’s culinary creations will be available in curated menus, as well as special lunch and dinner offers on Sept. 7 and 8.
Red Lantern will serve a special dim sum lunch buffet featuring Mr. Quek’s Ngoh Hiang or prawns and pork fritter rolls, Lap Mei Fan with black truffle in lotus leaves, and the chef’s trademark duck foie gras Xiao Long Bao.
The restaurant will also offer a week-long premium à la carte menu that includes Scallop and uni Har Gow in crab bisque, mushroom cappuccino soup, wok-fried Wagyu beef short ribs, and a baked pineapple tart with salted Gula and Java ice cream.
Lucky Noodles will also have selected items from Mr. Quek’s roster of signature dishes on its à la carte menu for the entire week until Sept. 8.
As for his culinary philosophy, Mr. Quek values simplicity. “The food that you eat, you must be able to understand,” he said, adding that he is not a fan of “complicated things.”
“You want to serve food that people could eat every day, and people would remember,” he said.
For inquiries and reservations, call 888-8888 or e-mail restaurantevents@solaireresort.com. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman
