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| Chef Keith Choong |
Chef Keith Choong, Executive Chef of Hit and Mrs. shares with The Yum List some of his passions and thoughts on food and beverage.
What do you do and how did you get into the industry?
My passion in the culinary arts runs in the blood, as my father and uncle are both chefs. From a young age I helped my father as he prepared the family dinner. I learned that a good meal is very important. It makes people feel happy. That’s where my interest in cuisine began to grow.
What’s the biggest challenge of your job?
The biggest challenge for me as a chef is to achieve work life balance. I work long hours and spend most of my time in the kitchen. Luckily my wife is very understanding. She calls me “chef”, and she was actually the one who sent my resume to the BIG Group.
What’s your favoured food and wine/ liquor pairing?
Chilli crab with a good bottle of Spatlese… yumm!
Tell us a story about one of the dishes you prepare…
When I was in Bangkok, and very much enjoyed indulging in the local food. I was particularly in love with their pineapple and young coconut. That’s where my inspiration came from when creating my Pineapple Carpaccio with Coconut Sorbet (currently on Hit and Mrs. menu).
The perfect day off…
would start off with me sleeping in till my son is crawling all over my head. Getting up and heading for a nice breakfast with family. We would chat and talk about where to spend the rest of the day together. Shopping or running in the park, probably talking about where to have dinner. Both my wife and I love to eat!
A life in the day of a chef is…
8am alarm goes off – shopping – planning – managing – ordering – calculating – cleaning – sweating – running – repairing – cooking – 12am home.
What do you do for fun?
I keep creating and coming up with something new dishes that will interest people. It’s fun when you see people enjoying your creations. That’s rewarding.
What’s something you’d like guests to know about the cuisine prepared at Hit and Mrs.?
My goal is to create memories for my guests. Instead of flashy ingredient, I surprise my guests with the use of simple ingredients cooked with heart. I emphasize individual preferences, creating an enjoyable and memorable dining experience.
How do you select your ingredients and why?
Quality is the key, a good chef needs to understands his raw ingredient before he is able to use them effectively.See some of Chef Keith’s brunch creations by clicking here.