Malcolm's guide for foodies
Chef Malcolm Lee leads a trail through Singapore, peppered by his love for food and Peranakan heritage
Malcolm Lee grew up with the smell of spices from his grandmother’s traditional Peranakan (Straits Chinese) dishes. Today he’s one of a handful of Singaporean chefs to have won a Michelin Star, and is constantly looking for ways to both preserve and innovate the flavours of his youth.
Malcolm worked his way from humble line cook to his current role as chef-owner of Peranakan restaurant Candlenut. “There’s a reason why we’re called a ‘kitchen brigade’. When service time hits, the kitchen turns into a warzone,” Malcolm says. “But I love the cuts, the burns, the camaraderie.”
It’s not just the adrenaline of the kitchen that drives his passion: to Malcolm, food is a way of creating a deep connection with both friends and strangers. “I believe the essence of Peranakan food is really about people. Food is love, and I hope people can feel that.”
Discover where the foodies – connoisseurs, gourmands, bakers, chefs, mixologists, chocolatiers, tastemakers – meet, at VisitSingapore.com.
