One of the very best lessons my sister taught me is that every moment in your life deserves to be an occasion. I love that: it's the sentiment that makes you say 'no thank you' to a cup of instant, and instead fill your home with the warm roasted aroma of percolating coffee. It's what makes you get out your prettiest teapot and set it outside, along with a dainty teacup and a rusk, when there are no guests; only you. And it's the kind of thinking that makes pop up experiences like Suyen Thornhill's Chez Fong so memorable.
Suyenn was born to host Chez Fong. It's not her first venture as a pop up restaurateur; she was part of the Kitchen Space duo, and, like its predecessor, it's a one-night-only evening of pop-in-your-mouth flavours. There are quite a few things that make it different, though. The first is the venue: forget bsitro strips or shopping malls; Chez Fong is hosted in one of those old Houghton homes where you can imagine Colonel Mustard laying into poor Miss Scarlet with a candlestick (silver, from the art deco, of course).
So far, so unusual. The next noteworthy feature of the night is that there are no menus. In fact, even Suyen is unsure of what she's going to be serving until the day before. The only thing that you know for certain to expect is a fusion of tastes, mostly from Asia, but with notes from a few surprise cuisines making their appearance.
And the part which, to me, takes the evening to a whole new level: you get to watch Suyen make the whole meal in front of you. If you're addicted to MasterChef, this is for you. It's kind of like watching a kitchen ballet, as Suyen tosses onions into a pot and chops veggies with the kind of unthinking grace that people cultivate only if they are really, really good at something. Am I making it sound like some kind of stuffy theatre of cooking? I hope not - because Suyen is so funny and relaxed that it feels like being in your best friend's kitchen as she whips together dinner after that second glass of wine convinces you it would be so much more fun to stay a bit later than to go home,
As for the food: it's very, very special. Suyen has a way of mixing things up. Tender Peking duck gets a Thai twist when it's presented in a Vietnamese springroll; Spain gets a look in with crispy croquettes oozing with bechamel-drenched crabmeat, and forget sorbet as a palate cleanser: frozen grapes in a shot of vodka will take your breath away. Also on the menu:yellow curry fishcakes served with Suyen's marula sweet chilli dipping sauce; sweet potato noodles with shitake mushrooms; sesame-crusted salmon; a tongue-tinglingly fresh beef salad of mango, red onion, endamame beans and cucumber and a satisfyingly rich banoffee pie.
What could be better than a non-stop stream of food, all of it so very different to anything you've tasted before?
Keep an eye on Chez Fong's Facebook page to find out when the next pop up will be.
Suyenn was born to host Chez Fong. It's not her first venture as a pop up restaurateur; she was part of the Kitchen Space duo, and, like its predecessor, it's a one-night-only evening of pop-in-your-mouth flavours. There are quite a few things that make it different, though. The first is the venue: forget bsitro strips or shopping malls; Chez Fong is hosted in one of those old Houghton homes where you can imagine Colonel Mustard laying into poor Miss Scarlet with a candlestick (silver, from the art deco, of course).
So far, so unusual. The next noteworthy feature of the night is that there are no menus. In fact, even Suyen is unsure of what she's going to be serving until the day before. The only thing that you know for certain to expect is a fusion of tastes, mostly from Asia, but with notes from a few surprise cuisines making their appearance.
And the part which, to me, takes the evening to a whole new level: you get to watch Suyen make the whole meal in front of you. If you're addicted to MasterChef, this is for you. It's kind of like watching a kitchen ballet, as Suyen tosses onions into a pot and chops veggies with the kind of unthinking grace that people cultivate only if they are really, really good at something. Am I making it sound like some kind of stuffy theatre of cooking? I hope not - because Suyen is so funny and relaxed that it feels like being in your best friend's kitchen as she whips together dinner after that second glass of wine convinces you it would be so much more fun to stay a bit later than to go home,
As for the food: it's very, very special. Suyen has a way of mixing things up. Tender Peking duck gets a Thai twist when it's presented in a Vietnamese springroll; Spain gets a look in with crispy croquettes oozing with bechamel-drenched crabmeat, and forget sorbet as a palate cleanser: frozen grapes in a shot of vodka will take your breath away. Also on the menu:yellow curry fishcakes served with Suyen's marula sweet chilli dipping sauce; sweet potato noodles with shitake mushrooms; sesame-crusted salmon; a tongue-tinglingly fresh beef salad of mango, red onion, endamame beans and cucumber and a satisfyingly rich banoffee pie.
What could be better than a non-stop stream of food, all of it so very different to anything you've tasted before?
Keep an eye on Chez Fong's Facebook page to find out when the next pop up will be.
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