Seroja

Singapore

Highest New Entry Award 2024, sponsored by Nongshim

A refined taste of the Malay Archipelago

On the Pass

Kevin Wong

Pastry Chef

Lee Dik Yang

Brief history: Since opening in 2022, Chef Kevin Wong’s Seroja has experienced a meteoric rise, culminating in it entering this year’s list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants as the highest new entry. Showcasing cuisine from the Malay Archipelago, Wong uses locally sourced produce from both Singapore and Malaysia to shine a spotlight on the rich flavours of Southeast Asia.

The space: The 24-seat Seroja - which means Lotus Flower in the Malay language and also refers to the street, Jalan Seroja, where the chef’s family home in Malaysia is - offers counter seats as well as tables. The former allows a full view of the kitchen team in action.

On the menu: The multi-course Nusantara menu offers a selection of dishes featuring native spices and herbs, including the hand-crafted betel leaf noodle served with mud crab. Chef Wong’s signature is the mangrove wood-charred scallops with laksa leaf sauce paired with the in-house baked roti paung (Terengganu butter buns). Use the soft sweet buns to mop up the remaining gravy at the end. In keeping with sustainable actions (Seroja was awarded a Green Michelin star), all trimmings are re-imagined as elements in non-alcoholic beverages.

The chef himself: Wong, previously of the acclaimed Meta in Singapore, received the Michelin Young Chef Award in 2023. Cooking the cuisine of his culture has been a dream, which he has made reality in lightning speed.