Inside chef Barry Quek’s culinary vision for Whey in Hong Kong: the contemporary European fine dining restaurant with Singaporean influences earned its first Michelin star in 2022

Jan 2 , 2023

Meet Singaporean chef Barry Quek, the mastermind behind Michelin-starred restaurant Whey. Photos: Nicholas Wong Sixteen Photography

“I’ve always had a passion and curiosity for food,” says Barry Quek, head chef at Whey in Hong Kong, a contemporary European fine dining restaurant infused with proudly Singaporean influences.

Born and raised in the Lion City, Quek cut his teeth at some of the world’s most notable fine dining restaurants, spending time at Singapore outposts of French banner names Joël Robuchon and Les Amis. In the years since, Quek earned a legion of loyal fans across Hong Kong with Beet, a deceptively simple contemporary European menu that delighted diners, before it closed its doors in 2020.

His next venture was a left-turn, the hawker-style Return of Lemak at Basehall, a basement food court in Jardine House, serving street food classics including beef rendang and laksa.

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Whey marks the first time Quek has championed Singaporean flavours in the fine dining space. Open on Central’s Wellington Street since May 2021, it quickly earned the chef his first Michelin star.

Kinmedai fish with sunchoke, 35-year-old Shaoxing wine.

Quek’s preparation for running a fine dining kitchen comes from a surprising source – the military. He has drawn parallels between his national service experience and time spent in top-notch restaurants, describing the requisite shared traits as “discipline, strictness and precision”.

As for inspiration, Quek says it takes many forms: “From food that I grew up with, to the trips in different countries learning my craft, to seasonal flavours,” he explains.

“I have learned a great deal about local and sustainable farming and cooking techniques across my culinary journey,” he adds, going on to cite travels across Asia, Europe and Australia. Japan and the UK in particular have captured the chef’s heart and imagination. “They are so seasonal, and countries with top-notch produce: they fixate on one ingredient and focus on how to make it shine,” he says.

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Kagoshima A3 Wagyu beef with petai miso and tamarind.

At Whey, Quek infuses classic European cooking techniques with quintessential Singaporean flavours. This often brings surprising results: “I like to work with uncommon combinations that introduce the beauty of some unique Singaporean flavours through contemporary European cooking techniques, making it more acceptable to the general audience,” he says.

“Like pairing the much-loved durian ice cream with caviar, and the new Wagyu beef dish with home-made petai miso.”

The buah keluak brioche is one of Whey’s signature dishes, featuring a nut native to Southeast Asia. “It’s a labour-intensive procedure to detoxify and prepare it for culinary use,” explains Quek. “I’ve always thought the earthy and cacao notes would go really well with the rich butteriness of brioche.”

But it’s not just the ingredients on the table that matter to Quek, it’s their provenance, too: “Whey believes in sustainable fine dining; we are committed to presenting Singaporean flavours through local and seasonal produce.”

Whey’s commitment to sustainability is seen even in its name, taken from a by-product of the cheesemaking process transformed into a hero ingredient in its own right, ensuring nothing is wasted.

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Over the years, Quek has cultivated his own culinary approach. “It’s a combination of the skills and knowledge I have learned to this point as a chef, and the influence of Singaporean cuisine,” he explains.

Ultimately, Quek’s personal journey has helped him develop an approach to fine dining that is personal yet simultaneously caters to palates the world over. “Behind every dish there is history, stories and heritage,” says Quek. “There’s an eagerness to discover and learn what continuously inspires and motivates me to become the chef that I am today.”

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Quek cut his teeth at Singaporean outposts of French restaurants Joël Robuchon and Les Amis before opening Beet and the hawker-style Return of Lemak at Basehall in Hong Kong
Then came Whey in May 2021, which serves surprising dishes like durian ice cream with caviar – and champions sustainability through using local and seasonal produce too