French ideas, Chinese heart at Chez Kai

NEW RESTAURANT

Chez Kai 115 Geylang Road #01-02 Singapore 389218 Tel: 8767-7502 Open for lunch and dinner Tues to Sat: 12pm to 2pm; 6.30pm to 11pm.

YOU can almost see a job ad for Chez Kai: “First-time restaurateur who jumps first and asks questions later, invites kindred spirits to do the same. Applicants will embark on an uncertain journey with few perks but ample staff meals, navigating the cruel F&B world armed only with passion and good humour. Knowledge of food and wine is a must. Painting skills are a plus.”  And so you have this rag-tag team of chef, servers and general do-it-yourself-ers who have literally put together this semi-fine dining eatery in Geylang with their own bare hands. 

The paintings on the walls are by chef-owner Yeo Kai Siang — hence Chez Kai, a former art student who turns out impressive brushworks of swimming koi, flowers and landscapes. The koi painting, particularly, isn’t so much an oil on canvas but “oil on dining table”. It is painted on the same surface that he served his private dinners on at home before taking the plunge to open his own restaurant. 

He’s not the only artist. Leroy, our irrepressibly cheerful server, points out that he helped to paint the gold accents on a feature wall too.

This homey and warm, if unpolished, vibe lends to the charm of Chez Kai, where Yeo parlays his French culinary training into a menu that is Chinese at heart. Call it French-Chinese or Chinese-French, it’s a self-invented hybrid that still needs to find a strong footing, but in its current state, it still delivers a credible meal. 

Menus are omakase-style, and dinner is a tolerable S$178 for 7 courses; the restaurant has just introduced a 4-course set lunch at S$58. There are some nice ideas, but much of it can be defined as French food cooked with a Chinese palate, swapping definitions where convenient. 

A French consomme discovers its Chinese connection as superior stock, so the meal kicks off with a crystal clear broth of duck, chicken and jamon instead of Chinese ham. With a single leaf of cabbage and solitary goji berry floating in the broth, it looks uncomfortably like a finger bowl sitting alone without any shellfish to accompany it. But touch the rustic ceramic vessel, and it’s hot, and the broth is comforting, clean and intense. 

The snacks are more aesthetically inclined, balanced on an arty wooden Chinese frame. One is a curious millefeuille cracker sandwiched with a mysterious uni mixture that’s cheesy, funky and questionable, and fermented red cabbage that tries to counter it. More conventionally pleasing, if not exciting, is the fried wonton cup filled with bouncy chopped shrimp double-dipped in vinaigrette and aioli. 

SEE ALSO

Crossing new culinary borders at Nouri

The reinvention of abacus seed is convoluted, but appealing in texture and mouthfeel. The Hakka yam discs change nationalities into chewy-crisp fried yam gnocchi, sitting in a smoky swordfish broth, with easily missed bits of smoked hamachi and a sous vide egg to mix everything in. If that’s not enough, nasturtium leaves and dill oil are added for good measure. We’re not sure about the thinking behind this, but never mind — there’s no question that a rich, unctuous soft-cooked egg can’t answer.

In contrast, a lovely, swirly sweet potato loaf streaked with natural hues of butterfly pea flower makes perfect sense as a course on its own. The 10 years it took Yeo to perfect this yielding, chewy, light and bouncy bread was worth it, especially when smothered with whipped kombu butter.

The main of Pyrenees lamb shoulder, cooked sous vide for ample bounce and tender bite, is seared and enhanced with the deep intensity of a sauce that blends a meaty lamb jus with the umami of smoked fish bone dashi. 

What’s a Chinese-influenced meal without noodles? So naturally, you get homemade egg pasta tossed in XO sauce. Everything’s made from scratch, but it can get to be a bit of an overkill with the overload of gravy and dried chilli shrimp, overshadowing a scallop that wouldn’t impress on its own anyway. 

Dessert is rice in its many permutations – gelato, mousse, puffed rice and some lavender shortbread crumbs for a change, and a surprising drizzle of pi pa gao or Chinese cough syrup. Nice twist, but the rice idea isn’t all that nice. 

Still a work in progress, what endears you to Chez Kai is the earnest, can-do spirit of the team. It’s no mean feat to come out and put your own money on a dream. Their efforts will pay off in time. 

Rating: 6.5