BITES
The Ruffian
great fun but also tiring, as the film was
shot within the span of one month, from
Words
Farhan Shah day to night,” shares Erick.
Photos SET
Makes Good
And he also creates
excellent cuisine as well.
Meet one of the stars of
Royston Tan’s groundbreaking film 15 who is now
whipping up a storm in the
kitchen instead of on
the streets.
Today, the reformed Erick still has
the tattoos, an intricate work of art
spanning across his entire right arm,
but he has grown up and matured,
with a son to raise and a rising career
in the culinary arts. The 30-year-old
helms the kitchen at SET, serving up
an incredible spread of experimental
contemporary cuisine at plebeian
prices. There is the spirit of Ferran
Adria on every plate attended to by
Erick with a hint of his favourite chef,
Gordon Ramsay – Asian molecularesque gastronomy with an attention
to detail. It surprised me then when
I found out that Erick had no official
training. Instead, he honed his culinary
chops at the different restaurants
around Singapore.
his mother’s Chinese herbal soup
with huai san, or Chinese yam, and
he loves this dish so much that he’s
crafted two contemporary recipes that
have this traditional ingredient. Please
see exhibit A, huai san Carpaccio and
exhibit B, huai san jello. Now, who says
local chefs aren’t as creative as their
foreign counterparts? It takes a brave
man to step outside the realms of safe
mediocrity and to push the envelope
but Erick definitely has the palate and
bravado to surprise you each time
another course comes out from the
doors of his kingdom at SET.
“I started out as a kitchen helper at
a local café chain before working my
way through the different stations in
Eleven years ago, a local film shot by
restaurants serving different cuisines.
acclaimed director Royston Tan created This has helped me to appreciate
A five-course lunch goes for S$28.80++
a maelstrom of controversy due to its
the various methods of preparation
and a six-course dinner comes in at
graphic portrayal of Chinese gang life in across both Asian and western
S$38.80++ at SET, which is located on
the Singapore suburbs. Instead of using cuisines,” says Erick.
the second floor of the refurbished PoMo
professional actors, Royston reached
shopping centre. If you’re ready for your
out to a group of juvenile gangsters to be Inspiration also comes from a place
taste buds to be pleasantly surprised, go
part of his main cast. One of them was
close to his heart – his home, or more
ahead and make a reservation by calling
Erick Chun, a tattooed teenager with an specifically, his Mum. His favourite
them at +65 6337 7644.
interest in art. “Working on the film was home-cooked meal will always include
INGREDIENTS
Words
Farhan Shah
Tim Meijers
Photos
Daniel Chan
Roasted Tuna with Gazpacho
Vinaigrette and Fennel Shavings
At Family & Life, we believe
that cooking can be a fun
family-friendly activity. This
month, we collaborate with
fine dining chef Tim Meijers
to bring to you a restaurantworthy dish, simplified but
still as tasty, for the home.
ABOUT THE CHEF
Tim Meijers is a globe-trotting
chef with more than a decade of
experience working in Michelinstarred fine dining restaurants.
In Singapore, he worked for
Saint Pierre before starting Tim’s
Fine Catering Services, bringing
the luxury of fine dining to
offices and homes all over
the island. Visit him at www.
timsfinecatering.com
28
Family & Life • Oct 2014
SERVES: 4 people
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Tricky but manageable
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
One of the world’s healthiest foods, tuna is
incredibly easy to prepare and can be eaten
raw or cooked, depending on your family’s
preferences. If you are grilling the tuna, take
note that the fish is prone to overcooking. The
key is to make sure that the olive oil that you’re
using is fully heated before you put the tuna into
the pan. To test whether the oil is hot enough,
toss in a tiny bit of tuna into the pan. It should
sizzle the moment it lands on the pan. If it’s not
immediately sizzling, it’s not hot enough.
As for the rest of the recipe that doesn’t involve
fire and the frying pan, why not involve your
children in the process? They can help to prepare
the gazpacho vinaigrette by mixing the different
ingredients together.
Fresh tuna
Shoyu
Japanese cucumbers
Big red capsicum
Momotaro tomatoes
Shallots
Garlic
Fennel
Lemon
Vinegar, salt & pepper
320 grams
200 ml
2
1
5
2
1 clove
500 grams
Half
To taste
PREPARATIONS
TUNA
1 Marinate the tuna in the shoyu for two minutes each on both sides
2 Heat up the frying pan and add a teaspoon of olive oil
3 Fry the tuna on both sides for no longer than 30 seconds each
4 Allow the tuna to cool down before slicing the tuna into thin portions
with your knife
GAZPACHO VINAIGRETTE
1 Cut three of the tomatoes into quarters and put them into
the blender
2 Add 50 ml of water and the clove of garlic into a blender
3 Blend the mixture until it becomes smooth
4 While the mixture is blending, peel the cucumbers and cut
them into fine cubes
5 Do the same with the capsicum, the shallots and the
remaining tomatoes
6 You’ll need to remove the skin of the tomatoes
a. To do this, make a cross at the top of each tomato before dipping
them into boiling water for 12 seconds
b. Following that, drop them into ice water
c. This loosens the skin so that you can easily pull it right off
7 Mix the vegetables with the blended tomato mixture and add
vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.