Noma’s former chefs are cooking at Raffles Singapore

This year, Singapore has been spoilt for choice with new F&B openings, multi-hand collaborations and guest chefs presenting at fine-dining restaurants all over the city.

Adding to this buzz are alumni from three Michelin-starred Noma Jose Luis Hinostroza and Ben Ing, who will be in town to whip up gourmet delights at Raffles Hotel Singapore’s Bar & Billiard Room.Hinostroza will be cooking from Oct 10 to Oct 15 while Ing is expected to have his pop-up in 2024. Their meals are part of the Chef World Tour series of culinary experiences that highlight some of the most exciting chefs on the global stage today. Titled The Second Act, the latest edition features dishes woven around Hinostroza and Ing’s respective culinary journeys through lauded fine-dining kitchens around the world before coming into their own.

Hinostroza was chef de partie at Noma’s Copenhagen flagship from 2015 to 2017 and part of the research and development team for its pop-up in Mexico. His stints at three Michelin-starred restaurants such as Chicago’s Alinea and Spain’s El Celler de Can Roca are underpinned by his southern Californian farm-to-table immersion and his Mexican heritage. Since 2017, he has been the executive chef and co-owner of Arca, which has placements on the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants (No. 29) and North America’s 50 Best Bars (No 23) lists respectively — the first property in the world to achieve this rare double accolade.

Imbuing local ingredients with a Mexican soul will be Hinostroza’s focus for his menus, such as a soft-shell crab taco held by a shiso leaf tortilla. He said: “Working with local ingredients is akin to embracing the heartbeat of a place; it allows me to converse with the locale's heritage, traditions, and culture. In Singapore, I'm particularly excited to explore and incorporate local produce like laksa leaves and gula melaka, and all the amazing seafood the area has to offer, bringing a dance of familiar yet nuanced flavours to each plate.”

Canadian Ing helmed Noma’s kitchen from 2016 to 2021 and had gourmands flocking to quiet Busselton when he opened Alberta’s Kitchen & Store with his wife Kirsty Marchant — Noma’s former head gardener — in June 2022. Ing will be applying the same hyper-seasonal ethos in his convivial 32-seat bistro to the Singapore menu, where he would work with ingredients such as broth made from local chickens as well as local fruits and greens.

It is Hinostroza’s first visit to Singapore and Ing’s second, and both are looking forward to exploring local fare and produce.

Ing said: “I will be visiting the markets in Singapore and will be on the lookout for tropical fruits that are in season as it is something I don’t get to cook with in the Southwest (of Australia) due to the climate. It’s about bridging the beautiful diversity of Singapore's local produce with heartfelt cooking that we so passionately believe in.”

Hinostraza added: “I'm intrigued by kaya toast, chilli crab, fish head curry, laksa, roti prata and Hainanese chicken rice. I have researched those dishes and they all carry a similar feeling of Mexican cooking. They seem packed with flavour and have a very homely and street-food feel to them.”

Menus for Chef World Tour: The Second Act are priced from S$238++ for a 6-course lunch to S$338++ for an 8-course dinner. Bookings for Jose Hinostroza’s menus are already opened. For reservations, go to chefworldtour.com.