Just a little over a year ago, Joonie Tan, the team lead at Bengaluru’s Kopitiam Lah, launched an initiative inviting chefs from diverse kitchens to the Malaysian eatery and coffee shop. Titled Masak Masak (the Malay term for ‘to cook’), the series launched with Seefah, the Asian restaurant from Mumbai. Now, Joonie is all set to launch the third edition with Keng Eng Kee Seafood (KEK), Singapore’s Michelin Selected zi char restaurant that has been visited by food personalities including Mark Wiens and the late Anthony Bourdain, and was featured on Netflix’s Street Food. “The idea behind the series is to invite chefs we love into our kitchen to cook, no rules attached. It’s about our friendship, childhood memories, culture and experimentation, and the joy of cooking,” says Joonie.

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Chilli crab with steamed buns
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

For the upcoming collaboration, Chef Wayne Liew, executive chef at KEK, is looking forward to bringing KEK’s signature zi char style of cooking (a Chinese home-style tradition of dishes cooked to order) to the city for the first time. “For us, a pop-up is not simply about bringing KEK dishes to another country. It is an opportunity to share a part of Singapore’s food culture and our family’s story through the food we have been cooking for generations,” he says.

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As for the menu — that has been in the works for six months — Wayne says it will feature a selection of KEK signatures and dishes “that represent the flavours we grew up with and continue to serve in Singapore today”. These include coffee pork, chilli crab with fried buns, black pepper crab, butter cereal prawns, and KEK’s signature moonlight horfun. “Coming from Singapore’s zi char culture, we are bringing our authentic flavours and cooking style to the collaboration. At the same time, Kopitiam Lah brings its understanding of the Bengaluru audience and its interpretation of Malaysian cuisine. We hope guests will experience something that feels authentic to both sides,” he adds.  

KEK’s signature moonlight horfun
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Wayne explains that when selecting the dishes, the team considered several factors: which dishes best represent KEK, which flavours would travel well, what ingredients would be available locally, and how the entire menu would work together as one dining experience. “At the same time, we wanted to respect the local audience without changing the identity of our food too much. However, the intention is still for guests in Bengaluru to experience the flavours as close as possible to what they would have at KEK in Singapore,” he says, adding that the team will be bringing sauces from Singapore, and will also work with local ingredients in Bengaluru. 

Black pepper crab
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

I ask Joonie if these dishes will soon feature on Kopitiam Lah’s regular menu, but she explains that the dishes created by the guest chefs for Masak Masak “will remain unique to each collaboration”. “We want to respect each chef’s identity and the dishes they bring to our kitchen. But these collaborations definitely inspire us, whether it’s a new ingredient, technique, flavour combination or simply a different way of looking at food. We may take that inspiration and interpret it in our own way, through the lens and style of Kopitiam Lah,” she says.

Ultimately, Wayne hopes guests “don’t just remember individual dishes”. “We hope they leave with a better understanding of Singapore’s zi char culture, KEK’s heritage, and the kind of food that Singaporean families have gathered around the table to enjoy for generations.”  

On September 26 and 27 at 1088, 12th Main Road, Indiranagar