bak kut teh and laksa providing ample fuel for an altogether different kind of gastronomic perspective. Following the untimely, inexplicable closure of Beet back in 2020, Barry Quek (among the best-known Singaporean chefs working in the local fine dining scene) would have been entirely justified if he’d decided to hang up his apron and take a breather from the craziness that has plagued the city’s F&B community these past three years. Instead, he began to cook laksa: at first, out of a food court in the basement of Jardine House alongside Brian Woo (of Cô Thành renown); and subsequently, with local bigwigs ZS Hospitality — most notable for masterminding Mingoo Kang’s first restaurant outside of Korea. It was in consultation with the latter that the nucleus of Quek’s new restaurant, simply and straightforwardly entitled ‘Whey’, was formed.