The Pinnacle of Singaporean Cuisine: "Labyrinth" and Chef Han's Legacy.
Hainanese people were originally in the smallest province of China. They were the final dialect group to immigrate to Singapore in the 1980s (after Teochew, Hokkien, and Cantonese). As a result, they have limited options for pursuing their own careers and cooking was the only option for them at the time. Hainanese cooked for many different parts of Singapore such as cookhouses and hotels, as well as for the British and Peranakan families. Singaporeans were having fusion food for the first time. Chef Han was born when his grandfather has his own restaurant called “Cairnhill Steakhouse”.
Chef Han Li Guang (also known as Chef Han LG) has thought about reinventing Singaporean cuisine by mixing the cuisine from Hainanese that has been fused with Singapore culture for many decades including with the legacies from his family. He has opened Labyrinth Restaurant and referred to his cooking as "New Singaporean".
CR: @honeycombers
A restaurant called Labyrinth seeks to reinvent Singaporean cuisine. Each dish is prepared with carefully chosen local ingredients and includes his childhood memories. He transforms the typical and conventional meal into a magnificent dish. “Ang Moh” chicken rice is one of the interesting dishes which has a story back to the past when Singaporeans had to cook chicken rice for the British and it was a unique chicken rice. After that, he revives the Cairnhill legacy of his grandpa. When that happens, the table will transform into a steakhouse setting with a menu, a placemat, and a candle all set up to look like an old-fashioned restaurant. Shashlik is recommended. The Hainanese style sauce for steak is served with 48 hours aged angus short ribs and caramelized onion to keep the beef from being overdone. The dessert, Ice Kacang, is a ginger iced snow served with attap chee, passing fruit, and dragon fruit. Finally, he offers his distinctive cereal as a memento to Labyrinth.
The entrance of Labyrinth.
CR: @hedonist_hk
This famous restaurant originates in Esplanade mall, Marina Centre, Singapore. It gained a Michelin guide recommendation in 2016, then has been awarded one star from Michelin since 2017 and no. 40 of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant 2022. There are many more awards this restaurant wins which guarantees the quality and experience.
The method that the restaurant uses for the whole course is memories in narratives. Although this cuisine idea is not widely used, customers will leave the establishment with fond memories of their trip, which can tempt them to make the same trip again. Chef Han has undoubtedly worked very hard to innovate and bring the originality of the traditional Hainanese cuisine to meet his creativity and inspiration since he was born, then to create dishes that could be the future of the Singaporean cuisine.
We would like to leave a touchy quote from Chef Han that shows us his dedicated passion for his own cuisine. “Labyrinth has become an important platform for me to not just express myself and my beliefs on a plate, but also to preserve both their legacies through my cooking.”