Mixed roots: how chefs are redefining fusion on the plate

Based in Singapore since 2014, Naleendra highlights that his contemporary cuisine reflects this journey, with a menu that showcases Sri Lankan cuisine’s “incredible depth, aromatics, acidity, warmth and generosity”, alongside Australia’s ingredient-led approach. It works, he says, because both influences are genuinely part of who he is rather than something borrowed from elsewhere.

This philosophy is best expressed in his signature Sri Lankan curry of Western Australian marron with an aromatic coconut broth. The marron is grilled over binchotan and brushed with butter, while a millet porridge infused with curry spices, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, garlic, shallots and coconut milk lends warmth and fragrance without feeling heavy. A sea coconut acharu, inspired by a traditional Sri Lankan pickle, adds acidity, spice and texture to balance the marron’s sweetness. The dish is brought together with a fragrant broth of coconut milk, homemade stock, fresh lime, herbs and spices.

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One of the world’s most recognised fusion cuisines today is Nikkei, often described as Peruvian cuisine with a Japanese sensibility. It emerged from the culinary traditions of Japanese immigrants who settled in Peru in the late 19th century. “Nikkei cuisine is born from adaptation,” says Lamley Chua, executive chef and head of Asian culinary development at 1-Group, the F&B company behind Flnt. This convergence of flavours is celebrated throughout the dining experience, where Japanese produce and techniques are combined with Peruvian ingredients and flavours.

The cuisine is encapsulated in ceviche and tiradito, which Chua describes as the clearest expression of Nikkei’s dual heritage, where “precise seafood techniques” meet bold leche de tigre (tiger’s milk), the quintessential Peruvian citrus‑based marinade. The hamachi tiradito features pristine slices of yellowtail dressed in bright leche de tigre, resulting in a citrus‑forward dish with gentle heat and a refreshing finish. The tuna tiradito offers a sharper profile, rounded umami notes and subtle chilli heat.

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The influence of Japanese cuisine has spread far beyond its borders, shaping culinary traditions around the world. Nowhere is this more evident than at Sichuan-Japanese restaurant Shisen Hanten, whose chef-owner, Chen Kentaro, credits his late grandfather, Chen Kenmin, with pioneering the cuisine for which the restaurant is known today.

When Kenmin moved from his native Sichuan to Japan, he adapted his cooking to the ingredients available to him. “For instance, he used sansho pepper in place of Sichuan peppercorns,” shares Kentaro. “That creative necessity became something entirely new and pioneered what is now known as Chūka Sichuan Ryori.” The term refers to a Japanese interpretation of traditional Sichuan cuisine.

Kenmin’s legacy continues today, with Kentaro incorporating premium Japanese ingredients such as kinmedai (golden-eye snapper), madai (red sea bream) from Shikoku, ankimo (monkfish liver) and Hokkaido Mangalica pork into dishes rooted in Sichuan flavours and techniques. One dish that exemplifies this approach is dan dan mian, officially known as Chen’s Original Spicy Inaniwa Noodles. While the dish is traditionally served dry, Kenmin created a soup-based version that was more closely aligned with Japanese dining customs at the time. “This dish beautifully illustrates how Sichuan and Japanese elements come together in a natural and meaningful way,” says Kentaro.

Sichuan flavours are also central to the cooking at Birds of a Feather, where chef-owner Eugene See combines them with European techniques to present the cuisine in a fresh and engaging way. For him, fusion lies in pairing Sichuan ingredients and flavour profiles with the discipline of European craft, whether through confit, the building of jus or the creation of dressings. “The structured elegance of European cooking gives Sichuan flavours a new form of expression, without diluting what makes them so bold and distinctive,” he says.

This comes through in the restaurant’s home-style braised pork belly, built around a stock that See has been nurturing for a decade. The pork belly is slow-braised until tender and deeply flavourful before being served with crispy kale, tea tree mushroom garlic rice and finished with truffle.

“It’s simple in concept but rich in depth,” says See, who believes fusion is simply a label for food that draws from more than one culinary tradition. “I don’t think it’s something to avoid or chase after. What matters more is the understanding and intention behind the food. We live in an open, multicultural world, where ideas, ingredients and cultures are more accessible than ever.”

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