Cover The Masses is helmed by Singaporean chef Dylan Ong, who was also the mind behind Saveur, the wildly popular casual French restaurant concept along Purvis Street
The Masses is helmed by Singaporean chef Dylan Ong, who was also the mind behind Saveur, the wildly popular casual French restaurant concept along Purvis Street
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Even with the move to a bigger space at The Capitol Kempinski, Singaporean chef Dylan Ong of The Masses vows to keep serving quality food at accessible prices
If you’re one to dine out on the regular, you must have felt the pinch as eating out in Singapore has become rather pricey these days. From rising costs of operations to the GST hike, these seemingly minute factors have a ripple effect when it comes to unfattening the wallet. While restaurant prices are still at an all-time high, there is one particular restaurant with a Singaporean chef who is hell-bent on going against the grain. And that’s chef Dylan Ong from The Masses.
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Over the past seven years, his hole-in-a-wall restaurant along Beach Road started with contemporary French cuisine. But it was the switch to serving up Franco-Asian fare that is progressive yet approachable that later amassed a cult following. Today, it leaves behind the humble 28-seater space and moves into a new and bigger home at the Arcade within The Capitol Kempinski where the capacious 90-seater restaurant will cater to the masses—if you may.
Food for the people has always been the driving force behind Ong’s determination. With such a move into an elevated space, most would come to expect a price surge but Ong reassures that old prices are here to stay. There are even a couple of dishes that enjoyed price reductions too. “We want to show the industry that if we’re able to keep the prices down without having to cut corners, they can as well,” quips Ong, when Tatler Dining attended his soft launch.
Above Chef Ong and his team are currently serving up their 17th iteration at The Masses
Chef Ong and his team are currently serving up their 17th iteration at The Masses
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Ong’s commitment to always delivering the best value extends to routine menu changes where he and his team are currently serving up their 17th iteration. Innovative new creations include the starter of squid ink kuih pie tee topped liberally with a mixture of crab, crunchy jicama and punchy hae bee hiam; a riff on the classic French staple of steak tartare where pickled cai xin and wasabi add a touch of contrast in texture and flavour; and an ice kacang inspired dessert of fennel and citrus laced aiyu jelly paired with shavings of a pink guava prosecco flavoured ice.
Steak lovers, don’t sleep on the new steak au poivre. It spotlights tender Australian Wagyu cheekily served on a sizzling hotplate alongside chargrilled leeks slathered with hazelnut vinaigrette and thick steakhouse onion rings.
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Above The crowd favourite signature of duck confit is Ong on a plate
The crowd favourite signature of duck confit is Ong on a plate
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Of course, longstanding crowd favourites make a showing too. The signature duck confit boasts crispy skin with the fat perfectly rendered and meat fork-tender. The duck leg is then perched atop a bed of wok-kissed rice noodles, local mushrooms, Mirabelle plum vinaigrette and shavings of house-cured egg yolk. This is a darling dish that is essentially Ong on a plate where he proudly brandishes his hawker background of growing up in a kway chap stall run by his parents.
Coming up, it wasn’t all a bed of roses for Ong. At the tender age of seven, Ong was fully immersed in the tedium and toil of a hawker alongside his father. A typical day ranged from slicing chillies and cleaning offal to blanching rice noodles in boiling hot water. At 18, after his father passed, he ran afoul of the law. Well aware that he wasn’t going to let these fateful events define him, the newfound clarity fuelled him to pick up a culinary course in Shatec. There he was exposed to opportunities to cut his teeth in industry attachments at fine-dining establishments of Raffles Hotel.
Above French fare such as the lemon sole meuniere showcases Ong’s knack at marrying flavours from both East and West
French fare such as the lemon sole meuniere showcases Ong’s knack at marrying flavours from both East and West
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In 2008, he continued to earn his stripes in Michelin-starred European restaurant Flutes. This was a time when French fare was the cuisine of the moment in Singapore. But upon visiting some of the renowned restaurants, Ong realised one thing: French fare isn’t really affordable. An opportunity presented itself. The idea? To offer quality French food to a wide audience at accessible prices. Striking out together with a business partner, Ong debuted Saveur, a hawker stall serving hearty French dishes where he even laid out tablecloths in a hawker setting.
Success soon followed and in 2012, Saveur evolved into a casual French restaurant concept along Purvis Street—holding on to the same ethos. The expansion saw three more outlets opened in the heart of Orchard in the following three years. In search of an independent project, Ong started The Masses in 2017 and the rest is history in the making. Looking back, Ong’s success wasn’t so much of a fairytale, but based on where The Masses is headed today, he is certainly well on his way to nailing down a storybook ending.
Credits
Images: The Masses
