Cover From left to right: Sean Koh, Sebastian Kok, Joel Phoon, Bryan Wai.
From left to right: Sean Koh, Sebastian Kok, Joel Phoon, Bryan Wai.
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Four young local chefs break free from traditional kitchen hierarchy to redefine culinary boundaries at Pilot Kitchen
In December last year, 25-year-old Bryan Wai was presented with the golden opportunity to express his creative freedom in the non-hierarchical kitchen of brand new restaurant Pilot Kitchen. With a background in private dining, this was Wai’s opportunity to step outside the comfort zone and liberate himself from the constraints of cooking under a head chef with a specifically defined culinary style.
Sean Koh, also 25, shared similar sentiments. Feeling limited by his job at a commercial kitchen, he had thought there was no way he could freely express himself in the kitchen. At one point, he was even told that he was “too young to be a chef”.
For both Wai and Koh, the creative freedom afforded by Pilot Kitchen was something completely new and almost unattainable within the traditional kitchen hierarchy. At the nondescript casual eatery located in the basement of Havelock 2, there are no pre-set standards. Instead, its four young chefs aim to break culinary boundaries both inside and outside the kitchen.
Above Bryan Wai
Above Sean Koh
Bryan Wai
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Together with Sebastian Kok, 25, and Joel Phoon, 24, the four chefs have a combined 13 years of kitchen experience—enough to convince Pilot Kitchen owner Kai Wong that they had what it takes to bring their ideas to market. “I tried their food and simply loved it. I liked how unconventional it was; they had a unique mentality, not bound by traditional concepts," he says. After a year of research and development under his guidance, Wong was ready to let the quartet take flight.
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Above Sebastian Kok
Above Joel Phoon
Sebastian Kok
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Just like its name suggests, Pilot Kitchen endeavours to provide the base for young aspiring chefs’ culinary journeys to take off. According to Wai, everyone’s concepts and ideas are equally valued in the kitchen, where hierarchy is kept to a minimum and the structure is mostly flat.
THE MENU
Aligned with their culinary philosophy of experimentation, Pilot Kitchen operates without a fixed menu. For instance, their current special features a cauliflower steak and brown sauce, inspired by Matty Matheson’s cauliflower dish in The Bear. Pilot Kitchen's version features deep-fried cauliflower layered with sour cream and red Leicester cheese, then topped with homemade furikake. Seeking feedback from guests is an integral part of the creative process here, and dishes that prove popular with diners may earn a permanent spot on the menu. “The feedback so far from diners has been overwhelmingly positive... (and) has provided us with the confidence and motivation to continue innovating and pushing boundaries," Koh says.
Read more: What top chefs in Singapore think about Hulu’s ‘The Bear’
Above Duck menchikatsu, spring onion aioli
Above Beef short ribs, tzatziki, gunpowder spice
Duck menchikatsu, spring onion aioli
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At Pilot Kitchen, the creative process also thrives on collaboration. Wai emphasises that despite having four chefs, conceptualisation is rarely siloed. “We bounce ideas off each other… (and the) idea goes through everyone,” he says. In an ecosystem where everyone's opinions are heard and valued, the chefs can rely on each other when faced with challenges in ideation, conceptualisation or execution.
And it’s not all about culinary achievements. The young chefs are also learning the ropes of kitchen management as a team. One thing they’ve learned is that dish conceptualisation involves more than just the food itself—they also need to consider its feasibility, storage, and how efficiently it can be prepared and served. This unique culture of collaboration works to educate all who are involved in ways they never expected. “I’ve learned more (while working) here than I had in all my previous kitchen jobs combined,” Kok quips.
EXCLUSIVE CREATIONS
This year, the team will be at the Singapore Food Festival to showcase two of their most popular creations: gunpowder short ribs and duck menchi katsu. Happening from July 19 to 30, they will also unveil two exclusive dishes, the “Mochi Cake” and “Hassleback & Crack”. The latter features accordion potatoes topped with ras el-hanout (a Moroccan spice blend) and what Kok calls “burger sauce on steroids”. The former draws inspiration from traditional Thai mango sticky rice and is accompanied by coconut and kaffir lime Chantilly cream and a pureed mango gel.
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Above Pilot Kitchen’s “Hassleback & Crack”, available exclusively at Singapore Food Festival 2023
Above Pilot Kitchen’s “Mochi Cake”, available exclusively at Singapore Food Festival 2023
Pilot Kitchen’s “Hassleback & Crack”, available exclusively at Singapore Food Festival 2023
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As Pilot Kitchen takes flight, Wai hopes to one day inspire young chefs to be creative and seek unconventional paths to realise their culinary dreams. His co-chef, Koh, inspired by the film Ratatouille from his childhood, envisions Pilot Kitchen transcending the boundaries of traditional kitchens. With a resolute belief in the film’s message, he says, “Experience alone doesn’t define you—anyone can cook.”
