Double taste

Singapore chef Justin Quek explains why his restaurant in Beijing is split into two distinct dining spaces.

For 21 consecutive years, Justin Quek cooked birthday dinners for the late Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew, the first in 1993.

He says no matter where he was in the world, he would fly back to Singapore on that date.

"Mr Lee was very nice, and a simple, and disciplined eater. He liked a good salad, a nice consommé, especially a tomato consommé, and lobster pasta. He ate no cream and butter," says Quek.

In fact, the 57-year-old chef has served numerous politicians and dignitaries including former Chinese president Jiang Zemin and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

"You don't try to show off your culinary skills when you cook for politicians and dignitaries," he says. "They have more important things on their agendas than food."

"Usually they travel from different parts of the world and are new to the city, and what they want is high-quality comfort food," he says.

However, arguably Singapore's most well-known chef does show his culinary prowess at his own restaurant in the Chinese capital.

Quek's Beijing restaurant is actually split into two independent dining spaces, with distinct concepts - one serving fine-dining Franco-Asian cuisine called Justin and one other that Quek deems "a canteen for Singapore classic dishes" with the name Flavors of Asia.