Topped with a shaving of Spanish Iberian ham, and a morsel of edible gold leaf, dainty soupy dumplings are a shining example of his skill in blending Western and Eastern flavors, and finding a balance in the fusion.
When you nibble his signature foie gras xiao long bao, the broth wrapped in the filling is a French style truffle consommé, full of umami flavors.
The palatable filling stuffed with a mixture of truffle, foie gras and pork mince, is then to be relished after sucking out the silky soup. A mouthful of this xiao long bao is undeniably intense, but still well balanced.
Another signature dish the mushroom cappuccino is an interesting and savory soup to whet the appetite.
In fact, Quek is good at stimulating the taste buds with the fragrance of the food. The wagyu beef cheek with pot-au-feu, black truffle shavings, smoked mashed potatoes and wild mushrooms suffuses an exquisite aroma all around when served.
Most of his dishes are redolent with Asian flavors, but the style and presentation is European.
One of his other fusion dishes is sticky rice in lotus leaf stuffed with chicken, truffles, foie gras, mushrooms, which he roasts French style.
"Fusion comes in many forms. But you need a good foundation, you must have a good appreciation of the different cuisines to know how to mix them," he says.
"My fusion food is not about molecular cuisine, not even mixing. It's all about history and the foundation."
"When you eat, it's like listening to music it should rise to crescendo," he adds. This is how the chef hopes customers will understand his dishes.
Singapore-born chef Justin Quek's culinary journey can be traced to the two years he spent as a ship's steward, before following his passion to cook. In 1994, Quek started to do French-Asian fusion after spending his life savings in the early 1990s to train in France to improve his culinary skills.
