It's not uncommon to find restaurants that merge cuisines. Some may even call it fusion, though most chefs will bear teeth and growl if you even utter the F word these days. Thankfully, with Whey, it doesn't seem to matter so much as the cuisine is a little less defined, though nonetheless complex. European techniques and Asian flavours fluidly ebb and flow on the menu, thanks to Singaporean chef Barry Quek (of Beet which has since closed and Return of Lemak in Basehall) and his experience across Singapore, Belgium, Melbourne, London, and Hong Kong.
Whey's interior is warm with earthy tones, natural rattan, deep tropical greens, and brass details that echo the European-Asian cuisine concept, bringing Scandinavian folk art and Peranakan architecture together like never before. The opening tasting menu in 2021 was an introduction to Barry's impressive cooking style, where he cleverly layers ingredients, textures and flavours in triumphant combos as seen in dishes such as fresh Fukuoka oyster topped with caviar on a bed of sweet spring peas; charcoal-grilled local kinmedai with diced cuttlefish in a tangy tamarind sauce accompanied by grilled petai (stinky) beans and pickled banana shallot; an insanely good Bak Kut Teh-inspired New Territories pork rib served with pork heart and cabbage; the softest buah keluak (black nut) brioche with buah keluak emulsion; and even a Maoshan Wang durian ice cream with caviar and milk crisps that just works.
This spring, watch out for the restaurant's new menu featuring a main course that recreates the Hainanese chicken rice and a dessert inspired by achar salad, a type of preserved vegetable pickle from Peranakan or Nyonya cuisine.