Calling Edward Voon illustrous aptly sums up this Singaporean chef’s career trajectory. Voon has earned a slew of awards, including a Gold Medal from the 2005 Salon Culinaire Mondial, but the 43-year-old is not ready to rest on his laurels just yet. For two nights only (26-27 October), he will be pushing the envelope with a whopping 33-course (yes, 33) dinner tasting menu, Asia Unleashed 33, at LE PAN, a fine dining French restaurant in Kowloon Bay.
Voon, who began his culinary career at the tender age of 17, discovered his calling for contemporary French cuisine as sous chef at the Tower Club. He, then, headed the kitchen of Aurum with Spanish chef Paco Roncero, worked with David Muñoz and, even, appeared on national TV as the guest judge for Star Chef. It wasn’t long before he bid Singapore farewell and traversed across Hong Kong, U.S.A. and France as the personal chef of Goldin Group chairman Pan Sutong. The crowning moment came in 2017 when he opened LE PAN as a permanent platform for his idiosyncratic and bold take on French cuisine.
Clearly, Voon wants to translate his fascinating journey into a medium he knows best – food.
Expect the usual suspects of French haute cuisine mixed with influences from the diverse cultures that make up Asia. Drunken Monks is his take on the caviar starter, but with luo han guo (arhat fruit), while an indulgent bone marrow is presented as a delicate Dim Sum dish with shallot purée. Singaporeans will take to Boba Laksa, which features the quintessential combination of fish cake, cockles and lime leaves beneath a layer of pearls so the dish somewhat resembles a bubble tea drink.
To heighten the exquisite dining experience, diners will be invited, table by table, into LE PAN’s kitchen for a first-hand look behind the scenes. “My goal is to connect (with my guests) through my cooking. I want them to be intrigued and on the edge of their seats,” enthused Voon.
The dinner is priced at HKD2,880 (S$507)/person. There’s an option to have free-flow M. Hostomme Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Réserve Champagne – Voon’s drink of choice – at HKD3,860/person.
Ground Floor, Goldin Financial Global Centre, 17 Kai Cheung Road, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 3188 2355
