A chef's journey • Putting a new twist to Asian and European cuisine
After 20 years of working in the hotel and restaurant business, Pacific Islands Club Chef De Cuisine Kotwal M. Singh believes he has just started exploring the world, learning about the culture of the places he has been to and mastering their different cuisine.
For Mr. Singh, there is no other profession he could imagine himself getting into except in the hospitality industry where traveling and meeting all types of people are just part of the whole package.
“I’m enjoying every minute of it. It is just so great going from one place to another,” he said.
Mr. Singh, who grew up in northern India, has had career stops in Taipei, Hong Kong, Guam and now Saipan. In Deharadun, Northern India, Mr. Singh’s interest in cooking was mainly influenced by his parents’ business — cooking and selling native sweets in the village. This made him decide to transfer to Bombay to study hotel and restaurant management.
While in India, Mr. Singh learned about the ropes of the business when he first worked as a kitchen helper in a restaurant. And then he accepted the offer to work in an Indian restaurant in Taipei where he stayed for two years.
His career took a major leap when he moved to Hong Kong where he stayed for 10 years with Peninsula Hotel and another five years in Grand Hyatt.
Since island life has always fascinated him, he did not think twice about transferring to Guam where he worked as Chef de Cuisine in Hyatt for five-and-a-half years before finally moving to PIC Saipan with his family where he has been staying for three months now.
At PIC, Mr. Singh is in charge of Seaside Grill Restaurant, the only place on the island offering Pacific Rim cuisine, a combination of Asian and Western Cuisine.
The restaurant takes pride in offering fresh seafood — a tempting menu filled with innovative Eurasian cuisine (a mixed menu of Asian and European food). Asian food lovers should not miss the grilled lobster with Thai Red Curry Sauce or Macadamia Nut Crust with Jumbo Shrimp.
“This is a very unique restaurant that’s why we have a lot of regular American and Asian clients. We put a French twist to an Asian cuisine or an Asian twist to a French cuisine, ” he said. Wherever he goes, Mr. Singh believes in using locally grown vegetables on the island to support local businesses.
When he decides to leave the hotel industry, Mr. Singh hopes to put up his own restaurant where he can offer his favorite recipe and continue to experiment using his own mix of spices. With this, how could Chef Singh go wrong? While the place has already attracted a lot of tourists, he would be happier if he has sees more locals eating in the restaurant.
The moment he set foot on the island, he immediately loved the place and plans to stay here for a long time with his wife and three children. There is no doubt Saipan will be another adventure as he tries to explore the local cuisine. Hotel work in big cities can sometimes be very stressful which leaves him very little time for his family. In Saipan, Mr. Singh hopes to spend more time with his two sons and one daughter who are fast growing up.
Although he has always dreamed of putting up his own restaurant in the future, the Chef is not about to call it quits. Not yet. Said Mr. Singh: “I want to continue working in the hotel because I am learning a lot which will surely help me when I start my own restaurant.” (LFR)
