April 5, 2009
Celebrity chow
Celebrities going into the food business stress that great-tasting fare matters more than star power
By Huang Lijie
Actor Jeff Wang's new Taiwanese food stall in Tampines 1 makes no pretensions about its gastronomic ambition.
With a stall name like Xiao Bar Wang, which is Mandarin for 'Little Chief', it is clear he wants to be taken seriously as a food and beverage operator selling Taiwanese street snacks such as mee sua and crispy chicken.
And he plans on winning diners over with his finger-lickin' treats rather than his celebrity status as a telegenic, quick-witted TV show host.
This sentiment is echoed by other celebrities who owned eateries that have popped up on the dining scene here in the last month, including Bonifacio, a Filipino restaurant in Kreta Ayer Road by former wushu champion Picasso Tan; and Restoran Selayang, a roast meats stall in the Kopitiam foodcourt of Plaza Singapura by actors Zhang Yaodong and Terence Cao.
Wang, 33, says: 'Customers might patronise my stall because they want to support me as fans, and should that happen, I'd be very grateful.
'But I really hope to reach out to all Singaporean diners based on the merit of my tasty and reasonably priced Taiwanese snack foods.'
To that end, he has been busy fine-tuning the recipe for the dishes over the last month with his Taiwanese chef and Singaporean businessman partner.
The 275 sq ft food kiosk, which cost a five-figure sum to set up, will open in the middle of this month.
At Bonifacio, the only tell-tale signs that the two-week-old casual eatery might be owned by celebrities are the small black-and-white photos hanging on the wall of the corridor leading to the restrooms.
The pictures show the co-owners - Picasso Tan, Filipino wushu champion Lester Pimentel and MediaCorp stunt director Ace Wang - posing with Singapore and international stars they have worked with, including Filipino soap opera sensation Jericho Rosales.
The restaurant's fourth partner is Mr Kelvin Yoo, chief executive officer of Singapore Asian Publications.
On the obscure location of the 'wall of fame', Tan, 36, says: 'We never thought of ourselves as a celebrity-driven restaurant. Our priority has always been to ensure that the food coming out of the kitchen will leave Singaporeans with a good impression of Filipino cuisine.
'But our background in the entertainment industry is part of who we are and how the restaurant started.'
Most of the partners met on the martial arts and stunt performance circuit, and it was Tan's yearning for Filipino cuisine that spurred the idea for Bonifacio. He had spent about five years travelling to the Philippines to choreograph action performances in various media productions.
Indeed, star power is not a formula for longevity in the competitive dining scene here. Celebrity-owned eateries have come and gone over the years, including an Asian-inspired noodle bar by actor Benjamin Heng and actress Deborah Sim, a popiah restaurant by national bowler Remy Ong and a Mediterranean cafe in the former Le Meridien Shopping Centre by former footballer Nazri Nasir.
Comedian Mark Lee, 40, who partnered movie director Jack Neo to bring in popular Malaysian cafe chain Old Town White Coffee, says: 'I might be able to bring in customers because of my star power, but if the food and service are not good, they won't return.'
The successful chain has spawned four outlets in a year, including its latest one in Toa Payoh Central, and has plans for another 11 shops in the next two to four years.
And no, these restaurateurs do not enjoy any special privileges because of their celebrity status when it comes to matters of business such as negotiating rental rates.
Actor Sebastian Tan, who co-owns The Arch, a Straits Chinese restaurant in Seah Street with his brothers Max and Mikel, says they were not offered lower than market rents.
'When it comes to business, it's all about the money,' he says.
Actor Cao, 42, who also owns a steamboat restaurant Hey Hey Hotpot in PoMo in Selegie Road, adds that one's celebrity status might sometimes prove to be more of a hindrance than help.
He says: 'People generally expect celebrities to have good taste, so they might have higher expectations of celebrity-owned restaurants. For example, if Brad Pitt had a shop that sold burgers, you would expect it to be better than Carl's Junior's.'
For trader N. Singh, 25, celebrity-owned eateries leave him a little wary when they market themselves on star power because 'they might be more style than substance'.
To avoid being a flop, the celebrity owners of these new eateries have chosen instead to rely on their business acumen and open dining outlets that fulfil a niche in the market.
Restoran Selayang, for example, aims to please with its char siew (barbecued pork), which is different from what is commonly available here because it uses pork belly instead of lean pork for a juicy and flavourful roast.
And co-owners Cao and Zhang are so confident of the appeal of their roast meats that they decided to launch two outlets right from the start.
The recipe is handed down by the Zhang's father, the retired owner of the original Restoran Selayang in Selayang, a small town near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The first outlet in Plaza Singapura opened two weeks ago while the second one, a stall in the Kopitiam foodcourt in Tampines 1, opens this week. Both outlets cost about $50,000 to set up.
These celebrity owners are also determined to be hands-on with their food businesses.
Wang of Xiao Bar Wang says he plans to go to the store one to three times a week despite his hectic filming and hosting schedule to ensure that the business runs smoothly.
For diners such as Ms Eve Tan, 37, a senior executive in the housing industry, however, it is ultimately an eatery's reputation for good food and service that will earn their patronage.
The repeat customer of Old Town White Coffee says: 'I know Old Town is co-owned by Mark Lee and Jack Neo but I patronise it because it has a nice dining environment, and both the food and service are good.'
Clearly, it is the star treatment of diners that matters most.
Diners under the stars
Celebrity-owned eateries are hotting up the dining scene here and they run the gamut from foodcourt outlets to casual restaurants.
Xiao Bar Wang
Where: 10 Tampines Central 1, B1-K7
Opening: Middle of this month
What: The food kiosk by actor Jeff Wang will sell popular Taiwanese snacks such as crispy chicken, mee sua and tea eggs.
Bonifacio
Where: 35 Kreta Ayer Road, tel: 6222-6676
Open: 11am to 3pm, 6 to 10.30pm daily
What: The restaurant, co-owned by former wushu champion Picasso Tan, prides itself on serving authentic Filipino cuisine and highlights on the menu include barbecued chicken ($9.90) and grilled squid ($12.90).
Restoran Selayang
Where: 68 Orchard Road, 06-15, stall 9, Plaza Singapura; 10 Tampines Central 1, 05-05, stall 2, Tampines 1, opening this week
Open: 10am to 10pm, Mondays to Thursdays, 10am to 11pm, Fridays to Sundays
What: The secret to the juicy char siew (barbecued pork) at this stall by actors Zhang Yaodong and Terence Cao lies in the use of pork belly. Must-tries include its char siew rice ($3.80) and roast duck rice ($4.30).
Old Town White Coffee
Where: Four outlets, including 902 East Coast Parkway, 01-08, Block B, Playground @ Big Splash, tel: 6344-4404
Open: 8am to 10.30pm, Sundays to Thursdays, 8am to midnight, Fridays and Saturdays
What: This popular Malaysian cafe chain was brought in by comedian Mark Lee and director Jack Neo. Highlights on the menu include its Old Town white coffee ($2, hot) and Ipoh hor fun ($5.90).
The Arch
Where: 32 Seah Street, tel: 6837-3132
Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 6 to 10pm, closed on Mondays
What: This Straits Chinese restaurant, opened by actor Sebastian Tan and his brothers Max and Mikel, is known for dishes such as ox-tail casserole ($25).
Tiffin Club
Where: 16 Jiak Chuan Road, tel: 6323-3189
Open: noon to 10pm, closed on weekends
What: The casual eatery co-owned by actress-singer Michelle Saram serves items such as open-faced Reuben sandwich ($17.70) and tamarind duck salad ($17).
Dim Joy
Where: 80 Neil Road, tel: 6220-6986
Open: 11am to 3pm, 6 to 10pm, weekdays, closed on Tuesdays, 10am to 3pm, 5 to 10pm, weekends
What: This cosy dim sum restaurant co-owned by actress-singer Saram is known for its carefully handmade dim sum items such as beef brisket rice roll in claypot ($9).
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