IN FOCUS: Would you pay S$150 to eat in someone else's home?

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SINGAPORE: You are looking for the perfect spot for an upcoming celebration when you spot a friend’s Instagram post about a superlatively delicious meal in a cosy and intimate setting, with only a few...

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and intimate setting, with only a few...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/private-home-dining-singapore-exclusive-price-kitchen-focus-4797856\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"HDB","symbol_name":"HDFC银行","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/private-home-dining-singapore-exclusive-price-kitchen-focus-4797856","article_id":"2490027880","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":["https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--h_3IYEfL--/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_mediacorp:cna:watermark:2021-08:cna,w_0.1/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mediacorp/cna/image/2024/12/08/20241204_Ili_Home%20Dining_Lucky%20House%20Cantonese%20Private%20Kitchen-12.jpg?itok=RwoNIDJl"],"rights":null,"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2490027880","pubTimestamp":1733868000,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"can_highlight","name":"CNA"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"From barbequed pork ribs to crayfish hor fun, CNA speaks to three private dining chefs about a quickly growing 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are looking for the perfect spot for an upcoming celebration when you spot a friend’s Instagram post about a superlatively delicious meal in a cosy and intimate setting, with only a few people.\nWhich restaurant did they go to? How was the food? How much did they spend?\nThe answer? S$150 (US$112) per person and a year on the wait list – and no, it is not a restaurant, but in someone else’s home.\nThese exclusive, home-run businesses are on the rise, with many sprouting up around Singapore in the past few years.\nCNA met three of these chefs – from roasting meat in a Housing Board (HDB) flat to toiling over charcoal fires in their backyard – for a peek at what goes on behind the private dining scenes. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Mr Ng Tiong Jin of TJBBQ preparing to barbecue pork ribs at his home on Dec 3, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)   \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nWhen Mr Ng Tiong Jin bought his first barbeque grill 10 years ago, the avid home cook thought he would only use it for hosting gatherings for his family and friends.\nBut honing more intricate barbeque skills meant longer preparation times and he started taking up to 16 hours to get ready for each party. \nGrowing tired, he started refusing his friends’ requests to hold gatherings. \n“They said: ‘Why not we pay you? Why not you just run this full time?’” the 48-year-old told CNA in his HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio, as he glazed a rack of pork ribs before popping them back on the grill. \nAfter a few months of testing his menu and running rehearsals, the freelance photographer started TJBBQ in mid-2023, serving up mains like barbequed pork ribs, sambal prawns and wood-smoked beef with sides and a dessert, charging S$80 per person. \nEquipped with a five-station kitchen, he works alone, doing most of his cooking in a 2.5m by 2.5m room. \nHe most recently added an ice cream machine to his arsenal, after a customer asked whether the sorbet he served was made from scratch. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Barbecued Pork Ribs served for dinner at TJBBQ private dining on Dec 3, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n      Mr Ng Tiong Jin of TJBBQ, preparing food at his home on Dec 3, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)   \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nOther players in the scene are more seasoned, like Mr Sam Wong, who has run Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen from his home along Upper East Coast Road since 2016. \nOwning a wholesale shoe business left him with free time on his hands, so his wife encouraged him to pursue his love for cooking for big groups of people.\nWhen this reporter met the 56-year-old self-taught chef, he was checking on the fu chok – a traditional Cantonese dessert made with dried beancurd sheets, barley and ginkgo nuts in a sweetened soup.\nIt was bubbling over a charcoal fire in his outdoor kitchen. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Mr Sam Wong of Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen, at his home on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n      Mr Sam Wong of Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen, preparing for dinner at his home on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nIn the beginning, Mr Wong hosted six to eight people one to two times a week, charging them S$80 per person for multiple courses of Cantonese fare. The menu changed every day, depending on market offerings and his mood. \nFood bloggers and influencers soon caught wind of his offerings and his waitlist grew to at least one year and so did his capacity.\nBy 2019, he was serving up roast duck, soup boiled over charcoal and crayfish hor fun to about 20 people every weekday, while inflation forced his prices up to S$130 per person.\nAlthough group sizes shrank throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, avid diners continued to book slots, and this pushed the waitlist to more than two years, said Mr Wong. \nHe has since added a third glass-walled dining room at the front of the house, pushing his total capacity to more than 30 people. \nServing a seven-course dinner, he turns over a 60 per cent profit margin from home business. He still runs the shoe business, but the private dining business is doing “much better”. \n\n\n\n\n\n      One of the dishes being prepared for Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen diners on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nFROM HOME TO RESTAURANT\nHusband and wife duo Shane Gan and Evelyna Wibawa were behind the private dining concept SouthEast, which offered Southeast Asian flavours in a S$148 10-course meal. \nThey now run a restaurant, similarly named South & East, at the National University of Singapore. \nSpringing off from a takeaway business that they started at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the two professionally-trained chefs hosted groups of eight to 10 people several nights a week from September 2022 to June 2024. \n“We decided that we wanted to make some extra pocket money because I wasn’t working and out of a job,” said Mr Gan, 34. \nThe “craziest part”, as he describes it, is that they lived elsewhere and hosted the private dinners at his aunt’s empty apartment, which was a 25-minute drive away.\nTheir routine: Wake up at 7am, get the grill going, and cook until it is time to leave for the apartment at 5pm. \nAfter cooking some more and hosting the guests until about 11pm, they clean up the place and finally reach home at about 1.30am. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Co-founders of South & East restaurant, Mr Shane Gan and Ms Evelyn Wibawa, preparing food for lunch on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nAbout five years ago, it was easy to keep track of all the private dining experiences in Singapore, said Mr Gan, counting them off on two hands. \n“And then all of a sudden, if I were to guess, I'm going to say there’s close to 1,000 private dining spots now.” \nWhen they first opened their doors in 2022, the couple booked slots at other private dining businesses to keep track of who was doing what in the industry and conduct research.\n“But after a while we couldn’t keep up, there’s too many,” said Mr Gan. \n\n\n\n\n\n      One of the co-founders of South & East restaurant, Ms Evelyn Wibawa, preparing a meal on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n      Ms Evelyn Wibawa preparing lunch on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nAN EXCLUSIVE CLUB\nWhat draws customers to private dining experiences? Why not restaurants? \nBoth casual and more dedicated fans said the exclusivity of the experience is part of the charm. \nArt director Fiona Liew, 29, goes for private dining experiences two to three times a year. She started with omakase experiences in restaurants, where she loved the experience of seeing the food being prepared and interacting with the chef. \nShe often goes for these meals with her mother, who eventually started sending her private dining suggestions. The two decided to make bookings for special occasions like birthdays or Christmas. \n“But some of them are a bit hard to book, so some of them we ended up never trying, because there’s a long, long, long waiting list. It’s not like you can specify I want to go on this date, and they will have a slot,” she added. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Mr Sam Wong of Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen preparing the table for dinner at his home on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nTo Ms Liew, what sets private dining apart is the experience – the ambience, hearing about how the chef pieced the menu together and the novelty of seasonal or unique dishes. \n“I guess this is the difference between people who are willing to pay for food and those who are not,” she said. \nBut because of the prices, she finds it difficult to invite friends and limits herself to a few meals a year. \n“It’s a bit hard to broach the topic, ‘Hey guys, want to spend S$300 per person on private dining?’ \n“I feel like it’s a burden to ask friends to come along, unless it’s their birthday and I want to treat them.” \nMs Verena Chin, a day trader who also runs a home-based baking business, started eating at such places after making friends with other home-based business owners who invited her.\n“Once you’ve tried something, you want to try another one, so it becomes a little bit like a hunt,” she said, adding that there are always novel experiences to be found. \nShe goes for private dining experiences once a month on average. Generally, prices have increased in the past few years, she said, noting that they now typically range between S$100 to S$225. \n“In Singapore, there’s this mentality where something is rare and difficult to get, the more diners want it, right?” said Ms Chin, adding that she sets alarms to secure bookings. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Octopus tentacles served at TJBBQ on Dec 3, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nSome friends have turned down her invitations to private dining experiences, saying that they feel more comfortable at a restaurant, where they pay for the service and ambience. \n“These people would never go to private dining, because they feel like, ‘Why should I pay a home cook at this kind of price point for a meal?’” she added. \nPrivate dining experiences also appeal to individuals who like treating themselves to a nice meal and would end up spending similar amounts at restaurants anyway, said Ms Chin. \n“Some people would not allocate that much budget to food because it is not a priority for them. They have other pleasures and joys so they spend their money elsewhere. \n“Anything above S$50 (for food) is probably expensive to them,” she said, noting that spending power also plays a part. \n\n\n\n\n\n      One of the dishes being prepared for Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen diners on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nMr Jordan Alsagoff, 30, who is a self-employed contractor, went for his first private dining experience in August to celebrate his birthday with his friends. \nThe chef is a family friend and he had eaten in their home before as a guest, finding their Indochine-inspired food delicious. For his birthday, he made a booking two months in advance – the meal cost about S$120 per person. \n“I just thought it was something different, more of a unique and exclusive experience for the rest of the guests. At a restaurant, anyone can go at any time,” he said. \nThe chef also told them what would be on the menu beforehand, which made the experience less mysterious since they knew what they were paying for, said Mr Alsagoff.\nAfter looking at the seafood and meat on the menu, his friends thought the meal was worth the price tag. \nWhile he isn’t actively searching for more private dining experiences, he would consider booking others if they come highly recommended by friends – and if the price is less than S$180. \n“The most I’ve ever spent on a meal is probably less than S$200 per head. I don’t intend to get very far past that point,” he added. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Cornbread appetiser served at TJBBQ private dining on Dec 3, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\n\"THE WHOLE PLACE IS YOURS\"\nWith each seat going for at least S$100, private dining experiences don’t come cheap. In comparison, some Michelin-starred restaurants charge about S$200 per head. \n“I'm always of the belief that we need to charge fairly, and unfortunately, I feel that a lot of private dining chefs are taking advantage of the fact that it’s private dining to charge more. It’s crazy,” said South & East’s Mr Gan. \nBut the exclusivity and privacy of the experience still appeal to diners, especially those who are looking for something beyond tasty meals. \nLucky House’s Mr Wong enjoys hosting families, he shared, adding that he has seen many customers come with their friends or business acquaintances, and then return with their families. \nHis wife, Dr Yap Lee Yee, 51, said their two-year-old daughter gets in on the action. \nIf she is around when guests arrive, she brings them to their tables, sings along when a group bursts into the birthday song or plays with other children who come for dinner. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Mr Sam Wong of Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen serving roasted duck to diners on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nMr Wong often hears from customers that his food reminds them of their grandmother’s cooking. One diner brought his 102-year-old great-grandmother, his oldest customer so far, he said, recalling the image of her heartily tearing into a drumstick. \nOver the years, many of his customers have become regulars and good friends, Mr Wong added. \nArranging a private dining gathering also means you get to invite whoever you want. “The whole place is yours, basically,” said South & East’s Ms Wibawa, 29. \nAnd many Singaporeans love to hop on exclusive trends, said her husband. \n“Private dining kind of creates that sort of scarcity where everyone has to queue for it. In a way, when you get that reservation you can boast about it, I suppose,” he added. \n“But having said that, on our end that's not our intention. We just want to be able to manage the number of days we cook.” \nThis flexibility in managing their time is a key factor for those looking to start a private dining gig. That, and the money that rolls in if they are booked and busy. \nA head chef of a restaurant can make anything between S$6,000 to S$8,000, said Mr Gan. \nIf someone with that level of experience started their own private dining business, they would probably take home S$10,000 to S$15,000 a month, assuming their slots are fully booked. \n“In some cases, it's almost double what you could potentially earn in a restaurant. And that's a really, really big draw for most people,” he said, adding that this is especially so for fresh culinary school graduates, who see it as a “shortcut” to make money. \nAn entry-level fresh graduate would earn about S$3,000 to S$3,500 in a restaurant. They could earn potentially double or even triple that in private dining, even if they are not fully booked, said Ms Wibawa. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Mr Ng Tiong Jin of TJBBQ preparing for dinner at his home on Dec 3, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)   \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nMr Ng’s prices at TJBBQ are at the lower end of the market. \n“I started at S$80 because I’m not a chef. I’m a photographer,” he said.\nAt first, his friends and family found the price point a bit steep. But as he gained more customers, they started telling him that he was undercharging, so he increased his price to S$88. \nCustomers also started to ask for add-ons to the menu, and he recently revised his prices to S$118 per person, after building his confidence from the 81 groups he has hosted so far. \n“So far, I’ve noticed that private dining is like cafe hopping. The formula is the same – I try and I’m paying S$150. Next door is also asking for S$150, so I go next door. \n“Unless I’ve tried a few and I think I still like this one better, so I’ll book this again,” said Mr Ng. \nTJBBQ is open for lunch or dinner on Fridays, Saturdays and eve of public holidays, as those are the days that his children, aged 14 and 16, do not have school the next day. \nWhile his wife is supportive of his career switch, it took her about three months to adjust to the interruption to their lives and the flow of strangers through their home, which she found awkward. \n“I said, ‘Give me a year. If one year later, nobody’s booking, then I’ll shut it down,’” he shared, noting that his income has increased since he adjusted his prices. \nWHAT ABOUT THE NEIGHBOURS?\nWhen Mr Ng was conducting his dry runs before opening for business, he used to barbeque and smoke the meats in his balcony area in front of the common corridor. \nNeighbours complained to the town council about the smell, and he asked to talk to them to mediate the issue. \nTown council representatives visited him to conduct checks and found that he was not blocking the common corridor since his arrangement complied with the 1.2m rule. Nonetheless, they advised him to find alternatives. \nWhile he was unable to reach the neighbour who filed the complaint, he decided to move his cooking indoors and converted what used to be a storage room into a barbeque room. Since then, he has not received any complaints about noise or smoky smells. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Mr Ng Tiong Jin of TJBBQ preparing food at his home on Dec 3, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)   \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nAccording to HDB’s website, flat owners are allowed to carry out small-scale home-based business activities to supplement their income. \n“Your flat must still primarily be used for residential purposes, and business activities must not cause disamenities to your neighbours. Otherwise, you must cease operations or relocate to other premises, such as commercial units,” the website read. \nFor example, home-based businesses cannot use heavy equipment or appliances that are not intended for domestic use. \nThis is why Lucky House’s Mr Wong opts for charcoal fires and regular gas stoves, even though he and his part-time helper have to cook for more than 30 people every night.\n“The onus is on yourself. You have to understand that this is a house, not a restaurant … it’s for your own safety.\n“And when there are so many people here, so many lives are in your hands,” he said, adding that the authorities have visited his home to conduct checks. \nMr Wong regularly speaks with his neighbours about the noise level, and doesn’t hesitate to affably tell his diners to “shut up” if they are being too loud. This is also why he only cooks on Mondays to Fridays, to give his neighbours a break on weekends. \nSince his house is located in a private housing estate, some customers used to park in front of other houses, resulting in complaints. \nTo resolve this, he messages diners before they arrive to suggest that they park at the nearest public car park, which is about a 15-minute walk away. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Mr Sam Wong of Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen serving roasted duck to diners on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nHome-based food businesses, including those that offer private dining services and takeaway food, do not need to be licensed, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said in response to CNA queries. \nThis is because the food safety risk is limited by the scale of their operation, the agency said, adding that it takes a risk-based approach in regulating food businesses.\nBut home-based food businesses still need to comply with certain food safety requirements, the agency said. For example, according to SFA’s website, they cannot sell ready-to-eat raw seafood or offer catering services. \nSFA will take enforcement action if there are food safety breaches, and businesses implicated in food safety incidents may be directed to stop operations immediately or recall any food they sold, the agency added. \nThere were five enforcement actions linked to home-based food businesses in 2023, said SFA. \nHome-based food businesses that want to expand their operations beyond what their homes can support should consider doing so in licensed food premises, it added. \nWHAT NEXT?\nOn top of pouring hours of work into their menus each day, private dining chefs also have to worry about the longevity of the business after the hype dies down. \nSouth & East’s Mr Gan and Ms Wibawa decided at the end of 2023 that they would close their private dining business and open their restaurant. Since the apartment wasn’t theirs, they decided to find something more sustainable and long-term, Ms Wibawa said. \nThey kept the private dining running for at least six more months as they searched for an appropriate spot, and their new venture opened in October. \n\n\n\n\n\n      Co-founders of South & East restaurant, Mr Shane Gan and Ms Evelyn Wibawa, doing food preparation on Dec 3, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nThey were worried about their private dining business losing steam. Towards the end – after they decided to wind down – they started to see their take-up rates slow down. \n“We were still full, but it took a little longer to be fully booked, so that's when our fears were confirmed. We really needed to start thinking of our next steps,” Mr Gan said. \nNow that their new restaurant is open, many customers who pop by know them from their private dining days, which they are “very grateful for”, said Ms Wibawa. \n“I feel very happy when I hear (them say), ‘I'm very happy that I can come here because last time I couldn't find enough people to go to your place’,” she said, adding that customers can now come to the more casual joint in small groups. \n“When I hear that, I think it was a really good decision for us to open this.”\n\n\n\n\n\n      Grilled fish with garang asem and laksa rice served at South & East restaurant on Dec 4, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor) \r\n\n    \n\n\n\n\nLucky House’s Mr Wong has plans to reduce the number of days he stays open in the next few years.\nHis day starts at 7.30am and ends at 10pm – he hired the part-time helper a few years ago but the long hours are starting to take a toll. \nHe takes power naps throughout the day, but at 56, he often feels pain in his legs and back after standing for long hours. \n“Truthfully, it’s not the same as when I was 50 years old and doing this. It’s not easy, so slowly, I’ll have to cut down,” he said.\nDespite the consistently strong demand, Mr Wong has no plans to open a restaurant, and is also against the idea of hiring more people to help with the cooking. \n“Then it will not be me. I just want them to feel that it’s actually me who’s cooking … If you want to do this, you should really put your heart into it. \n“You don’t give your heart to somebody else and ask them to do it for you.”","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":null,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"0","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":1},"commentList":[],"isCommentEnd":true,"newsSizeData":{"likeSize":0,"commentSize":0,"repostSize":0,"favoriteSize":0,"likeStatus":false,"favoriteStatus":false},"APP":{"userAgent":"Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)","isDev":false,"isTTM":true,"deviceId":"web-server-community-laohu8-v3","version":"4.29.3","shortVersion":"4.29.3","platform":"web","vendor":"web","appName":"ttm","isIOS":false,"isAndroid":false,"isTiger":false,"isTHS":false,"isWeiXin":false,"isWeiXinMini":false,"isWeiBo":false,"isQQ":false,"isBaiduSwan":false,"isBaiduBox":false,"isDingTalk":false,"isToutiao":false,"isOnePlus":false,"isHuaWei":false,"isXiaomi":false,"isXiaomiWebView":false,"isOppo":false,"isVivo":false,"isSamsung":false,"isMobile":false},"href":"/m/news/2490027880"}