The Millennium Seoul Hilton’s flagship international buffet and all-day-dining restaurant Cafe 395 is serving up Singaporean fare prepared by guest chefs from Singapore until Sunday.

Junior sous chef Koh Kwee Huat and chef de partie Pang Cheah Sing of the Orchard Hotel Singapore -- an affiliate of Millennium Seoul Hilton -- were invited to Seoul to showcase some of Singapore’s most iconic dishes at Cafe 395.

“We will be introducing all of Singapore’s most popular dishes,” said Huat during an interview with The Korea Herald last Thursday. “Singaporean food is a mix of Chinese and a lot other kinds of Asian food -- it’s a big fusion. While some of our food is a lot like Chinese food, the cooking methods are different, so the tastes are different.”

“We use a lot of seafood and a lot of different spices. Singapore people love spicy food. But it’s not all spicy, it’s a mix of sweet, sour and spicy,” the chef added. 

Singapore is internationally known for its vibrant fusion of Eastern and Western cuisines, drawing influences from the diverse cultures of neighboring countries. 

During the promotional buffet event, the guest chefs will mainly focus on introducing Koreans to the city-state’s Hokkien-style food -- one of China’s eight major cuisines. It is said that Hokkien cuisine was first introduced to Singapore after Chinese immigrants from the Fujian Province moved to Singapore and Malaysia, bringing their cooking traditions along with them.

Some of the highlighted dishes at the Cafe 395 buffet include black pepper crab, chili crab, katong laksa, bak kut the (meat in broth), chicken rice, deep-fried pork balls and rojak (fruit and vegetable salad), as well as an array of assorted satay options. 

“It’s very hard to describe true Singaporean food because it’s just so many different things,” said Sing. “Singaporean food is something that you have to come and taste in order to understand what it is and appreciate it.”

The Millennium Seoul Hilton’s limited-time Singaporean buffet is priced at 91,000 won ($77.60) per person, including taxes and service charge, and is available for dinner only. For reservations or enquiries, call Café 395 at (02) 317-3062.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)