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pg072 3.chocolate crunchy hazelnut mousse by Chef
Christopher Eng, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina
Bay pg073 4. rum ball by Chef Ken Tan, PARKROYAL
on Kitchener Road 5. vegan coconut chocolate cake
by Chef Candy Lu, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering

But how do cakes get to that stage? How heavy an
influence is the hotel’s marketing and branding with
what the chefs choose to make? Funnily enough,
not as much of an influence as you may think. To be
a good chef is to be skilled in the dishes they make.
To be a great chef is to have a basic understanding
of marketing and great observation skills. “You
start off with the theme in mind, or even start off
with what’s in season.” Chef Si explains. “If there’s many ingredients out there that can
a theme you can work in that direction, but chefs help as a substitute especially with
do start off with what ingredients or produce they the vegan ingredients, but it depends
want to work with. The menu will then be shaped on how much time you can devote to
around those ingredients.” All the chefs agree, research and find and source for these
as well as their marketing and PR departments. ingredients.” Chef Eng adds that ultimately,
though, the decision on what to serve is solely up
When I ask about challenges that might restrict to the chefs themselves, and the only concession
the chefs in what they are making, such as they would have to make is if their Purchasing
hotel branding or guidelines, Chef Lu takes the department lets them have the ingredients they
chance to provide this sage advice. “These want. “It depends on them to be able to tell us if
limitations can actually good for us. these ingredients are available when they source,
Every ingredient can be replaced. If but we as chefs are the ones telling them what we
we can’t use eggs, what else can we want for our desserts,” he explains.
use to replace the eggs? There are so
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