Foodie Confidential: No to fast food, yes to sup tulang

Growing up in a kampung in Joo Chiat, chef Nixon Low was never a fan of fast food.

Instead, the 28-year-old head chef of Portico, a restaurant along Alexandra Road, preferred tucking into local dishes such as sup tulang, an Indian mutton bone marrow soup, in Geylang when he was in primary school.

"When I was young, I would be surrounded with local delicacies, such as traditional Teochew porridge, fried Hokkien noodles and kaya toast," he says.

His father, Mr Peter Low, 59, now a cabbie, used to be in the food trade too.

He was good friends with the owner of the Fei Fei wonton noodle brand, and ran a stall in Chinatown selling the noodles, before moving on to work in a factory that still supplies noodles to other Fei Fei outlets in Singapore.

Apart from eating, chef Low also found himself doing kitchen work at a young age. When he was five, he would chop cabbage with a plastic knife at his grandmother's home.

The bachelor says: "It was my most memorable experience because my hands would smell of cabbage, and my whole body would be covered in it. The cabbage would be thrown away, because it wasn't fit for eating."

Despite all this, he was uncertain of what he wanted to do until he enrolled in a diploma course in Hospitality & Tourism Management at Temasek Polytechnic. He had wanted to study marine biology but did not get into the course.

Although the three-year course focused more on the theoretical side of hospitality and tourism such as marketing and finance, students had to spend one semester on a module called culinary science. It meant cooking classes twice a week.

There, chef Low trained in the basics of Western and Oriental cuisine, and it was the place where he found his calling.

On being in a professional kitchen in the polytechnic for the first time, the 28-year-old says: "It was at school that I found my interest in cooking. I first made a pan-fried red snapper, which turned out to be undercooked. I felt that cooking was not as easy as it seemed, and there was a lot of science behind it."

His chef instructor noticed his enthusiasm and eventually recommended him to celebrity chef Violet Oon as the project chef for the development of Naturally Peninsula, a collection of recipes from the Peninsula Hotels Group in Hong Kong after his graduation.

He says: "I was supposed to test and correct the recipes."

He worked for her for nine months before national service.

Chef Low has also worked at the Shangri-la Hotel, Petit Menu restaurant at Aqueen Lavender Hotel and fine dining restaurant Saint Pierre.

What sort of restaurant is Portico?

It is a comfortable place where people can relax and enjoy modern European food.

What is your fondest memory of overindulging in a specific dish when you were younger?

I remember I would eat a lot of prawns when I was about seven.

I had asthma and the prawns aggravated it.

It was so bad that my mother came up with a story about prawns being the insects of the ocean, which made me stop eating them and my asthma became less severe.

I still love prawns when they are steamed and dipped in a little bit of soya sauce and ginger.

What would be your favourite childhood snack?

There are so many. I liked papadums, Tora chocolate balls, Hiro chocolate cake, Piring wafer discs, ice gems and sugar cream crackers.

When were you at your heaviest, and what is your weight now?

I weighed 100kg just before national service. I was 170cm tall then. I am now 85kg and 181cm tall, with more muscle mass. I lost weight in the army.

What is your favourite ingredient to have in the kitchen?

Salt. The best would be sea salt. Salt makes everything better. You can have the best produce, but without salt, you cannot do anything. It's better to have sea salt because it's more natural, and it adds texture to the dish as well.

What is your favourite dish?

My favourite dish would be chicken rice from Tong Fong Fatt at Maxwell Food Centre. I would order rice and roasted chicken with additional steamed chicken breast and have it with a lot of dark soya sauce.

Can you make chicken rice?

I made my own chicken rice for the staff meals at Petit Menu in Aqueen Lavender Hotel, and made a risotto version of chicken rice last year for the National Day set menu.

What do you use in your chicken rice?

I fry garlic, lemongrass, shallots, ginger and pandan leaves with chicken fat before adding in uncooked rice. I then steam the mixture in a combi oven.

What would you have for supper?

I especially love the fishballs from Do Do. I must have them with Lao Gan Ma chilli sauce.

How often do you cook at home?

I rarely cook at home. I make only supper for myself. Usually I'm very tired after work.

What is the difference cooking at home and in a professional kitchen?

In a professional kitchen, you've got all the equipment. At home, I have only basic equipment.

What advice would you have for young aspiring chefs?

Chefs must have a lot of patience and endurance. Always learn from every aspect of life, both the good and bad. Keep all your ideas in mind because you'll have the chance to showcase them one day. Most importantly, remain humble.

What would your last meal be?

My dad's wonton noodles. He has to make everything himself, from the steamed wontons to the mee kia noodles. I would have it with chilli sauce, ketchup and black vinegar without oil.

This article was first published on July 13, 2014.
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