Embracing the flavours of the world

“Spago has always been about embracing different influences. Just as Singapore is a great cultural mash-up, so is Los Angeles, which is home to the original restaurant. We’re surrounded by many different cultures, flavours and cooking styles.

The binchotan-grilled mackerel with pickled cucumber is inspired by Japanese flavours and ingredients. I wanted a dish that was a little heavier on the palate for fall, which was why I chose the oilier mackerel. However, I also wanted to have some balance in the menu and provide options that won’t make you feel like you’ve overindulged.

The dish took about four months to perfect. I started with the idea for the sauce, but I didn’t know what to pair it with. Then we got this amazing fresh spotted mackerel from Japan. It’s grilled on binchotan charcoal to impart a rich, smoky flavour, which went perfectly with the sauce. But it needed something else, and we found that pickled cucumbers were the perfect foil for the deep umami of the sauce and the fish.

The sauce is dashi-based, fortified with caramelised fish bones and leeks. It has a slight smokiness from bonito flakes, and the parsley and seaweed puree gives it a vibrant green colour. The pickled Japanese cucumbers have been marinated with ginger, vinegar and soy sauce. Then I add daikon, mint and baby shiso leaves, mustard flowers and seagrass. I finish it off with drops of miso and orange oil. Even though the colours make it look like a dish meant for spring, the richness of the dashi and smoked fish makes it very savoury and autumnal.”

(TEXT Siti Rohani Photography Raymond Toh/Vineyard Production)