The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 05:17 PM PDT

The Maverick Chef is all about constructing new cuisine.

FANCY nasi lemak ice cream? Or the happy symphony of sweet and savoury in a single souffle?

If you are excited, surprised or in pure disbelief, well, those are the reactions that one-star Michelin chef Alvin Leung hopes for.

"I want people to be blown away ... to go 'wow' when they see and taste my food," says the 50-year old, who was in Singapore last month to launch new TV series The Maverick Chef, which follows Leung on a culinary adventure across six Asian countries – Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Each episode in this six-part series finds Leung in a different capital city, where a host introduces him to a handful of her favourite local dishes at a location renowned for those particular foods. For instance, Malaysia's TV personality Paula Malai Ali introduces him to nasi lemak at a restaurant in Kampung Baru, as well as sup tulang and durian tempoyak at Bijan restaurant on Jalan Ceylon in Kuala Lumpur. The local episodes were shot in May this year.

Further episodes will feature Thailand's beauty queen Cindy Burbridge, who acquaints Leung with red and green curry at Supatra River House, and Singapore's beauty queen Joanna Peh, who presents to him her country's popular chilli crab at No Signboard Seafood. Other hosts include Hong Kong entertainment artiste Bernice Liu, Indonesia's celebrity host Fitria Sechan and Taiwanese model and host Crystal Li.

After sampling and learning more about the dishes, Leung is then tasked with "deconstructing" them to create a three-course meal of his own.

At the end of the 30-minute episode, originators of those dishes (at the said restaurants) will offer their comments on Leung's new creations.

Thanks to Leung's commanding, audacious personality and unrestrained comments, the series is set to entertain home viewers and, perhaps, be intriguing enough to challenge amateur chefs to toy with unconventional recipes.

"It's not easy being a chef. You have to be smart and bold, you have to think fast and take risks," Leung bellows at his audience during the press event in Singapore, as he adds cinnamon, orange essence, cloves and egg yolks to a tea mix.

It is an Alvin Leung remake of teh talua (or teh telur, which is similar to teh tarik), a popular Indonesian beverage served at breakfast.

The audience watches in fascination – and part concern – as the maestro pours the concoction over a chunky cube of dry ice in a glass. Instantly, a rich froth rises to the tip of the cup, bubbling onto the stone counter.

"Smell that – it's as good as a smoke in the morning!" Leung enthuses. Evidently, he is enjoying the attention his concoction has garnered.

"For things to taste good, they have to taste comforting," he says matter-of-factly.

Interestingly in past interviews, Leung has called the kitchen "his lab" where he dabbles in science.

He says: "I think like an engineer, taking things apart and putting them together again, I try to change a few things about each recipe but keep the DNA intact."

"When I look at a dish, I consider its history and why it was invented that way at that time. Then, I contemporise it," he explains. "The dishes in my series are what I would serve in my own restaurant. I don't just whip up something that is not edible but looks good on TV."

Also known as the "Demon Chef", Leung owns Bo Innovation, a chic fine-dining restaurant on a small side street in Wanchai, one of Hong Kong's busiest districts, serving "X-Treme Chinese cuisine. Leung is about to set up another outlet in London soon.

As he demonstrates cooking beef rendang, he pooh-poohs in jest its traditional six-hour preparation time.

Leung explains that the broth was created at a time where refrigeration wasn't available, and these dished were infused with great amounts of salt so that they could last up to a month.

"That sort of beef will probably stay in your stomach for a month too!" he adds dryly, then adds his method would be to keep the original DNA in tact – that is the beef, the spices and coconut milk, which tenderises the meat. Then the rest can be dealt with in a quicker manner.

Leung likens this concept to Hong Kong's hotpot (locally known as steamboat), where the broth can be prepared just an hour beforehand. So Leung's version of beef rendang is a rich ketchup and spiced stew poured over paper thin slices of wagyu beef and vermicelli soaked in coconut milk beforehand.

The Maverick Chef is based in Asia because there is a distinct difference in how the food tastes even though many of the countries are in close proximity.

"I want viewers to understand how exciting food is when there are so many different styles of preparation. People must be wowed by it," he says.

Born in London and raised in Toronto, Canada, Leung learned how to cook his own meals by the time he was 11 because his mother was (in his own words) "an awful cook".

"I've been cooking for a long time now but it's only been six years since I started cooking professionally as a chef," explains Leung, who holds a degree in engineering. "People say that what starts out as a hobby can lose its appeal when it becomes work, but as long as you accept and create something new all the time, you can make your career a happy one," Leong theorises.

A number of international chefs have been partial to his inspiration, among them chef Ferran Adria of elBulli, a Michelin 3-star restaurant in Catalonia, Spain, "because he is brave"; and Paul Bocuse, a French chef known for his savvy and innovative approach to cuisine.

"You risk criticism for trying out something new but I like the attention, and I like to impress," Leung says.

In the kitchen, he is a perfectionist and not afraid to show it. Even when the camera is on him, there's nothing to stop Leung from barking at his staff to ensure that things go exactly as he's envisioned.

"Even if the customer is oblivious to the fact that the meat has been overcooked – or even enjoys it that way – that's just not acceptable," he says. "It's important to be passionate and intelligent – it's how you get noticed."

Still in the pipeline is a second instalment to The Maverick Chef series, which is likely to see Leung taking on other Asian countries and cuisines.

"Because we're Asian, we know this region has so much to offer in terms of food," he explains. "It will be a good challenge since many interesting ideas have been used in this pilot series."

>The Maverick Chef premieres at 9pm on Nov 13 on the Li Channel (Astro B.yond Ch 706).

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Sabtu, 5 November 2011