Singaporean Barry Quek is the executive chef of Singapore-inspired modern European restaurant Whey, in Central, Hong Kong, and a pop-up/delivery side hustle called Uncle Quek.
I was born and raised in Singapore, where I had a lot of hawker food like nasi lemak, laksa and chicken rice. But my mom has always been an amazing cook.
Even to this day, if we go out to eat, she always tells me she makes better food. I really enjoy her chicken curry and her Hokkien spicy shrimp condiment (hae bee hiam).
My first job was in McDonald’s when I was 14, so I ate a lot of it. I was a fat kid. To this day, McWings is still my guilty pleasure.
On my day off, I might just make some bak kut teh (medicinal soup with pork).
If I were to dine out, there’s Shui Kee (2 Gutzlaff Street, Central, tel: 2541 9769) for beef tripe noodles. It has about 60 years of history, and is in the middle of an alley. You sit on a stool, sharing tables. I really enjoy that a lot, especially during winter.
