From finance to food: Meet the Singaporean behind Tampines’ new Im Qalb
To most, Vincent Pang, 39, might read like a free-spirited individual who followed his passions, having chosen to leave an eight-year hedge fund career to attend culinary school in Thailand.
On the contrary, there was a method to his madness.
Vincent spent a year planning his exit from finance and charted his culinary education carefully — first French cooking, then Thai — before he returned to Singapore to launch a private dining concept. He also gave himself three years to figure things out.
What he couldn’t have planned for, though, was the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which put his culinary education on hold, or the death of his father in 2024.
It was the latter that put what we see today in motion: his first casual Thai concept Im Jai at Tanjong Pagar, and its subsequent Thai-Malay offshoot, Im Qalb at Tampines.
From nearly burning down his kitchen to a stint at a Michelin-starred spot
Vincent’s first foray into cooking began when he moved into his own apartment nearly a decade ago. But looking at the way he now deftly weaves in and out of the kitchen, you would have never guessed that his first dish — sweet and sour pork — led to a mini kitchen explosion.
“The egotistical me thought that cooking was an easy thing — I didn’t refer to a recipe and just did it,” he recalls.
Instead of deep-frying the individual pieces of meat, he thought nothing of throwing the leftover flour into the pan. It literally went up in flames in his face, as airborne flour dust is highly flammable.
Thankfully, Vincent escaped unscathed — physically and otherwise — but he stresses: “From then on, I vowed to train myself how to cook properly.”
At first, he taught himself to cook through YouTube — mainly videos by Thai-born Canadian Pailin Chongchitnant of Hot Thai Kitchen — and developed a deeper appreciation of Thai cuisine.
As he started cooking for friends from his new abode, he realised that doing so brought him a lot more joy than his finance caree at the timer: “I began wondering if there was a way I could turn this passion into something bigger.”
After much planning, he flew to Bangkok, Thailand in mid-2019 to attend Le Cordon Bleu Dusit with the aim of honing his skills in French and Thai cooking.
Going to Thailand to learn Thai cooking was a no-brainer: “If I want to cook a country’s cuisine well, I need to learn the language and the culture, as well.”
But why French cooking, then? “Learning French cooking gives one the discipline and techniques, and lays the important groundwork, teaching you how to do things with precision — skills which are applicable to all kinds of cuisines,” he explains.
The Covid-19 pandemic, however, cut his culinary pursuits short, leaving him in Singapore with his culinary education unfinished and no finance role to return to.
It was during this period, after the Circuit Breaker, that he launched Pun Im, a private dining concept whose name means “to share fullness”. With an S$80 menu that would run up to 12 courses, with proceeds promised to charity, the amateur chef quickly went viral.
Once border restrictions were lifted, Vincent headed back to Bangkok to complete the rest of his education. He also completed an unpaid stage (a culinary apprenticeship) at the one-starred Wana Yook in Bangkok.
“I wanted to challenge myself by going to a Thai restaurant,” he muses. “They had nothing to lose because they didn’t need to spend money to hire me, and I had nothing to gain but knowledge.”
In fact, this inspired one of Im Jai’s signature dishes — the crispy Cloud egg (S$16.80), where egg whites are fluffed and crisped up, before being topped by cured egg yolks.
He is upfront that he draws heavily on Wana Yook’s famous fried egg dish, which similarly pairs fluffy, crispy egg whites with fish-sauce cured duck and chicken egg yolks. It was also the very first dish he was tasked with, while on the apprenticeship.
Never planned to open a restaurant
Speaking to us over a hearty meal at Im Jai at Icon Village, Vincent says matter-of-factly: “I told myself I would never open a restaurant, simply because I understood how the mechanics worked. As a hedge fund manager, I’d analysed many different companies and having a restaurant is mainly loss-making more than anything.”
But that changed in 2024, when his father passed away.
“My mother was very introverted and she didn’t have friends. I was very worried for her as her only emotional support was my dad,” he adds.
He eventually landed on the idea of combining his passion for cooking with caring for his mother — by setting up a small shop for her to manage.
While his mother scolded him for the idea initially, he was glad he pressed on because today, 68-year-old Ho Swee Hiang has found great joy in being a restaurant host at Im Jai, after it opened in September 2025.
“Everyone loves her,” he says, proudly. “She’s able to pacify even the most difficult of customers!”
But Im Jai — meaning “a full heart” in Thai — is more than a concept born of his love for his mother. It is also Vincent’s expression of love for Thai cuisine and culture.
You’ll find many familiar Thai dishes on Im Jai’s menu, but since the restaurant reflects Vincent’s own culinary journey, you’ll also notice several unique dishes such as the signature duck confit red curry (S$25.80), which marries French-style duck confit and Thai red curry.
The multi-coloured miang kham (S$16.80), which is not on many menus even in Thailand, is also a sight to behold. Said to be of royal origins, the dish comes with small plates of ingredients, sauce, and condiments, flanked by wild betel leaves.
Called “one-bite wrap” in Thai, you’re encouraged to tailor your own bite by choosing from the ingredients available. While you’re at it, don’t forget to add some ginger flower, too — that’s Vincent’s very own personal Singaporean twist.
Im Qalb: A new Thai-Malay concept
Considering that Vincent didn’t seem like the most willing restaurateur, we were somewhat surprised when we got wind of his latest concept, Im Qalb at Tampines, which opened officially on September 2.
But as with Im Jai, he had a clear reason for taking the plunge.
Through the course of running Im Jai and receiving catering requests, Vincent would often be asked whether Im Jai was halal-certified.
He began to notice an opportunity for halal Thai food, especially after he embarked on a personal taste test of halal Thai restaurants in Singapore.
He’d also noticed that Im Jai’s neighbour — halal-certified Indonesian concept Bara Food — enticed diners of all kinds, and not just Malay-Muslims.
After trying many pad kra pow (holy basil stir-fry) and pad Thai dishes across the island, he concluded: “There was a market gap I could plug”, he says.
Beyond the numbers, though, the decision to start Im Qalb really boiled down to one principle Vincent had always held close to his heart.
“I wanted food to be the reason why people could sit down in the same place, connect, and share experiences,” he says.
That was reason enough for him to push through with the idea for Im Qalb — which combines the Thai word for “full” and the Arabic word for “heart”.
The casual Thai concept opened officially this week, on Tampines Mall’s fourth floor.
As of publication time, HungryGoWhere understands that Im Qalb is still working towards its halal certification.
What’s on Im Qalb’s menu
Im Qalb goes beyond just Muslim-friendly versions of familiar Thai dishes, and focuses on southern Thai cuisine, which carries Malay influences owing to its geography and is usually richer and spicier.
This isn’t something Vincent is new to — he already serves dishes from the region such as a southern Thai biryani with grilled chicken leg (S$18.80) and massaman curry chicken (S$16.80) at Im Jai. At Im Qalb, though, he leans further into this, while serving up his own inventive take.
One creation to try at Im Qalb is the outlet-exclusive golden crab tahu kai jeow (S$18.80), a unique fusion of Thai egg omelette (kai jeow) and tahu telur (Indonesian tofu omelette), both known for their crispy, fluffy nature.
Here, he amps up the crispiness, dials down the airiness a notch, and embellishes the usual kicap manis dressing with a rich and tangy egg yolk sauce and chunks of crab meat.
It’s got the right amount of crunch, heft, texture, and flavour to leave you wanting more. There is a tinge of spice in the sauce, so skip this, if that’s a concern.
You might also find the stir-fried squid in black ink sauce (S$19.80) familiar, but trust us, it’s not the usual sotong masak hitam you might have grown up with.
It’s a take on a southern Thai dish that leans sweeter and more aromatic, while also being non-spicy — unlike the local version.
You’ll also spot some dishes that are commonly enjoyed in both Thai and Malay cultures, albeit under different monikers.
The southern Thai style ayam perchik “gai golae” (S$18.80) features five plump chicken thigh skewers marinated in a curry paste of cinnamon, coriander, and cumin seeds.
It is a Thai-Malay street-food dish, whose name reflects both cultures it draws from; “gai” means chicken in Thai and “golae” is a Malay word used to refer to the back-and-forth action of flipping the skewers.
Though it had been grilled three times for that deliciously charred finish, the meat wasn’t dry nor tough. A word of caution, though: This one’s not marked with a spicy icon on the menu but I found this mildly spicy, but tolerable.
The Thai banana fritters “gluai kaeg” (S$9.80 for six pieces) will also ring a bell.
Vincent sets his version apart from the Thai street food snack and local goreng pisang by opting to use the sweeter, creamier Thai Namwah bananas, and having a batter infused with coconut and white sesame seeds instead.
The result is a lighter yet crisp fritter that’s delightfully creamy within, with sesame seeds adding a welcome touch of fragrance I’d usually associate with the Cantonese hum chin peng.
If you’ve dined at Im Jai before, you’ll also notice that he’s brought some other non-pork and vegan favourites over to Im Qalb, too.
These include the crispy soon hock with green mango salad (S$20.80), khao soi (S$18.80), and even the miang kham platter and the signature duck confit red curry, all of which he’s kept at the same price across both outlets.
Having dined at both venues, I didn’t feel like the all-new Im Qalb was a dilution or departure from the original Im Jai concept.
While the menu takes a slight pivot towards southern Thai cuisine, the same warmth and attention to flavour still comes through, just in different, more crowd-friendly expressions.
Want to try it for yourself? Im Qalb is having 20% off its whole menu from now until September 6 to celebrate its grand opening.
And if you still need further convincing to try this new concept, Aunty Swee Hiang — who will be at Tampines just for Im Qalb’s opening week, lest the regulars at Im Jai miss her too much — and her cajoling might just be able to ease you right into this new venue.
This was a hosted tasting.
For more bites at Tampines Mall, check out our top picks within the mall or this bigger round-up of more eats around the eastside town.
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Wed 11am - 9.30pm
Thu 11am - 9.30pm
Fri 11am - 9.30pm
Sat 11am - 9.30pm
Sun 11am - 9.30pm
- Tampines
Sarah is constantly seeking out new coffee spots and cocktail bars around the world, and should probably drink more water while at it.
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