Style Palate: Bringing affordable European fusion to Bidadari

“Why should only the rich experience good food and premium ingredients?” That’s the question Ng Shi Long and Darryl Tan of Style Palate posed to me.

Their mission is simple, yet ambitious: To democratise European fusion cuisine by bringing it to the masses, in the most ordinary of places — a hawker stall in Bidadari.

 At the heart of it all is a firm belief: “Everyone has the right to good food,” says Shi Long.

The journey begins

Shi Long and Darryl’s culinary journey started in 2018 when they were enrolled at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE)’s Technical Diploma in Culinary Arts programme, which has a partnership with the prestigious Institut Paul Bocuse.

They hit it off immediately, their bond strengthening over shared dreams of owning a hawker stall, one day.

But dreams take time to mature.

In 2020, a classmate of theirs, Liew Xiao Xuan, opened her own stall selling Japanese fusion bowls called Liu Kou Shui at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre. 

Seeing this, Darryl asked Shi Long to join him in opening a stall, but he wasn’t ready to dive into entrepreneurship, just yet.

Instead, he honed his skills at The Tippling Club, a fine dining restaurant serving innovative, ultra-progressive cuisine and cocktails in Tanjong Pagar. The young French-trained chef worked his way up from demi chef — one of the lowest ranks in the kitchen — to junior sous chef, in the span of one-and-a-half years.

Immersed in the world of fine dining, Shi Long became fascinated with the pursuit of perfection, but as time went by, he began to re-consider what that really meant.

Is perfection just about customer validation? Was it about precision?

“But that’s not why I started as a chef. I wanted to create food that was accessible and enjoyable for everyone,” he muses.

He adds: “Everyone deserves good food.” 

Meanwhile, Darryl explored different culinary concepts, including stints at a luxury confinement hotel, serving nourishing food for mums and at the now-shuttered Goho Kaiseki & Bar. He also gained hands-on experience into the hawker trade by helping Xiao Xuan (and now-fiancée) at Liu Kou Shui.

By late 2023, Darryl and Shi Long’s vision had aligned and they felt ready to take the plunge into the hawker business together.

They saw potential in the upcoming Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre, where they could introduce their unique brand of European fusion cuisine to the heartlands.

They didn’t want to offer ordinary Western food, but aimed to create modern, bistro-quality dishes at an affordable price.

What’s in a name?

In late August, I visited the newly built Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre the week before its official opening.

Located at Block 202C Woodleigh Link, near Woodleigh MRT station, this spacious, high-ceilinged hawker centre features 39 food stalls and over 700 seats.

It also sees several new-gen stalls, including a Mexican fusion stall offering tacos, nachos and burrito bowls.

Style Palate can be found next to the Liu Kou Shui stall — its second branch — and its sister brand, Liu Da Xia, which sells prawn noodles.

Regarding its name, the duo behind Style Palate say that it should be taken in two parts: “Style” reflects their ever-evolving journey of improvement and change, while “Palate” represents the diverse taste preferences of both the chefs and their customers.

“It’s the style in which we want it done. It might not be the traditional way, or how it’s supposed to be done, but it’s what my partner and I like — what we want to showcase. This is our style of duck confit, our style of umami pasta,” says Shi Long.

The logo, featuring the symbols of their horoscopes — Leo for Shi Long and Scorpio for Darryl — serves as a reminder of their commitment to this partnership.

“If you remove either symbol, the logo feels incomplete —  just like our partnership. So when we have disagreements, I hope the logo reminds us that we can’t leave — we’re in this together,” adds Shi Long.

Affordable modern European fusion at its best

Don’t expect your usual hawker-style western offerings here: Style Palate aims to be a game-changer in the scene, breaking conventions and pushing the envelope.

Take, for instance, its cold umami angel hair pasta (S$6) topped with fish roe — a dish Shi Long perfected during his culinary school days and often made for friends and family. 

Rich, explosive and packed with flavour, this dish is often seen in cafes, restaurants and the like, but a rarity in a hawker centre-setting.

And then there’s the duck confit, priced at S$12, thanks to some savvy sourcing, drawing on special contacts from their time in the fine-dining space.

This dish easily goes for S$26 to S$28 at other places in town, but Style Palate has carefully priced it so that gourmet experiences remain accessible to everyone.

Beyond serving up delicious food, Shi Long and Darryl are committed to educating their customers about the hard work that goes into each dish. 

“Behind our food, there’s a lot of unseen effort,” Darryl adds.

Many hours of preparation go into each dish. Style Palate’s sous vide pork (S$8) is brined for at least 24 hours before being cooked for 17 hours, while the braised beef (S$10), marinates in red wine for a day before undergoing 16 hours of cooking.

You’ll also find unique side dishes, such as kombu and sherry fries (S$5). The combination of these ingredients provides a tangy, acidic kick that balances the fries’ usual greasiness.

Drawing on their fine dining roots, the duo also plans to introduce seasonal specials that change every two weeks. 

When asked for hints about what we can expect, they respond with a playful smile, “Come down and try it for yourself,” says Shi Long.

They also plan to hire a young team, comprising referrals from friends and juniors from school.

It’ll keep things novel and engaging for not just their customers, they say, but also their employees.

Shi Long adds: “We need to keep their minds fresh so they can create and take ownership of their work, making them feel a part of the brand and giving customers something new to try.”

In creating new dishes, they draw inspiration from various sources, including their travels, personal experiences and imagination.

“For example, if you want to make a prawn soup, but with a Western twist, you could create a tom yum pasta. It’s a fusion of east and west,” cites Shi Long.

They also want to experiment with different sauce bases, marinades and herbs —  incorporating their Asian roots — such as star anise, ginger, and ginseng, rather than relying on traditionally “western” ones such as thyme and rosemary.

Located in the vibrant Bidadari housing estate, Darryl and Shi Long believe that the younger residents will appreciate their concept.

“I hope that younger couples and people in our age group understand the effort behind the F&B industry and how challenging it is,” Darryl says. 

He adds: “We’re bringing restaurant-quality food to the neighbourhood at an affordable price. You won’t find vongole (clam pasta) for S$8, just anywhere. Now, you can enjoy great food right downstairs, not just in the Central Business District area.”

Despite their youth — Darryl is 27 and Shi Long is 25 — they’ve already faced their share of challenges. 

“Cooking and everything is not that hard,” Darryl admits. “The hard part is always your feelings, your emotions and overall managing skills.”

Naturally, working together as friends can lead to conflicts and disagreements.

Shi Long acknowledges that he has mellowed significantly over the years. Once more aggressive and hot-headed, he was determined to have things done his way.

“I was very much a Leo — driven and insistent on getting the outcome I wanted, no matter the process,” he says, laughing. “Some friends couldn’t keep up with my pace or my disputes. I was a perfectionist, wanting everything to be perfect.” 

He adds, “But after doing my National Service and working in the industry, I learned the importance of listening to others’ opinions and making improvements together.”

The road ahead

Speaking to HungryGoWhere just before their launch on Sep 5,  the pair also had their hands full with private dining events and catering.

In June, the young entrepreneur-chefs also participated in a pop-up event hosted by Kizuna, a nearby cafe in Potong Pasir.

At the event, they served an omakase meal with premium ingredients at S$40. Guests enjoyed high-end offerings such as abalone, fresh king prawn, unagi, scallops, and truffle pasta. 

Being situated next to other young hawkers such as Liu Kou Shui and Liu Da Xia provides them with a sense of camaraderie and mutual support.

“You feel more supported and have a stronger morale with more friends around you, rather than doing it alone,” they explain.

Besides running Style Palate, the pair have plenty to juggle. Shi Long continues to represent Singapore in global culinary competitions as a member of the Singapore National Young Chefs Team, while Darryl balances his role in supporting his fiancee’s stall, while managing his own T-shirt business.

In his downtime, Shi Long enjoys fishing, spending quiet moments in nature, and picnics with his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Darryl likes to play mahjong and solve Sudoku puzzles to keep his mind sharp.

Their ultimate dream?

To expand without compromising their unique approach to food, perhaps one day even opening their own café.

For now, they’re content to let things take their course, confident in the quality and vision behind Style Palate.

For stories on heritage eats, check out Hwa Kee Lemon Chicken Rice at City Hall. Otherwise, read about Xin Xin Claypot Rice at Fernvale. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here.

You can book a ride to Style Palate at Woodleigh to try its European fusion fare. 

Do explore the GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.