For as long as he can remember, bak kut teh has been the life of 26-year-old Lim Kuan Yiou, the second-generation owner and operator of Old Street Bak Kut Teh (established 2010).
From as young as 15, he learned to brew the perfect pot of herbal pork rib soup by helping at the restaurant, running service on the front end as well as doing light cooking in the back kitchen. He perfected making youtiao to go with his family’s bak kut teh from the time he was a teenager.
Now that he, along with his business acumen, has grown up and matured, he is spearheading the business development for all concepts under the brand, including Old Street Bak Kut Teh and Kko Kko Na Ra, as well as conceptualizing new ideas to bring exciting food ventures to the foodies of Singapore.
Old Street Bak Kut Teh has long prided itself for making authentic bak kut teh accessible to locals in the comfortable modern settings of airconditioned malls.
It has come a long way since its early days from a humble eatery in Paya Lebar Road, when it was first founded by Kuan Yiou’s father.
In line with modernisation, Old Street Bak Kut Teh was the first to introduce an ordering system on the iPad for speed and convenience, the first to offer dry bak kut teh, as well as the first to introduce the unique pairing of soy milk with bak kut teh as a meal.
It is this spirit of innovation and passion for food that Kuan Yiou learned the most from his father, spurring him to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu London with a Diploma in Culinary Arts, followed by a Bachelor of Business Management in Singapore Management University.
Always looking for a challenge, he also participated in Masterchef Singapore in 2018 and finished in the Top 15. His latest challenge presents itself as NY Verden, a first-of-its-kind woodfired grillhouse opened amidst the pandemic on 25 June 2021 at Jewel Changi Airport.
Grilling Turns Back to An Ancient Fuel: Wood
Kuan Yiou has worked with meats all his life and developed a raw passion for different prime cuts, particularly the grilled variety.
First instilled in him from his Boys Scout days when he had to learn how to start fires and cook meats over them, his love transcends just taste and bite.
The char of woodfired meats always brings him back to simpler times and its exquisite char that renders the meat bolder in flavour while retaining its juices also makes meat cuts more palatable.
He is translating this love to NY Verden (pronounced Nee-Verden that means New World in Norwegian) a grill house that pays homage to rustic, traditional methods of cooking over fire and food preservation (dry aging).
NY Verden aims to redefine the boundaries of culinary by sourcing for the finest produce available, respecting the quality and cooking process to leave a lasting impression on diners.
Refining Woodfire Grill
One of humanity’s oldest cooking technique, NY Verden grills over wood fire grill. Smoke enhances flavour. The diverse flavour characteristics of natural hardwoods adds another dimension on the plate.
NY Verden sources wood from Australia and USA to offer diners with dishes infused with complex smoky flavours.
Diners can semi-DIY cook their preferred cuts of meat and seafood over a choice of 5 types of firewood – Jarrah, Hickory, Oak, Cherry, Applewood – for the perfect char and smokiness.
NY Verden’s smoke meter:
- Jarrah
o Strong smokiness
o Great for beef and smallgoods - Hickory
o Strong smokiness with sweet notes and heavy bacon flavour suitable for pork
and beef - Oak
o Medium smoke flavour
o Goes well with everything - Cherry
o Mild smokiness with subtle sweet and fruity notes
o Goes well with everything - Applewood
o Mild smokiness with fruity notes, slightly sweet aroma
o Great for poultry, seafood and lamb
It’s a modern dining experience that you can make truly personal, brought to you by a team of chefs with Michelin training.
NY Verden ups the ante, whether you’re looking to cook up the perfect cut of Wagyu Beef or Iberico Jowl. Seafood dishes are also available, from airflown French oysters and Grilled Tiger Prawns to Black Cod.
Begin With Bites
Begin with quintessential starter of Bread & Dip ($10). Fragrant Altamura bread flown in from Italy makes for perfect dipping with house-made hummus, seasoned with garlic, cumin, paprika and Harrisa French chilli paste.
Appetisers entice with the likes of Marinated Watermelon ($20), with fresh ikura to be smoked over your choice of woodfire right before serving. Watermelon is marinated for 24 hours with mint and coriander seed served with red snapper fish floss made in-house.
The floss itself is a treat – made of snapper fish first steamed then shredded and deep-fried. It is highly addictive especially after being topped with fried shallots and smoked ikura.
Another stellar starter is the Smoked Beetroot Tartare & Burrata ($28). The burrata is made by an Italian cheesemaker in Singapore.
The beetroot is first salt baked and then smoked over your choice of firewood for peatiness then rimmed with emulsion of peas and pistachio. It is sprinkled with smoked sea salt for a truly indulgent burrata experience.
Proceed With Mains
Mains entice with choice aplenty, but the house signature is the Crab Tagliolini ($30) cooked in lobster broth for immense sweetness and then drizzled with olive oil. Lashings of crab meat bolster each bite and a topping of rose petals and smoked ikura add brine and punch.
The Iberico Pork Jowl ($32) is a must order. A whole jowl of pork that is marinated for 48 hours with a cardamom and thyme rub for to-the-bone flavour, then sous vide for 72 hours melts into a delicious caramelization when grilled over your choice of woodfire.
Served with black garlic puree flavoured with dill oil, shimeji mushrooms and bergamot gastric reduction infused with pork, it is the best testament to the potential of woodfire grill-cooking.
For full-bodied red meat, the 30 days dry-aged Wagyu Tomahawk and Mayura Flank are prime choices. The Flank is a Full Blood Wagyu with marble scoring of 8-9 that melts like butter when grilled over the recommended woodfire.
The Tomahawk is sourced from the finest Japanese Wagyu genetics and has a marble scoring of 4-5. They come served with 4 onion jam consisting of white, yellow, Bombay and Spanish – as well as bone marrow jus reduction made from roasted beef bones simmered over three days and finished with marsala red wine.
End With Desserts
For a sweet end, the Ispahan ($20) is a party in the mouth with every bite with refreshing fragrances of lychee, raspberry and rose.
Piled delicately on top of an almond sponge cake and held together by raspberry jelly, rose mousse and a veil of honey, fresh lychee provides bursts of fresh juice while popping candy dance on the tongue for a celebratory finish.
For something richer, the Flourless Chocolate Cake ($18) is an indulgent alternative made with Valrhona chocolate, dressed up with espresso tuille, mascarpone gelato and orange zest.
Dates, Drinks and More
NY Verden is a phoenix of a restaurant rising from the ashes of the pandemic, almost not materializing with the many roadblocks the lockdowns dished to it.
Despite it all, Kuan Yiou and team persevered and birthed a place that’s perfect for date nights, drinks night out and gatherings, fed with a stunning view of the Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport.
Inside, its best meats are served on sophistication upon elegance with marble tables setting the tone, amplified by plush leather booth seats.
Opening Promotion
To celebrate its long-awaited launch, NY Verden is offering two exciting promotions:
1. 1-for-1 on all handmade gourmet pasta dishes ($20 each). Choose from:
• Colatura Butter and Tobiko
• Ravioli with Aged Balsamic
• Gnocchi with Cacio e Pepe
Limited to only one redemption per receipt and is available from Monday to Thursday for dine-in and in-store takeaway, while stocks last.
2. Enjoy Little Creatures Canned Beer at $3 (u.p $10). Easily the best value in town. Limited to one can per dish ordered at NY Verden, for dine-in only, while stocks last. The 1- for-1 pasta and Little Creatures Canned Beer promotions are stackable.