Interview with Executive Chef Charles Ong

Chef Charles Ong is the brains behind The Glass House's wide array of dishes. Just recently, they revamped their menu to give their guests more choices on what they can order. Despite his busy schedule in the kitchen, he sits down with OpenRice.com to let us know his style of cooking (which he refers to as Modern Asian Food), new dishes you can try at his restaurant, and so much more! Get to know Chef Charles Ong in this interview!

How has your role changed when you became The Glass House’s Executive Chef? My role changed quite a lot since then. There’s now more stress because I have to take care of the whole kitchen as well as the Hotel’s Banquet Kitchen(where they hold big events). I always have to make sure that everything from top to bottom goes smoothly. If I receive any complaints from the customers, I’m the one who’s always in the front line and who has to answer them. When it comes to the dishes, I always have to make sure that they’re of top quality otherwise people won’t come back here to dine. That sounds like a lot of work! How do you maintain the quality of your food? Every now and then, I have to check the presentation and taste of food to make sure that they maintain the restaurant’s high standards. We also encourage feedback from guests because they are the ones who eat and appreciate the dishes we create. Has it always been your dream to become a chef? How did you find out that this was what you wanted to do for the rest of your life? I think when you’re a kid, your dream is really different from reality. When I was young, I wanted to be a pilot. Haha! But since kids during my time didn’t have a lot of entertainment, I was often in the kitchen watching my mum cook. This sparked my interest in cooking so I worked in a restaurant and was exposed to the world of cooking. After that, I enrolled in SHATEC and took up Pastry Making. When I saw people eating my food, it made me very happy. There was a great sense of satisfaction and that was when I realised that I wanted to be a Chef. What were the hardships you encountered while you were still learning? The long of hours of work to master the craft was definitely challenging. When I used to work in a hotel, it was so demanding that I didn’t have time to learn. I used my personal time, stayed back, and learned. Can you still remember the first dish you cooked? What was it like? When I was very young, I cooked Maggie Mee instant noodles for myself. Of course, I made it extra special by adding more ingredients. I also stir-fried the noodles because during my time, instant noodles were all soup-based. That sounds yummy. Any plans of introducing it to your menu? Haha! No. The dish is too simple. Do you have any new dishes that you plan to introduce anytime soon? Oh, definitely. We have quite a lot but these are still in the experimental stage. But rest assured that we have definitely something more to offer our guests in the near future. What’s your specialty that people should try when they visit The Glass House? I recommend the Fried Mee Siam with Boston Lobster and the Laksa Spaghetti. Where do you get the inspiration for your dishes? My main focus is local and Western food. Whenever I prepare Western food, I always have to give it an Asian twist. I try to blend these two into one, so that’s my main inspiration with the dishes I create. I also read food magazines and websites because it keeps me updated on the latest trends in food. Not sure what to eat in Dhoby Ghaut? Check out here Explore favourite local food here!