Chef Claudio Sandri | OpenRice Singapore

We guess it must be fate which led Chef Claudio Sandri to the shores of Singapore. With the initial plan of exploring Asia, he didn't know he was staying here for good until he landed the job of Chef at Brasserie Wolf. Find out more about this adventurous chef who's ready to tickle our palates with what we can only describe as his masterpiece.

What brought you to Singapore? It was just coincidence. At first, I just wanted to experience Asia but I was very open to this part of the world. I came here and visited a few places before I decided to go to Singapore. For me, this is the most modern place in this part of the world. It’s also very accepting of Western food culture so I thought it would be good for me to take a trip here. How’s it like working at Brasserie Wolf? How long have you been with the restaurant? I’ve been with the restaurant for a year. I found out about the restaurant because I was researching for the best brasseries in Singapore. Whenever I search for it, Brasserie Wolf would come up on the search. And so, I sent in my resume and it was just timely that the previous chef was leaving. So, the boss called me and asked me to see him and that was how we got in touch. We know that this is only your 2nd Valentine’s Day here? How do you plan to make it extra special for all your diners? I’m offering love through my V'Day food. For this year’s menu, I tried to use aphrodisiacs and nice ingredients such as chocolate and use its surprise effect. My dessert is also something couples should try for it is specially made with strawberries, vanilla, chocolates. From start to end, it’s full of love and passion. Couples would surely enjoy this for Valentine’s Day because this will give them a romantic feeling. Sounds yummy! What inspired you to become a chef? Actually, I wanted to be an electrician. And then my mum, who was a restaurant manager, went to work. When my sisters and I got home from school, she was still at work so I had to cook for us. One day, my mum came home and had this silly idea of me becoming a chef. I believe she enjoyed the dishes that I cooked for the family. So, I went to do an apprenticeship 300 miles away from home. After that, I worked at a Michelin-starred restaurants, brasseries, gastro-pubs and Asian kitchens, before I came to work in Singapore. With all the restaurants that you’ve worked for, which ingredient remains to be your favourite and why? I would have to say that it is the vadouvan. It’s a mixed spice from France which contains a lot of Asian flavours such as cumin and curry leaves. It came from the Romans who used to travel to other countries. When they came to France, they bring along all these spices. And then, the French mixed these up and came up with vanduvan. Basically, it is very good for meats such as lamb. It’s also very flexible since it is also very good for potatoes and other veggies. How do you find Singapore culinary scene? They have a variety of restaurants which foodies will definitely enjoy. There’s just a lot of choices to choose from here when you’re looking for local or international cuisine. Favourite hawker centre/ food? I really love the Singapore version of the Laksa. I also enjoy eating chicken rice and dumplings. Do you have a favourite hawker centre that you always go to? No, because there’s always one hawker centre that is best for something. Like for Singapore Laksa, there’s a stall that serves the best bowl down River Valley Road. We all know that being a chef is a tough job. But in your years of working in the kitchen, what has been your biggest challenge so far? The biggest challenge for me is maintaining the consistency of the food because it’s not me cooking my food in the kitchen all the time. So, that puts a lot of pressure on me as well as my team. But we’re a happy and reliable bunch so we always overcome it together. What is your advise to those who want to be chefs? Eat out a lot so you open up your palate to the different ingredients—the taste and flavour. It also helps if you work for a lot of restaurants, especially the ones which are harder to get into, so you can learn the different cooking techniques. Most importantly, challenge yourself. Photograph courtesy of Brasserie Wolf Check out more western dishes to try out here Alternatively, check out here for more German dishes