Before the circuit breaker started, Wyman Wong, 35, was working as a sous chef at the swish Cé La Vie. The rooftop restaurant-bar at Marina Bay Sands closed temporarily in April to comply with Singapore’s Covid-19 measures. This means that employees like Wyman have to go on hiatus while waiting for their restaurant to reopen. “I was looking for something to do and earn some income,” he tells 8days.sg.

Which is why he started a Thai pop-up food concept called Taste & Texture at local ‘boutique cafe’ Boufé. He chose the location as his friend is one of its shareholders. “They thought, why not rent their kitchen out to someone they know who’s jobless during this period,” says Wyman.

He describes his Thai nosh as “simple and comforting”. His menu comprises just six well-loved dishes: Clear Tom Yum Seafood Soup, Thai Crabmeat Fried Rice, Pad Thai (pictured), Thai Basil Chicken Rice and two types of salads, Thai Vermicelli and Thai Mango. Prices are wallet-friendly, too. They start from $8 for a Thai mango salad to $16 for the tom yum soup (the rice dishes and Pad Thai costs $8.50 each). Both pick-up and takeaway options are available.

It’s a good deal, considering that the Cameron Highlands native-turned-Singapore PR has spent his entire culinary career working in fine-dining kitchens: Iggy’s and Shangri-La Hotel as a Shatec student on his professional attachments, and later Waku Ghin “as part of their opening team” in 2010, where he would remain for “eight years plus minus” as a sous chef before leaving for Cé La Vie.

He named his Thai pop-up “Taste & Texture” as a nod to his time at Waku Ghin. He shares, “I’ve worked for quite a long time with chef Tetsuya [Wakuda, owner of Waku Ghin]. What I learnt from him is that food is about taste and texture, and making people satisfied with their meal. I want people to be really satisfied when they eat my food.” He also adds another fine-dining touch by asking his customers if they have any food allergies, which is usually taken into careful consideration at upscale restaurants. “Even though I’m not doing fine-dining now, I will ask my customers if they have any preferences like level of spiciness so I can adjust their dishes accordingly.”

After launching his pop-up on April 10, Wyman says business was initially “quiet”, though it has since garnered an “overwhelming response” after he promoted his dishes on social media. Taste & Texture is now attracting an “overwhelming response”, especially on weekends. While the cafe opens till 8pm daily, his food is usually sold out by 6pm. His mango and vermicelli salads are made in limited portions daily. “If the mango is not good enough or slightly overripe, I’d rather not serve it to guests,” he explains.

He had chosen to offer homely Thai cuisine, as he likes its “simple cooking and complicated flavours”. He explains, “It’s something different from the fine-dining I used to do. Waku Ghin is modern and very fine, clean and nice.” He had learnt how to cook the dishes from a Thai fellow chef at Cé La Vie who used to work at Long Chim, celeb chef David Thompson’s defunct Thai restaurant at MBS. “I’m so fortunate I got to learn authentic cooking from this lady,” says Wyman.

He chose to keep his Thai food affordable, as he wanted to deliver “meals to guests that won’t break the bank when they have difficulty [ordering] expensive food [now]”. In the future he hopes to open his own no-frills Thai restaurant, serving “dishes you hardly find in Singapore”. Like winged bean salad, dry tom yum recipes and desserts like “coconut sorbet I learnt from my fine-dining background”. He shares, “It’s a good time for me to take this opportunity now to test the market and observe the response.”

He adds that his pop-up is “not only about selling the food”. He also whips up home-cooked comfort dishes “like watercress soup” and sends them to his pals and colleagues who are “staying alone at home or have no job and income”. Wyman explains it’s a way to support them, as “I’ve always wanted to cook something for my friends”.

He had originally intended to operate his pop-up till circuit breaker ends on June 1. But he is now planning to extend his stint “till further notice”, as Cé La Vie is still not allowed to reopen for dine-in service after the circuit breaker is lifted. But you will still have to make haste if you want to try his food; Boufé has announced that it will be shuttering on June 30 after six years in business.

Wyman reckons Singapore’s fine-dining scene will “change at least a little” after the Covid-19 pandemic. While he isn’t expecting “changes to the menu” when he returns to work, he predicts that “the working style will change; we may have to make more applications to clear government rules”.According to him, “Some people will definitely want to see new ideas and interesting food concepts after the CB period, especially since they’ve been staying at home for so long.”

Taste & Texture is part of a cute Night Market Delivery/Takeaway Menu by Boufé. Other than Wyman’s Thai food, the menu also features pop-up concepts by Boufé’s in-house chefs plus ex-Waku Ghin alumna Shirlyn Song. She worked alongside Wyman as a pastry chef at the restaurant for two years before joining National Gallery Singapore’s cafe Gallery & Co. Her basque cheesecake, which Wyman recommends, is on theNight Market menu. She is also offering traditional tong shui (Chinese-style dessert soups) like Barley & Beancurd Skin Dessert ($3) and Ginger Soup with Tang Yuan ($3.50), as well as a versatile selection of Korean and Peranakan dishes like Mee Siam with Chicken Rendang ($13.90) and DIY Budae Jjigae ($12.90 for one pax; $19.90 for two pax).

Call 6734-7656 or WhatsApp 9178-1336 to order. Advance notice of at least one day recommended. Open daily 11.30am-8pm, or while stocks last. View the menu at www.boufesg.com.

PHOTOS: WYMAN WONG/ BOUFE