• The new joint on Shenton Way opened in October
• It was set up by five former and current SIA crew members to support their colleagues affected by the coronavirus
• Those who have dined at the restaurant said they checked it out to experience again SIA’s hospitality and service

SINGAPORE — There is a new joint located in the heart of the central business district where you dine al fresco and dig into a plate of king prawn pasta with a rich and creamy pink sauce.

The dish is an ode to a similar one that was specially whipped up for Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew members at a restaurant — or “crew joint”, as they called it — that they frequented in Frankfurt, Germany.

This is one of the many fun facts behind the Kevin Khoo Bistro, a new restaurant located on Shenton Way which was set up by five former and current SIA cabin crew members in October.

“They created this ‘Hello Kitty pasta’ just for us,” said Mr Ruben Brandon, 38, because the cabin crew members would often ask for extra parmesan cheese, or to add some chilli to their pasta to give it an extra kick.

“So because we were there every day, they created this sauce for us which is a bit more spicy, a bit pinkish (in colour),” said Mr Brandon, one of the bistro’s co-founders.

CABIN CREW UNITED

The memories which inspired the bistro did not just come from the five founders.

They were canvassed from a support group for Singapore-based SIA cabin crew mates, created also by former and current crew mates, during the circuit breaker period in April to rally the members to participate in volunteer work for the community.

“Back then (the Cabin Crew United Facebook page) was created to help people like the migrant workers, so we went to get clothes, donate food to the dormitories, things like that,” said Mr Andrew Pang, 35, who was also involved in setting up Kevin Khoo Bistro.

The support group also rallied behind the food and beverage industry when restaurants could not allow patrons to dine in during the nationwide lockdown.

“But slowly it became our turn,” Mr Pang said.

The group, which now has 2,100 members, also became a place where crew mates could help each other keep their spirits up, by sharing photos and videos of what they were doing like fitness videos and making bubble tea.

The idea for Kevin Khoo Bistro therefore came as part of the slew of initiatives that were being done to support fellow cabin crew members as the aviation industry fell victim to the coronavirus.

With SIA allowing its local crew to take up another job while waiting for the industry to recover, the founders felt the joint was a good way for crew members to earn some side income while waiting for their next flight.

“Both of us have left the airline quite some time ago, but we still feel very much part of the cabin crew family and definitely want to help our ex-colleagues as well,” said Mr Pang, who left SIA five years ago.

WORLD CLASS SIA SERVICE AT HOME

The support group certainly liked the idea as well, said Mr Pang and Mr Brandon, and they received almost 200 suggestions for names for the restaurant as well as for the dishes.

All of them had references to crew lingo and memories, like “doors arm”, “cross check” and “thanks for the flight”, the pair recalled.

“I think (we got a lot of engagement) because it jogged a lot of memories for current and even former cabin crew,” said Mr Pang.

In the end, they decided to name the bistro Kevin Khoo — a pun on “cabin crew”.

The bistro has 16 staff members, most of whom are former or current cabin crew members.

Though they have not officially launched the bistro, Mr Brandon said they have received encouraging comments from members of the public who came across the bistro through other news reports.

Those who have dined at the restaurant said they checked it out to experience again SIA’s hospitality and service.

One such patron is Mr Melvin Tan, a frequent flyer and big fan of the airline.

The 41-year-old procurement specialist said at the bistro, the service was “equivalent to the onboard legendary SIA service” and the floor staff were all smiles and ready to attend to any question.

“I enjoyed the awesome service and the menu variety was excellent,” said Mr Tan. “I would definitely go back there again and support them.”

Content strategist Gene Khor, 41, too, said that the floor staff were very attentive when he dined at the bistro.

He also appreciated that there was a good variety of Western fare for patrons to choose from.

Seeing customers enjoy the dining experience has been the best part of opening the bistro, said Mr Pang.

“Being able to see our efforts come to fruition is very heartwarming… Seeing our guests enjoying themselves and being happy, and having a connection with our staff is a reward in itself,” he said.