Commercial kitchen plays a major role in restaurant ambience

F&B industry has been very competitive in Singapore, brands are coming up with new menus, promotions and ambience to wow their customers. As for me, I enjoy visiting restaurants that serve good beers and I will definitely re-visit again.

I notice that F&B owners are also putting in a lot of attention on their kitchen and I do find them very attractive. First of all, I love watching chefs cooking and preparing their creations, all the actions and flame going in the kitchen makes the whole restaurant alive. Secondly, a neat and clean kitchen speaks a lot on the cleanliness and hygiene of the place. Lastly, I feel personal with the restaurant as I get to see who are heroes behind the scene. 

This could be one of the reasons why restaurants here in Singapore are going for commercial kitchen contractors or designers to help them with open kitchen concept or partial kitchen concept. Some of them come with glass doors or no doors at all concept. The reason could be safety issues when diners will not want to slip down on a slippery floor. Commercial kitchen design is a whole new expertise and it comes with a well thought process with the chefs and restaurant owners as well. As kitchen equipment installation can be costly when kitchen equipment needs to be stored properly and yet functional.

If I don’t remember wrongly, one of the early brands that use open kitchen concept in their branding is Ding TaiFung,  Regardless of the size of their restaurant, there is bound to have a corner where diners can view how the juicy and delicious steam dumplings are made. From the preparation of the dough to filling up the meat to steaming of the dumplings, this process can be viewed from the glass walls.  And every chef is well dressed with toque or hair restraint, mask and white uniform to ensure the highest hygiene standards and cleanliness. It actually brings up the brand experience without any liberal act of words or designs.

Image credits to By LINDA ZAVORAL | lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

Another restaurant that interest me was “Chef’s Table By Chef Stephan” at Tras street. The kitchen of this restaurant is totally open concept. You can see the action in the kitchen and yet smell the food even before they come to your plate. And yet the floor is clean and not slippery. What was special about Chef’s Table is that the Chef that cooked that particular dish will head over and go into details on what is going on inside the dishes.  And you get personal with the Chefs and get to know them better. 

 Image credits to Chef's Table By Chef Stephan

For restaurants to go for open concept, its not easy. Why? With all the oil and water battling in the kitchen, the chefs need to pay attention to cleanliness, neatness and coordination with the rest of the kitchen team.

Up close and personal, I went to interview some of the top chefs in Singapore whenever I have the chance to talk to them. It takes a very experienced commercial kitchen designer to plan the kitchen so that it stays clean and yet functional. The kitchen contractor or consultant should understand the menu and the kind of cooking required by the users. Then they plan the work stations, storage area and walking area  according to the work flow. Not only, the kitchen needs to look aesthetic but needs to be safe to work in and of course, cleaning time should be minimised.

One of the leading kitchen contractors in Singapore, Steel Industries was one of the popular choices for top international F&B companies in Singapore. The brand has been established for more than 30 years and has been working closely with trusted commercial kitchen equipment. Many clients have been with them since they started their restaurants decades ago. They revealed that the planning and workmanship is superb and lasting. From the kitchen equipment to material to choose, Steel Industries did one stop consulting from planning to the opening of the restaurant.

Commercial kitchen equipment is costly and they are the essential investment for the restaurant, wow, that is why setting up restaurants are not easy. I was chatting with a friend who has the passion for cooking, has set up his 3^rd restaurant in Singapore. His take is that commercial kitchen is just as important as the interior of the restaurant, and this is one of the many factors that an experienced chef will advise the restaurant owner.

The next thing when you visit a restaurant, you may want to take a peep into the kitchen. Watching how the chefs prepare the ingredients and how your dishes are created, is an art on its own.