S'pore chef behind Michelin-starred Shisen Hanten opening casual restaurant at Paragon

The chef behind Michelin-starred restaurant Shisen Hanten, Chen Kentaro, will be opening a new casual family-dinning restaurant called Chen's Kitchen.

Located at Paragon shopping centre, it will open on Jan. 23, 2025.

Chen's new establishment will focus on celebrating bold chuka ryori flavours, or Chinese cuisine in Japanese.

The menu will feature Chinese foods prepared in Sichuan flavours and cooked using Japanese techniques.

Mapo tofu

The menu at Chen's Kitchen features different renditions of the classic Chinese dish: mapo tofu.

There are four different flavours of mapo tofu to choose from:

• Black with diced A5 Kagoshima Japanese wagyu chunk rib
• White with prawns and scallops
• Jade with plant-based minced meat with house-blended Sichuan peppercorn sauce
• Red with savoury minced meat with fermented broad bean paste

Zi char menu

There are a number of zi char dishes at Chen's kitchen to choose from.

One being the XXL Szechwan La Zi Ji (S$17.90), Chef Chen's take on Sichuan popcorn chicken.

There's also the Poached Fish Fillet in Golden Broth (S$24.90) with a broth made using Japanese pumpkin, spices and Sichuan peppercorns.

Unlimited servings of fried rice

As part of the grand opening's celebration, Chen's Kitchen is offering unlimited servings of Szechwan Spiced Chahan with Sakura Shrimp.

Purchase any meat, seafood or Mapo Tofu variation to enjoy as much fried rice as you like.

This offer is only available from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2, 2025.

What else is on the menu

Being a family-friendly restaurant, there will be a kid friendly menu available with set meals like the Kurobuta Tonkatsu and Yakiniku.

There's also cold drinks like Chen's Ginger Ale (S$6.90) and the Sparkling Ume (S$6.50) to complement your meal.

Chen's culinary roots

Chen was born in Japan and grew up with family members who had their own culinary background.

His grandfather, Chen Kenmin, hails from Sichuan, China.

Kenmin went on to open a restaurant named Shisen Hanten in 1958.

At Shisen Hanten, Kenmin cooked chuka Szechwan Ryori which translates as Chinese Sichuan food.

Chen Kenichi, Kentaro's father, also cooked for the family business and competed on the show Iron Chef in Japan.

His culinary journey

Chen joined Shisen Hanten at the age of 21.

The young chef would later travel to Chengdu where he would work in order to learn more about Sichuan cuisine.

He was under the guidance of a Sichuan chef and learnt to appreciate Sichuan's distinctive mala flavour, and was inspired by his grandfather's story of leaving his home country to broaden his cooking career.

In 2014, Chen came to Singapore and opened his own restaurant at the Mandarin Orchard hotel called Shisen Hanten by Chef Kentaro.

In 2016, he was awarded with two Michelin stars for the restaurant.

He's also opened Chen's, a casual mapo tofu restaurant which has received the Michelin Bib Gourmand title four times.

Chen's Kitchen

Address: 290 Orchard Road Paragon, Singapore 238859, #B1-43

Opening hours: 11am to 9:30pm, daily from Jan. 23

Top photos courtesy of Chen's Kitchen