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Jakarta Post

Bjorn Shen: A rebel in the kitchen

No rules: Bjorn Shen is the pioneer of what he calls “dudestronomy”

Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, October 18, 2019

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Bjorn Shen: A rebel in the kitchen

No rules: Bjorn Shen is the pioneer of what he calls “dudestronomy”.

Over cold beer and several slices of charcoal-grilled pizza at Duck Down Pizza Party in Kemang, South Jakarta, The Jakarta Post spoke with Bjorn Shen, perhaps Singapore’s most rebellious chef and pioneer of what he calls “dudestronomy”.

All of Shen’s culinary explorations have been rather unusual.

Take for example his main restaurant Artichoke, which infuses Middle Eastern cuisine with whimsical touches to create dishes like cuttlefish shawarma or baklava cheesecake.

Located in the heart of Singapore’s Arts and Heritage district, the restaurant brings its fusion dishes to patrons from brunch to dinner at an average of S$60 ( US43.95) per person.

His latest venture, Duck Down Pizza Party, brings that same quirk to a more down-to-earth setting a la hole-in-the-wall dive bar locale, complete with live music and at times raucous karaoke nights.

Managed by Biko Group, Duck Down Pizza Party opened in April as an extension of the Duck Down in Gunawarman, which opened in late 2018.

Duck Down Pizza Party features humorously named dishes like the Trash Lord pizza — juxtaposing grilled pineapple and fried bakso (meatball) — and the Cock Slayer — buttermilk fried chicken served with black truffle mashed potato and burnt onion gravy.

Shen’s love for gastronomy came from his childhood, when he would pore over cookbooks and cooking shows while his peers were playing soccer and reading comics.

“Immediately after school I was going to be either an interior designer or a chef. I ended up choosing to become a chef because I was drawn to the hardcore aspects of it,” Shen said.

Splash of black: Duck Down Pizza Party's Black Flag pizza is composed of squid ink seafood bolognese, bocconcini, cheese, chili and basil.
Splash of black: Duck Down Pizza Party's Black Flag pizza is composed of squid ink seafood bolognese, bocconcini, cheese, chili and basil.

Shen said these hardcore aspects, like working with sharp tools and fire, had drawn men into the field. However, these are only interesting for a short time, and those looking to stay in the field have to find other things to get excited about.

For Shen, it’s pure, honest cooking. Not the theatrics, the show, or the ego, but rather doing things on his own terms as a business owner.

“I can run a restaurant, and I don’t have to pander to trends. I can cook whatever the hell I want to cook, and the greatest success for me is having people pay me for doing what I love to do,” said Shen, who also serves as a judge on cooking competition show MasterChef Singapore.

A good chef, Shen opined, must also be a good historian and teller of cultures.

“I like to think of my job as more than cooking, if not then I’m just putting something in a pan and making sure it’s cooked, and what’s fun about that?

“But when I research a dish, I can look into its origins and its different permutations across the world. I can translate experiences from my travels, from my cultural interactions with people into a dish, and feed it to people.”

Having spent 15 years in the field, Shen said that young chefs must realize from the beginning that the culinary industry is very competitive and the success rate is very low.

He attributed his success to a combination of many things: timing, luck, context and networking.

Local haunt: Duck Down Pizza Party, Shen's latest venture, features a dive bar-like setting and humorously named dishes.
Local haunt: Duck Down Pizza Party, Shen's latest venture, features a dive bar-like setting and humorously named dishes.

“I’m glad some of those worked in my favor, which is why I’m where I’m at right now. I know there’s so many people who are more hardworking than me, more talented, more creative, who can cook circles around me, who are still hustling.

“My heart goes out to them, and I feel so undeserving of the success I have today because I know there are people out there who are much more deserving than me. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for me, time, networking and luck lined up for me.”

The job is also never-ending for some. Shen remembered the days when he worked from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m., catching sleep in the taxi ride home and to work again, barely having time to see family, and eating dinner at 1 a.m.

The latter also gave Shen diabetes, and his first heart attack occurred five years ago, noting drily that he didn’t have time to go to the hospital and slept it off.

“I called the hospital and told them all my symptoms, and they said I needed an ambulance. They also told me it’d take a day or more. I put down the phone, looked at my schedule for the next day, and was like ‘fuck this’, kept my phone, said a prayer, and went to sleep.”

Even with two children now, Shen rarely sees them. In his first job, the chef told him to quit because he’d never have a life.

But with his current position, slowly he is trying to change the industry along with others, with steps like a five-day work week instead of the more common six-day, as well as spending money on hiring so that staff can take sick days, attend to family matters, or take holiday leave without impacting service.

“No one else does that, but I’ve been in this long enough that because I’m an active chef owner, I know what these guys go through, because I go through it as well.”

Comfort food: Duck Down Pizza Party's apple pie comes with a cup of ice cream.
Comfort food: Duck Down Pizza Party's apple pie comes with a cup of ice cream.

— Photos courtesy of Biko Group

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