凯 · 味 Dinner at Kai’s

凯 · 味 Dinner at Kai’s

Chef Kuah Kai Wen (Singapore)

Iza-Kai-ya: Dinner Conversations

dine into hybridity and interconnectedness, with text and audio accompaniments. hosted by Cat Cortes.

Dates & Times:

Fri, 29 Aug: 7 PM - 8.30 PM (doors at 6.50 PM)

Sat, 30 Aug: 7 PM - 8.30 PM (doors at 6.50 PM)

Venue: Practice Tuckshop (58 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187956)

Dinner 1 sitting, $55/pax

Minimum to start 8 pax, Maximum 16 pax

4 course dinner* + 1 glass of sake (non-alcoholic option available)

* two available options: pescatarian and vegetarian

Presented by The Listening Biennial, and Ethos Books a highlight of The Singapore Night Festival

Styled after a Japanese izakaya, Kai’s is a cosy nook where Southeast Asian ingredients marry Japanese and European techniques. Come 29 and 30 August, the hybrid tastes and textures of Chef Kai’s cooking will be enriched by small-table conversations hosted by cat cortes. Guiding these conversations are NAME//SAKE cards, each a window into a common human experience.

Diners, this is an invite to uncover the diverseness of your dinner companions and your self: partake in one another’s perspectives and experiences, which have shaped us into becoming the persons we are today. Discover and experience interconnectedness across the dining table in the course of this dinner. Cat will close your dinner with a selected soundwork of The Listening Biennial 2025.

Menu with chef’s notes

Cold starter

Cold Soy Simmered Young Papaya, Tropical Greens With Lemongrass Mayonnaise Dressing

Papaya thrives and is readily available but rarely cooked, even though texturally it has amazing potential

Soup

Pink Oyster Mushroom Broth, Simmered Kangkong, Smoked Cured Barramundi*

* vegetarian option – no Barramundi Ham

Mushrooms by Bewilder, Barramundi from Ah Hua Kelong, Kangkong from Yili, a celebration of our local farmers and their products

Main Course

Roasted Grey Mullet*, Manichye "Pesto" Sticky Rice Cake With Tapioca, Spiced Tomato Assam Sauce

* vegetarian option – change to Braised Lionsmane

Hybridity on the plate: Southeast Asian ingredients treated with western cooking techniques and Japanese plating aesthetic

Dessert

Coconut Sorbet, Pandan Oil, Chocolate

Common dessert flavours experienced though different textural intensities

Bios

Chef Kuah Kai Wen’s current culinary practice is focused on the combination of Southeast Asian produce with European and Japanese cooking techniques. Ingredients are treated with a global perspective, creating flavours and textures that are unique yet familiar. Kai’s work aims to celebrate the value, love and respect of regional ingredients.

cat cortes

cat cortes consults with non-profits by trade and wherever else she is welcome—a cheerleader of the underdogs, the spark before the wildfire, a budding bruha and bringer of vibes. She was born in the philippines, raised in vietnam (hanoi) and singapore by the internet and MTV. Though seemingly inexhaustible, cat finds joy in sitting with the small and quiet.

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Our photographer may be taking photos and videos. By attending this programme, you consent to be photographed or filmed.

About The Listening Biennial

Since 2021, The Listening Biennial has sought to foster research and discussion on listening, recognising its transformative power as key to enriching personal lives and social initiatives, and which supports ethical and political practices. As part of the Singapore Night Festival, the artists of The Listening Biennial invite you to enter the space of Third Listening, to listen out for a plurality of life-forms as well as pathways of interconnection between seemingly irreconcilable differences.

Read more: https://listeningbiennial.net/biennial-editions/third-edition

Singapore Edition: https://www.brack.sg/index.php/2025/07/12/the-listening-biennial-third-edition/