The chef-owner of 2am: dessertbar in Holland Village may be famous for her artistic sweet treats, but diners here will soon get a taste of pastry queen Janice Wong's savoury food.
On Aug 17, she will open her flagship Janice Wong Singapore restaurant, serving dim sum and noodles, at the National Museum of Singapore in Stamford Road. The 1,500 sq ft restaurant will also serve the 33-year-old pastry chef's repertoire of popular desserts which has been the highlight of her nine-year career.
Her dim sum creations will be based on her book Dim Sum: A Flour-Forward Approach To Traditional Favorites And Contemporary Creations, which was published in 2013.
"The filling of dim sum is so over-rated," says Ms Wong, who is looking to blend a variety of flours to make the skin for her dim sum.
She is in the midst of planning the menu, which includes a high tea experience that is "not your usual three-tiered deck".
Ms Wong admits that it could be "difficult" to change the perception of diners, who think of desserts at the mention of her name.
"But I need to expand and Singapore diners have not experienced this side of me," she says, referring to her expertise in savoury food. Before setting up her dessert-centric brand, she cut her teeth in restaurants such as Les Amis in Singapore, Alinea in Chicago and Per Se in New York.
At her three-month-old Cobo House by 2am: dessertbar in Hong Kong - a farm-to-table restaurant - she serves savoury food. The 3,000 sq ft restaurant, with a rooftop herb garden, has a full lunch and dinner menu, as well as a wide selection of desserts. Its neighbouring Artisan Room is a hip cafe serving artisan coffee.
She also flies to Tokyo frequently, where she owns dessert restaurant Janice Wong in the bustling Shinjuku shopping district.
In addition to her eponymous restaurant here, Wong will also open a shop selling chocolate and mochi at Paragon later this year. Over the past few years, she has set up pop-up stores at Marina Bay Sands and Ion Orchard.
• Dim Sum: A Flour-Forward Approach To Traditional Favorites And Contemporary Creations by Janice Wong is available at Books Kinokuniya and costs $42.80 online.
