Who: Actor Chua Enlai is best known for being part of satirical Channel 5 show The Noose (2007 to 2016). A veteran of the theatre scene, the 43-year-old Singaporean has appeared in more than 50 productions, including The Importance Of Being Earnest (2009), for which he won the Life! Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor. An accomplished host, he has fronted events such as the National Day Parade in 2016 and President’s Star Charity in 2018 and 2019.

The popular entertainer is starring in Rookies’ Kitchen, a variety show that follows Chua and co-host Ke Le as they learn about international cuisines, such as Korean fare and French cooking, from celebrity chefs. The duo then have to recreate a dish for guests. The 10-episode series is showing on Channel 8 on Wednesdays at 8pm and on streaming platform mewatch.

“My perfect weekend rarely falls on a weekend. As an actor, my schedule can be quite unpredictable, so ‘weekends’ can be any day off.

I’m preparing for a mountain gorilla trekking trip to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda in July, where you trek for hours deep into the forest to see gorillas in their natural habitat. 

It will be the most active trip I have gone on. I am not usually one for travelling for outdoor adventures – I have no intention of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro – but I am braving it for the mountain gorillas.

I fell in love with seeing animals in the wild when I went on my first safari in South Africa in 2016 and saw leopards, lions and elephants. 

Armed guards will be joining us in Uganda, so I am not too worried about safety. 

I am more concerned about surviving the terrain. Spotting a wild animal is completely about luck and chance, so you may be trekking for 30 minutes or four hours before seeing your first gorilla. I am worried about slipping if it rains, getting stung by nettle, and contracting diseases such as malaria. 

To prepare for the trip, I have been hiking up Bukit Timah Hill, which is the best proximate to a mountain you can get in Singapore. 

If I have only an hour to spare, I head over to neighbourhoods like Bedok or Marine Parade, as I live in the east, to climb up and down the Housing Board flats.

I have been preparing without a personal trainer, which is hard because I have terrible self-discipline. I hike whenever I can, but my training is as random as my schedule. 

Exercise is a very social activity for me – I need to do it with friends. Almost half the conversations I have when hiking are about where we are going to eat at afterwards.

When I am at home doing nothing, I like to plan holidays. Since I have finished planning this Ugandan trip, I have been itching to find a new trip. Lately, I have been eyeing Azerbaijan, where parts of the Caspian Sea are still on fire.

The farthest I have travelled is to the Iguazu falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. I have also swum with sharks in Bora Bora – with the assurance that they were ‘vegetarian’. 

I love Sunday brunches, especially a champagne brunch. The brunch at Colony at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore is indisputably the best for fresh oysters on ice, while Oscar’s at Conrad Centennial Singapore does excellent Indian food.

Brunch always becomes a whole-day affair because there is always a part two at a bar or a friend’s house. You cannot stop at brunch and go home, because if you do, you will sleep and ruin your sleep schedule.

I also like to do ‘cheese fests’, where everyone brings cheeses and wines to a friend’s place. I like to get my cheeses from The Cheese Shop in Joo Chiat or The Cheese Deli in Siglap. They have an amazing selection, and the staff are very helpful with their recommendations.

I like all cheeses, especially blue cheeses such as Stilton, Roquefort and Shropshire Blue. I also enjoy salty hard cheeses like Pecorino and creamy ones too.

A cheese fest does not require much preparation. It is just buying the cheeses and slicing them up. I cannot cook, so this works for me.”