Singaporean chef clinches second place in international truffle competition

SINGAPORE – Private chef Guah Lih finished second in the International Cooking with Truffle Competition, which took place from Feb 4 to 8 in Soria, Spain. This is the first time a Singaporean has won a medal in the contest.

The 34-year-old, who runs Journe Private Dining in Jalan Kayu, edged out contestants from India, the United States and Brazil. Portuguese chef Diego Duarte Tonet clinched the top spot, while third place went to Spain’s Pelayo Arroyo.

The annual contest, which is organised by the Regional Government of Castile and Leon, requires contestants to work with a local restaurant to produce a dish spotlighting truffle.

Guah presented a brown butter egg custard topped with black truffles, black garlic, dates and crispy pork lard, served alongside a chicken consomme infused with black truffles, jamon, aged preserved cai po radish and aged black tea. 

“The dish was simple but very specific in intent, and I had a clear idea of what I wanted to express,” he says, praising his host restaurant, La Gastro Tasquita, for smoothing out the logistics and allowing him to focus on the cooking.

“Being able to present exactly what I intended to express feels incredible, and placing runner-up in a close call made it even more meaningful.”

He takes home a €2,000 (S$3,000) cash prize. But for him, the achievement goes beyond monetary value.

“The result was a personal affirmation that what I believe in works, and that it tastes good,” he says. “Just as importantly, the experience was a meaningful cultural exchange with everyone I met along the way.”