Singapore chef Tan Yong Hua, 47, dies of heart failure in his sleep

SINGAPORE - Chinese cuisine chef Tan Yong Hua, who owned Restaurant Home in Tampines Street 43, died of heart failure in his sleep on Wednesday night (Sept 9). He was 47.

An announcement on the restaurant's Facebook page on Thursday says he "passed away peacefully".

He leaves behind his wife and a seven-year-old son.

The Singaporean started his cooking career in his teens and worked at several five-star hotels, including Szechuan Court in Raffles The Plaza (now Fairmont Singapore) and Peach Blossom in Marina Mandarin Singapore (now Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay).

He opened a restaurant, Chu Dao, in Joo Chiat Road in 2011 with a partner but they parted ways a year later.

Chef Yong then started Restaurant Home in 2013, which was known for its Peking duck and homey dishes like steamed fish and rice vermicelli with pork knuckles.

The restaurant moved to Cosford Road in Changi three years later and then to an HDB block in Tampines last year.

Ms Koh Swee Har, 66, a retired food journalist with Lianhe Wanbao who has known the chef for more than 10 years, remembers him as an affable and helpful person.

She recalls: "He was a very creative chef. He cooked a giant ocean sunfish in different ways when he was in Peach Blossom, which was the first time I tasted the fish. His vegetarian dishes at Szechuan Court, such as pumpkin rice and fried zucchini flower, were also unforgettable."

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.