Wolfgang Puck whips up an order of carrot cake and yong tau foo at Chinatown Complex Hawker Centre

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

In the context of Singapore, that means heading down to a hawker centre for some local fare. 

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck got the chance to do just that at Chinatown Complex Hawker Centre on Oct 4, as seen in local foodie Veronica Phua's Instagram Stories. 

Besides feasting on local dishes, the 73-year-old Austrian-American also attempted to whip up some local favourites.

Veronica Phua had arranged to bring Wolfgang and renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, as well as their team around the hawker centre for a food adventure, and here's what went down. 

Veronica must have mentioned to the team beforehand that there would be plenty of food to try out as everyone skipped breakfast prior to the meetup at Chinatown.

After a quick walk around the wet market on the basement floor, they headed for the hawker centre on the second floor.

There, Wolfgang tried his hand at making fresh yong tau foo and frying up carrot cake.

"I don't speak Chinese but I cook Chinese now," Wolfgang quipped.

The group didn't just stick to Chinese cuisine for their feast. Claypot turtle soup, satay, chicken curry and nasi padang dishes were also part of their lunch.

Wolfgang gave his stamp of approval to the squid in black ink sauce from Mum Daughter Kitchen, telling owner Nurjahan Lim that it was "excellent, nice and spicy".

Besides our hawker centres, Wolfgang has also been spotted at Milken Institute's 2022 Asia Summit, where he spoke on the future of cuisine. 

And over the weekend, Wolfgang was in the midst of the glitz and glamour of the Singapore Grand Prix, with his team serving food at the Paddock Club.

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amierul@asiaone.com