Singapore's latest dining sensation hides in plain sight. The ground floor of a 1960s apartment complex doesn't bear any markers save for red bunting and paper banners covered with Chinese calligraphy. Behind the unassuming door, you will find Tinoq Russell Goh, the culinary curator at the increasingly popular 1CattynAPinch, or Tinoq’s, dressed in a bright fuchsia apron and flaunting a bold splash of canary-yellow hair. The small room behind him, formerly his living room, is equally colorful, enigmatically draped in vibrant fabrics, adorned with painted enamel plates, and illuminated with paper lanterns.

This room is more than just a creative canvas; it's a microcosm of the blooming private kitchen scene in Singapore, which has seen a surge in the last five years. By day, Goh is a well-recognized makeup artist and stylist. But when evening descends, he and his partner, Dylan Chan, morph into home chefs, hosting friends, fellow foodies, and the growing clientele that has discovered their little culinary gem through word-of-mouth buzz.

Although private kitchens have been a dining craze in other Asian cities for over a decade, relaxed guidelines allowing for home-cooked food serving have only recently fueled their rise in Singapore. These personalized culinary pop-ups, often referred to as "home dine-ins", provide a private dining experience showcasing a spectrum of tastes right from opulent Cantonese seafood to hand-rolled plush pasta. However, most of them prioritize local, original Singaporean flavors - courtesy of the Peranakans.

Goh's repertoire of Peranakan delicacies stretches to a dozen. A visit to his culinary haven is rewarded with a lavish banquet that begins with bakwan kepiting-minced pork meatballs infused with blue crab meat and winter bamboo shoots served in an aromatic seafood broth, and culminates into a symphony of dishes simmered with an array of herbs and spices.

Kicking off the trend was Lynnette’s Kitchen, launched in 2015 by Singapore Symphony Orchestra's celebrated violinist and co-concertmaster, Lynnette Seah. Her successful fusion of musicality and culinary talent not only generated significant media attention but also paved the way for other to follow suit.

Home chefs like Raymond Leong of The Ampang Kitchen, retired accountant-turned-Private Kitchen host contending with genres of Peranakan food, and Annette Tan, the food writer behind the trendy FatFuku, are breathlessly bending the traditional Peranakan tomodern twists and flavors. Even notable local chefs such as Shen Tan have embraced the concept, using it as a creative platform to experiment with local dishes.

Local diners are being introduced to modern personal dining experiences like booking single seats at private kitchens which makes the cuisine more accessible, and on the flip side, allows an opportunity to meet new people. It is indeed a culinary adventure!

Coupled with this culinary revival in Singapore, local hotels are remodeling some of the island’s oldest buildings, acting as a bridge between the traditional and the contemporary. The interiors of Singapore’s vintage structures like the 1904 Stamford House, are being creatively repurposed into luxurious suites, bars, and airy restaurants. Meanwhile, the classic charm of the city’s most storied hotel, the Raffles, has been updated without interrupting its original allure.

For a taste of this burgeoning underground food scene, contact @1CattynAPinch on Instagram, or email [email protected]. Interested food enthusiasts can connect with Seah through an electronic form at her website, lynnetteskitchen.com, or approach her directly on WhatsApp. Additional information about dinner schedules at The Ampang Kitchen can be obtained at facebook.com/TheAmpangKitchen Singapore or through via contact at fatfuku.com. Details about available dinner dates and themes at Ownself Make Chef can be found on their website, ownselfmakechef.com.