At aKin recognition is countered with revelation. 

Informed by co-owner and chef Eric Chong’s Malaysian-Chinese heritage, extensive travel and the scientific approach of his Engineering education, every tasting menu tells its own unique narrative, developed over months of disciplined ideation and testing.

“At aKin, classical tradition most often guides the flavour profile, while modern techniques shape the execution,” Chong explains. The approach secures the dish in its cultural roots even when its form is excitingly novel. Try to imagine a one-bite, delicately-skinned sphere that bursts into a juicy mouthful and tastes like an entire bowl of Hainanese chicken rice. They make it real. Crystal dumplings are pleated 100 times in a modern expression of tradition. The anatomy of a fish is reconstructed in five micro-dishes on a metal skeleton.

Bar Manager Nathan Murray shares not only Chong’s pantry and ethos, but also the ability to defy limitations. For the cocktails to partner the spring dim sum menu Murray raised the pH of brewed teas with citric and/or malic acid. Acidulated green tea and toasted brown rice replaced lime juice, a similarly-treated chamomile and lemongrass tisane stood in for lemon.

A wooden puzzle box hides the evening’s petit fours. Inspired by a jewellery box belonging to the chef’s wife, it rotates, revealing four compartments that swing outward in fluid synchrony.

“Since the petit fours are the final impression guests have upon leaving, they should feel as impactful as the opening bite,” Chong asserts. Crafted from Ontario deadfall, the box matches the artistry of its contents from pastry chef Flora Zhang. Her creations are as fanciful as they are technically perfected; lau sa canelés, a coffee mousse within a chocolate teapot, or the marbled blue chocolate porcelain from the opening menu.

The mastery of the team blends into the pleasure and beauty of the meal, coalescing into a seamless, remarkable whole.

At aKin, recognition is countered with revelation, a fitting note on which to celebrate innovation itself. After all, culinary creativity takes many forms, and aKin’s brilliance shines all the brighter beside its peers. Below we highlight other 2025 Finalists that, in their own distinct ways, pushed boundaries and expanded the country’s imagination of what dining can be.