Where celebrities eat: Chef Audra Morrice

If you are a fan of the reality cooking show MasterChef Singapore, you will likely be familiar with Audra Morrice — this famous cook has made a name for herself in the F&B scene, with many recognising her as being the current host and judge on the popular TV series.

Audra Morrice is a cook, author and television presenter, with an array of other business ventures under her belt, including her own range of bespoke natural gluten-free products for clients and festive seasons, a catering business based in Sydney, plus cooking classes and corporate programmes in Sydney and Singapore.

Before she was the woman she is today, Audra led a career in telecommunications. After leaving her job, she made her start in the culinary world when she participated in MasterChef Australia 2012 and emerged as a finalist. Audra then proceeded to be one of the judges on MasterChef Asia in 2015, alongside Bruno Ménard, a three-Michelin-starred chef, and Susur Lee, an award-winning restaurateur.

With multiple impressive accolades under her belt, one may wonder what Audra enjoys eating on a daily basis — does she often indulge in the finest dishes prepared by MasterChef-worthy chefs, or does she enjoy more humble plates of hawker fare available in our food courts? And with her impressive culinary knowledge and skills, does Audra spend more time in the kitchen than she does in restaurants?

Here’s a little more about Audra Morrice, and what she enjoys eating.

1. What is your all-time favourite cuisine?

Definitely Peranakan and Malay. I am obsessed with the complex flavours and the variety of ingredients used.

2. What is/are your favourite hawker stall(s) and why? Which dishes would you recommend?

Many of my favourite hawker stalls have come and gone over the years, so I tend to frequent kopitiams more than hawker centres these days. In saying that, when in Tiong Bahru, I go for chwee kueh, it has always been a favourite. The texture is soft but with a nice bounce and I always ask for extra chilli. Living in Sydney without close access to Tiong Bahru, I now make my own with a much fresher topping loaded with fresh chillies, herbs and a home made chunky chilli oil. We recently filmed this for MasterChef Singapore masterclasses so check it out online.

ABC Brickworks has a really great chendol stall, rich coconut milk and good quality gula melaka. It’s a meal in itself. I was also introduced to a really delicious KL char siu. Dark and sticky, the way I prefer it.

Toa Payoh has really good you char kuay….. honestly, I know where to go, just can’t tell you where it is. I think I might have to do a “walk and eat” tour soon!

Keng Eng Kee in Alexandria Village recently celebrated their 50th anniversary. They serve up some some incredibly delicious zi char!

3. What is your favourite restaurant or cafe and why? Which dishes would you recommend?

Two restaurants I love in Singapore are Candlenut and Rempapa. For me dining out, a huge part of it is the food itself, to fully enjoy the experience, try understanding the cuisine, the history, the chef or cook, the prep….. if you make it a point to understand these elements, the whole dining experience will be far more fulfilling than just filling your empty tum.

Candlenut provides you with an incredible Peranakan experience, one that Malcolm has taught and nurtured his chefs and staff to produce at a high level. It is refined and full of clarity in flavours and intention. If you are new, they take the time to explain each and every dish. How amazing to truly prepare your guests for a most enjoyable meal. Having worked on a number of collaborations with him and his staff, they truly embrace the Peranakan culture and Malcolm’s vision. My favourite dish there is the crab curry. It’s quite lemak but doesn’t overpower the crab. I could have just that with rice and I’d be happy.

Rempapa has become quite a special place for me. It is owned by my co-judge and friend Damian D’Silva. It’s a place that provides so much nostalgia, history and home comforts but elevated in its presentation. Most of Damian’s chefs have stayed with him for a long time. I spoke to his head chef just recently and he said, “We are here because we love his food”.

The menu takes you down memory lane, a journey to old Singapore with many dishes rediscovered. The flavours are always spot on, balance of sweet sour always perfect and the pièce de résistance for me are their kuehs. They are absolutely delightful with 12 freshly made choices each day. Their kuehs are a little saltier, which gives a lovely sweet savoury depth of flavour, making it terribly moreish. Attention to detail is key and the chefs have learnt that there are no short cuts to any of these dishes.

I’ll throw in one more because it’s that’s good — Madu Bakery on Racecourse Road. Their Kouign Amann is absolutely fabulous. For a pastry that is all butter and sugar, it’s not excessively sweet. Oh and their ham and nori butter ciabatta, mouthwateringly delicious. Give it a go!

4. Do you mainly cook for yourself, or do you order takeout and dine at restaurants too?

I cook a lot at home for the family and for myself, and often simple dishes even when I come back to Singapore. I’m super hard core and I always find the time to cook. If I have anything to do with it, we don’t do takeouts. That generally only happens when I’m not around. I love doing a fridge-clear-out cook. It’s so satisfying to use odds and ends and repurpose food. My younger son’s favourite school lunch is kimchi fried rice, so I will use pretty much anything I have in the fridge along with kimchi and mostly brown rice to cook him up a week’s worth for school lunches.

My older son is a flexitarian, mostly vegetarian and he cooks well. So we often eat vegetable-based dishes during the week. I then supplement with meat based dishes a couple of nights.

If we eat out, we find places that are consistently great! I hate feeling underwhelmed by the food I eat.

When I am back in Singapore, my gorgeous mom usually stocks the fridge with plenty of vegetables from nai bai cai to okra, eggplants, kang kong, tao geh… I’ll often do a quick stir fry with lots of chillies and garlic. Bless my mom!

5. What do you usually eat on a daily basis or during your work breaks?

The day changes depending on what I’m doing or where I am, but breakfast is always some form of bread and butter and tea. If I’m home, a slice of my sourdough toast with butter and my favourite Japanese white peach or marmalade jam or my fig jam, sometimes 100% peanut butter and a cuppa strong English Breakfast tea.

Then the rest of the day will comprise of leftovers or a good poached chicken mayo sandwich, chilli/onion omelette with my XO sauce on rice or a slice of sourdough toast, carrot cake if I’ve just made a slab, could be noodles but always lots of veggies. I don’t have a formula, I tend to just go with the flow on what’s around. Also, I’m a grazer so I never stick to just three meals a day.

Dinner is always a freshly cooked meal with the family.

6. If you could choose, what would your last meal on Earth be?

A bowl of lemak laksa with lots of sambal and laksa leaf, mango sticky rice from Mae Varee, a Bangkok institution, and Rempapa’s kuehs, specifically kueh salat, sarang semut, talam pandan, kueh bingka and kueh kosui.

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