AT HOME WITH
Warren Liu of A D Lab
Guests who are invited to a meal at Warren Liu’s home know that they are in for a treat. Warren, the head of the household, is the chef; his wife Marlene and daughter Shan serve the food. Blessed with an operatic voice, Shan usually sings for guests at the end of the meal. If they are lucky, Marlene, from whom she inherited this gift, joins her.
The private performance is like a rich dessert at the end of a wonderful repast. It’s no wonder that their guests (typically relatives of Marlene’s from Canada, where she is from, and friends) eagerly anticipate their warm hospitality.
DESIGNED FOR GASTRONOMY
The four-storey terrace house the Lius live in is clearly set up for entertaining. As an architect and head of his own practice A D Lab, Warren personally saw that its design would be conducive for meal-time gatherings.
The main door is on the second floor, accessible via a flight of stairs in the front garden, opening directly into the living room. A balcony flanks it, fitted with artificial grass and outdoor furniture, making it the perfect space for a pre-dinner apéritif.
In the middle of the house is an internal courtyard with a planter box built into a pond, from which a ficus tree grows. A money plant hangs down from the bannister on the third floor, giving the home a leafy, green heart.
On the first floor is the dining room and kitchen, seamlessly connected by a sizeable island that doubles as a food preparation station and table that sits nine. Consideration is even given to friends with children – the little ones have their own seating area recessed into the ground by the courtyard, overlooking the pond and decorated with colourful cushions.
“I opted for an open concept because the plot is small, just under 1,400 sq ft. Yet, because we want to identify the spaces
within the continuum, and keep it spacious, we used colours to subdivide the sections of the house,” Warren explains.
The living room has hues of orange splashed over low-slung lounge-like sofas. The dining room is accented by turquoise chairs, an in-between colour of the ficus leaves and the blue of the dipping pool at the back of the house. The kitchen runs the length of the space, done up primarily in black to make it invisible and render the final effect less busy.
ORIENTAL INSPIRATION
Dressed in a black Chinese-style long shirt or changshan, Warren is in the kitchen hard at work preparing the meal. In fact, this sight was only seen in the last five years, after he and his family of four moved into their current place, as his previous homes were not conducive for cooking.
“I find it relaxing because you need to focus entirely on the food and you get immediate enjoyment when you eat it. I like to share this, so I entertain. It is also a way for me to escape from work.”
The theme for the dinner is Shanghai chic, and he has prepared a menu featuring dishes from China, inspired by a house party he attended recently in Sri Lanka, which served wantons.
The dinner kicks off with a spicy cucumber salad from the north, followed by a nourishing winter melon pork bone soup. There is also a Shandong chicken served with a black vinegar dressing, and of course, wantons in spicy sauce.
White ceramic plates with blue floral prints are placed on the table, a gift from his sister who lives in Beijing. The centrepiece is an elegant floral arrangement from Charlotte Puxley Flowers, made up of hydrangeas and delphiniums.
As the seven guests gather around, Warren takes up position in between the island and kitchen where, like a true home-chef who loves to entertain, he cooks and chats with his friends at the same time.
“A Chinese menu is the most difficult to make. It takes a full day of preparation, as opposed to a Western menu, which can be done in half the time. There are a lot of ingredients that go into every dish. If I don’t practice often enough, I have to refer to the recipe,” he laughs, as he peers at a tablet positioned among the plates and bowls that displays the step-by-step instructions.
After spending three hours preparing the feast, Warren finally sinks onto a barstool and helps himself to a bowl of Sticky Spare Ribs and Noodles. Shan steps into the limelight her father has vacated and treats the party to a rendition of Mon Coeur S’ouvre
A Ta Voix, a French aria from the opera Samson and Delilah. Her rich voice fills every corner of the dining room, the experience like sinking your teeth in a slice of dark chocolate fudge cheesecake.
Everyone is spellbound.
As the last notes fade into the night, there is a second of stunned silence before the room bursts into applause. Warren looks on proudly, beaming at his daughter before he quips, “That should aid digestion.”