Singapore's Michelin-starred Chef Zor Tan presents exclusive culinary experience at Red Lantern

I got a rare first taste of what Manila diners can expect when Singapore’s Michelin-starred Chef Zor Tan takes over Red Lantern this November, and it’s the kind of dinner that makes you taste what “contemporary cuisine” really meant. 

In a special preview of his upcoming three-night event at Solaire, Chef Tan walked us through a six-course menu shaped by his Hokkien roots and a lifetime of global influences, each dish landing with the precision you’d expect from someone who leads Born, one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. 

If this preview was any indication, Manila is about to experience something rare: storytelling you can taste via a full 8 course menu, plated by a chef who knows how to turn heritage into a moment.

His cuisine is renowned for its bold and unexpected flavors, drawing from Cantonese, Sichuan, and Taiwanese traditions. Each dish tells a story of heritage, innovation, and emotion. The upcoming event at Red Lantern offers guests a unique opportunity to experience his culinary “Circle of Life” philosophy firsthand. Where every dish is inspired by chapters of his life from childhood memories, professional challenges, and travels around the world.


Red Lantern is celebrated for its Chinese cuisine and elegant ambiance. The restaurant offers a sophisticated setting that complements Chef Tan's innovative dishes, providing an immersive dining experience for guests.


The exclusive menu features dishes that we got to try such as Kanpachi with ginger and watermelon radish, a toast raw fish salad, inspired by themes of prosperity and an inspiration to the Yishun (Lunar New Year). 

The second course, a reinvented bao with Wagyu and oyster, is a signature dish reflecting his mother's influence and his professional life in Spain. 

For our third course, Chef Tan replaces the usual monkfish with abalone. This new dish features the abalone with chicken fat and high-quality jade fungus from Yunnan. 

 

The fourth course is King Crab with fish maw, a dish exclusively made for Solaire as it features a Filipino dish, Talangka rice. This is followed by a luscious A5 Wagyu cooked with Soubise, a French sauce of white onion puree and Maitake. 

To end on a sweet note, Chef Tan prepares us a sample dessert. It's his signature dessert of sweet potato puree with crisps on the side, sea salt ice cream, oolong Chantilly, and snow salt.

I heard that for the full 8 course menu, other dishes such as the chestnut velouté with black garlic and macadamia, is a personal favorite of Chef Tan and reflects his love for chestnuts, and an additional dessert, Bird Nest with grape and elderflower syrup will be served.

The takeaway from everything for me is that Chef Zor Tan presents the best of his technique and the essence of his restaurant Born, with it's meaning of Best Of Right Now, using available ingredients in lieu of items not available, and showcasing the best version of the ingredient through his cooking. Best tasted that when I had a bite of the abalone dish, which apparently used abalone that's local to the Philippines. Smoky, savory and somehow staying succulent with the chicken fat, this dish alone is really worth a try. 

 
Red Lantern invites guests to savor a story in every course. For inquiries or reservations, dial +632 8888 8888 or visit https://sec.solaireresort.com/offers/dining/red-lantern-welcomes-guest-chef-zor-tan.