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Grace Brewer

Conceived as “a sophisticated homage” to the pork rib bak kut teh, Whey’s Iberico pork three-ways is head chef Keith Teo’s reimagining of a Singaporean classic by bringing together tender Iberico pork rack, slow-braised pork belly and home-made sausage.

Founder-chef Barry Quek has long positioned Whey as a modern, personal take on Singaporean cuisine, and the latest iteration continues that idea in the restaurant’s new seasonal menu, which marks both ZS Hospitality Group’s 10th anniversary and the restaurant’s fifth.
Crafting dishes that are rooted in hometown flavours but sharpened with French technique and a lighter, more contemporary touch, Teo arrives with more than five years of French culinary experience, including time at three-Michelin-starred Odette in Singapore, and one-Michelin-starred Frog by Adam Handling in London.
The Iberico pork three-ways is perhaps the clearest expression of that evolving identity. A classic bak kut teh’s appeal lies in its broth and accompanying side dishes, and Whey translates the same peppery, aromatic comfort into a plated main course that still feels familiar to Singaporean and Malaysian diners.
Teo says the dish was built around the desire to create something that would make diners immediately think of Singapore. The pork rack is the centrepiece, glazed in sweet star anise and cinnamon, then set over onion soubise infused with white peppercorns. Meanwhile, the sausage on the side folds in preserved vegetables and shiitake mushrooms, echoing the condiments often served alongside the soup.

His approach to the dish also reflects the practical realities of fine cooking. The pork rack is aged, brined and cooked to order so the meat stays tender, while the pork belly goes through an even longer process: salted overnight, cooked for 48 hours, pressed overnight again and then finished on the grill just before serving.
The sausage mix is made in advance, wrapped individually in pork caul fat and cooked to order before being glazed with a spiced sauce. None of it is especially showy, but that’s the point. The kitchen uses intense heat on both grill and pan to bring out the charred, smoky notes familiar to Asian cooking, giving the dish its depth without overpowering the meat itself.
The flavours are layered but precise. Teo describes the pork rack as having “a nice amount of fat and also a lean firm bite to it”, while the pork belly brings “melt-in-your-mouth tenderness”. The sausage adds “a nice spring or bounce” with preserved vegetables, shiitake and alliums, and the sauces provide “subtle hints of white peppercorns, star anise and cinnamon” that bind everything together.
It is the kind of composition made for diners who like to eat with a little of this and a little of that – providing an interplay of fat, spice and texture within each mouthful.

Presentation is intentionally straightforward. The pork sits in the middle of the plate with the sausage and pork belly flanking it, and the sauces are positioned on the side to encourage mix-and-match bites. This is to mirror the experience of eating bak kut teh itself, where the joy comes not from a single hero element but from assembling a satisfying bite. For Teo, that is also what makes the dish memorable.
If there is a challenge in the dish, it lies in getting the pepper heat and cooking times exactly right. Teo notes that the hardest part was “finding the right amount of spiciness in the sauces from the white peppercorns and also the cooking of the pork rack itself”. The payoff is a main course that feels rooted in Singapore, polished enough for a Michelin-starred dining room and generous enough to invite repeat visits. At Whey, that combination of memory and finesse is exactly what the new menu is aiming for.

Anatomy of a Dish
Name: Iberico pork three-ways
Restaurant: Whey
Price: Lunch tasting menu from HK$598, dinner from HK$1,398
Main ingredients: Iberico pork rack, local pork belly, local pork collar, mei cai (preserved vegetables), shiitake mushrooms, white pepper, onion soubise, pork jus, star anise, cinnamon and preserved vegetables.
Flavours: Peppery yet gently sweet, with an aromatic and smoky richness.
Presentation: The pork rack is plated in the centre, with pork belly and home-made sausage on either side. Sauces are positioned to encourage mix-and-match bites, designed to echo the way bak kut teh is eaten with sides.


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Dish in Focus: Iberico pork three-ways at Whey

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Keith Teo making the Iberico pork three-ways at Whey. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

A closer look at Whey’s Iberico pork three-ways. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Iberico pork three-ways at Whey. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

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Lifestyle

100 Top Tables

Chef Keith Teo gives Singapore’s bak kut teh a polished new form in the Iberico pork three-ways: a tender pork rack, slow-braised belly and house-made sausage


Chef Keith Teo gives Singapore’s bak kut teh a polished new form in the Iberico pork three-ways: a tender pork rack, slow-braised belly and house-made sausage.


Dish in Focus: Iberico pork three-ways at Whey

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chef Keith Teo gives Singapore’s bak kut teh a polished new form in the Iberico pork three-ways: a tender pork rack, slow-braised belly and house-made sausage

Chef Keith Teo gives Singapore’s bak kut teh a polished new form in the Iberico pork three-ways: a tender pork rack, slow-braised belly and house-made sausage