Plaza Premium Lounges unveils its homegrown chef series: Flavours in transit

Every Plaza Premium Lounge is a gateway to diverse cultures and traditions featuring sensory experiences unique to each city, region, and country.  The “Your Destination Before Departure" campaign in 20 cities brings heritage, gastronomy, art, and local hospitality into an immersive experience, drawing inspiration from each culture of the Plaza Premium lounges worldwide. Fostering the richness of diverse cultures with authentic expressions such as a warm welcome from a lounge ambassador, signature dishes from local chefs, curated wines and beverages, and showcasing art and crafts from local communities.

Purposeful cultural collaborations, community partnerships enhance the entire immersive experience with authenticity as the hallmark of being “Proudly Local”. The intersection of signature local dishes and passionate chefs is at the heart of the initiative circumnavigating the world across selected Plaza Premium Lounges. 

FLAVOURS IN TRANSIT: FROM OUR ROOTS TO YOUR PLATE
Plaza Premium Lounges Chef Series, “Flavours in Transit: From Our Roots to Your Plate”, is the first of its kind in the airport hospitality industry, celebrating the signature dishes of the in-house chefs across multiple global airport lounge locations. Plaza Premium Lounges are known for their acclaimed signature dishes with over 200 passionate chefs from every corner of the world, each a culinary ambassador. Every local chef is encouraged to nurture their roots in selecting traditional ingredients and crafting authentic speciality dishes, each a vibrant ode to their heritage.

Taking centre stage to premier the first wave of the Chef Series initiative across selected Plaza Premium Lounges in seven locations across the world from Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Dubai and Rome.

Experience a range of signature dishes from 18 August 2025 until 6 October 2025 and discover a cross-over surprise dish from the other locations as well. There is a story in every bite weaving together a tapestry the cultural heritage of every chef in each Plaza Premium Lounge location.

From Hong Kong’s Chef Ricky Tam’s iconic Fish Ball Noodle Soup which took 100 bowls to reach perfection to Rome’s Sicilian Chef Gianni Cutuli’s signature Gnocchi alla Norma’s recipe passed on from his “Nonna” (grandmother in Italian), the culinary culture is celebrated in every Plaza Premium Lounge, where aromas of signature dishes and local libations delight with caring service.

The signature dishes are created to showcase each chef’s dedication to culinary authenticity and innovation, reflecting both their heritage and the destinations each lounge serves. Here are the dishes and brief descriptions for each Plaza Premium Lounge featured in the Chef Series campaign at the seven highlighted locations:

HONG KONG – Chef Ricky Tam: Fish Ball Noodle Soup
A comforting local favourite, this dish features springy fish balls in a light, flavourful broth with rice noodles, capturing the essence of Hong Kong’s street food culture. Complemented by the handmade XO sauce.

MACAU – Chef Simon Chong: Macanese Style Portuguese Chicken
A fragrant and comforting classic, this dish features tender chicken braised in a creamy coconut and tomato-based sauce, infused with aromatic spices and herbs such as turmeric and bay leaves—a true taste of Macau's East-meets-West culinary heritage.

SINGAPORE – Chef Chan Seong June: Singapore Prawn Laksa Noodle
Chan Seong June presents this quintessential Singaporean favourite: rice noodles in a rich, spicy coconut curry broth, topped with succulent prawns and fresh herbs with Sambal Chili paste delivering bold and satisfying flavours.

KUALA LUMPUR – Chef Haward Lee: Chicken Satay
Marinated with an aromatic mix of galangal, garlic to lemongrass, the chicken skewers are grilled to perfection and served with a traditional peanut sauce, offering a taste of Malaysian street food culture in an elegant airport lounge setting.

SYDNEY – Chef Sanju Khadgi: Aussie Braised Beef Ragu Pappardelle
Chef Sanju infuses braised tender chunks of Australian beef with a savoury blend of tomatoes, red wine, garlic, and aromatic herbs which is paired with broad pappardelle pasta and a savoury sauce—blending Italian technique with Aussie ingredients.

ROME – Chef Gianni Cutuli: Gnocchi alla Norma
Chef Gianni shares an authentic Sicilian recipe from his “Nonna” (Grandmother): Gnocchi alla Norma is a classic dish that comes from Sicily, especially the city of Catania. It’s a twist on the well-loved Sicilian pasta alla Norma, made with eggplant, tomato sauce, ricotta salata cheese, and fresh basil. This way of cooking highlights the rich flavours and traditions of Sicilian cuisine.

DUBAI – Chef Subhash Chander: Butter Chicken Bowl
Embodying Chef Subhash’s commitment to local flavours, his Butter Chicken is a luxurious, creamy curry with tender pieces of chicken which undergoes two types of marination with fenugreek leaves, mustard oil, chili powder and yoghurt. Simmered in fresh tomato sauce spiced with Garam Masala, Cashew nut paste—a modern airport take on a beloved Indian classic.

Surprise & Delight – A Culinary Keepsake
As part of the Plaza Premium Lounge Chef Series experience, guests at selected locations will be invited to enjoy bite-sized tastings of the signature dishes during dedicated pass-around sessions and encouraged to follow Plaza Premium Lounge on social media to stay connected and continue the culinary journey beyond the lounge. Guests who engage by following their social media channels during these tasting sessions will receive a complimentary copy of the recipe booklet featuring all the secret recipes of the seven highlighted dishes of the “From Our Roots to Your Plate” series—a thoughtful keepsake celebrating authentic flavours from around the world.