Kunyah Cafe:
Impacting lives 1 Plate At A Time

When we headed down, we were greeted by Aaron, who introduced us to Kunyah. Kunyah started as a cafe in the western part of Singapore but closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It relocated to its current location in Singapore Management University (SMU) in the city. Aaron is a very passionate person, During the multiple times I met him, he always talked and thought about, improving Kunyah constantly to not just connect more people through food, but also create meaningful employment opportunities and advocate for People with Disabilities (PWD). Aaron’s childhood sparked his passion for community development, and his life has brought him to villages in Cambodia that made him pursue a career in Social entrepreneurship. Aaron is very hands-on. The multiple times I went down, he either helped out in the kitchen or was actively searching for new opportunities to enable People with Disabilities (PWD) to showcase their culinary skills.  

The kitchen is run by Alex and Siew May, with Alex being the head chef. They are both energetic and outgoing people. The smiles they give you make you feel right at home, even though you are at a food kiosk in the middle of the city.  Alex is akin to your smiley dad. And it’s heartwarming. By how he is chopping up chicken and prepping their food, and even by the way he is cooking, you would be surprised to know that Alex is visually impaired. Alex, a chef for a decade, lost 70% of his vision back in 2017 due to a surgery gone wrong. The incident did take a toll on Alex’s mental health but he has since bounced back. Kunyah allows Alex’s passion for cooking to shine, and while eating their food, you can taste the passion and experience Alex has put in. The way Alex talks about his food, you can tell he put in detail, effort and knowledge to make the best food for you.

Siew May is Alex’s eyes and assistant in the kitchen. Siew May who has cerebral palsy is insanely active and has one of the strongest determination in a person I have ever seen. She is also a very smiley person and her energy is infectious. Her disabilities have not stopped her from doing amazing things from not just helping Alex serve up amazing food, but being able to regularly go rock climbing and even climb Mount Kinabalu. I am freaking well abled and I can’t even walk up a flight of stairs without complaining. But the lady here climbed a mountain. Did you know? She also wrote a book about her life. Alex and Her, together create a dynamic duo serving up passionate food.

Now, the food. We had 3 items, a Crispy Rendang Rice bowl (Yes rendang can be crispy), Five Spice Chicken Rice and a Crispy chicken sandwich. All the food is made fresh and is hand made, using local ingredients as much as possible

Let’s start with the Rendang. I am a big fan of Rendang. I see Rendang, I whack. And Kunyah’s is amazing. Like, the spices hit the right notes. It is not overly rich, and you can taste the herbs and spices used in the sauce. It is slightly lighter than the normal Rendang you find outside. Stewed for many hours, the flavours are more pronounced and herbal compared to the Rendang we know. I devoured it, within 5 minutes. 10/10 would recommend.

Another signature is the five-spiced chicken with rice. I forgot to add, that all rice dishes come with a piece of steamed egg. Well, the steamed egg is good, but the star is the chicken. It has a certain sweetness that is similar to char siew. It’s fragrant and the chicken is tender. I devoured it too fast cause I am a pig that can’t resist good food.

And lastly, the crispy chicken sandwich. This thing is tall and huge. The chicken patty is not some pathetic crispy chicken that Mcdonald’s MCchicken have reduced to. It’s fresh out of the fryer, really juicy and really big. It’s bigger than my Biceps and I work out. The sauce is not drenching the chicken to maintain the crispiness but it still comes through. Would recommend it if you are looking for an after-meal snack like I did. BTW horrible idea for me to eat it after eating the five-spiced chicken cause I was actually really full and I could not eat dinner after. 

Kunyah is a place where people are limitless and passionate. The food paints a story of Aaron, and his determination and excitement to serve the community and allow the disabled to tell their story and shine using food as a medium. Alex’s story and passion towards his food and life. He never lets his visual impairment get in the way of producing good food and serving it with a smile. Lastly Siew May’s determination and positivity and not letting her disability stand in the way of her life. These stories shine when you meet them and show in the food as well.  Head down to SMU School of Economics to try them out, and if you are looking for catering, feel free to contact Aaron @aaronycs on telegram or DM their IG @fortitudeculina.