A French Chef who's been cooking into the hearts of many -- meet Meyjitte Boughenout

A man true to his heart and craft. That's Meyjitte Boughenout, Executive Chef of Salut Restaurant and Wine Bar.

Born and bred in France, Meyjitte, 32, got interested in the art of culinary through a little inspiration from his father, a chef himself. Taking a different route from his peers, Meyjitte enrolled into a chef school at a tender age of 13½ years old. Whilst others his age busied themselves with arithmetic, he was developing an invaluable skill for the next three years.

He plied his trade in simple bistros in his early years as a chef. Through time, he found himself working in established restaurants in France. He moved to Belgium and became an executive chef at the age of 25. Not too long after, he got his big break when he was voted Best Chef in Belgium. He spent the next 5½ years in Australia where he worked with the Ritz-Carlton, which exposed him to a different level of fine dining. This experience led him right into the list of Top 50 Chefs in Australia.

Preferring to work in a private restaurant, Meyjitte moved to Singapore with his wife in September 2000 to become the Executive Chef of Salut, which boasts of its semi-fine dining ambience and light French cuisine. Heading a team of about five chefs, Meyjitte develops the menu for the restaurant.

Exuding a sense of humility, Meyjitte does not have his 'head above the clouds'. He said that he never allows his achievements to get the better of him, "I live my life with both my feet on the ground." Aptly put, he is a practical and realistic man who does not compromise making quick bucks with his love for cooking. He believes that a chef should remain true to his skill and not shortchange his clientele. As such, he does not price his menu unreasonably. He feels that prices should be decided according to the ingredients that are used and not based upon aesthetics.

Behind every dish is a philosophy and idea. Meyjitte believes that good food must consist the following: fresh Ingredients, eaten in small, reasonable portions and cooked well where taste is clearly defined and not overdone.

Located along Tanjong Pagar Road (near Fairfield Methodist Church), opening hours are from 11:30 am to 02:30 pm from Mondays to Fridays for lunch and 06:30 pm to 09:30 pm from Mondays to Sundays for dinner.

Meyjitte is also sharing a recipe with us. If you've never tried cooking some French cuisine before, why not give this recipe a try?

GOUJONNETTE OF JOHN DORY WITH FIGS AND PISTACCHIO
GALETTE, FENNEL AND PROSCIUTTO
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(Serving for 4 persons)

Pistacchio and Fig Galette

8 pieces of figs
20g pistachio
20g butter
4 rounds of puff pastry in diameter of 8cm
4 x 150g of John Dory
4 slices of fennel
Chervil for garnish
4 slices dry prosciutto
100g of fish stock infused with seaweed

Method

1) Firstly, slice the fennel as thin as possible and leave it in ice-water so that they will be
crispy.
2) Place the fig galette in a ring and sprinkle with pistachio.
3) Bake the fig galette in the oven at 180°C for 8 minutes.
4) Pan-fry the John Dory and make sure not to overcook it as it can be very dry.
5) Infuse the fish stock with seaweed.

Presentation

Centre the fig galette in the plate and place the John Dory on top. Then gently pour 2 tablespoons of fish stock over it. Finally, garnish the John Dory with chervil, fennel and dry prosciutto on top of it.