Smit isn’t the first to peddle the nose-to-tail concept here. Chef Alysia Chan, who headed Singapore’s first nose-to-tail restaurant, Wolf, back in 2013, has been a passionate champion of the concept in the decade since. When asked why she thinks the concept hasn’t caught on, Chan said: “I think there’s the perception that offal and off-cuts are cheap and people were or are not willing to pay restaurant prices for these dishes. But while they are cheap in raw ingredient cost, the skill and time required to prepare offal is substantial, which translates to high labour costs.”
Smit shares similar sentiments: “A lot of our dishes take a long time to make, so the cost is higher than usual. The sausage we make takes three days before the customer gets it. It’s a 110-gram sausage made from premium ingredients that costs S$18. People say it’s expensive, but you have to break it down. It’s not just something on a plate. It’s taken so much time. I think maybe that’s why (the concept) hasn’t worked before.”
Why, then, is Underdog Inn set to succeed where others before him have failed? Smit answered: “Often, when people want to do nose to tail, they’ll try to have one basic menu, which is difficult (because there are so many parts to an animal). It also takes a fair bit of education on both the customer and restaurant sides. (It helps that) in this age of people trying to target sustainability and less waste, I think people are more open-minded about trying new things.”
A pause and he added: “And I’m stubborn. I know this concept can work.”
Source: CNA
