Page 247 - WGA 2019 BOOKLET-AWARD-RECIPIENT

WORLD GOURMET A W ARDS 2019

Chef Haikal Johari is the Executive Chef at Alma by Juan Amador,
the Michelin Starred restaurant located at the Goodwood Park
Hotel in Singapore, serving European cuisine with an Asian twist. A
Singaporean native, Haikal grew up playing soccer, and never dreamed
he would one-day helm one of the finest restaurants in Singapore.

A series of ankle injuries, however, cut his soccer career short, and
he decided to enrol in Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre
(SHATEC) at the age of 20. Two years later he graduated, and started
working at the renowned Raffles Hotel where he learned the basics of
professionalism and high standards – lessons he remembers to this
day. Haikal went on to work with Jimmy Chok and Anderson Ho at the
now-defunct Fig Leaf for one and a half years, before conducting his
National Service. After one year in the military, where he formed part of
the army’s elite shooting team, he worked at Coriander Leaf and other
restaurants, before heading to Thailand. Haikal was the founding chef
of the Water Library, one of the finest culinary institutions in the city, and
helped establish it and expand into other cities. Following a motorcycle
accident in October 2015 which left him in a wheelchair, Haikal returned
to Singapore to take on Executive Chef duties at the acclaimed Alma by
Juan Amador restaurant at the Goodwood Park Hotel on Scott’s Road.

Like many, Haikal’s love of food came to light at a young age –
he has fond memories of the fragrances of laksa wafting through
his childhood home, exciting him so much that his mother made
him play outside while she cooked. On top of leading the kitchen
at Alma, Haikal also manages all the Water Library restaurants
in Thailand, spreading his culinary approach far and wide.
At Alma, Chef Haikal presents a multi-sensory menu of modern
European fare with an Asian twist. To ensure only the highest
quality ingredients are used, Haikal has forged close relationships
with suppliers from all over the world, sourcing products like
Miyazaki beef from Japan and ocean trout from Tasmania.