Chef Joel Ong
Chef Owner of Enjoy
Chef Joel Ong oversees the culinary direction of all four Enjoy outlets in Singapore. His cooking centres on Singaporean comfort food, familiar flavours and a simple intention: for people to feel sincerity in what they eat.
Cooking with sincerity
For Joel, the heart of cooking is the care that goes into feeding someone. The feeling he hopes to leave with guests is simple: that their food has been made with sincerity.
From university to the stage, then the kitchen
Joel spent two years studying Computational Biology at the National University of Singapore before taking a hiatus. He then worked as a full-time keyboardist, playing at nightspots for almost two years. Eventually, he found himself looking for a different kind of excitement. A career in food and beverage certainly delivered more of it than he had bargained for.
He enrolled in the Diploma in Culinary Arts at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, drawn especially to its one-year industry attachment and the opportunity to learn in a working kitchen. During his apprenticeship, he discovered how much he enjoyed the adrenaline of a busy service: orders coming in, everyone finding their rhythm, and the team pulling together to get food to the table.
After the diploma, he chose to build a life in the kitchen rather than return to university. It was the work itself, and the people doing it alongside him, that made the decision feel right.
Seven years immersed in Thai food
Joel spent seven years working across Rochor Thai and Ob Woon Thai Restaurant, a modern Thai restaurant brand. His Ob Woon journey included three outlets in Jakarta and one in Singapore. To deepen his understanding of the food, he began learning Thai, exploring the cuisine through its language, history and culture.
He also worked with Creative Culinaire in Singapore and Indonesia, conducting cooking demonstration classes in Singaporean and Thai cuisine. Those years of cooking, running restaurants and sharing knowledge continue to inform his work as Chef Owner of Enjoy.
How Enjoy began
After seven years immersed in Thai cuisine, Joel found himself drawn back to the food he had grown up with. When his grandmother passed away, he deeply missed her cooking. He wanted to remember her through food and share the dishes he loved with others. That wish led him to start Enjoy Eating House.
Grandma’s Te Kah Bee Hoon, inspired by her pork leg bee hoon, remains Enjoy’s number-one signature dish today. It is a personal connection to his grandmother, carried forward in the food he serves. Read the stories behind Enjoy’s three signature dishes.
Championing local produce
Joel works with the Kranji Countryside Association to champion locally grown produce through farm visits, videos and cooking demonstrations at farmers’ markets. His interest extends from meeting the people who grow the ingredients to sharing ways to cook with them.
In a video published by The Fish Farmer, Joel visits a local fish farm before returning to the restaurant kitchen to prepare its fish. Watch Chef Joel’s farm-to-table visit.
Discover Enjoy’s four outlets
Enjoy Eating House & Bar near Orchard Road serves Singaporean sharing dishes at Mercure Singapore on Stevens. Explore Grandma’s Te Kah Bee Hoon, Opeh Leaf Hokkien Mee and Rolls Royce Rendang on the full PDF menu. Supper has a separate menu from 9:30pm.
The Canteen by Enjoy brings Singaporean favourites to Kam Leng Hotel in Jalan Besar.
Heartland by Enjoy is a modern Nanyang café in Tampines, serving nasi lemak, laksa and Nanyang toast.
Home by Enjoy is a Singaporean restaurant in Bukit Merah for sharing dishes, family gatherings and private dining. The concept is a collaboration with filmmaker Jack Neo.
In the media
Selected coverage of Joel and his restaurants over the years. Older articles describe the restaurants and menus at the time of publication.
Malay Mail / TODAY — Joel’s early years at Rochor Thai (June 2015)
CNA Lifestyle — Aun Koh’s family dining guide featuring Enjoy (May 2019)
The Straits Times — Joel on restaurant life and food content (November 2024)
CNA — Eating Singapore-grown food for a week, featuring Enjoy (February 2025)
HungryGoWhere — Joel’s journey and Heartland by Enjoy (October 2025)
AsiaOne — Home by Enjoy with Joel Ong and Jack Neo (January 2026)
HungryGoWhere — The story behind Home by Enjoy (June 2026)
Follow Chef Joel
Find Joel’s cooking and food discoveries on Instagram and TikTok at @thechefjoelsg, or visit Chef Joel Ong on LinkedIn.