enya FASHION QUEEN

TEXT｜Amy Liu , TRANSLATION | Eugenia Yang

FIREPLAY木質門店的玻璃櫥窗內，炭火燒過的木屑灑落在金屬容器內，代表FIREPLAY主理人Nick 蘇濟恒與炭火交流的痕跡，金屬線條與木頭擺件在暗色的帷幕前如舞台劇一般讓人忍不住駐足觀賞，小小的宇宙飛船從新加坡啟程，前往雪梨、香港、日本等地一步一步認識火焰，最後到了台灣航站點起一簇小小的火苗，不斷地發光發熱直至星火燎原……。

Through the glass window display of FirePlay, the wood chops charred by charcoal are scattered into metal containers – a symbol of the interaction shared between Nick Sor and charcoal. The metal lines and wooden ornaments sitting in front of the dark curtains entice passersby to stop and enjoy the theatrical presentation. His small spaceship embarked from Singapore, journeying to destinations such as Sydney, Hong Kong and Japan, where he got the chance to further explore the flames. Finally, it arrived at the station of Taiwan and ignited a tiny flame that continued to glow and heat up, until it started to spread like wildfire. 

生熟之間

「玩火其實很簡單啦！」FIREPLAY的主理人Nick 蘇濟恒大笑著說，但親眼見過他在爐火前面對高高燃起的火焰與炭火散發熱力的場景絕對說不出這是一件「簡單」的事，更何況在高溫之下還要把控食材的鮮美及熟成，少一分脆生，多一分老韌，精準到以秒計數的火烤技術是從世界各地的頂級餐廳朝夕累積，並非一蹴而就，並且Nick堅持一人現烤，餐期時段只有主廚負責料理，隨時掌握客人的用餐進度、及時調整出餐及料理狀態。看到在爐火台前已經操練多年的Nick與上騰的火舌溝通的畫面，不得不感嘆來訪顧客們所欣賞到的精采火秀。

In between Raw and Cooked 

“Playing with fire is actually quite easy!” exclaims Sor, chef and owner of FirePlay, as he laughs heartily. However, witnessing the way he faces the towering flames and the heat emanating from the charcoal grill, not to mention his ability to cook the ingredients perfectly under such high temperatures, it is almost hard for one to describe the scene as “easy.” A minute less, the meat might be undercooked. And a minute extra? It can be overcooked. Timed to the second, his precise cooking technique is accumulated from years of experience in top restaurants around the world, which is not something that he achieved overnight. Chef Sor also insists on cooking everything personally, which is why during dining hours, only he is present and in charge of all the cooking. This way, he can monitor each guest’s dining pace and make adjustments, in terms of serving and cooking, when needed. Seeing Chef Sor, who has been working with an open fire for years, communicating with the blazing flames, one cannot help but envy the guests who get to enjoy the gorgeous flame show upon each visit.

ALL-ROUNDER

不只是「一人跑全場」的服務模式，連餐廳的各種設計、音樂、餐具挑選都由Nick親力親為，板前座位上方的鐵件更是從廢鐵場挑選廢鐵，漆上特效漆仿舊做出木頭與金屬共存的質感。細節狂魔的態度在料理上更是如此，身為新加坡人的Nick從小到大接觸過的都是進口食材，但在台灣寶島的在地市場挖掘新鮮食材已經成為他的日常，除了少數外場服務生，主廚幾乎完整包辦餐期時段的料理，令人驚訝的是FIREPLAY記錄著客人們曾經享用過的飲食菜單，為了避免經常光顧的熟客吃到完全相同的菜單，會依照紀錄更換菜品，細心程度驚人，熟客們有時候會成為下一季菜單的「首發試菜員」，率先品嘗「食尚界的超季單品」。

All-Rounder 

More than just providing a “one-man show” service, the interior design, music and tableware in the restaurant are all personally taken care of by Chef Sor. The iron pieces above the counter seats are carefully selected from the scrapyard and painted with a special aged effect to capture the texture where wood and metal coexist. His attention to detail extends to the cooking process as well. As a Singaporean, Sor grew up with imported ingredients, and yet, exploring fresh local produce in Taiwan has already become his daily routine. Apart from a few servers in the restaurant, he single-handedly takes care of almost all the cooking during service hours. To our surprise, FirePlay also keeps a complete record of dishes served each day, in order to avoid regulars from having the same menu and adjust the selection accordingly. Sometimes regulars will become taste testers for next season’s menu and get the chance to sample pre-season items before anyone else. 

直火料理

直火料理在一般印象中最重要的就是用火候刺激出食材本味，FIREPLAY不做預先烹調的前置作業，採不舒肥、不醃漬的料理方式，使用食材原味直球對決，各種當季食材的滋味與木柴香氣結合，乾淨的纖維本質與略帶粗曠的炭烤風味在黑色微金的鑄鐵盤中矛盾又和諧的迸發，然而主廚並沒有停下腳步，又在這直率的「火味」之上更進一步運用法餐邏輯變化醬汁，突破直火料理被原味限制的框架，原以為是「硬漢」風格的料理手法，卻細心地將魚、肉的骨與刺剃除讓客人優雅用餐，不管在食材、醬汁、用餐體驗都朝著更頂級的燒烤料理前進。

Open Fire Cuisine 

Open fire cooking is primarily about bringing out the natural flavor of ingredients through the right temperature. At FirePlay, there is no pre-cooking preparation involved. Without marinating or sous vide, the cooking method opts for the pure essence of ingredients that allows their natural flavors to shine. The flavors of seasonal ingredients are combined with the aroma of wood to further highlight an explosion of flavor achieved by the clean texture of fibers and the slightly rugged charcoal grilling – a unique combination of contradiction and harmony blooms within the black-gold cast iron. But Chef Sor does not stop here. Building upon the straightforward flavor of fire, he plays around with the sauces using French culinary logic and breaks free from the limitations of traditional open fire cooking. What appears to be a rather “tough” cooking style is delicately executed through serving boneless fish and meat to create an elegant dining experience. From the ingredients, sauces to the experience, everything strives towards achieving a more sophisticated barbecue cuisine. 

絕無冷場

許多餐廳會在每季菜單上附加概念，不論是季節、藝術、哲學……等都會被運用在菜單設計上，而來到FIREPLAY主題只有一個，就是號稱「掌控火焰力與美的男人」Nick 蘇濟恒，「我覺得這裡就是我的延伸。」他說。話說回直火料理，為什麼主廚會選擇直火料理這種對溫度耐受力要求極高的烹飪方式呢？Nick說：「其實你問我週末會去吃燒烤嗎？也不多，但是我認為『直火』，是最能表現『我』的料理方式。」FIREPLAY就是Nick展現自己的舞台，在他經營餐廳的同時也在自我實現，如果你也喜歡火烤的滋味，或是充滿個性的主廚Nick不妨造訪FIREPLAY體驗超乎想像的頂級直火料理體驗。

No Dull Moments Allowed 

Many restaurants create seasonal menus through focusing on a certain concept. It can be about the season, art, philosophy and more, all of which are incorporated into the menu design. However, at FirePlay, it is all about Nick Sor, who is also known as the master of flame and beauty. “This place is an extension of myself,” says Sor. With open fire cuisine in mind, we asked him why choose a cooking method that requires such a high tolerance for temperature? He replies, “To be honest, if you ask me if I go out for barbecues on the weekends, my answer would be no. But I believe open fire is the cooking method that best represents who I am.” FirePlay is Sor’s stage to showcase himself, a place where he can manage the restaurant and express his identity with comfort at the same time. If you are intrigued by the flavor of charcoal-grilling or the charismatic chef Sor himself, perhaps you should visit FirePlay for an extraordinary, top-notch open fire dining experience that will definitely blow your mind.