ANOTHER FINE EVENING AT LYNNETTE'S KITCHEN

To mark her return to the concert stage, Cultural Medallion Recipient Lynnette Seah, the only full-time violinist to have been accorded this honour, will be performing a solo concert From My Life on 19 August 2026 at Esplanade Recital Studio. Lynnette was founding member of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 1979 and the Co-Leader of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra from 1981 to her retirement in 2019.

 

Cultural Medallion recipient Jeremy Monteiro
with Robert Mulyarahardjo from Jakarta. 
Former Malaysian Philharmonic concertmaster
Markus Gundermann with Pianomaniac.

On Tuesday 19 May 2026, her close friends and collaborators were invited to Lynnette's Kitchen in Tiong Bahru for a superb meal, a spread of her famous Peranakan delicacies. 

Just the starters,
Emping & Keropok with sambal
and a well-filled Ngoh Hiang

Laksa prawn and crab leg paella,
a Lynnette's Kitchen speciality

Sambal goreng and tempeh,
eaten with blue pea nasi lemak.

There was no music-making that evening, just serious feasting and keeping up with the latest in both the local classical music and jazz worlds. Lynnette is one of few people to be able to unite those disparate communities, which is a testament of her inclusiveness and popularity. Here are the treats, guaranteed to earn every person who attended that few extra calories and kilos.  

Lynnette's piece de resistance,
the Oxtail Rendang

Buah keluak pork ribs, simply delicious!

What a mix of colours & flavours!

Jeremy plans to bring Lynnette's Kitchen
to Robert's arts centre in Jakarta.

Former USAF pilot Alex Goberno
used to fly arms to one Osama bin Laden
(when he was an ally). Concert pianist Albert Tiu
and Susan listen on intently.

Dessert was being served, after that it was catching up with the latest gossip, stories that would make anyone blush. Thanks to the wine, no one could tell the difference. The atmosphere of informality and casualness at Lynnette's makes everyone feel at home.

Jazz singer Alemay Fernandez,
writer Sharon Yeo with our host.

Visible proof that our tummies
were well-filled for the evening.

Ong Lin Wei's newest composition
will be premiered by Lynnette on 19 August

Book your tickets now!

LYNNETTE'S KITCHEN

An Exclusive Private Dining Experience

PRIVATE FINE DINING @ LYNNETTE'S KITCHEN

What does a veteran violinist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra do after retiring following a storied 41-year professional musical career? In the case of Cultural Medallion recipient Lynnette Seah, leader of SSO's inaugural concerts in 1979 and co-concertmaster until 2019, it was a career change as a gourmet chef to become the leader of Singapore's private fine dining scene.

Lynnette's Kitchen (www.lynnetteskitchen) started informally in 2016 when she entertained several guests at her Tiong Bahru home, and she was encouraged to up the game upon her retirement from the orchestra. The Covid pandemic came in 2020, and Lynnette used the time to dispel retirement blues and dream big, and when communal meals became a possibility, her private dining career blossomed. She specialises in Peranakan (Straits Chinese) cuisine and we had the pleasure of being her guests for dinner on 9 April 2025 in the company of good friends.

And here are the photos of what happened, and what we enjoyed on this special evening:

Getting to know you!
Professor Lim Seh Chun (SUTD)
meets artist-painter May Oon
& German culture chief Huang Ying.

Lynnette busy in the kitchen
preparing tamarind squid.

Snacks, keropok and belinjo crackers
are best eaten with Lynnette's special sambal.

Lynnette is the perfect host.

Tamarind squid made for the perfect starter.

Nothing beats a "simple" sambal kangkong
with generous helpings of hae bee hiam. 

Everybody's ready to tuck in!

Main course: BBQ jumbo prawns
with pesto sauce

A modest first helping of mine.

The latest reunion of TBM (three bald men)
with Wilson Wang subbing for Kee Kirk Chin.

Main course: Chicken buah keluak
with meat that melts off the bone!

Main course: a divine beef rendang

Ladies having a fine time.

Lynnette's musical and culinary career,
working with and entertaining 
Martha Argerich & Lee Hsien Loong.

And now for something different!

For the record, we played
Kreisler's Liebesleid & Liebesfreud
and Rachmaninoff's Vocalise.

And the non-musical dessert
was Chendol!

Lynnette reminiscing about the many highs
and few lows of a legendary musical career.

We all had a great evening!

And you can too,

by checking out this website:

www.lynnetteskitchen.com