i. Biography
Cross-cultural cooking, as practiced at Nouri in Singapore, starts from a working premise rather than a theme: cuisines carry similarities because food cultures do not develop in isolation. In Ivan Brehm’s formulation, “We cook food which highlights similarities that exist between cuisines.” The work keeps connection, memory, taste and flavor inside the cooking, not outside it as explanation.
The Climb
Technical formation came through kitchens with different pressures and vocabularies: Ivan Brehm held kitchen roles at Per Se in New York, Mugaritz in Spain's Basque Country, and Hibiscus in London, then moved into research-led development as development chef at The Fat Duck / Heston Blumenthal's Experimental Kitchen. In Singapore, the shift into command came with the head chef role at Bacchanalia in 2013. The current practice is split between restaurant service and research structure: Brehm has been chef-owner of Nouri since 2017 and founder of Appetite Research Centre since 2018. The through-line is inquiry applied to cross-cultural expression, with precision expected at the plate rather than left in the idea.
Today
Crossroads cooking at Nouri is a cuisine built around correspondences between food cultures worldwide. Under Ivan Brehm, the method is not fusion as accumulation; it is comparison, translation and editing, with taste and flavor kept as the control points. The Kanzuri risotto with carabinero, 25-year-old balsamic and nasturtium leaf is one stated example of that method, presented in an interview about how Brehm unites cuisines through Crossroads cooking. The restaurant’s language can read unfamiliar before eating, but the intended test is recognition at the palate: “Our food looks 'out there' at first but people are captivated by how familiar our dishes feel.” Research at Appetite in Singapore extends the same questions beyond the restaurant plate, across food, art and music. Appetite was first founded as an R&D kitchen in 2018, and it launched in its own physical space in August 2020; Brehm is chef and owner of Appetite and founder of Appetite Research Centre from 2020 to present. The stated position is broad but practical for a working kitchen: “As a creative, I believe our task is to recognise all forms of human ingenuity as inspiring.”
Signature
Signature dishes include Kanzuri risotto with carabinero.
In Their Words “Our food looks 'out there' at first but people are captivated by how familiar our dishes feel.” “As a creative, I believe our task is to recognise all forms of human ingenuity as inspiring.”
Recognition
Ivan Brehm has received MICHELIN Guide Singapore: One MICHELIN star for Nouri (2018). Recognition for the Singapore work includes One MICHELIN star for The Kitchen at Bacchanalia under Brehm's leadership (2016).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ivan
What is Ivan Brehm's current role?
Ivan Brehm is Chef and Owner.
Where did Ivan Brehm work before?
Earlier in their career, Ivan Brehm worked at Per Se, Mugaritz, and Hibiscus.
What recognition has Ivan Brehm received?
One MICHELIN star for The Kitchen at Bacchanalia under Brehm's leadership (2016).
