Chef Rose Ang: From Nobu to DOMO — A 29-Year Culinary Journey
By DOMO Modern Japanese
How one Singaporean chef's path through Nobu, Zuma, Rockpool and Four Seasons led to her own robatayaki sanctuary at Fairmont Singapore.
In Singapore's ever-evolving dining landscape, few chefs bring the depth of global experience that Chef Rose Ang carries into the kitchen at DOMO Modern Japanese. Her journey — spanning nearly three decades and four continents — is the reason every dish at DOMO feels both technically serious and deeply personal.
The Nobu Years
Chef Rose's career reached its defining chapter as Executive Chef and Director of Food & Beverage at Nobu Hospitality, where she oversaw kitchens across Greece, Switzerland, Italy and Germany — including the legendary Badrutt's Palace in St. Moritz. At Nobu, she mastered the art of Japanese-Peruvian fusion at the highest level, learning to balance bold flavours with restraint, a philosophy that would become the cornerstone of her cooking.
A Global Kitchen Education
Before Nobu, Chef Rose honed her craft at some of the world's most acclaimed restaurants:
- Zuma and Roka (Macau) — The izakaya-style precision that shaped her understanding of robatayaki and charcoal grilling
- Rockpool Dining Group (Melbourne) — Neil Perry's empire, where Australian produce meets Asian technique
- Four Seasons (France) — A consulting role that deepened her European sensibility
- Marriott Sydney and Millennium & Copthorne — Where her foundation in hotel fine dining was built
Coming Home to Singapore
In 2025, Chef Rose returned to Singapore to open DOMO Modern Japanese at Fairmont Singapore — taking over the space formerly occupied by Mikuni. The name DOMO (創) means "creation," and it reflects her vision: a restaurant where Japanese precision meets European refinement, centred around the primal art of binchotan robatayaki.
"I wanted to create a place where every dish tells a story of where I've been," Chef Rose says. "The technique is Japanese, the influences are global, but the heart is personal."
What Makes DOMO Different
At DOMO, the robata grill is the heartbeat of the kitchen. Premium meats and seafood are grilled over binchotan charcoal — the same white charcoal prized in Japan for its clean, intense heat and smoky depth. But Chef Rose's European training shows in unexpected touches: Dijon mustard miso on seared salmon, Greek feta in a tuna sashimi taco, yuzu and truffle on crispy halibut.
The result is food that feels familiar yet surprising — technically controlled, generous in spirit, and always balanced.
The Tasting Experience
Beyond the à la carte menu, DOMO offers chef-led tasting progressions from the $88++ Signature Tasting to bespoke omakase up to $300++. Each course builds on the last, culminating in the Domo Arigato Finale — a sharing dessert platter of matcha tiramisu, chocolate lava cake and house-made ice creams.
DOMO Modern Japanese is located at Level 3, Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road. Open for lunch and dinner daily.