Pizza gets personal at this secret private dining experience in the East

Good looks may draw you in, but it’s what they serve that will make you stay. In this three-part series, we meet the handsome chefs behind a private pizza omakase, a Michelin-starred Nusantara kitchen, and a Southern Italian trattoria – each bringing passion, personality, and serious flavour to the table.

By day, Julien Li works as a business consultant. But come the weekend, his East Coast home transforms into Zuzu Kitchen – a by-reservation-only, pizza omakase experience that’s quietly built a cult following. Entirely self-taught, with roots in Mauritian home cooking and a love for fermentation, Julien is known for his three-day dough: light, crisp, and deeply considered.

Julien Li, 34
Chef-founder, Zuzu Kitchen

Zuzu is a nickname my friends back home gave me, and somehow it stuck. Zuzu Kitchen is a slow-dining pizza omakase that I host in my Marine Parade home. The concept began during the pandemic, fuelled by insomnia, Mauritian memories, and a pizza oven I had shipped from Italy. What started as a quiet hobby turned into a ritual, and eventually, a table I now share with guests.

I grew up in Mauritius, where French influence ran deep, and bread was a fixture at every meal. Pizza was more like a weekly ritual than a treat to me. I remember making mini pizzas after school with my grandma, spreading rougaille, our Mauritian tomato chutney, over toast and topping it with cheese. Sundays meant church, followed by Pizza Hut with my parents – a tradition I looked forward to all week.

During Covid, that nostalgia turned into obsession. I spent nights researching fermentation and dough, testing recipes, and eventually shipping in a pizza oven from Italy. When my best friend suggested I start hosting, I laughed. But by November 2020, I took the leap, and Zuzu Kitchen was born.

Every dough at Zuzu Kitchen goes through a three-day cold fermentation – a process that makes it lighter, more flavourful, and easier to digest. Good flour, proper time, a reliable oven matters, of course, but love is still the most important ingredient of all.

One of our signatures is a pumpkin cream pizza, inspired by something I grew up eating in Mauritius – sweet, comforting, and always on the table with rice or prata. I also use coriander a lot. It’s a staple in Mauritian cooking, and when used right, it lifts the whole dish without overpowering it.

The menu changes every few months, usually guided by whatever inspires me – a meal I had while travelling, something seasonal at the market, or an idea that won’t let go. What stays constant is quality and intention; we use the best ingredients we can find and make sure nothing goes to waste.

There are ingredients I look forward to all year. In summer, it’s Italian Datterino tomatoes – small, sweet, and bursting with flavour – along with French and Spanish stone fruits that brighten our salads and tarts. By Christmas, I’m sourcing French butter, Italian candied fruit, and Belgian chocolate for our panettone. It’s a lot of work, but also one of my favourite seasonal highlights in the kitchen.

If you manage to score a seat at Zuzu Kitchen this month, don’t miss the free shot of Mauritian rum. But fair warning, it only comes out if the chef likes you.

For more information, visit Zuzu Kitchen on Instagram.

Photography Athirah Annissa & Lawrence Teo
Art Direction Adeline Eng & Ray Ticsay
Hair & Makeup Mandy Yeo / PaletteInc, using NARS & Revlon Professional