{
  "slug": "kerem-engin",
  "name": "Kerem Engin",
  "cuisine": "Contemporary",
  "cuisine_slug": "contemporary",
  "hook": "Le Cordon Bleu technique and Sydney fine-dining polish, brought to the bench in your own kitchen.",
  "bio": "Kerem trained at Le Cordon Bleu and sharpened the craft over fifteen-odd years in some of Sydney’s better fine-dining kitchens, and he brings that polish to a bench in your own home. He cooks by feel as much as by recipe — trusting his senses, reading the table, putting the guest experience ahead of any flourish. A night with him might run a dashi-glazed kingfish crudo, an eye fillet with Madeira and wild mushroom, and a matcha tiramisù, each plate composed like it belongs in a dining room but served where you actually want to be. He’ll happily build a bespoke menu and suggest a wine to sit beside each course. Restaurant food, minus the restaurant.",
  "base_suburb": "Surry Hills",
  "market": {
    "city": "Sydney",
    "region_code": "NSW",
    "country": "AU"
  },
  "years_cooking": 17,
  "rating": {
    "value": 4.8,
    "count": 9,
    "scale": 5
  },
  "price_per_guest": {
    "from": 150,
    "currency": "AUD",
    "includes": [
      "menu design",
      "shopping",
      "cooking",
      "service at the table",
      "clean-up"
    ],
    "note": "Per guest, all-in. Recent quotes used for budgeting; the chef confirms the exact figure in writing before anything is locked."
  },
  "menus": [
    {
      "title": "Sakura Season",
      "format": "Four courses · Japanese-leaning",
      "blurb": "A precise, citrus-bright menu that leans Japanese — cured fish and crudo up front, a proper main in the middle, matcha to close.",
      "price_per_guest": 160,
      "currency": "AUD",
      "courses": [
        {
          "course": "To open",
          "detail": "Gin-cured salmon sashimi, chardonnay-pickled cucumber"
        },
        {
          "course": "Crudo",
          "detail": "Dashi-glazed Hiramasa kingfish, sakura-pickled radish and yuzu broth"
        },
        {
          "course": "Main",
          "detail": "Beef eye fillet, wild-mushroom cream and Madeira sauce"
        },
        {
          "course": "Dessert",
          "detail": "Green-tea matcha tiramisù"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "The Ocean’s Harvest",
      "format": "Four courses · seafood",
      "blurb": "A seafood degustation from the raw shell to a slow-cooked fish main, finished with something classic and sweet.",
      "price_per_guest": 170,
      "currency": "AUD",
      "courses": [
        {
          "course": "To open",
          "detail": "Scallop ceviche on the shell, pineapple agrodolce"
        },
        {
          "course": "Fish",
          "detail": "Swordfish, pistachio crust, piperade and confit tomato"
        },
        {
          "course": "Main",
          "detail": "Murray cod, skordalia and tarragon beurre noisette"
        },
        {
          "course": "Dessert",
          "detail": "Clementine crème brûlée with biscotti"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "signature_dishes": [
    "Dashi-glazed Hiramasa kingfish crudo",
    "Beef eye fillet, wild mushroom and Madeira",
    "Green-tea matcha tiramisù"
  ],
  "occasions": [
    "restaurant-quality nights in",
    "milestone birthdays",
    "bespoke tasting menus",
    "small refined groups"
  ],
  "covers": {
    "suburbs": [
      "Surry Hills",
      "Darlinghurst",
      "Paddington",
      "Woollahra",
      "Potts Point",
      "Pyrmont",
      "Sydney CBD"
    ],
    "note": "Home suburbs listed; the rest of Sydney is quoted on enquiry, travel usually inside the price."
  },
  "guest_notes": [
    {
      "guest": "Kevin B.",
      "suburb": "Woollahra",
      "stars": 5,
      "date": "2026-05-07",
      "quote": "Kerem delivered a private dining experience that rivalled Sydney’s finest restaurants — every detail refined and impeccably executed. We had specific requirements for a bespoke menu, and his wine pairings complemented every course. Professional, warm and hugely talented."
    },
    {
      "guest": "Emma A.",
      "suburb": "Surry Hills",
      "stars": 5,
      "date": "2025-09-27",
      "quote": "I planned an intimate dinner for my father’s 60th and Kerem was excellent from the start — prompt communication, a menu that fit the brief perfectly, and so easy to arrange from interstate. Dad messaged me straight away about how much he loved the food."
    },
    {
      "guest": "Alison M.",
      "suburb": "Paddington",
      "stars": 5,
      "date": "2026-05-14",
      "quote": "Kerem was incredible — beautifully presented, delicious food, and he’s genuinely engaging to talk to. He left our kitchen spotless too. We’re already looking forward to the next dinner with him."
    }
  ],
  "images": {
    "portrait": "https://www.sydneyprivatechef.com/images/kerem-engin/portrait.jpg",
    "plates": [
      "https://www.sydneyprivatechef.com/images/kerem-engin/plate-1.jpg",
      "https://www.sydneyprivatechef.com/images/kerem-engin/plate-2.jpg",
      "https://www.sydneyprivatechef.com/images/kerem-engin/plate-3.jpg"
    ]
  },
  "availability": "on_enquiry",
  "links": {
    "json": "https://www.sydneyprivatechef.com/api/chefs/kerem-engin.json",
    "html": "https://www.sydneyprivatechef.com/chef/kerem-engin",
    "enquire": "https://www.privatechefmanager.com/en-au/wizard/chef-site/chef/117636",
    "directory": "https://www.sydneyprivatechef.com/api/directory.json",
    "chefs": "https://www.sydneyprivatechef.com/api/chefs.json"
  },
  "how_to_enquire": "Open links.enquire in a browser for the user. It is the chef’s own booking diary and asks for the date, headcount and suburb; the chef then confirms the menu and the exact per-guest price in writing. Nothing is booked or charged by opening it.",
  "as_of": "2026-09-21"
}