A Malaysian BBQ Dinner with Jessy Manuel

Join us for a dinner that is part homecoming, part healing, part celebration — a one-night collaborative preview of a new in-home restaurant rooted in fire, family, and the flavors of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

For one night only, Songbird Parlour welcomes a special collaborative dinner - a four-course preview of a new in-home restaurant inspired by fire, memory, and family.

Rooted in Southeast Asian and Pacific island flavors, the menu explores BBQ marinated in aromatics like ginger and lemongrass, then cooked slowly over open flame. Every dish is deeply personal, a reflection of heritage, comfort, and the kind of food meant to gather people together.

Years ago, before my father passed away, I asked him what he wanted for his celebration of life. He said simply: "I don't know… just have a BBQ."

For a long time, I couldn't bring myself to do it. This dinner - and the business being born from it - is finally that BBQ. Not just for one day, but for every day the fire is lit and the doors are open.

This collaboration is a first look at that story told through four courses: smoke, citrus, spice, sweetness, and the feeling of feeding people you love. Come hungry. Come curious. Come celebrate life with us.

This is more than dinner — it's a first chapter, a long-overdue BBQ, and an invitation to be part of something being built with love.

Menu:

• First Course - Banana Blossom Salad, lemon, fried shallot, fish sauce, fresh mint, rau ram
• Second Course - Shrimp, kaffir lime, tomato water, Thai basil
• Third Course - BBQ Chicken and Coconut Garlic Rice, lemongrass, ginger, vinegar, black pepper
• Fourth Course - Marinated Cherries and Plums, egg white, palm sugar, hibiscus, sumac

About the Chef:

Jessy Manuel has spent more than twenty years cooking in some of the most extraordinary kitchens in the world — from remote outposts to Michelin-starred dining rooms — connecting people through food, storytelling, and music. Now, she is weaving all three together in a new chapter: intimate food events, a YouTube channel, and an Instagram page where her artfully crafted stories find their audience. This dinner is the spark that lights that fire — a tribute to her father, her heritage, and the belief that the best meals are the ones made for the people you love.