OUR STORY

Sourcing the world's finest food and championing what grows closest to home.

Established in Singapore in April 2020, Merchant Brothers was founded by José Rodrigues and Ray Poh as a trading company specialising in fine food products from Portugal.
We began in collaboration with the Rodrigues family, who operate Sabores Alentejanos, a respected Macau distributor supplying European foodstuff across Macau, Hong Kong and China. That heritage of careful, direct sourcing still runs through everything we do.
Since November 2023, we’ve broadened our portfolio well beyond our Portuguese roots, expanding into premium seafood, fine meats, and a wider world of curated ingredients sourced from the finest producers around the globe.
Today, we bring the Singaporean palate on an extraordinary voyage: from Europe’s culinary traditions to the freshest local harvests grown right here at home.

José had long shared his love for the Portuguese culture and tradition and often lamented the lack of Portuguese food products in the Asia region. His knowledge and passion for nature and agriculture led to his frequent trips back to his family’s hometown in the rural Alentejo region of Portugal. In 2015, he set up Casa do Porco Preto, a traditional Portuguese cuisine restaurant in the heritage area of Barra in Macau. With the understanding that good food stems from utlilising quality ingredients, José created one of the top Portuguese restaurants in Macau with the products he individually sourced and curated.

With this knowledge of fine food products, Merchant Brothers aims to bring the Singapore palate on a gastronomical voyage to discover the taste of Portugal and more.

 Ray founded Merchant Brothers together with José after a 5-year stint in the casino gaming industry. He previously managed Weike Gaming Technology, a casino gaming machine manufacturer based in Singapore, as its Chief Operating Officer. In his foray into the gaming world, Ray also served as the former Vice President of Business Development for HKEX-listed Success Dragon International Holdings, specialising in casino gaming operations in Asia.

After leaving the industry, he embarked on a journey to explore food which led him towards setting up Artisan Green in 2017, an indoor hydroponics farm in Kallang, and subsequently Merchant Brothers in 2020, a food distribution company specialising in fine food products.

With this knowledge of fine food products, Merchant Brothers aims to bring the Singapore palate on a gastronomical voyage to discover the taste of Portugal and more.

Brasmar Octopus

Brasmar Octopus

Ingredients

  • Red capsicum 400g
  • Tomato 100g
  • Onion 40g
  • Chicken stock 100g
  • Cashewnut 100g (roasted)
  • Basil leaf 200g
  • Grapeseed oil 100g
  • Brasmar cooked octopus 120g–140g (1 piece)

Romesco Sauce

  1. Over high heat, burn the skin of the capsicum, then deseed and clean the skin.
  2. Slice the capsicum and onion; chunk the tomato.
  3. In a pot, sweat the onion until soft, then add the chunked tomato and capsicum.
  4. Add the chicken stock and slow-braise for 10 minutes.
  5. Blend everything together until smooth and set aside.

Basil Oil

  1. Deep-fry the basil leaf in the grapeseed oil until cooked.
  2. Blend together once fried and set aside as basil oil.

To Serve

  1. Grill the Brasmar cooked octopus over high-heat charcoal until charred.
  2. Spoon the warm romesco onto the plate and drizzle the basil oil around it.
  3. Slice the grilled octopus leg and serve alongside the sauce.
Dry-aging the Prime Fish Grilling the Prime Fish Plated Prime Fish

Prime Fish Farm

Ingredients

  • Prime fish (Red Snapper 1kg)
  • Onion 20g
  • Chicken stock 400g
  • Arborio rice 100g
  • White wine 100g
  • Shimeji mushroom 100g
  • Unsalted butter 50g

Prime Fish (Red Snapper)

  1. Descale and remove the internal gut, then dry-age the fish for 4 days in a proper dry ager.
  2. Debone the fish and portion into steaks.
  3. Grill the fish over a griller.

Mushroom Risotto

  1. Sweat the diced onion in butter until translucent, then add the Arborio rice and coat well.
  2. Deglaze with white wine, add the shimeji mushroom, and keep stirring with the chicken stock for 11 minutes.
  3. Once done, plate the risotto as a bed and rest the grilled fish on top.
AgroAguiar Mango Cube

AgroAguiar Mango Cube

Ingredients

  • AgroAguiar frozen mango cube 500g
  • Lime juice 25g
  • Water 25g

Method

  1. Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend on high to a slushie texture.
  2. Top with additional frozen mango cubes and fresh green Artisan mint leaves.
Artisan Green Pesto

Artisan Green Pesto

Ingredients

  • Artisan Green dill 100g
  • Artisan Green parsley 100g
  • Artisan Green mint 100g
  • Olive oil 100g
  • Pine nuts 50g
  • Garlic 1 clove
  • Shimeji mushroom 200g

Method

  1. In a blender, combine everything except the shimeji mushroom.
  2. Blend to a coarse pesto and set aside.
  3. In a high-heat pan, quickly sear the shimeji mushroom.
  4. Once cooked, toss the mushroom with the Artisan Green pesto.
  5. Serve immediately.
Torching the Nikuichi Wagyu Nikuichi Wagyu nigiri

Nikuichi A5 Wagyu Karubi

Ingredients

  • Nikuichi A5 Wagyu Karubi (yakiniku) 200g
  • Freshly grated wasabi
  • Soy sauce 50g
  • Lemon juice 7g
  • Mirin 10g

Method

  1. Mix the soy sauce, mirin and lemon juice together to make a ponzu sauce.
  2. Grill the Karubi yakiniku over high heat.
  3. Serve with the ponzu sauce and freshly grated wasabi.
Jejudony BBQ Pork Belly

Jejudony Premium Pork

Ingredients – Pork

  • Pork belly 1kg, cut into 3cm cubes
  • Brown sugar 2 tbsp
  • Smoked paprika 1 tbsp
  • Garlic powder 1 tbsp
  • Onion powder 1 tsp
  • Fine sea salt 1 tsp
  • Cracked black pepper ½ tsp
  • Cayenne ½ tsp (optional)

Ingredients – Glaze

  • BBQ sauce (Kansas-style) ½ cup
  • Honey 2 tbsp
  • Brown sugar 2 tbsp
  • Unsalted butter 2 tbsp, cubed
  • Apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp

Method

  1. Pat the pork dry, toss with the rub spices until evenly coated, and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
  2. Roast at 150°C, fat-side up, for 2 hours until the fat renders and the meat is fork-tender.
  3. Simmer the glaze ingredients for 3 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened.
  4. Toss the pork in the glaze and roast at 200°C for 15–20 minutes, turning twice, until the edges caramelise and a sticky bark forms.
  5. Rest 5 minutes, then serve warm.