Less carbs for a Pow-er meal

You could say local actor Shane Pow is conscious of what he eats - he tries to cut down on carbohydrates during dinner, consuming more protein instead.

We sat down with the 26-year-old at casual western restaurant Lenas at Bugis+ last week, where Pow ordered the signature premium pork ribs served with parmesan fries and cheese sauce, grilled prime ribeye with a side of coleslaw, Parma ham pizza, mixed seafood pasta and mint lemon tea.

With three carbohydrate-heavy dishes on the table, Pow, who has a love-hate relationship with food, jokingly said: "Now that there are so many of us sharing, I do not feel as guilty compared to when I am eating alone."

The Beam Artistes artist, who is co-managed by Mediacorp, said he enjoyed the ribs and pizza most.

"The ribs were well-marinated, and I liked the pizza's thin crust. Most importantly, I could taste the cheese," he said.

Pow, a co-founder of food establishment Mojo at Telok Ayer, also raved about the steak and pasta.

"If the seafood is not fresh, you will be able to smell it after it turns cold. In this case, it was pretty good," he said.

He will be starring as naval officer-in-training Yao Wei Guo in upcoming local drama When Duty Calls, which premieres on July 31 and will air on weekdays on Channel 8 at 9pm.

Pow will also be travelling to different parts of China, including Hunan and Inner Mongolia, for several travel-related projects next month.

Did filming When Duty Calls remind you of the food you had during your army days?

I think it reminded me more of the ups and downs I have been through, because we were filming on Pulau Tekong most of the time.

I was even mistaken for an actual recruit by a sergeant, who scolded me for not tucking my T-shirt and shorts in properly - that certainly brought back a lot of memories of my army days (laughs).

I was posted to Chong Pang Camp after my basic military training, and I really enjoyed the breakfast in the area, such as the black-and-white carrot cake and wonton mee.

Who is the better cook? You or your girlfriend, Kimberly?

We make a good combination, actually.

One day, we tried to cook steak for the first time at home, and it turned out pretty well. We just follow recipes on Facebook.

I would not say who is better, but because our mothers have different cooking styles, we would experiment and try each other's food. It is quite fun.

Have you ever worked in a restaurant?

I did, a few times. I have worked as a waiter at Sakae Sushi and as a bartender.

I like to work the night shift - at sushi places, they cannot keep the sushi, so we got to eat whatever was left (laughs).

Bartending is the same. It was not like we drank on the job, but we got to try the cocktails when we were mixing them.

I think that sparked my interest in food and beverage. It was something I enjoyed doing - it was not only fast paced, I also got to see how the food was prepared and learn some recipes.

Working as a server gave me a perspective on what I wanted to do in the future.

What is one ingredient you cannot live without?

Chilli. That is why I sound so bad - I ate too much chillies the past few days (laughs).

Whenever I eat Asian food, I like to eat it with chilli padi, so it is a habit already. But for other types of food, such as bak zhang (rice dumplings) and fries, I like to have them with chilli sauce.

When I went to Australia to attend a friend's wedding in March last year, I was craving chilli, so we went to Nando's to have its hot peri-peri pepper sauce.