Food, dining & hospitality · Singapore

Janina

Content for dining rooms, hawker counters and hotels worth the journey. Photographed at the table and written with a poet's ear.

Locations: Singapore · Bali · Hong Kong Craft: Brand Strategy · Short-form Video · Editorial Photography · Captions Focus: Full-time food storytelling practice from 2027

Configure a Brief → View the table Watch Reels

Singapore · Late Supper

The red room, late supper Photographed tableside

Selected tables

Butcher's Block
Bottega di Carne
The Cave by Ryan Clift
Medusa
Pete's Place
Tanjong Beach Club
Solo Ristorante
Cloudstreet
El Kabron
SUSHISAMBA

About Janina

A writer first. A photographer second. Always hungry.

I've lived in Hong Kong, Bali and Singapore and eaten my way through all three. Before making content of my own, I spent years in brand strategy and copywriting, so I know what a brief is really asking for.

I've also worked in business development, so I think about your content the way you do. Will it stop the scroll? Will it fill tables? Will people trust it? From 2027, food is my full-time work.

I shoot the way I write my essays. I look for the small, true moment: the crackle on the pork, the first sip, the second you decide you're coming back.

Since 2017 Writing about restaurants & hospitality

3 Cities Singapore, Bali, Hong Kong

BA English Waterloo & Athabasca University

Portfolio

At the table

Every photograph here is my own, taken in real dining rooms, cafés and bars across Singapore, Bali and Hong Kong. Click any plate to explore sensory notes and creative hooks.

Click any photo for tasting notes & caption

Wagyu Sliders at Butcher's Block — Wagyu Sliders Wood-fire Steakhouse

Caviar at Brunch at Tanjong Beach Club — Caviar at Brunch Coastal Beach Club & Brunch

The Red Room at Medusa — The Red Room Late-Night Dining & Room

Angel Hair & Caviar at Fine Dining — Angel Hair & Caviar Contemporary French-Japanese

Bresaola & 24-Month Parmesan at Casa Vostra — Bresaola & 24-Month Parmesan Aperitivo & Salumeria

Signature Uni Tagliolini at Solo Ristorante — Signature Uni Tagliolini Authentic Northern Italian

Mezze for the Whole Table at Alati — Mezze for the Whole Table Greek Seafood Taverna

Hotpot for One at Haidilao — Hotpot for One Sichuan Hotpot & Comfort

T-Bone with Charred Rosemary at Nomada — T-Bone with Charred Rosemary Open-Fire Grill

The Front Bar at People People — The Front Bar Neighborhood Cocktail Room

Tiger Prawns on Ice at Lavo — Tiger Prawns on Ice Rooftop Italian Seafood

Steak on Bone Marrow Mash at Butcher's Block — Steak on Bone Marrow Mash Wood-fire Steakhouse

Smokehouse Platter at Meatsmith — Smokehouse Platter Texas Barbecue Craft

Golden Broth Poured Tableside at Birds of a Feather — Golden Broth Poured Tableside Modern Sichuan-French

Hand-Cut Steak Tartare at Fine Dining — Hand-Cut Steak Tartare Classic Parisian Bistro

Two Pies, One Table at Da Michele — Two Pies, One Table Neapolitan Pizzeria

Smash Burger & Rosemary Fries at People People — Smash Burger & Rosemary Fries Casual Eatery & Craft Beer

Dinner in the Cave at Cavern Restaurant — Dinner in the Cave Subterranean Dining & Experience

Steak, Foie Gras & Tacos at El Kabron — Steak, Foie Gras & Tacos Cliffside Spanish & Sunset

Wild Herb Lettuce Cup at Butcher's Block — Wild Herb Lettuce Cup Wood-fire Gastronomy

Dry-Aged Tomahawk at Bottega di Carne — Dry-Aged Tomahawk Italian Butchery & Grill

The French Dip at Temper — The French Dip Craft Sandwich Counter

Botanical Petits Fours at Cloudstreet — Botanical Petits Fours 2-Star Michelin Experiential

Charred Mediterranean Octopus at Alati — Charred Mediterranean Octopus Greek Taverna

Wild Sea Bream in Saffron Broth at Medusa — Wild Sea Bream in Saffron Broth Mediterranean Coastal

Sashimi Above the Clouds at SUSHISAMBA — Sashimi Above the Clouds Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian

Neon Sashimi & Late Beats at Kinki — Neon Sashimi & Late Beats Urban Japanese & Rooftop

Cantabrian Anchovy & Piquillo at Solo Ristorante — Cantabrian Anchovy & Piquillo Spanish-Italian Tapas

Fried Montanara with San Daniele at Fortuna — Fried Montanara with San Daniele Neapolitan Trattoria

The Marchand Artisan Cheese Table at 10 Scotts — The Marchand Artisan Cheese Table French Fromagerie & Wine Bar

Warm Rice Tuna Hand Roll at Rappu — Warm Rice Tuna Hand Roll Modern Hand Roll Bar

Bolognese Tagliatelle al Ragù at Caffe Italia — Bolognese Tagliatelle al Ragù Traditional Emilia-Romagna

Charred Skewers & Chilled Wine at Capasso — Charred Skewers & Chilled Wine Contemporary Oenoteca & Grill

Short-Form Motion

The 20-second hook architecture

UGC reels shouldn't feel like generic ads. We capture authentic tableside pacing: the sizzling crust, the slow broth pour, the room humming at midnight.

❚❚

UGC REEL Butcher's Block · Raffles

Janina

@janinatran · Dining UGC

The 3-second crust rule: If your steak doesn't make this sound, send it back.

♫ Original Tableside Audio · Sizzle & Jazz

Select A Reel Concept

Captions & Voice

The words are part of the work.

I write the hook, the script and the caption myself, in a voice that sounds like a person and makes people hungry.

"I live for a steak with a real crust. This one came off the wood fire charred on the outside and perfectly blushing pink inside, on a bone marrow potato purée that was lick-the-plate worthy."

Butcher's Block, Raffles Arcade

Love, Janina

From the newsletter

Personal essays on love, memory and starting over. The same attention and sensory depth I bring to every table.

Explore all essays on Substack ↗

Services & Packages

Working together

Every commission includes scripting, one round of revisions and raw files on request. Usage rights and whitelist ad rights are customized to your launch schedule.

An introduction

The Taste

One vertical video (15–30s)
Three opening hook variations
Poetic, SEO-optimized caption
Delivered within 7 days

Ideal for single hero dish or cocktail launch

Most requested

The Story

Three vertical videos (15–60s)
Custom voiceover scripts & audio
Ten editorial table stills (4:5)
Captions for every piece

Complete food & room storytelling

For openings & retainers

The Season

Six or more videos over a month
Content plan built from your brief
Carousels, stills, and paid ad cuts
Whitelisting consultation included

By proposal / Monthly partnership

Deliverable Formats

Instagram Reels & carousels · TikTok · Photography in 4:5 and 1:1 · Paid Meta ad cuts · Long-form newsletter copy

The Process

From brief to posted

Brief

You share the menu, the audience, and what success looks like for the season.

II.

Script

Tested hooks, a concise script and a shot list return to you for sign-off.

III.

Shoot

Natural light, real service, real appetite. Edited for vertical conversion.

IV.

Deliver

Final files, captions and raw clips, ready for organic or paid promotion.

1. Select Deliverable Package

2. Add-On Options & Ad Rights

3. Dining Location

Your Tailored Brief

Collaboration Overview

Janina

A writer first. A photographer second. Always hungry.

At the table

The 20-second hook architecture

The anatomy of a dining UGC brief

The words are part of the work.

From the newsletter

Working together

The Taste

The Story

The Season

From brief to posted

Brief

Script

Shoot

Deliver

Tell me about your table.

Seven Minutes in Heaven