Stirring Flavours

Username Stirring flavours

Password HER bright-eyed smile and easy-going manner are Not registered? Sign up here matched by an impeccable sense of style, and it Subscription : 4am-2pm seems perfectly natural that Suzanne Goin simply Free : 2pm onwards oozes confidence and good breeding. She's the sort HOME of person who knows exactly where she's headed LATEST NEWS and how she's going to get there - and it's a ALL THE HEADLINES TOP STORIES conclusion that comes merely from reading her press COMPANIES & MARKETS clippings and having an e-mail conversation with SINGAPORE NEWS her. REGIONAL NEWS WORLD NEWS With two hugely popular Los VIEWS & OPINIONS Angeles restaurants in her culinary SPECIAL FOCUS portfolio and a stack of gourmet BT MARKETS magazines touting her as a chef-of- SHIPPING TIMES the-moment (not to mention MAILBAG several where she's the featured WEEKLY BT SECTIONS 'cover girl'), it would probably be Weekend BT more accurate to say that Goin has BizIT already arrived. In the more literal Executive Lifestyle sense, local epicureans will be Executive Suite

Executive Money Motoring pleased to know that she'll be More Story Photos arriving in Singapore as well, as a MCKINSEY QUARTERLY masterchef for the World Gourmet SUPPLEMENTS/ SPECIALS Summit. DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY ASIA World Gourmet Summit Goin, 37, who along with business partner Caroline Styne owns the BT STATISTICS fine dining restaurant Lucques and BT Tables its more casual wine bar-cum- Corporate Transparency eatery A.O.C. is noted for her top BT/LEK Scorecard Click on the thumbnail above for a quality ingredients, simplicity-of- full size view BT SERVICES cooking style and Mediterranean- BT Mobile inspired menus. Her food will be Other headlines Site Map featured at the Four Seasons FAQ • Dishing up humour Hotel's One-Ninety restaurant Suzanne Goin: 'I am inspired by • Oil you need to know the flavours of the during the second week of the • Feed on excitement BT SEARCH Mediterranean - France, Spain, World Gourmet Summit, from April Portugal, Italy, North Africa, • Asian twist Search: Greece and so on - bold, earthy, 25 to April 30. robust.' • Wine encounters 'I believe in seeking out the best locally-grown organic produce • Eating for good health and preparing it in a way that lets the ingredients shine,' says Goin in an e-mail interview. 'To be a great cook you have to respect the ingredients, where they come from, how they were Back to "Supplements" index grown (sustainability is very important) and the care it took to bring them to your kitchen.'

Having worked for some of the biggest names in the Western culinary world along the way - Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, Alain Passard at Arpege, Todd English at Olives, Mark Peel and

Nancy Silverton at Campanile - Goin developed a naturalistic style of presenting her dishes, allowing the beauty of the ingredient to speak for itself.

'I am inspired by the flavours of the Mediterranean - France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, North Africa, Greece and so on - bold, earthy, robust,' she says. 'I strive to make my food sensuous, deeply and intensely flavorful. I love to play with traditional combinations and flavours and make new interpretations.'

Both her restaurants cater to a sophisticated urban clientele, but Lucques (named for an obscure French olive) is more formal while A.O.C. (named for Appellation d'Origine Controlee, the French system for controlling the geographical denomination of wine) has more of a bustling contemporary feel. Like their chef, there are no airs about these places - only plenty of good food.

With L.A. being in close proximity to Hollywood, there is also the inevitable celebrity connection. Lucques is even set in an old carriage house which once belonged to silent movie star Harold Lloyd. Here, the menu is a simple single page that features six appetisers and nine main courses that change with the local produce and seasons about every two months.

Goin describes A.O.C. as a full restaurant with the heart and soul of a wine bar. 'We feature 50 wines by the glass and 25 cheeses to choose from, and there is also a section of house- made charcuterie - pork rilletes, foie gras, chicken liver with pancetta, sweetbread terrines and so on,' she says, adding that the influences are more Spanish and Portuguese.

The menu concept at A.O.C. is deceptively simple and divided into salads, fish, meat, vegetables and her favourite, 'from the wood-burning oven'. 'There are no traditional appetisers and main courses here,' says Goin. 'The idea is for people to share and interact with each other and with the food. It is a really fun, charged environment, and a great and different way for me to get to experiment with new flavours.'

Diners at the WGS can expect a representative sampling of some popular dishes from both of Goin's restaurants. For instance, suckling pig - confit-style and served with crispy skin over braised leeks with romesco sauce and quince paste - is loved by the regulars at Lucques and will be available at One- Ninety for dinner.

Another house favourite is braised beef shortribs with fingerling potatoes, haricots verts and tapenade - a dish that will be featured during a masterchef safari (where diners eat six courses at three different locations).

Goin adds: 'Our hazelnut brown butter cake with caramel ice cream and fleur de set isn't just a hit with the customers - I actually had our pastry chef make a giant one for my wedding cake!'

It is patently obvious that Goin is not the type of chef who is easily swayed by trends in cuisines around the world.

'I am interested to see what other chefs are doing but I am not the first person to jump on the bandwagon just because something is 'trendy',' she says. 'I think it is more important to follow your heart and the type of food that speaks to you instead of trying to give people what you think they want.'

Suzanne Goin will be cooking at the Four Seasons Hotel from April 25 to April 30. Her food will also be featured during the Masterchef Safari dinner series on April 27 and 28 ($300 per person). Goin will conduct a culinary masterclass on April 26 from 9am to 10.30am ($90 per person) at the Singapore Tourism Court Auditorium. American Express is the presenting partner of the World Gourmet Summit 2004. Cardholders can enjoy up to 20 per cent savings on selected events. Give feedback on this article

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