AsiaCuisine: Weekly Ezine Volume 5 Issue 11 Page 1 of 8

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Volume 5, Issue 11 | 9 March 2003

Have You Heard | Chefs | & | Health | Events | Products | | Wine & Beverage

Feature Story An Away From an Island If you're looking for a quiet, uncomplicated offshore holiday in the tropics with exciting city life seemingly far away but actually not more than a 20 minute drive away, this may be the best news you've heard in awhile. The idyllic Beaufort hotel on island has been recently Pick your favourite channel: relaunched as The Sentosa Resort & Spa of the Week following a substantial S$15 million Mamma LuciA Italian Caffe & upgrading of the luxurious low-rise resort Ristorante property. Wine of the Week 1998 Ernest & Julio Gallo, This includes the opening of a 6,000 square metre destination spa known Sonoma Selection, Cabernet as Spa Botanica Singapore, which has 20 treatment rooms including private Sauvignon VIP pavilions with their own garden, and extensive and unique in and outdoor treatment facilities. In addition, the cutting edge new alfresco restaurant, The Cliff, by leading Japanese design consultancy, SPIN, has recently opened in place of Siggi's restaurant, as part of The Sentosa's new chapter of life. The luxury hotel group, which includes sister property The Sukhothai, in Bangkok Thailand, is owned by Hong Kong-based developer HKR International, whose recent branding strategy for their has been to align each one closely to its destination or location.

All of this also comes in the wake of a ten-year master plan to rejuvenate Sentosa island itself, which experienced its heyday as a family theme-park some decades back and is currently undergoing repositioning and reinvestment to transform it into a world-class luxury lifestyle destination. The plan is led by Philip Ng and Darrell Metzger, and is strongly supported by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Singapore Board, who aim to create a tourism product that matches the best in the world.

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at Square Address: China SquareFood Centre 51 Level 3 Singapore 048441 Tel: (65) 6533 0660 Website : http://www.tunglok.com/ Elena Gudgeon Have You Heard? Norway Extravaganza Last week saw the annual Norway Seafood Buffet put up by the Norwegian Embassy and Norwegian Business Association, sponsored by the Norwegian Seafood Export Council and Scandinavian Airline Systems. Held at Swiss ôtel The and The Plaza, the dinner was a smorgasbord of 45 dishes that were prepared using 18 different mind-boggling kinds of Norwegian fish and shellfish including mussels, camchatcha crab, langoustines, haddock, catfish and more. Frank A. Naesheim, managing director of Snorre Food Pte Ltd, the supplier of quality seafood from Norway was also responsible for putting together the buffet dishes. This year, there Sambonet was a touch of Asian ethnic flavour such as plaice fillet in banana leaf, salmon satay with peanut sauce and monkfish masala. "We mixed flavours Tel: (39) 02 9100 8220 that Asians are used to", Naesheim explains. Ambassador of the Royal Fax: (39) 02 9100 8320 Norwegian Embassy, Nygaard Enok says that there is no better way to Website : showcase the best of Norway's seafood exports than a splendid buffet spread http://www.sambonet.com/ Email: which creates a buzz of positive atmosphere amongst the guests. [email protected] Not your average kind of hawker Articulate and armed with degrees, there's a new breed of graduates who have entered the bonafide of work force. Gone are the cushy work-desks and swivel chairs while studiously typing away at the keyboards, these graduates have rolled up their sleeves to become "gao luk" (roasted chestnut) hawkers. As reported by Streats recently, they are however, not your ordinary sweaty hawkers. Instead they rely on electrical machines and dispense the nuggets of sweet meats in a nifty little paper bag with plastic handle. The owner of this franchise chain gets his supplies of chestnuts from the Qianxi county in the Chinese province of Hebei.

Singapore a hub for food and more In a bid to woo big-spending tourists from China, Singapore has decided to step up her mouth-watering appeal by targeting at their taste buds. As recently reported by Streats, hotels and restaurants will employ new Chinese Tulip Chocolate cuisine or fusion food to sell the republic as a high-end lifestyle destination by displaying the creative aspects of the cuisine. At the frontline is the Director of Email : Kitchen, Chef Sam Leong from the Tung Lok Group. Together with Zhang [email protected] Jing Jie who was a guest chef at World Gourmet Summit 2002, they will Archives. count on delicacies such shark's fin with foie gras and crispy prawn coated with wasabi-mayo and mango salsa to "appeal to executives and diplomats"

Top hotel school ties up with local university Nanyang Technological University has tied up with Cornell University which was ranked top as the hospitality management school to run post-graduate courses, marking the start of a new drive to attract smaller, specialist brand- name schools here. Last week, The Straits Times says that the Economic Development Board has unveiled plans to bring in some of the world's best schools in hotel management, culinary arts as well as design and arts from the US and the Europe. The president and CEO of Raffles International, Jennie Chua, thought that institutions with such excellent track record would be bound "to attract the best and brightest in hotel management from the region and beyond". file://C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\multi\My%20Documents\Electronic%20Media\E... 6/11/2003 AsiaCuisine: Weekly Ezine Volume 5 Issue 11 Page 3 of 8

Chefs Chefs Galore For the seventh year running, the WGS 2003 has once again invited the world's top-notch chefs to help mere mortals like us stretch our gastronomic horizons. The following is just three of the many masterchefs whom we'd be featuring over the next few weeks.

Oriol Balaguer - Estudi Xocolada, Barcelona, Spain Oriol Balaguer's exceptional gastronomic fanfare has been epitomised as the Bauhaus of dessert making. Revolutionary in nature, his elaborate creations astound many urbane palates and delectate pastry aficionados. In September 2002, he started a new company called "Estudi Xocolada" the Chocolate Studio, with the objective of creating delectable pastry works that astound even the most urbane palates.

Oriol Balaguer will be hosted by Grand Hyatt Singapore, mezza9.

Patricia Yeo - AZ, New York, USA Patricia Yeo's lauded culinary alchemy is surmised by critics as innovative, elegant and intricate which personifies a new style of upscale cuisine. AZ is Yeo's big break in the culinary field and ultimately establishing California Asian cuisine onto the New York gourmet map and being voted as one of the Best New Restaurants in New York by Food & Wine in July 2001.

Patricia Yeo will be hosted by Club Chinois, Tung Lok Group of Restaurants.

Stefania Moroni - Altro-luogo Aimo e Nadia, Milan, Italy Opened since end-2001, Altro-luogo Aimo e Nadia is a project by Stefania Moroni, together with her parents, Aimo and Nadia Moroni, and artist -scientist cum musician, Paolo Ferrari. It is a restaurant where contemporary art, food, and wines are paired with perfect harmony.

Stefania Moroni will be hosted by Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore, Pontini .

Peace of cake Fifteen student chefs and a lecturer from the Culinary Arts Centre Sdn Bhd in , paid a visit to YB Dato Kee Phaik Cheen, chairman of the Penang State Tourism Industry Committee, and presented a 'Croquemboche' (a pyramid of sweet-filled profiteroles topped with a peace flag) in support of the Malaysia for Peace Flag campaign launched by culture, arts and tourism minister, Dato Paduka Abdul Sheikh Fadzir. The organising chairman, Mohd Helmi Bin Mohd Tahir, baked the cake together with his classmates, and was commended by Dato Kee for the 'sweet idea' of promoting peace this way. She said she hopes the message can be spread through the mailing of cookies with peace messages to all ambassadors.

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Hotel & Resort Indulge your senses at Raffles Hotel The constantly evolving and yet classically elegant Raffles Hotel has become the first hotel ever to offer its residents an opportunity to select their preferred designer toiletries. This is luxury like you've never known it, because from 1 April 2003, residents who book the 'Sensory Indulgence' package will be able to select their personal range of luxury amenities such as bath and shower gel, body lotion and perfume from a choice of eight designer labels including Burberry, Bvlgari, Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Dolce & Gabbana, Hermes, Issey Miyake and Nina Ricci. This package is priced at S$2,500+++ for two persons for a three-night stay in a luxurious Palm Court Suite. Call (65) 6337 1886 for reservations. Health Eggs found to reduce risk of breast cancer As reported by www.foodnavigator.com, women who consume more eggs as teenagers may be less likely to develop breast cancer. This finding was published in Breast Cancer Research, which found that aside from a good diet consisting of sufficient amounts of dietary fibre and vegetable fat, the high levels of essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals in eggs has a similar effect as dietary fibre in binding oestrogen within the digestive system. The sex hormone oestrogen is essential for the normal growth and development of the breast. Events Penang International Salon Gastronomique 2003 The Penang state of Malaysia will be presenting the Penang International Salon Gastronomique 2003 in the month of July 2003. Better known as the Battle of the Chefs, it will be held in conjunction with SAJIAN 2003 iFOODex and the Penang Food and Fruits Fiesta 2003. The Penang International Salon Gastronomique and Sajian 2003 iFOODex will be held from 4 - 6 July 2003 at Penang International Sports Arena from 10.00am to 8.00pm daily. For further information, please email [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]

Products Your daily bread If there's anything better since sliced white bread, it is the new Gardenia High Fibre White Bread. Fortified with omega (essential polyunsaturated fatty acids) and inulin (soluble fibre), it is not only healthier but deliciously softer as well. Make Gardenia High Fibre White Bread your daily bread today! Available at all major supermarkets and selected stores, it is retailing for S$1.90. Look out for the new eye-catching packaging of Gardenia's Enriched White Bread, Jumbo 600, Whitemeal Bread and Fine Grain file://C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\multi\My%20Documents\Electronic%20Media\E... 6/11/2003 AsiaCuisine: Weekly Ezine Volume 5 Issue 11 Page 5 of 8

Wholemeal Bread.

Restaurant of The Week Wine of The Week

Sebastien's 2001 Delicato Family Vineyards, Cuisine: French Sauvignon Blanc, California Rating: 81/100 Rating: 89/100 Details>> Details>> ______

Recipe of The Week Video of The Week

Crumble De Fruits Rouges Seafood Rouget with Red Beet Sauce and Coconut Reduction ______Restaurants Will you have Freedom Fries with that? In view of French officials backing away support for possible war in Iraq, a restaurant in the coastal town of Atlantic Ocean has revised items on its menu. As reported in The Straits Times last week, French fries has been renamed Freedom fries, French dressing becomes Liberty dressing on the menu of this restaurant. Several other restaurants in the US also seem to be in a similar move to express their disenchantment against the French. One restaurant has even taken French wines off the wine list!

French dinner at your service Need to entertain but can't afford the time to cook? Now you have a choice to indulge in a novelty unlike any other - have a French dinner brought to your doorstep, with typical French courses and wines (the whole works!) arriving perfectly hot and delicious by simply emailing Barbara Basquin of Tariquet Wines Singapore at [email protected].

Wine & Beverage

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Over the last month, Australia's largest winemaker, Southcorp, suffered plunging share price. Investors wiped off more than AU$500million (S$526 million) from Southcorp's value after it announced that first -half net profit plunged 97% to AU$5.7million. The company owns popular wine brands like Penfolds, Lindemans and Rosemount.

What's in store for Wine Options 2003 champions? The winning teams of this year's Wine Options 2003 are vying for some rather swanky wine-lover's prizes, such as engraved Schott Zwiesel decanters, wine goblets, premium wines and dinners at Four Seasons and Regent hotels in Singapore. Designed to encourage participants to experience new wines and improve their knowledge, Wine Options 2003 is an event for both the connoisseur or amateur. If you have more than a passing interest in wines, then do join in the fun and who knows you might be the lucky one who to walk off with a suitable spouse-a bottle of wine of course. Singapore Wine Options 2002 is a joint project by The Regent Singapore and The Cellar Door; with New Cuisine & Wine Scene as the official media. Deadline for competition entries is on Sunday, 13 April 2003.

Food Tech Need your suit ironed? Just log online Raffles International has added an online chat button on their websites to allow guests to chat live with a Raffles International representative when they click onto the "Click for Live Help" site. The live help chat button makes Raffles International one of the first few hotel companies in the world and the first in Asia Pacific to harness technology to incorporate such a service on its website for its guests. The live chat button is yet another vehicle that provides guests with real time answers they may have about Raffles International hotels worldwide, peak travel periods at key destinations and booking information. To know more about the chat button, visit http://www.raffles.com/ or http://www.swissotel.com/ Up & About Sugar and Spice makes everything nice What do you do when you are down to your last S$2 bill? Tingle your tastebuds and expand your cultural perspectives! That's all it costs to partake in the Sugar & Spice Malay Food Trail which is part of the Heritage Festival 2003 (15-23 March). Hop on the mouth-watering Sugar & Spice Malay food trail happening on the 20 March from 9.15 am to 12 noon at the Singapore Philatelic Museum. First stop, breakfast at Sabar Menanti to taste Ahmad Tarmizi's authentic Minangkabau fare. Next stop is Norsidah Food Industries, maker of Singapore's first instant Janganan (a traditional peanut gravy commonly known as pecel in ) factory to witness the process in making this versatile Malay gravy. End on a memorable sweet note with traditional kuehs such as jongkong, talam and onde-onde from Deli Maslina. Please call the hotline at (65) 65383154 for more information.

If you're hungry and you know it In the cloistered old-world-style well of good food and music, otherwise file://C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\multi\My%20Documents\Electronic%20Media\E... 6/11/2003 AsiaCuisine: Weekly Ezine Volume 5 Issue 11 Page 7 of 8

known as the CHIJMES basement, China Jump Bar + Grill offers alluring new yummies on their menu. Mixed grill skewers on rice, a deliciously creamy seafood pasta, an original Caesar salad that gives many other 'originals' a run for their money, a less-than-common ostrich steak, and finger licking baby back ribs are just a few of the latest additions. All portions dangerously filling. If you have an undeniable sweet tooth, then have a screaming good time with friends when you order the 'Jump Outrageous' - a seriously fruity ice cream sundae that has to be seen to be believed. Opens 5pm to 3am daily. Call (65) 6338 9388 for reservations.

Secretaries' Week Special At Conrad Centennial, every guest at Oscar's Café & Terrace and Golden Peony get to win fantastic prizes daily from 21 - 25 April 2003. Walk away with a mother-of-pearl dial tonneau Locman Diamond Aluminum, handset with 1.5 carats diamonds of superb quality or a one-night weekend stay in an Executive Suite at the Conrad Centennial Singapore for two in the Secretaries' Week "Winning Combination" lucky draw. Both Oscar's Café & Terrace and Golden Peony are giving away attractive door gifts. Priced at $42, Secretaries' Week Buffet Lunch at Oscar's Café & Terrace, is available from 21 - 25 April 2002 from 12 noon to 2.30pm. Set lunches at Golden Peony are available from 21 - 25 April 2002 from 11.30am to 2.30pm. For reservations, at Oscar's and Golden Peony, please call (65) 6432 7488.

Yippie Hippie! BarCelona Wine Bar has tied up with the good people of Escada to bring you the latest and hippiest ladies perfume to hit Singapore, The Escada Ibiza Hippie. For every Wines of the Month purchased, a miniature sample of the perfume will be given. Each wine bottle also entitles guests to win a bottle of the Escada perfume. Some of the wines featured are Ernest & Julio Galio Sonoma County Chardonnay 2000, Ernest & Julio Galio Turning Leaf Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 and Ernest & Julio Galio Turning Leaf Merlot 2000. For more information, call (65) 6235 3456.

Flavours of India from New York Embark on a passage to India with Tiffin Room's guest chef, Kirti Pant who hails from New York's hottest restaurant, Tamarind at Raffles Hotel. Tamarind is known for its excellent fare and contemporary Manhattan setting fused with traces of traditional India. As the executive chef of Tamarind, Chef Pant has nine years of specialised chef training with the Taj Group of Hotels before venturing to bring world-class Indian cuisine that is in line with the latest world trends in UK and USA. From the 19 - 26 March, buffet lunch is available at $42+++ and buffet dinner at $45+++ per person. Chef Pant will also present an exclusive cooking demonstration followed by a light lunch at Raffles Culinary Academy where you may pick up pointers to spice up your cooking or learn to cook a three-course Indian meal. To book, call (65) 6412 1190.

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Goodwood Park Hotel's Gordon Grill will be playing host to Salomon Wine Vintner Dinner on 12 March 2003. Bertold Salomon, hailing from the enchanting Salomon Vineyard in Austria, will be the guest speaker for the evening. He will be sharing his insights on producing Salomon wines (often described as lively and youthful). Gordon Grill's Chef de Cuisine, Chef Gan Swee Lai has prepared a 5-course menu degustation at S$88+++, featuring sautéed maroon lobster with curry vinaigrette foie gras and carpaccio of mango, yellow tomato gazpacho, marinated forest berries, macadamia tuile and more - all paired with Salomon Wines. Dining reservations may be made at (65) 6730 1744. Opportunities Assistant pastry chef needed If the thought of sifting, baking, kneading and piping rosettes titillates you, then a position as an assistant pastry chef might just be what you are seeking. Four Season Singapore has an opening and interested parties may contact Daniel Simons at (65) 68317085 / 67341110 or email resumes to [email protected] Share Your Views Bistro dining is the most 'in' thing these days. Do you agree? Share your comments with us on our forum! Knowing Us Better ? For banner advertising, contact [email protected] ? For subscription, contact [email protected] ? For web development services, contact [email protected] ? For culinary communications services, contact [email protected] Disclaimer: This weekly newsletter is provided as a free service to all readers and friends of the New Asia Cuisine and Wine Scene. It may be forwarded to interested parties and recipients are encouraged to write in their views comments and other news worthy materials which will then be forwarded to our thousand plus strong database. The publisher reserves the right to select articles for reproduction and onward distribution. We do not accept responsibility whatsoever for the extent of the content and will not be responsible for any result based on the truthfulness of the content while every effort is being made that information provided is from reliable sources. ______Peter Knipp Holdings Pte Ltd 102F Road #05-06 Citilink Complex Singapore 118530 Tel: +65 6273 -7707 Fax: +65 6270-1763 E-Mail: [email protected]

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