AUGUST 2018 S$8.50/Rp85,000/US$6.50 epicureasia.com FRONT COVER OF THE YEAR 2017 (CONSUMER) GOLD A new spin on Teochew fare Teochew Porridge How a young Singaporean chef is making strides at Mod-Sin vs Momofuku Traditional WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE SINGAPORE ABOUT Batak food CUISINE IS HEADED CONTENTS AUGUST 2018 Food Wine & Drinks 46 TOP TOQUE 64 VINE EXPECTATIONS Max Ng of Momofuku Ssäm Bar Silvia Heinrich from J. Heinrich 54 THE NEXT GREAT SINGAPORE 66 RAISING THE BAR CUISINE? Asian tipples Local chefs dissect the complexity of Mod-Sin cuisine and its future 68 CELLAR CHOICE Indulgent bubbly Kueh Pie Tee, 60 SOULFUL SOUPS served with braised local turnips, pork The age-old remedy for your 69 TIPPLE TIPS belly and prawns, ills Hurricane Billy from Malcolm Lee’s Candlenut Entertaining Regulars 72 OLD-SCHOOL DONE ANEW 4 EDITOR’S NOTE Breathing new life to heritage Teochew cuisine 13 EPICURE LOVES Morpheus 84 MASTERCLASS Nyonya chicken curry pie tie 14 EPICURE NEWS and buah keluak beef sliders The perfect Mid-Autumn goodies, plus gluten-free restaurant, The 88 AT HOME WITH Butcher’s Wife Ian Chee, architect 22 GLOBETROTTING EPICURE New openings in Shanghai and Austin Travel 94 CHEF’S TRAVELOGUE 32 EPICURE LOOKBOOK Chicago, more than just deep Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at dish pizza and hot dogs Desroches Island 100 THE WEIN LOVER’S GUIDE 36 STYLE BUZZ TO AUSTRIA Our nation’s beauty mavens The beauty of Vienna through wein 108 FOOD TALK 106 FREQUENT FLYER A wok with granny Ruben Pang, contemporary artist 110 STOCKISTS 112 EPICURE’S CHOICE The things we crave this month Italian connection cocktail at Room for More EDITOR’S NOTE Authenticity in the context of food ne of my favourite weekend meals to cook at home is a fusion pasta adapted from chef Willin Low’s Singapore Pesto recipe. The Italian elements are spaghetti and olive oil, but the rest of the ingredients are Oas Asian as they come: candlenuts, basil leaves, bird’s eye chillies, dried shrimps and curry leaves. It’s an easy task blending these Asian ingredients in a food processor until you get a thick, fragrant paste. It’s aromatically delicious with Chinese ginger chicken too. Italian food purists will probably scoff at this rendition, but there’s no doubt that this dish is an umami bomb, and taste is always the end result I seek. In recent years, culinary authenticity has become an increasingly fervent cause as more chefs eschew the bells and whistles of molecular gastronomy in favour of a return to their own roots, thereby rediscovering and preserving treasured family recipes and the stories around them. While saving culinary heritage is important – and we should continue to support it - stressing authenticity over flavour innovation can restrict the bandwidth of a cuisine. To certain countries, culinary authenticity requires protection through legal means. In Malaysia, the Ministry of Human Resources has made a bold move, announcing that “ordinary local food” outlets can only hire local cooks, blurring the thin line between national pride and culinary racism. Must a nation’s cuisine be prepared by locals to be deemed authentic? If it is so, David Thompson would not have become one of the standard bearers of Thai food due to his Australian nationality (This is the chef who elevated Nahm to great heights.) Singaporean chef Jason Tan of one Michelin-starred Corner House would not have been able to fly the flag for French cuisine. Rick Bayless, “a white guy from Oklahoma”, would not have become an ambassador of Mexican food. Food has always been shaped by a confluence of cultures and ideas. Peruvian cuisine is a good example; chifa and ceviche are a result of Chinese and Japanese influences. Delve into our childhood archives and there are definitely recipes that have been adapted from generations before. New versions will arise, which will be regarded by future generations as authentic. Chefs and home cooks will continue to add their spin to ‘original ‘recipes. What’s perhaps more fruitful Our cover story this month was a collaboration with chef Ivan Yeo are our efforts to discover and preserve fast fading indigenous ingredients instead of fixating on of 1925 Microbrewery. who gets to represent a particular cuisine. Adeline Wong Managing Editor We love to hear your feedback. [email protected] instagram.com/adelinewongcy 4 epicureasia.com life’s refinements SENIOR PUBLISHER Cecilia Goh ([email protected]) MANAGING EDITOR Adeline Wong ([email protected]) WINE EDITOR June Lee ([email protected]) ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eve Tedja ([email protected]) STAFF WRITER Jessica Chan ([email protected]) DIGITAL WRITER Victoria Lim ([email protected]) SENIOR DESIGNER Darryl Pestana ([email protected]) IT & DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Jun Evangelista ([email protected] DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCER Tu Jie Rui ([email protected]) CONTRIBUTORS Eddie Teo, Edmond Ho, Justina Tan, Eunice Lew, Ivan Yeo, Jenn Chew, Lim An-Ling, Priyanka Elhence REGIONAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR Dewi Prasodjo ([email protected]) BUSINESS MANAGER Jack Ang ([email protected]) BUSINESS MANAGER Serena Bakshi ([email protected]) BUSINESS MANAGER Rama Andhika Modjo ([email protected]) ADMIN & MARKETING EXECUTIVE Sheila Devi ([email protected]) MARKETING EXECUTIVE Shauna Mun ([email protected]) MANAGING DIRECTOR Dennis Pua ([email protected]) PUBLISHING CONSULTANT Ho Sum Kwong ([email protected]) epicure is published 12 times a year by Magazines Integrated Pte Ltd 20 Bedok South Road, Singapore 469277 Tel: +65 6848 6868 Printed by KHL Printing Distributed by MPH Distributors (S) Pte Ltd. Company Reg No: 200918015G ISSN 2010-1155 MCI (P) 183/03/2018 epicure INDONESIA is licensed by Magazines Integrated Private Limited, registered in Singapore: Printed by PT Cintya Grafika in Bali and Distributed by NewspaperDirect Indonesia epicure is available in print, digitally through Apple iTunes and Google Play, and on epicureasia.com. facebook.com/epicureasia instagram.com/epicureasia youtube.com/epicureasia ON THE COVER Copyright by the Publisher. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of the Publisher is strictly prohibited. Views and opinions expressed in epicure are not neccessarily those of the Publisher and the Editors. Although Photos Edmond Ho every reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of the information provided in this publication, Styling and art direction Jenn Chew neither the Publisher, editors and their employees and agents can be held liable for any error and omission, nor any action Recipe by Ivan Yeo of The 1925 Brewery Co. taken based on the views expressed or information provided within this publication. All prices are in Singapore dollars unless Shot at Jambu Studio otherwise stated and exclude miscellaneous taxes. 6 epicureasia.com AN ASIAN SUSTAINABLE COFFEE INITIATIVE From the highlands of Da Lat and Dak Lak in Vietnam, Boncafé presents Rainforest Reserve – an exquisite Asian coffee blend using the finest beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms in Vietnam. The farmers are trained in methods that help safeguard the health of the land and benefit farm communities, and can boost yields at the same time. By enjoying Rainforest Reserve coffee, you are helping to ensure the long term well-being of the farm communities, forests and wildlife on which we all depend. For more information, please contact us at [email protected]. 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