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

How a young Singaporean is making strides at Mod-Sin vs Momofuku Traditional WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE ABOUT IS HEADED

CONTENTS AUGUST 2018

Food Wine & 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 , 60 SOULFUL served with braised local turnips, The age-old remedy for your 69 TIPPLE TIPS belly and , ills Hurricane Billy from Malcolm Lee’s Candlenut Entertaining Regulars 72 OLD-SCHOOL DONE ANEW 4 EDITOR’S NOTE Breathing new life to heritage 13 EPICURE LOVES 84 MASTERCLASS Nyonya chicken pie tie 14 EPICURE NEWS and buah keluak 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 to cook at home is a fusion adapted from chef Willin Low’s Singapore Pesto recipe. The Italian elements are spaghetti and , but the rest of the ingredients are Oas Asian as they come: candlenuts, 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 chicken too. Italian food purists will probably scoff at this rendition, but there’s no doubt that this dish is an umami bomb, and 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 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 , 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 . 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. is a good example; 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 is licensed by Magazines Integrated Private Limited, registered in Singapore:

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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 INITIATIVE

From the highlands of Da Lat and Dak Lak in , 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]. DISTRIBUTION

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10 epicureasia.com Meat aficionados rejoice! Escape Restaurant & Lounge presents a thematic meat-feast with 4 roast carving stations daily. From fresh hand-chopped DIY Beef Tartare to Slow Roasted Tomahawk and Beef Wellington; and other specialty meats such as Mongolian Whole Baby Lamb, German Pork Knuckles, Char Siew , Roasted Smoked Chicken and more! available for dinner daily at S ++ $78 per diner For reservations, please call 6705 7828 or email [email protected]

ONE FARRER HOTEL 1 Farrer Park Station Road, Singapore 217562 T (+65) 6363 0101 E [email protected] W onefarrer.com

EPICURE LOVES

Morpheus Luxurious retreats are aplenty in , but with the unveiling of Morpheus in June, Cotai now exudes new lustre. Designed by the late Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect, Zaha Hadid, the hotel is an arresting sight within City of Dreams, an integrated resort. The stunning free-form geometric grid surrounding its exterior does more than paint a pretty picture. It negates the need for obstructing structures that would clutter the interiors, giving famed interior designer Peter Remedios the dream canvas for its 770 rooms, suites and two-storey sky villas. The capacious rooms not only offer commanding views of the city but are also decorated with art pieces from acclaimed contemporary artists, KAWS and Jean-Michel Othoniel. Other pampering amenities include a gravity-defying Sky Pool which stands 130m above ground and a two-storey Morpheus Spa with an in-house Spa Butler and state-of-the-art Snow Garden. For , the World of Ducasse at Morpheus impresses with two restaurants – Alain Ducasse at Morpheus and Voyages by Alain Ducasse. Yi at the Sky Bridge, on the other hand, presents regional Chinese in an eight- omakase menu. There’s also The Universe of Pierre Hermé for aficionados. Room rates from MOP2,998/S$505. Morpheus at City of Dreams, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, Macau. Tel: +853 8868 8888

epicureasia.com 13 EPICURE NEWS

Gluten-free food you’ll love Coeliac diners will certainly appreciate the full gluten-free menu by The Butcher's Wife, which replaces Open Door Policy. The bold concept overhaul by Spa Esprit in partnership with consultant chef Diego Jacquet fills a much-needed gap in the market; gluten-intolerant diners can enjoy like Caputo-Flour Focaccia ($9) and Cod a la Plancha on Seaweed and Buckwheat ($32) with peace of mind. Argentinian head chef Diego Carlos Quispe brings some Latin American touches but truly excels in fresh creations, such as the chilled almond with crab, apples and ($17) and chestnut flour pappardelle with braised ossobucco ragu ($25). 19 Yong Siak Street. Tel: 6221 9307

Hearty European classics The menu at House of Mu, a casual bistro, reveals a strong European slant which is influenced by head chef Tyrell Joon’s previous six-year experience at Les Amis. Highlights include the Butternut Squash ($9) soup made perfect when you soak it all up with their house-made . Finicky diners will love the create- your-own pasta or risotto options, where they can select their choice of staple carb ($14), ($6) and ingredients, such as crayfish or scallops ($5-$12). 11 Mohamed Sultan Road. Tel: 6732 1011

14 epicureasia.com Chefs, past and present profile is the Piccione-Frutti di Bosco-Rape Bianche ($68), which Zafferano Italian Restaurant & Lounge has hired a new head consists of roasted Bresse pigeon, mixed berries and rosemary chef, Emanuele Faggi from Tuscany. Prior to joining Zafferano, smoked white turnips, drizzled with pigeon jus and sprinkled Faggi cut his teeth at two Michelin-starred Cracco’s in Milan, and with hazelnut pralinate. Level 43, Ocean Financial Centre, was the executive chef at Singapore’s Gaia Ristorante in 2013. 10 Collyer Quay. Tel: 6509 1488 An emphasis on regional produce and zero food wastage An alumnus of Zafferano, head chef Marco Guccio is now underpins most of his dishes. We recommend the delicate raw the proud chef-owner of his eponymous Guccio Ristorante on red prawns from Mazara, which is served with warm ricotta, Gemmill Lane. Guccio offers seasonal menus to showcase the overnight-cooked tomato confit, cocktail sauce espuma and bursting variety of quality produce. Indulge in antipasti like drizzled with basil oil ($32). A refreshing dish is Salmone- Piccione-Sedano Rapa-Vaniglia ($44), which sees a tortelli stuffed Barbabietola-Limetta-Salsa Verde-Quinoa ($28): salmon marinated with smooth braised pigeon, complemented with root in beetroot juice for three days, accompanied with salsa verde purée, seared wild pigeon breast and lashings of vanilla essence. from Piedmont and finished with crispy, deep-fried quinoa chips. The Gamberi-Piselli-Ricotta di Bufala-Limone ($32) is an ideal Faggi’s Ricotta and Spinach Gnudo Calameretti ($26) with light starter, where raw Sicilian red prawns from Mazara sit atop baby squid in butter and sage makes for an innovative choice of green pea coulis, split peas and lemon-scented buffalo ricotta. dumplings in the Primi course. He also pays tribute to Gualtiero For something heartier, try the Manzo-Pastinaca-Fondo ($44), Marchesi, the founder of modern , with a dish where fall-off-the-bone tender U.S. prime beef short ribs have of Carnaroli Acquerello risotto with Vercelli saffron and bone been sous-vide for 48 hours, before being served with parsnip marrow ($32) (Marchesi was known for his signature Milanese purée, seasonal and veal jus. 20 Gemmill Lane. saffron risotto dish.) Another dish with an interesting flavour Tel: 6224 1684

epicureasia.com 15 Mid-Autumn musings When old is gold, but new is even better. Celebrate this year’s Mid-Autumn festival with an alluring ensemble of new flavours across the island.

Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant

Mickey and Friends musical carousel Counting calories? Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant unveils collection two new low- snow skin for the occasion. Enjoy the refreshing low sugar white lotus paste with orange praline , or the low sugar white lotus paste with hazelnut crunch mooncake featuring a centre packed with crunchy hazelnut pieces (each at $60 for six). Housed in a classic red and gold box, it's an ideal gift for your folks. 317 Outram Road, Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium. Tel: 6733 0188

Kids will clamour for Crystal Jade’s Disney's Mickey and Friends' limited edition musical carousel mooncake tin. The rose gold tin lights up to the tune of Mickey Mouse March and features drawings of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Disney and Goofy on a carousel ride. A two-tier dessert tray reveals eight mooncakes in two flavours: Chocolate Manuka Honey and Pandan Lotus with Gula Melaka ($88) crystaljade.com

16 epicureasia.com Raffles Singapore

Raffles Singapore may be undergoing restoration, but the Mid-Autumn festivities still continue. The hotel's new mooncake offering is açaí berry and chia seeds snow skin ($72 for eight). Açaí berries are interspersed with organic chia seeds and Greek yoghurt in a pink snowskin. This is one superfood mooncake to savour. [email protected] Tel: 6412 1122

Hai Tien Lo has introduced three new snowskin mooncake flavours: gula Melaka, cempedak and lychee with soursop (each at $68.80 for four). You can opt for the Four Treasures Baked or Snow Skin Mooncakes box, which houses all three flavours together with Pan Pacific Singapore’s coveted Shan Wang Durian snow skin mooncake ($88.60). Those who prefer The Fullerton Hotel a health-conscious alternative can try the charcoal melon seed with sesame paste baked mooncake ($69.80 for four). 7 Raffles Boulevard. Tel: 6336 8111

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore has launched a Dinosaur snow skin mooncake to mark Fullerton Building’s 90th anniversary. As a tribute to its home as Mile Zero (the point from which all of Singapore was measured in road distances), the Mile-O mooncake is wrapped in a velvety snow skin, and comprises a smooth milk lotus paste and crunchy pops of milo ($61 for four). Another new snow skin flavour is the refreshingly tangy yuzu with chia seeds ($61 for four), while traditional baked mooncake lovers have a choice between the white paste with macadamia and white lotus seed paste with hazelnut flavours (each at $60 for four). 1 Fullerton Square. Tel: 6733 8388

epicureasia.com 17 Mandarin Orchard Singapore offers Limited Edition Mini Mandarin Orchard Singapore Baked Mooncakes this year. There are two flavours to choose from: the elegant, gold-dusted charcoal-skin Japanese yuzu and pistachio with black sesame paste flavour, or the cempedak with white lotus paste ($78 for eight). 333 Mandarin Gallery. Tel: 6737 4411

Launching its inaugural selection of mooncakes is Sofitel Singapore City Centre. Its Magnifique Les Fleurs De Lumiére Mooncake Collection ($72 for four) reflects a blend of local tradition with quintessential French luxury. The Luxe mooncake comprises foie gras and truffle oil, while The Singapour Je T’aime showcases the sweetness of red date paste against the mild bitterness of slivered almonds. The Oriental delicately pairs green paste with melon seeds for texture. The Traditional offers the classic pairing of white lotus paste and savoury salted egg yolk. 9 Wallich Street. Tel: 6428 5000

Sofitel Singapore City Centre

Li Bai Restaurant at Sheraton Towers Singapore has unveiled two new snow skin flavours. Enjoy the beautifully luscious black truffle sea salt dark chocolate with white lotus seed paste. For a refreshing treat with a harmonious blend of citruses, pick the lemon and lemongrass with white lotus seed paste ($62 for eight). 39 Scotts Road. Tel: 6737 6888 Sheraton Towers Singapore

18 epicureasia.com With every mooncake box purchase from Crowne Plaza Changi Conrad Centennial Singapore’s durian snow skin mooncake is Airport, take home a limited edition reversible shopper tote in bold worth the indulgence. There’s durian pulp encased in a melt- orange and classic dark brown. The new Champagne Truffle Snow in-your-mouth snow skin ($88 for eight). This year’s mooncake Skin collection comprises four delectable flavours: toasted black collection also features four mini snow skin flavours, including sesame, sweet chestnut, aromatic pandan and nourishing red date the royal chocolate hazelnut creation inspired by the hotel’s ($78 for four or $54.60 online). #01-01, 75 Airport Boulevard. signature of almond sponge and dark chocolate mousse Tel: 6823 5367 on a crunchy hazelnut praline base; traditional ondeh ondeh snow skin filled with gula Melaka and fine bits; a tangy passion fruit snow skin; and , a sweet and earthy flavour (each at $76 for eight). 2 Temasek Boulevard. Tel: 6432 7486

Making its debut at Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, are executive Chinese chef Mok Kit Keung’s preservative-free, mini baked custard with bird’s nest mooncakes ($118/box). What's also available: The Shang Palace Mini Eight Treasures Gift Set, featuring two new flavours of crunchy chocolate with assorted nuts and salted with red bean and almond ($88). 22 Orange Grove Road. Tel: 6213 4473

The new mooncake flavour from The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore is baked white lotus seed paste with red date and longan. This baked mooncake combines two popular Chinese tea ingredients – red date and longan – to complement the lotus seed Crown Plaza Changi Airport paste. For those who prefer their mooncakes to be infused with a touch of booze, try the Assorted Mini Snow Skin Martini mooncakes, derived from a cocktail concoction of espresso, Irish stout reduction, vodka, campari and beer. Enjoy a festive box of four together with four pieces of the signature Lycheetini, a mix of the same fruit liquor with real lychee bits ($76 for eight). 7 Raffles Avenue. Tel: 6434 5190

Goodwood Park Hotel has created a blue pea flower with white lotus seed paste and melon seeds snow skin mooncake ($64 for four/$42 for two). Also making a comeback in time for National Day is the popular almond beancurd with longan, with smooth almond beancurd paste complemented with juicy longan bits ($56 for four/$36 for two). The zesty soursop with calamansi snow skin, originally created in 2009, also makes a return. Expect the same with a velvety calamansi purée centre, oozing with juicy soursop pulp ($54 for four/$34 for two). 22 Scotts Goodwood Park Hotel Road. Tel: 6730 1868

epicureasia.com 19 10 minutes with... READING LIST AZIZA CHAOUNI, founding principal, Aziza Chaouni Projects

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20 epicureasia.com See-food diet our favourite, the creamy Soon Hock Claypot featuring Executive chef Alvin Leong of Baba Chews Bar and Eatery poached marble goby with Korean wheat noodles ($52/600g). ups the ante for National Day with a delectable seafood feast Other must-tries at the cosy 90-seater restaurant include that showcases oceanic gems with local flavours. For the month the Rempah Red Sea Prawns stir-fried in a fiery coconut cream of August, the restaurant has launched a special menu with ($32/300g); and Baba Chews’ modern Peranakan signature highlights such as Sri Lankan Crab in salted egg yolk ($8/100g); of Snow Crab Kepiting, where the heritage soup is brightly-hued Herbal Drunken Tiger Prawns boiled in Leong’s brimming with Korean snow crab stock, crabmeat and pork signature Chinese herbal broth ($25/300g); whole Nonya-style ($15). #01-01, Katong Square, 86 East Coast Road. Baked Australian Lobster with Nonya sabayon ($48/450g); and Tel: 6723 7010

The Art of Extraction Miele’s TwoinOne induction hob with integrated extractor ($7,500) is a godsend for open concept . The sleek looking extractor grille lies in the centre of the 80cm hob unit and is able to clear vapours and odours through downward extraction. The technical components are discreetly hidden in the kitchen cabinet below, while spillovers are neatly contained by a tray located below the grille. Other lauded features: PowerFlex technology to allow variable induction rings to join up automatically when large pots and pans are placed, to enable unrestricted cooking; food warming; Stop & Go function; and a 10-ply, stainless steel, dishwasher safe grease filter. B1-01, Winsland House II, 167 Road. Tel: 6735 1191

epicureasia.com 21 GLOBETROTTING EPICURE Your foodie news around the world

Tagliatelle with Ragu to go along with exclusive limited-edition autographed bottles of Podernuovo a Palazzone Di Giovanni Bulgari (250 bottles available; price upon request). The adjoining Il Bar offers The Bvlgari Aperitivo (free with every order) and the brilliant skyline and riverbank. For a cocktail with a local twist, sip the Shi Ku Meng (price upon request), a concoction of of yellow wine gin and Dubennet Lillet, which is available at the rooftop bar, La Terrazzo. There’s also Chinese restaurant, Bao Li Xuan. Housed within the storied Chinese Chamber of Commerce (integrated into the hotel), the restaurant serves an impressive menu of Shanghai and Hangzhou classics. The Whisky Bar is steps away and offers an invigorating nightcap of aged grappa and rare whiskies from Japan, Scotland, Ireland and U.S.A. Riverside reverie Last but not least is II Cioccolato, where fine chocolate gems Located along Huangpu River, The Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai is meticulously handcrafted by Maitre Chocolatier at the Bvlgari the latest glamorous address heating up Shanghai’s dining and workshop next door flood the senses. Raw cocoa is transformed drinking scene. Of the six signature dining venues, Il Ristorante – into delectable truffles such as Rosemary Lemon (RMB60/S$12), Niko Romito stands out for contemporary Italian fare by award- but go for the exclusive Xinjiang Red Date & Ginger flavour winning chef Niko Romito (of three Michelin-starred Reale). (RMB120). No 33. North Henan Road, Shanghai, China, 200085. Expect Broken Pasta with Octopus and his take on the classic Tel: +86 21 3319 6188

22 epicureasia.com Hot new eats

Another addition to Shanghai is La Scala, nestled within the modish The Sukhothai Shanghai. Guest chef Theodor Falser (of one Michelin-starred Johannesstube) and La Scala’s chef de cuisine Stefano Sanna have come together to present a culinary sojourn through Italy. Indulge in the Risotto La Scala (RMB188), which showcases three Italian rice grains – carnaroli, venere and ermes – in a creamy bagna càuda (anchovy and dip), or the decadent Caramel Panna Cotta (RMB78) that’s topped with grappa scented blueberries. What’s also available: A seasonal five-course menu (RMB498), which features many of the chefs’ signatures. 1/F, The Sukhothai Shanghai, 380 Weihai Road, Jing’an district, Shanghai. Tel: +86 21 5237 8888

There seems to be no stopping Kristen Kish following her win on Top Chef season 10. Co-host of a successful travel series and a columnist with The New York Times, Kish has opened her first restaurant, Arlo Grey where she explores her American upbringing through a succinct à la carte menu. Her childhood staple of instant beef stroganoff has been transformed into the Malfadini (US$21/S$29) of homemade noodles in a luscious champignon sauce, while fluffy Ricotta Beignets (US$19) come with crème fraiche, and American Paddlefish caviar (additional serving at US$60) to recreate the flavours of a sour cream and chip. Kish pays homage to American chain Arby’s with the Crispy Chicken (US$24) and maitake mushrooms. Next on her list? Celebrating her love for fast food joint, McDonald’s, with an inventive breakfast menu. Line Hotel Austin, 111 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701, U.S.A. Tel: +1 512 478 2991

by murals illustrating Jesus Christ. The pièce » 10AM Rejuvenate with the many Ayurvedic de résistance is a 132m tall copper spire; within 24 HOURS IN therapies and herbal saunas at MeridianSpa Am is a bell tower offering guests an uninterrupted Michel. Tired muscles will find solace in the state- panoramic view of the city and its harbour. of-the-art eucalyptus hot air bath and the Finnish Englische Planke 1, 20459 Hamburg, Germany. HAMBURG sauna. The latter includes the gentle lashings of Tel: +49 40 376780 aromatic silver birch bunches (vihta) for a relaxing effect. Schaarsteinweg 6, 20459 Hamburg, » 6PM Tuck into inventive Germany. Tel: +49 40 658911000 at Henssler & Henssler. The no-frills joint Fabian Goern, serves a bevy of unique creations by chef » 1PM Walk over to the nearby Marley’s Restaurant Stefan Henssler. Expect grilled Loup de Mer president of German Association for hearty European classics and a spectacular (Mediterranean seabass) with nut butter or the view of the Landungsbrücken piers. Pair their T.B.K roll of grilled tuna with beans tempura in Singapore Wiener Schnitzel with a pint of Köstritzer and soy caramel. Head for the terrace during Schwarzbier before whiling the afternoon admiring summer for dinner with a view. Große Elbstraße » 7AM Bask in the morning breeze at the cruise vessels, colourful shops and historical 160, 22767 Hamburg, Germany. Sachsenwald, a sprawling, sunlit forest teeming landmarks. THE MADISON Hotel Hamburg, Tel: +49 40 38699000 with birds, a natural mineral water spring and Schaarsteinweg 4, 20459 Hamburg, Germany. a picturesque row of Linden trees. There are Tel: +49 40 376660 » 9PM Dive into the vibrant music scene at one various hiking and cycling trails, some of which of the oldest jazz clubs in the city, Cotton Club. lead to Germany’s oldest butterfly garden, » 3PM Make a beeline for St. Michael’s Church, a Dating to 1959, it has played host to local jazz, Garten der Schmetterlinge, that’s populated magnificent Hanseatic Protestant Baroque church swing and blues musicians every night for over with the stunning metallic turquoise hue of dating to 1647. It boasts an awe-inspiring bronze 50 years. The landmark even has its own beer the Blur Morpho species. Schleswig-Holstein, statue of archangel Michael, a majestic gold-tinged – the Cotton Club Pilsner. Alter Steinweg 10, Germany, Central Europe, Europe. Steinmeyer organ and a white marble altar flanked Hamburg, Germany. Tel: +49 40 343878

epicureasia.com 23 GLOBETROTTING EPICURE Indonesia

Anantara Seminyak Bali Resort has relaunched its rooftop venue, Sunset on Seminyak (S.O.S). With the resort’s proximity to Double Six Beach, guests can enjoy beautiful sunsets from the comfort of S.O.S.’s lawn, restaurant or beachfront pool. Before the sun worshipping begins, kick off with an afternoon tea (Rp300,000 per couple) featuring tasty bites such as the Prosciutto Wrapped Grissini and Strawberry Pavlova. Then, continue with S.O.S cocktail selections like Freshly Roscha (Rp125,000) to accompany your cool dip in the pool. End the evening with sharing dishes like the juicy 250 Day grain fed Beef Tomahawk (Rp1,567,000) for two. Jl. Abimanyu (Dhyana Pura), Seminyak, Bali 80361. Tel: +62 361 737773

An Asian-inflected brunch takes place every Sunday at Andrawina Restaurant, Rumah Luwih, a luxury colonial resort. The restaurant is decorated in white and yellow hues, while classic black and white chequered tiles line the floor. Expect a rich array of dishes from , including grilled fish in fermented soy beans sauce, fried tahu in sweet sour sauce, and . Brunch is available at Rp179,000. Children under four dine for free. Jl. Prof. Ida Bagus Mantra, Km.19.9, Gianyar, Bali. Tel: +62 361 2005899

24 epicureasia.com Fancy a grilled seafood feast by the beach? Nelayan Restaurant and Puri Bar in Belmond Jimbaran Puri has recently underwent a revamp, turning the Jimbaran Bay hideaway into an Instagram-worthy beachside spot for sunsets and seafood. Enjoy delectable dishes such as pan-seared Bali Yellowfin Tuna (Rp220,000), Squid Ink Tagliatelle & Sweet River Prawns (Rp190,000), and the daily fresh catch of the day. Jl. Uluwatu, Yoga Perkanthi Lane, Jimbaran, Bali 80361. Tel: +62 361 701605

Bringing over 30 years of experience from his hospitality stints across Europe, Asia and Africa, the recently appointed executive chef Benoit Chargy is set to elevate Conrad Bali’s gastronomy offerings. With an emphasis on Located at the foothill of the Andes and the picturesque Puente Alto vineyard, Don creativity, locally sourced ingredients and the Melchor is renowned as one of the best Chilean wines. Made under the careful concept of mindful eating, Chargy will be at the supervision of winemaker Enrique Tirado and Isabel Mitarakis, Don Melchor helm of the resort’s four dining outlets and in- Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 is an elegant and rich-tasting red. It exudes concentrated room dining. Expect delightful red plum, cherry and currant flavours, medium-grained tannins and notes of at Spice, a contemporary take on Japanese lush spice, cocoa powder and cream. Awarded 96 points, the highest rating ever cuisine at RIN, seaside delights and artisanal given to a Chilean wine by Wine Spectator, the signed limited edition wine is now cocktails at East, and casual gourmet fare available at VIN+ Seminyak. Jl. Kayu Jati No.1, Seminyak, Bali 80361. at Azure Beach Club. Jl. Pratama 168, Tanjung Tel: +62 361 4732377 Benoa, Bali 80363. Tel: +62 361 778788

epicureasia.com 25 Jakarta’s skyline is particularly stunning from the 46th floor of Altitude Grill at The Plaza. As the city underneath twinkles, Singaporean executive chef Gary Eng and his team are seasoning, smoking and a selection of premium beef cuts to satiate their guests’ appetites. Open for and dinner, Altitude Grill offers a seven-course degustation menu (Rp900,000) and optional wine-beef pairing (Rp450,000). An à la carte menu includes highlights like Triple Cooked Wagyu Ox Tongue (Rp120,000), 1824 Grain Finished 30 Day Dry Aged Porterhouse (Rp145,000) and Master Kobe Full Blood MBS 9+ Wagyu Bottom Sirloin (Rp400,000). The Plaza, 46th Floor, Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat. Tel: +62 21 29922448

Akira Back Jakarta has released its own private sake label. Get into a seafood dining frenzy at NSNTR at Mercure Jakarta Pantai Akira Back Sake (Rp1,500,000) is produced by Nanbu Bijin, Indah Kapuk. The hotel’s wittily named What the Shell Seafood a respected sake producer from Iwate Prefecture that has Weekend Dinner Buffet (Rp188,000; half price for children between six been brewing sake since 1902. The purity of junmai ginjo and 11; free for children five and below) features a selection of fresh sake makes for a versatile pairing with Akira Back’s Hirame clams, blue crabs, tiger prawns, sashimi and sushi. A dedicated section Carpaccio (Rp210,000) and Yellowtail Jalapeno (Rp210,000). offers tasty Makassar, Singapore-style Chili Soft Shell Crab, MD Place, Jl. Setiabudi Selatan No.7, Jakarta Selatan 12910. Seafood , and more. Jl. Pantai Indah Kapuk, Kamal Muara Penjaringan, Tel: +62 852 888 77 888 Jakarta 14470. Tel: +62 21 22571000

26 epicureasia.com Coffee aficionados rejoice: Toby’s Estate Specialty Coffee Roasters is brewing up a storm at two new locations, Pondok Indah Mall and Grand Indonesia. Since first opening in 2016, Toby’s Estate has garnered a faithful following among Jakarta’s caffeinated crowd. Flat whites and lattes aside, the Jakarta cafés also serves delicious treats, such as the Truffle Bacon and Egg Croissant (Rp125,000). Enjoy your daily fix within a black, white and earth toned interior. Pondok Indah Mall GF, Jl Metro Pondok Indah, Jakarta Selatan. Tel: +62 21 75920532 and Grand Indonesia, West Mall, GF, Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1, Jakarta Pusat.

Located in the heart of the city, Bengawan at Keraton at The Plaza, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Jakarta is an ideal place for a languorous Sunday brunch. The extensive seafood, Asian fare, and a caviar station will satisfy most foodies. Savour the sumptuous fare (Rp598,000 per adult and Rp299,000 per child aged four to 12 years old), or opt for the bubbly MAGNIFIQUE Buffet Brunch (Rp1,598,000 per person) to enjoy free-flow Moët & Chandon Champagne. Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 15, Jakarta 10350. Tel: +62 21 50680000 BEST OF INDONESIA

A still from Nusa Rasa: Indonesian Food Stories showing the complete list of ingredients used to make basa gede.

The inheritance of flavour Globally underrated, Indonesian is a vast repository of history, traditions and biodiversity. Eve Tedja lists seven hidden treasures from the archipelago and how chefs are working to preserve them.

Red hot chilli pepper the Bataknese ethnic group. Supply is limited and the price Green when it is young and red when it ripens, andaliman exorbitant,” explains the native. pepper (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium) is a singularly unique ingredient from . Closely related to , Yellow spice of life it is loved for its dazzlingly spicy, sharp lemon-y and tongue- Be it ayam , babi guling or , all of them are created numbing notes. It grows on the north Sumatran highlands and from the same spice paste that forms the cornerstone of Balinese it is said that the best quality andaliman pepper comes from cuisine. Meet basa gede, the fragrant yellow paste made from Samosir, an island in the middle of Toba Lake. The warmly a long list of herbs and . It is used both for seasoning numbing yet oddly pleasant sensation is addictive, and pose and marinade, and true to the essence of the Balinese life, it is a challenge for a few brave chefs who tinker with it in their all about balance. As food aficionado, Ketut Gogonk Pramana contemporary approach to . explains in a documentary about Balinese cuisine, Nusa Rasa: From the aromatic to the savoury pork and Indonesian Food Stories, cooking is a process of making the blood , the pepper is one ingredient that makes offering for the gods and basa gede is the complete manifestation. a Bataknese dish complete, says Nusantara by Locavore’s sous Imagine chopping and putting ginger, candlenut, , chef Liswani Sibagariang. “I haven’t found any other ingredient , , chilli, , garlic, coriander, GNUSA RASA, MR. WAYAN, RIMA SJOEKRI, WAYAN, MR. RASA, GNUSA that come close to offering the same aromatic complexity of peppercorn, and lemongrass in a stone mortar and pummel the NUSA INDONESIAN GASTRONOMY, HOTEL TUGU BALI HOTEL GASTRONOMY, INDONESIAN NUSA andaliman pepper. At the moment, it is mainly consumed by ingredients together. Now, imagine the aroma when they are PHOTOS

28 epicureasia.com Basa gede in Ayam Lempah of cooking the ‘thunder mushroom’ with chicken, Mr. Wayan’s Kulat Pelawan Crispy Duck , and dried shrimp stew. This tradition, along with the increasingly rare mushroom, has become the main concern of chef Ragil Imam Wibowo. At his restaurant in South Jakarta, Wibowo and his team at NUSA Indonesian Gastronomy work tirelessly to preserve indigenous ingredients and recipes. Ayam Lempah Kulat Pelawan is a traditional dish of Bangka. It is savoury and thick with a hint of umami from the mushroom; sadly, it is now increasingly unaffordable and hard to find. “Most of the produce are now exported overseas, Rima Sjoekri’s even before the Indonesians are familiar with it. We rendition of or beef have lost many ingredients and recipes because the stew lack of documentation and generational gap,” says Wibowo who adds that the dried premium quality kulat pelawan is light in colour and has a slight pink tone.

Delicious fishcake As one friend from Palembang, South Sulawesti puts it, has the tendency to trigger debate. Arguments over which restaurant has the best kuah cuko or spicy sauce are a common occurence in this city located on the Musi River. Pempek is more than just a fishcake. Legend Coriander has it that pempek was invented when Chinese simmered in hot coconut oil. These ingredients are the produce immigrants settled in the bustling city and saw an abundance of of the earth. According to Hindu belief, they represent the four caught fish from the river that went to waste. This observation wind directions and its residing Gods. The red galangal for gave birth to an experimentation of mixing boneless ground Brahma in the south, the yellow turmeric for the Mahadewa in fish meat, salt, water and flour. Afterward, the is the west, the dark ginger for Vishnu in the north, and the white boiled in hot water until it hardens and is stored to be fried. “The for Isvara in the east. In the olden days, measurement for each Palembangers will inform anyone that the best way to eat crispy ingredient was not counted using scales but the cook’s own savoury deep-fried pempek is to first dip it into a bowl of spicy, fingers. The amount of turmeric has to be as long as the index sweet and sour cuko while continuously sipping it in between finger, while the amount of ginger has to be in the size of the ring bites,” states Andre Dananjaya, a filmmaker with a mission to finger. A basa gede is deemed perfect if each and every ingredient document the disappearing tradition of Indonesian regional is blended seamlessly. Medicinally, turmeric and ginger are also cuisine through his film, Nusa Rasa: Indonesian Food Stories. known for their antibacterial and antifungal properties. The key ingredient of a scrumptious pempek is the fish. While snakehead or mackerel is commonly used, the long Fabulous fungi heralded tradition requires a native Musi River fish, the belida It sounds very much like an urban legend: a mushroom that can or chitala. However, due to overfishing, pempek belida is in only grow in the island of Bangka, on a stump or fallen pelawan decline. Only a handful of traditionalists persevere in their dying tree, during a specific weather combination of rain, thunder endeavour of handcrafting pempek belida, which is deemed and sun. Only then, can the kulat grow, abundantly pink. It is vastly superior for its texture, lighter colour and intense fish curiously inedible. Yet, there is a long tradition in Bangka Island flavour.

epicureasia.com 29 The rice table Hotel Tugu Bali’s Tempe is now Grand Rijstaffel If there is ever a solid proof on how the gaining world-wide Dutch and the Indies, as Indonesia was recognition as the search previously known during the colonial for superfoods and plant- time, influenced each other, it is based food sources grows rijstaffel. The rice table, a term coined exponentially every year. by the Dutch on 1870s, is an elaborate “We have experimented consisting of a succession of making tempe from dishes. Indonesian food historian, different legumes, such Fadly Rahman in his book Rijstaffel, as edamame, red beans, stated that this marriage of Dutch mung beans, and other and Indonesian food culture happens beans. We also have Nusantara by Locavore’s after the opening of the Suez Canal. Saksang and incorporated tempe into our menu at The passage allowed Dutch wives and Andaliman Locavore,” adds Adriansyah, who expects the children to travel with ease to the far popularity of tempe to soar in the coming Indies, often to find that their husbands years. were far too accustomed with the food cooked by their local wives. Spice Island Rijstaffel quickly became de rigeur “My biggest discovery of making Senirasa among the Dutch society. From a is that many of the spices we use for our leisurely house dining party to show everyday dishes are not native. The off one’s social standing, rijstaffel found that we use in our cooking are brought from its way into the passenger ships and the Mediterranean coast. The same goes ’s prestigious Hotel Homann for garlic, ginger and chillies. On the other where rice was accompanied by up to hand, spices that are native, such as , 60 different dishes, carried by a long and pepper, are ones we do not line of 20 to 30 waiters who stood use frequently in our cooking,” says Rima during the three- to four-hour dining Sjoekri, the author of Senirasa: A Companion affair. From beef to potato to Indonesian Cooking. frikadel, the marriage of ingredients, An indispensable compendium of spices spices and flavours are still evident in homes and fine dining and herbs and the first of three volumes, Senirasa managed establishments. One venue where guests can experience the to cover 105 spices. It’s just a small amount, as Sjoekri admits, nostalgia of this bygone era is the Grand Rijstaffel at Hotel Tugu because there is an infinite number of edible flowers and plants Bali. out there in the rich biodiversity and indigenous culture of Indonesia that is yet to be found. Sadly, some of them have ceased Fermented superfood to exist in recipes and are extremely hard to find, such as the Yes, tempe is Indonesian by origin. “It is perhaps Indonesia’s case with long pepper. Despite being known as the Spice Island, most important contribution to the world of cuisine,” says chef Indonesia admittedly has lost plenty of its biodiversity due to the Ray Adriansyah of Locavore, recently ranked at number 22 in the supply and demand pressure over the centuries. One of the most list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. The fermented soy product has interesting spice stories revolves around the nutmeg. Bloody been known as a food staple for centuries. It is believed to be wars between the Dutch and the English were waged for the accidentally invented in Java, as a by-product of production. monopoly of nutmeg in the 17th century’s Banda Island and its It is easy to make, cheap and very versatile to cook, making it a tiny island of Run. A treaty was finally made between the feuding favourite ingredient among Indonesian households. Be it deep- colonial superpowers. The Dutch exchanged a swampy island of fried, grilled, boiled, stir-fried, steamed in leaves, or Manhattan in its colony New Amsterdam for the tiny island of braised, tempe is also known for its high protein content, which Run that belonged to the English. That swampy island is now New is on par with meats. It deemed highly suitable for vegetarians. York City and the rest is history. e

30 epicureasia.com

LOOKBOOK

Raw-storative retreat Melding seamlessly with Desroches Island’s stunningly beautiful natural surroundings, Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island epitomises rustic luxury to a tee with its authentic island aesthetic. By Justina Tan

Reflecting the island’s vibrant flora and fauna, the resort’s Coral Beach Villa features bold colours, textured fabrics, and untreated woods.

32 epicureasia.com Some suites and villas face the beach, providing stunning views of sunrise and sunset every day.

Wood and marble combine with black and white furnishings to create a rustic luxe vibe in the bathrooms.

t isn’t easy to emulate village living in the Seychelles while outdoor activities, albeit way more luxurious. On-site facilities still offering uncompromising comfort and luxury. However, such as the aptly named Castaway Centre and Discovery Centre are I thanks to the skilful professionals at reputed Singapore-based responsible for the aforementioned exploration and fun activities. architectural and design firm, eco.id Architects – responsible Imbibe the beauty of untouched reefs through guided snorkelling for award-winning resorts such as W Maldives - Four Seasons and scuba diving sessions, or take in views of lush coconut groves Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island, which opened its doors as you cycle through trails or participate in guide nature walks this March, delivers an immersive Seychellian experience that through the island’s natural habitats. Other activities offered at the transports guests to a quintessential tropical paradise nestled Castaway Centre include ocean fishing, kayaking, sailing, stand-up amid nature. paddle boarding, and windsurfing. Located on the outer edge of the Indian Ocean archipelago, The Discovery Centre, on the other hand, provides nature Desroches is a 35-minute flight southwest of Mahé – Seychelles’ lovers with the opportunity to marvel at Seychelles’s breathtaking main island and capital. The only resort on Desroches Island, Four flora, fauna and marine life. Particularly noteworthy activities Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island is the hospitality include meeting the island’s locals at the Tortoise Sanctuary and group’s second opening in the country (Four Seasons has a visiting a tiny Creole village where guests can gain insight into the resort on Mahé as well). With just 71 bungalows, villas, suites lives of the local craftspeople. and residences, the resort is almost like a self-contained village, The resort is flawlessly fitted with everything you need to except that each accommodation boasts a luxe island aesthetic, a unwind. Besides a private plunge pool and beach access, every private pool, a lush garden, and beach access. accommodation also has a deep soaking tub and an outdoor “As Desroches is a private island, the intention is to craft a shower. Some of the suites and villas face the beach, offering the rustic, secluded escape. To welcome guests into an estate on a promise of sunrise every morning. remote island, the hand-built aesthetic becomes necessary in “Our design had to respond to the tropical climate when we creating an artisanal feel,” shares director of eco.id Architects, selected materials and executed details. We drew inspiration and Carol Chng, who helmed the architecture and interior design of references from African culture such as tribal crafts, black and the resort. white patterns, and the bold use of colours, as exemplified by the pink Peacock chair and the prints on fabrics,” says A carefree approach Chng. “The spaces with stronger characteristics are not manicured Think of a visit to Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches from a collection of identical items but curated over time from a Island as reliving your childhood days of exploration and fun-filled collection of memories and objects.”

epicureasia.com 33 The Circle of Connection Healing times Spa is a tranquil space Wellness and deep relaxation can be found at the Circle of offering Connection Spa, which offers a slew of rejuvenating treatments a suite of restorative and activities. In addition to a suite of massages, facials and treatments and activities. body treatments, the spa has also created a series of Sensory Connection Rituals. Each morning and evening, the spa’s team of therapists leads guests through simple mantras, stretching and a time of reflection. There are also yoga programmes (with an in-house yogi) that include Hatha, Nidra, Meditation, Pranayama and Ashtanga in a state-of-the-art anti-gravity yoga pavilion or on the beach, a fully- equipped fitness studio for weight and cardio training, and tennis courts for those who prefer competitive sports. The circular bar terrace on the first floor allows guests to throw back a tipple or two with the accompaniment of panoramic views. Thereafter, they may head to the main restaurant to indulge in freshly grilled or cooked meat and fish, plus a raw seafood bar. Chng sums up the appeal of Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island: “We believe in the appeal of homestay vacations. Every home is different because it exudes the characteristics of the host. We wanted to evoke the feel of visiting a private estate, to marvel in the curation of the host, which is sort of eclectic but The hand-built aesthetic of the resort seems right when put together.” exudes the feel of visiting a private e estate in Seychelles.

Each accommodation boasts a private plunge pool, a lush garden, and beach access.

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STYLE BUZZ

Our nation’s beauty mavens These homegrown beauty brands are doing us proud with their world-class skincare. Justina Tan interviews three players who help time-starved consumers put their best faces forward before any event.

What motivated you to start Skin Inc? Being a busy, working mother of two, the last thing on my mind was to go through 11 skincare steps every day and night. I also have very sensitive and eczema- prone skin. I tried many products from various brands and while some worked, I could not figure out which ingredients were good for my skin. I realised that there was a gap in the market, which inspired me to change and revolutionise the concept of skincare. Rather than stereotyping skin, I wanted to empower the differences.

Skin Inc has been around for 10 years. How do you stay relevant? Beauty and technology converge at Skin Inc, which is reflected in our ‘Skin Identity Check’ (an online questionnaire on the brand’s website). It allows anyone

SKIN INC SABRINA TAN’S BEAUTY One of the earliest players on the local beauty scene, MUST-HAVES Skin Inc was often mistaken as a Japanese brand, “Top of the list would definitely be the Optimizer Voyage Tri- thanks to its minimalist packaging and sophisticated Light++, which harnesses the power of LED chromotherapy and low frequency stimulation. This tool allows me to tackle multiple formulas. While their products, indeed, hail from Japan, skin concerns anywhere, at home, in a hotel room, or even on the plane – with my hectic schedule, that’s usually when I get to sneak the brand is very much Singaporean. Renowned for in a few moments for myself.” its range of customisable skincare combining beauty and technology, Skin Inc was founded a decade ago by Sabrina Tan, 44, who worked in IT for 11 years before venturing into the beauty business. Hence, it’s no surprise her products boast innovations such as encapsulating active ingredients in seaweed globules that burst upon contact with skin, thereby ensuring optimal freshness and efficacy. The brand has since garnered a celebrity cult following – Olivia Culpo and South Korean actress Son Ye-jin are fans – and is now available in over 100 cities spanning Asia, the U.S., and Europe. “Skin Inc has always been ahead of the game, a beauty disruptor if you will. Our ‘one-size-fits-one’ philosophy is truly borderless and a game-changer,” says Tan.

36 epicureasia.com “With my extremely dry, sensitive, eczema-prone skin, I need to first heal the barrier layer. I use the Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light++ together with My Daily Dose Custom- Blended Serum, which is highly concentrated to tailor to my needs.”

DRGL to perform their own skin diagnosis without being physically in Embodying both style and substance, Dr Georgia the store or with a beauty advisor. Since day one, we’ve been Lee, 49, isn’t just a celebrity doctor with a killer very active on digital and social media, which enables us to wardrobe. Behind the polished demeanour is an notice trends before they become mainstream. We always listen aesthetic physician who takes her profession very to what our customers say about us, and we make it a point to seriously. Besides the aesthetic practice she’s been take all their feedback into consideration – particularly when conscientiously running for almost 20 years, Dr Lee has we are developing a new product. “Our Pure Revival Peel was developed to also spent the last nine years building her eponymous meet the needs of exfoliating my fragile beauty empire. It started quite by accident in the early skin. It’s gentle enough for use on sensitive What is your beauty ethos? skin, but tough on dead skin cells.” noughties, when the statuesque doctor developed an Skincare shouldn’t be rocket science. allergic reaction to an antibiotic that left her with post- Acknowledge that your skin is as unique as inflammation pigmentation on the right side of her yourself. Embrace it – customise, don’t face. She invested money to develop her own product compromise. to tackle the problem and after six years of intensive R&D, she launched her first range of skincare in 2009 What are your plans for the brand? (she rebranded it to DrGL in 2011). We have been growing since the very Available in Singapore, Thailand and onboard beginning, and today we can proudly three airlines, DrGL now has a stable of some 40 or say that we are an international company so products, and falls under A DrBrand – an umbrella with a strong global footprint. Last month, company Dr Lee set up to consolidate all her brands: we broke into the China market and are now DrGL skincare, DrHair hair products and the DrSpa available in 130 Sephora stores across China. chain.

epicureasia.com 37 Can you share what the road to creating the DrGL It also meant time away from my family, and being an brand was like? absentee mother and wife. I’m not trained in skincare development, so I had to learn everything from scratch – from visiting How has your profession impacted the development factories to understanding the process. I travelled of DrGL? overseas to learn from experts in the field or trade. We use only premium ingredients that are brought This included learning how the packaging premises together from the knowledge I have garnered over and processes that produce the skincare products the last two decades in my field of practice. To curate can affect the integrity of the product over time. skincare products to meet our customers’ needs, we DrGL’s products are made in Singapore, Japan, study and understand what they want and require Korea, U.S.A., and Australia., depending on which through our service arm – these customers form an country has the best manufacturers for a particular important real-time focus group for the brand. product. What is your beauty maxim? What challenges did you face? Keep it simple. If you can achieve results in five to six It took pure grit to learn the ropes on top of a full- simple steps, there is no need for a ‘skincare detour’ time job at my practice. What it meant was working with 23 steps (that is the highest I have seen). It is not late into the night after office hours, doing red-eye only costly and wastes time, but also subjects the skin flights to meet and cherry-pick manufacturers. to excess chemicals and exposes it to sensitisation.

DR GEORGIA LEE’S ALLIES OF SKIN BEAUTY MUST-HAVES A prodigy of sorts in the beauty industry, 30-year- “Sun Protection Anti-Aging is a multi-tasker that protects old Nicolas Travis founded Allies of Skin in 2013 and me from UV rays, moisturises and slows down wrinkles with peptides. I apply this over my face, eyelids, neck and after almost three years of R&D, he launched the entire body, including clothed areas.” brand’s first three products in 2016. He had been working at Ogilvy & Mather for nine months before boldly venturing into the beauty industry. “It’s honestly the only thing I want to do with my life, so I decided I had nothing to lose and just went for it,” shares Travis. Manufactured in the U.S., one product in “I apply Post Cleanser Step 2 – it contains particular – Allies of Skin’s 1A All-Day Mask – was a lactic acid – over my face, eyelids, neck and massive hit. The game-changing product put Allies back of my hands to of Skin on the world map; it quickly expanded into keep skin cell renewal in check. It results in 13 countries and Travis not only broken even on fewer lines and less pigment spots.” his initial investment, he more than doubled it – all within a year. The first and only Singaporean beauty brand to be stocked at Net-A-Porter, Mr Porter, “I use only Cleanser Barneys, Harrods, Selfridges, Saks Fifth Avenue, “We have users Hair (Anti- sharing with us Hairloss) to Lane Crawford, and JOYCE, Allies of Skin earned how Skin Repair wash my hair Travis a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list. has helped their because it acne or skin helps to slow “I find little white spaces in the market and with wounds heal down age- and faster. These stress-related every product, I aim to fill those white spaces. I little notes of hair loss while don’t believe in following trends or adding to the encouragement encouraging are so precious new hair already saturated beauty market, so every new to us.” growth.” formula we create has to fulfil a purpose,” he says.

38 epicureasia.com “The Promise Keeper What was the motivation behind Allies of Skin? Who is Allies of Skin’s target user? Blemish Facial helps to treat existing breakouts I had severe acne as a teenager, which is how my The time-starved individual. I like to say that we create and prevents future ones passion for skincare started. I wanted to create an products for people who work too hard, sleep too little with a blend of potent ingredients that includes effortless, non-toxic line focused on clinically proven and drink too much, so if you fall into any of those antioxidants, organic rosehip oil, colloidal ingredients at concentrated percentages for optimal three categories, Allies of Skin is for you. silver and medical grade efficacy. Manuka honey.” How have you positioned and publicised your brand? What challenges did you face in the early days? We’ve not had any money for marketing, so the growth As a fast-growing start-up, our challenge in the we’ve had has been through organic word-of-mouth. beginning and two years after was always cash. This is Being stocked in the best luxury stores around the a capital-intensive industry, so I bootstrapped this for world has helped, as we are able to tap into their the first year until I couldn’t anymore, and then I took channels and platforms. on private investors. Allies of Skin is available online and in Sephora. Do you intend to start a brick and mortar here? That’s definitely in our plans for the future, but right now we are focused on growing our existing channel partners. e

“A new and improved formula of the 1A All-Day Mask, the 1A All-Day Pollution Repair Mask is 50 percent more concentrated than the original. Containing seven brighteners and nine antioxidants, it is the world’s first leave-on day mask. It repairs past and present damage while erasing all signs of fatigue.”

“Formulated with glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids, the Bright Future Overnight Facial gives the effects of a professional facial overnight; all you have to do is sleep.”

NICOLAS TRAVIS’ BEAUTY MUST-HAVES

“The Molecular Saviour Probiotics Mist is an DrGL and Allies of Skin are available at anti-evaporation skin booster that enhances the Sephora ION Orchard. effects of everything else used after.”

epicureasia.com 39 The magnificent interiors of Mizumi take inspiration from a Japanese courtyard through the seasons.

The gourmet’s escapade Set on the vibrant Cotai island, Wynn Palace is a haven of whimsical elegance where gastronomes can revel in culinary sojourns to China, America and Japan amongst luxurious amenities and priceless objet d'arts.

Few properties exude whimsicality and opulence quite like Wynn je ne sais quoi extends to Wynn Palace’s 1,706 rooms and suites. Palace. Enthroned in the midst of the bustling Cotai island, the Each residence is decked out in eclectic oeuvres and floor-to- Forbes Five-Star award-winning ultra-luxe integrated resort ceiling windows offering sweeping views of Cotai’s dazzling skyline enchants with a captivating floral theme. A palette of sumptuous and the mesmerising son et lumière display of the Performance gold and vermillion is accentuated by Jeff Koons’ bouquet of Lake. Top it off with a serene trip to the Spa, which is inspired by high-chromium Tulips, kinetic centrepieces of peonies, roses and the fabled palaces of China, or indulge in a shopping escapade hydrangeas by renowned floral couturier Preston Bailey, and a teeming with the world’s most luxurious brands. leisurely SkyCab ride flanked by a pair of golden dragons for an While the lavish amenities are certainly highlights of Wynn unparalleled view of the iconic Performance Lake and Cotai. The Palace, the rest of the property – namely the exceptional

40 epicureasia.com SPECIAL FEATURE

Cantonese cuisine, from the intricate art of to the smoky aroma of wok-fried delights.

Tales of Japan What better way to experience a country’s culture than through its food? Executive Chef Min Kim of Wynn Palace’s Mizumi, Sushi Mizumi and Hanami can’t help but agree. “I want guests to not only taste the food, but also learn more about Japan. Cooking isn’t just about preparing food to me. It is all about understanding the Japanese way of life and how their distinctive, yet diverse cooking styles has developed over the course of history,” says Kim, with pride. He integrates this burgeoning knowledge of one of the world’s finest culinary destinations with a dedication to another Japanese tradition – the spirit of Omotenashi. While it simply means to entertain and serve diners wholeheartedly, it goes beyond good hospitality; it is anticipating what diners want and adding on to their experience. The illustrious chef credits his early exposure to Japanese cuisine and its culture to his father. Kim spent much of his childhood in his father’s Japanese restaurant, which, coincidentally was also his kitchen. “My house was attached to the back of the restaurant and my family would prepare all three meals using the restaurant’s kitchen. The first dish I ever made was in that kitchen. It was a simple yet homely Chawanmushi. My father was the one who taught me; swirling with dashi before the mixture into a soft, creamy egg custard. It was akin to learning how to ride a bike – you'll never forget,” chuckles the amiable chef. Whether his father intended to or not, his dedication to Washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine) inspired six-year-old Kim towards a career in Japanese culinary arts. Alas, life is but a dream. He made his debut at a Japanese restaurant in Australia, before cutting his teeth at the place where it all began – his father’s humble restaurant. Equipped with a never-ending zeal for the cuisine, he crossed the pond over Executive Chef Min Kim of Wynn Palace's Mizumi, Sushi Mizumi and Hanami to Tokyo and made his mark at two internationally acclaimed establishments; two Michelin-starred restaurant Narisawa restaurants – is no less magnificent. Pamper your palates with and the world’s best spot for Washoku, three Michelin-starred cuisines from across China, America and Japan at the group’s restaurant Ryugin. It was at the latter where he had the honour of signature brands. Mizumi and Sushi Mizumi, helmed by the working with Tokyo’s finest chef, Seiji Yamamoto, and deepened illustrious chef Min Kim, exudes the concept of omotenashi with his appreciation for the exquisite flavours of Japan’s bounteous a spectacular display of teppanyaki, tempura and sushi using offerings. That’s not all. He even raked in multiple awards as ingredients flown in daily from Japan. SW Steakhouse offers a Executive Chef of Sake Double Bay while in Sydney. theatrical dining experience and premium steak and seafood. Now, the celebrated chef leads a distinguished team of There’s also Wing Lei Palace, which is lauded for its refined take on Master Chefs at Mizumi. Under his passionate tutelage, they

epicureasia.com 41 Yaeyama premium A5 Wagyu steak from Mizumi, Wynn Palace work seamlessly to present an authentic showcase of Japanese cuisine in three diverse cooking styles – tempura, teppanyaki and sushi. When asked about his signatures, Kim waxes lyrical over the Steam Abalone and Sea Urchin Sushi. The sumptuous dish is an unforgettable chef-d'œuvre in which he combines his masterful skills with a profound respect for Japan’s quality produce. The abalone is slow-cooked for 10 hours to impart a succulent yet tender texture, before it’s marinated for six hours in a special for a burst of umami. Complimenting the savoury morsels are sweet, buttery wedges of Hokkaido Uni (feathers sea urchin) – the crème de la crème of sea urchins – that’s flown in from Japan daily. Likewise, for the Shiso Tempura with Hokkaido Uni Sashimi. The herbaceous and citrusy leaves are lightly fried into a thin tempura layer that envelops generous slivers of uni. The juxtaposition of hot and cold, creamy and crisp makes foraddictive mouthfuls, all while allowing the natural flavours of the ingredients to shine. “While we present unique combinations here, the cooking method and presentation one would expect from culinary masters from Japan remains,” explains Kim. Complimenting the elegant display of inimitable plates is the equally unforgettable and vibrant ambience. The same floral theme gets an upgrade in Mizumi with the glided cherry tree sculpture, which dazzles diners with an enthralling dance of lights and colours. It sits within a contemporary rock garden and is flanked by traditional tansu cabinets, emulating the serenity of a Japanese courtyard (albeit a modern one). It spans 108 seats, including 24 at two teppanyaki stations, complete with a dramatic orange-lacquered hood, and three private rooms for distinguished guests to savour Mizumi’s trio of Japanese cooking styles. Likewise, for Sushi Mizumi, which was awarded Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Restaurant in 2018. The modish and intimate sushi bar features a quaint 14-seater counter made from slow-growing Japanese hinoki cypress laying below a dance of brilliant golf and silver cranes. The former adds a subtle, earthy aroma to the meticulous nibbles of Edomae-style sushi, presented through an omakase experience. What seals the deal, of course, is Kim’s passion to present the best of Japan to esteemed guests, entrenching the restaurant as the quintessential Sushi Mizumi, Wynn Palace address for a gastronomic journey.

42 epicureasia.com SPECIAL FEATURE

Steam Abalone and Sea Urchin Sushi

Edomae-style sushi from Sushi Mizumi

Shiso Tempura with Hokkaido Uni Sashimi

Open on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11:30am to 3:00pm (lunch) and Thursdays to Tuesdays, from 5.30pm to 11pm (dinner). Address: North Esplanade, G/F, Wynn Palace, Avenida da Nave Desportiva Cotai, Macau. Tel: +853 8889 3663. wynnpalace.com

epicureasia.com 43 SW Steakhouse, Wynn Palace Wing Lei Palace, Wynn Palace

Dim sum from Wing Lei Palace 5DLVLQJWKHVWHDNVb SW Steakhouse is known for its authentic American steakhouse experience, served with a dose of theatrics. The original concept hails from the brand’s award-winning Las Vegas establishment, and continues to uphold the tradition of dinner with a Snake River Farms Strip from SW Steakhouse show. Expect premium, luscious cuts of American USDA prime steaks, Japanese Wagyu, -HZHOLQWKHFURZQb Australian Rangers Valley Black Market beef as well as lobsters Awash in the elaborate inflorescence of roses, hydrangeas and and other ocean , sourced from Southeast Asia and the orchids, Wing Lei Palace is a grandeur three-tiered Cantonese Pacific. For entertainment, SW Steakhouse offers one-of-a-kind, restaurant. Saunter through the lavish gold and emerald three-dimensional hologram shows, including the mesmerising chinoiserie interiors before settling down to a bevy of intricate Lake of Dreams animation. In between the displays, diners can dim sum creations, indulgent barbecue specialities and classic indulge in dry-aged bone-in rib-eye, savoured on their own or Cantonese fare using top-notch ingredients. The food can be topped with a seared foie gras and peppercorn , or a classic paired with an array of 50 specialty teas, personally curated by crab cake that’s been given an upgrade with the sweet, succulent Wynn Palace’s Master Tea Sommelier, to showcase the diverse chunks of Alaskan King crabmeat. The dessert and beverage flavour profiles of the age-old beverage. What’s more, out of seven menus also showcase American favourites. Think decadent funnel private dining rooms, dressed in the style of European opera and rare, cult distilleries such as Willet and Pappy Van boxes, three are situated lakeside with private outdoor terraces Winkle, and cocktails barrel-aged for up to five weeks in American for a unparalleled view of the Performance Lake. Oak barrels. Wing Lei Palace: open on Mondays to Saturdays from 11:30am to SW Steakhouse: open on Wednesdays to Mondays from 5:30pm to 3:00pm (lunch) and Sundays and Public Holidays from 10:30am to 11:00pm (dinner). Address: North Esplanade, G/F, Wynn Palace, Avenida 3:30pm (lunch). Open daily from 5:30pm to 10.30pm (dinner). da Nave Desportiva Cotai, Macau. Address: West Esplanade, G/F, Wynn Palace, Avenida da Nave Tel: +853 8889 3663. wynnpalace.com Desportiva Cotai, Macau. Tel: +853 8889 3663. wynnpalace.com

44 epicureasia.com @epicureasia designed for #bonvivants who share the belief that food is the ultimate universal language

epicureasia.com

VIDEOS Log on to our website to get a glimpse of what goes on behind each issue. TOP TOQUE

46 epicureasia.com Persistent passion From burning his during home economic class to rising up the ranks to become executive chef of award-winning Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Max Ng shares his journey to success with Victoria Lim.

very hipster foodie worth his pink Himalayan salt has “At Ssäm, we really encourage and celebrate diversity, because probably heard of New York’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar, the that’s very important to our creative process. As , E crown jewel of the Momofuku empire by straight-talking we’ve been exposed to so many cultures, not only Southeast Asian, founder-chef and restaurant mogul David Chang. Much less is but French, Japanese and even . That really gives known of his executive chef Max Ng. Ng has become a serious me the advantage of knowing more, and helps me to understand player in the Big Apple’s competitive restaurant scene. And he is more when it comes to other cuisines,” he added. Singaporean. Perhaps one day, Ng will return to set up his own restaurant This is not a position Ng would even have dreamt of as a in Singapore, with what he has learned working at Momofuku schoolboy baking apple pies who once burnt his fried rice during Ssäm Bar. “Singapore is my home and my family is here. With the home economics class at Temasek Secondary School. Now 33, Ng knowledge and experience that I’ve gained outside of my country, is grateful for the opportunities he has been given over the years – I do want to bring it back and be a part of the local food scene as a student at the Singapore Hotel And Tourism Education Centre again.” (Shatec) and the Culinary Institute of America as well as an intern at Pan Pacific Singapore – to get this far. As the only child and the eldest grandson, how did your family Ng first got an internship at Momofuku Ko – he showed up at react when you decided to become a chef? the bar on a Saturday afternoon, after sending out 20 emails – with I was supposed to help out at my dad’s business, a LAN shop after I his knives and chef’s coat to ask for a trial. “Even if I was rejected, was done with my studies, but it didn’t out turn that way. at least I’d know immediately,” he recalled. He passed the trial and At that point, even if I had passed the first year of junior college started his internship the following week. From there, he worked I still wouldn’t have caught up in school – I didn’t know if it was his way to reach commis chef position at Ko in 2013, where he was a subconscious effort not to catch up in school or if I had lost in charge of receiving stocks, cleaning the produce and making interest. I told my parents I really wanted to cook. I felt that it was meals for the restaurant crew. my calling: one road has already closed (education), while the other

epicureasia.com 47 Uni Over Rice

Corn with Squid Ink Aioli and Ricotta has yet to be explored. I didn’t take no for my family will cook this time-tested an answer. recipe, and potatoes. Even though the chicken is the star What is your fondest memory of working of the dish, I love the curry and in the kitchen? potatoes most. I also love to eat It was back in Les Amis, where I had my Indian food, and my favourite is first taste of being in a kitchen. In the palak peneer. So with Max’s Curry + beginning, my feet hurt as I have never Potatoes, I merged them together Max’s Curry + Potatoes stood for more than four hours a day. And – the curry takes on the character when we were in the kitchen, it was non-stop 12 hours of standing of the palak peneer sauce, blending it coarsely, while the potatoes and hustling about. I remembered having this numbing sensation are cooked using techniques that I’ve learned from my time at after my first day. When I was 19-years-old, I was like wow, okay. Momofuku Ko. I think the desire to want to do better is very important when it’s something that you enjoy doing – it takes over your body. You feel What has been your most memorable meal? the pain after but you don’t think about it while you are working. The most memorable meal was when my friends and I got a table at Daniel by Corrie Lee, which is helmed by one of the best chefs Does the menu at Ssam Bar takes a significant influence from in North America. The whole meal was perfectly executed. It was Singapore? very goofy and nerdy for me. All I could think about was how I guess there are a few things going on at Momofuku Ssäm Bar. they achieved that level of consistency, execution and timing. The Momofuku Ssäm Bar is a restaurant that has been around for 10 kitchen team served all the food at the perfect temperature, as hot years. And they had things going on before that – it is a place where or as cold as it should be. It taught me that it’s not just about the I have a legacy to uphold. My influence draws from my travel and food, but how the chef brings everything together. my love for the night markets’ street , especially the food I grew up eating. Plus, the market produce. These are the small If you could cook for your parents what would you whip up? things that helped shape me. One of my regrets is that I missed the chance to learn how to cook traditional Hokkien dishes from my grandmother. I remembered What’s your cooking philsophy and which dish best represents it. when I was a kid, my family would pay grandma a visit every My philsophy is: I believe that my food should reflect the alternate Saturday and she will always whip up a feast for us and the experiences that I’ve gained, the people who have walked with me. extended family. The table will be filled with Hokkien delicacies like The dish will be Max’s Curry + Potatoes. It pays homage to my the Black and Pig’s Intestine Soup. I wished I took the family and my favourite dish, palak peneer. Every , initiative to learn how to prepare these time-consuming dishes. e

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You’d almost forget you’re in a hotel when stepping into the one Saint Pierre is the only Singapore member of the prestigious Relais Michelin-starred Summer Palace; the oriental-themed interior is & Châteaux collection. The one Michelin-starred restaurant is reminiscent of Beijing’s famed royal gardens. Executive chef Liu helmed by the amiable chef-owner Emmanuel Stroobant, who Ching Hai delivers exquisite Cantonese and dim sum delicacies. R΍HUVDVKRZFDVHRIFRQWHPSRUDU\)UHQFKFXLVLQHSHSSHUHGZLWK Think double-boiled soups with Ginseng and Fish Maw, Oven- $VLDQLQȵXHQFHV7KLQNOLYH+RNNDLGRVFDOORSVZLWKFXUU\RLORU Baked Cod with Egg White and Caviar, and Steamed aromatic steamed hairy crab with lemon grass. Dumplings with Bird’s Nest. Curated wine-pairing menu for UnionPay Platinum and Diamond Cardholders R΍WRWDOELOOIRU8QLRQ3D\3ODWLQXPRU'LDPRQG&DUGKROGHUV

*Terms and conditions apply. Offers valid until 1 July 2019. Visit www.unionpayintl.com/en/ for full details. SONG OF INDIA 333 Scotts Road. Tel: 6836 0055 Enjoy an Indian gastronomic experience at Song of India, the one Michelin-starred restaurant housed within a colonial bungalow. Executive chef Manjunath Mural devotes himself to showcasing India’s many regional cuisines and presenting them at their peak. , a state near the Arabian sea, makes an appearance in the Lobster Molley, while the robust jus for the Nalli Gosht of tender lamb shanks is inspired by the north Indian city of Lucknow. Exclusive U-menu for for UnionPay Platinum or Diamond Cardholders

SHOUKUWA #02-02A One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton Road. Tel: 6423 9939 MOONLITE KITCHEN AND BAR It’s not hard to conjure images of Ginza when dining at Jalan Abimanyu (Dhyana Pura), Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia. Tel: +62 361 737773 6KRXNXZD7KHWZR0LFKHOLQVWDUUHGUHVWDXUDQWR΍HUVDZHOO rounded selection of sashimi and cooked dishes using top-notch After settling into one of the two seating areas in Moonlite Kitchen LQJUHGLHQWVȵRZQLQGDLO\IURP7VXNLML0DUNHW%HLWDWWKHVHDWHU and Bar – a Balinese-inspired dining room and an open-air deck main counter or 6-seater private room, the menu varies between facing the Indian Ocean – turn your attention to the wonderful seasons, but guests can always look forward to the masterful Asian spread that spans Chinese, Indian and Thai fare. There’s also showcase of tuna cuts, from the melt-in-your-mouth Chutoro to an a trendy lounge bar to while the night away with punchy island umami-laden seared Ootoro Aburi Sushi. cocktails and live music from 7pm to 10pm. Two seats will be reserved for UnionPay Platinum and Diamond Cardholders every Saturday, with a priority on the waiting list for R΍IRRGDQGQRQDOFRKROLFEHYHUDJHVIRUDOO8QLRQ3D\&DUGKROGHUV reservations PADI FINE DINING MOZAIC Desa Viesa Ubud, Jalan Suweta Banjar Bentuyung Sakt, Ubud-Gianyar Jalan Raya Sanggingan, Kedewatan, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571. Tel: +62 361 2091788 80571, Indonesia. Tel: +62 361 975768. mozaic_bali.com Reputed for its gorgeously plated Pesco-Vegeterian menus, Take a gastronomic journey through the Indonesian archipelago Padi Fine Dining is the address for an impeccable dining DW0R]DLF8EXGȇVORQJVWDQGLQJYDQJXDUGRISURGXFHFHQWULFȴQH experience. Award-winning chef Mandif Warokka marries dining fare. The idyllic garden setting plays host to the vibrant indigenous produce with traditional Indonesian and modern dishes by chef-owner Chris Salans, including a Bedugul Rabbit cooking techniques to produce dishes, such as the Butter Martabak and Butter Roasted Javanese Pigeon. A vegetarian Poached 'Bay Rock Lobster', that’s topped with a taro emulsion WDVWLQJPHQXR΍HUVDJOLPSVHLQWRWKHUHJLRQȇVERXQWHRXV and curry leaves salsa, and his take on the Mont Blanc dessert R΍HULQJV1RWWREHPLVVHGLVWKH)UHVK3DVWD/LQJXLQL3XPSNLQ using the region’s ubiquitous cassava roots. which is served with a robust Balinese spice paste, basa gede.

R΍IRRGRQO\IRUDOO8QLRQ3D\&DUGKROGHUV R΍IRRGRQO\IRUDOO8QLRQ3D\&DUGKROGHUV

LUMBUNG RESTAURANT S.O.S – SUNSET ON SEMINYAK Desa Viesa Ubud, Jalan Suweta Banjar Bentuyung Sakt, Ubud-Gianyar Jalan Abimanyu (Dhyana Pura), Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, 80571. Tel: +62 361 2091788 Bali 80361, Indonesia Tel: +62 361 739888 Lumbung Restaurant celebrates Indonesia’s rich culinary heritage Bask in the sunset glow while at S.O.S. – Sunset on Seminyak, through a splendid feast based on indigenous cooking techniques which boasts a fantasic view of the Indian Ocean. Guests can and locally-sourced produce. Traditional dishes include comfort sink into its many vibrant bean bags on the sandy shores foods, such as the Lumbung with bebek (fried duck) while indulging in a variety of Indonesian and International and a list of sambal, from sambal embe to udang sambal goreng dishes. A wellness menu, teeming with superfoods and petai. There’s even a menu of speciality drinks like the tropical fruits, is also available for the health-conscious. Best cocktail, which is a creamy blend of brandy, tape ketan (black savoured with bubblies under the starry night sky. and . R΍IRRGDQGQRQDOFRKROLFEHYHUDJHVIRUDOO8QLRQ3D\ Cardholders R΍IRRGDQGEHYHUDJHVIRUDOO8QLRQ3D\&DUGKROGHUV

*Terms and conditions apply. Offers valid until 1 July 2019. Visit www.unionpayintl.com/en/ for full details. TUGU BALI RESTAURANT KUNYIT RESTAURANT Jalan Pantai Batu Bolong, Pantai Canggu, Canggu, Kuta Utara, Jalan Kartika Plaza, The ANVAYA Beach Resort Bali, Kuta, Kabupaten Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia. Tel: +62 361 4731701 Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia. Tel: +62 361 759991 The moment guests enter Tugu Bali Restaurant, they are Showcasing indigenous Bali Aga (period in Bali's oldest era) culture transported to a bygone era – a majestic open-air Balinese hall of is Kunyit Restaurant, an opulent 352-seater establishment within Wantilan Agung awash in Indonesian antiques and cultural relics. The ANVAYA Beach Resort Bali. It is known for its stellar menu of The lavish interiors play host to megibung, a style of communal traditional delicacies from Bali and Indonesia, like the sprawling dining for families, and features Indonesian classics in various megibung spread and their signature Crispy Duck. Evenings are VW\OHV7KXUVGD\VR΍HUGLQQHUZLWKDVKRZZKHUHORFDOVZRXOG often livened up by Kecak Dance, a traditional Balinese ritual based perform traditional Balinese dances accompanied by the soothing on an epic Hindu fable of Ramayana. acoustics of instrumentals. R΍IRRGDQGEHYHUDJHVIRUDOO8QLRQ3D\&DUGKROGHUV Exclusive U-menu at IDR440,000 nett/person for all UnionPay Cardholders

BOTTEGA RISTORANTE WILSHIRE Fairgrounds Building, Lot 14, Kav 52-53 SCBD South Jakarta. Jalan Senopati Raya No.64, Kby. Baru, South Jakarta 12190. Tel: +62 021 51902266 Tel: +62 21 722 8129 It's la dolce vita at Bottega Ristorate, a modern European A trailblazer in Senopati’s dining scene, Wilshire brings a slice of restaurant set in the heart of Jakarta’s business district. The Los Angeles to Jakarta. Executive chef Dolly Chia, an alumnus of sprawling 300-seater establishment takes diners straight to , showcases the cultural mixing pot unique to the Europe with its colourful Bisazza tiles, earthy tones and bursts American state in a comprehensive menu. Think Kimchi Steak RIȵRUDȂLGHDOIRUDJDWKHULQJZLWKIULHQGVRUDEXVLQHVVPHHWLQJ Burger and a heart Okinawan Taco Rice. That’s not to say Chia Diners are spoilt for choice as options run the gamut from a Porcini doesn’t pay homage to the capital’s street food. The Nasi Campur &R΍HH5XEEHG6WHDNWRD6DPEDO0DWDK$JOLR2OLREXWWKHMHZHOLQ Wilshire is her rendition of a local favourite. the crown is the list of Scottish, American and Japanese whiskies. R΍HQWLUHPHQXRQZHHNGD\V LQFOXGLQJDOFRKRO IRUDOO8QLRQ3D\ Cardholders R΍HQWLUHPHQX LQFOXGLQJDOFRKRO IRUDOO8QLRQ3D\&DUGKROGHUV A traditional Peranakan dish, Damian D'Silva's Hati Babi Bungkus is a scrumptious ball of minced pork and liver wrapped in caul fat. he next great T SINGAPORE Singapore food is gradually attracting accolades on the world stage. It captivated the late Anthony cuisine? Bourdain and surprised gourmets worldwide with the cheapest Michelin-starred meal, but no Singapore. In Japan, there’s sushi or ramen; in Bangkok, there’s one can give a definite answer as to what the pad thai; and Korea has . Our national dishes are often cuisine really is. Chefs dissect its complexity and tagged to their country of origins, albeit having evolved into offer clues on where it's headed. By Jessica Chan a version unique to us. Classics like Hainanese Chicken Rice and Victoria Lim (Hainan), (Fujian or Klang) or Roti Prata (Chennai) are some examples.” D’Silva, a champion of Singapore heritage food, adds on, “Our culinary heritage consists of more than just that (hawker food) – and the world needs to know that.” He is referring to dishes, particularly of Eurasian and Peranakan descent, created using zealously guarded family recipes shared within home Waking up to a bowl of thin egg noodles, slathered kitchens. Old-school dishes just like his grandma used to make, in a spicy, tart concoction of sambal, braised mushrooms and such as Sambal Buah Keluak Fried Rice, Masak Nanas (prawn and black , is a ritual to many Singaporeans. Bak Chor Mee curry) or Hati Babi Bungkus (minced pork and liver (minced meat noodles) didn’t start out tasting this way. Originally a wrapped in caul fat) are not something one can order from, say, Teochew dish, where thick egg noodles are submerged in rich yet Lau Pa Sat or Amoy Street Food Centre. clear pork broth and topped with minced pork, it has since been Some see this crazy diversity as a crutch, but it could very adapted into a dry version with black vinegar and sambal; the well be the unique advantage Singapore, a young country of just latter a common ingredient used by the Malays. 53 years, needs to stand out on the international culinary stage. While the two versions continue to co-exist, the comfort food Han is optimistic and agrees. “What makes us amazing is that we has metamorphosed into Mod-Sin (modern Singaporean) dishes have no fixed definition.” like Bak Chor Mee Pasta by Shen Tan or Bjorn Shen’s B.C.M Grilled This belief extends into Mod-Sin fare, a term coined by Willin Cheese for Loof, where a sourdough grilled cheese is stuffed Low of Wild Rocket circa 2005, where traditional Singapore generously with minced meat. flavours and ingredients are presented on a vastly different Evidently, local dishes passed down from generations before platform. And what’s intriguing about it? This experimental new continue to be reinvented by Singaporean chefs, though some subset of Singapore cuisine has no textbook definition as well. still stick to their guns to maintain authenticity – think Violet Han impresses with his out-of-the-box thinking in dishes like Oon of National Kitchen by or Damian D'Silva with the Labyrinth using 10 different types of herbs, flowers his Eurasian-Peranakan plates at Folklore – as it was enjoyed and sprouts from locally-based Edible Garden City to recreate way before the island city’s independence. This is a glimpse into the Chinese-Malay often found in hawker centres. Private Singapore’s evolving food scene where the past and present chef Tan serves a Sweet Png Kueh pan-fried in brown butter and influences converge. But it also begs the questions: What is topped with cashew nut ice cream that’s unlike the pink, savoury ? Who are the chefs championing it? Where is Teochew . Malcolm Lee's modern interpretation of the cuisine headed? over at one Michelin-starred Candlenut is a prime example of how time-honoured dishes have a place in the current and future dining landscape of Singapore (and, perhaps, A blessing in disguise the world). “It is great that everyone has their own style. Think of Dissecting Singaporean cuisine in minute detail is no easy task. it this way: we have been given an entire box of crayons to draw Han Li Guang, the avant-garde chef behind one Michelin-starred with. There are no rules and the future of Mod-Sin cuisine is as Labyrinth explains, “There is no defining dish when it comes to bright as you want it,” enthuses Tan.

epicureasia.com 55 “We went through the foundation stage of creating something that is truly ours, and then after many years, came the next wave of food flavours, Mod- Sin. What might the food scene look like

Violet in a decade? I’m not Oon who sure, but all I know showcases traditional is that I got to keep Peranakan Violet Oon's Kueh cuisine at doing what I’m doing Pie Tee features National bamboo shoots and Kitchen by – serving my dishes turnips poached in Violet Oon. to families,” prawn bisque.

“Our culinary heritage consists of more than just that (hawker food) – and

Opor Ayam (chicken the world needs to cooked in ) from Folklore know that.”

One of the perennial champions of Singapore's heritage Preserving Singapore’s heritage dishes, Damian D'Silva at in style his restaurant, Folklore. But even as chefs continue to push the envelope of how laksa or should be cooked, the key is celebrating the spirit of the original cuisine. “Without tradition, there would be no base for modern cuisine to build upon,” says Low. A firm understanding of the various cuisines making up Singapore’s is necessary. Low interned at the famed Roxy Laksa (one of Singapore’s earliest inspire inimitable plates that strike emotional resonance with peddlers, dating to 1952) for three months. The diners. “Modern dishes must still be relatable and, yet, relevant result: Low created Laksa, a sumptuous handmade spanner crab to what the new age of diners want to see on their plates,” Lee and chestnut ravioli swimming in the fiery, briny broth topped rationalises. D’Silva chimes in, “As the ingredient availability and with a pesto of laksa leaves and candlenut. palates now differ from generations before, I’ve changed or added Chefs have the talent to tap on nostalgia and use it to new components to traditional recipes.”

56 epicureasia.com Grandma's Fish Maw Soup made “There is no defining dish when with yellow tail snapper fish cake and textures of fish maw and tofu it comes to Singapore. In Japan, purée from Labyrinth there’s sushi or ramen; in Bangkok, there’s pad thai; and Korea has bibimbap. To make matters worse, our national dishes are often tagged to their country of origins, albeit having evolved into a version unique to us. Hawker fare like Hainanese Chicken Rice (Hainan), Bak Kut Teh (Fujian or Klang) or Roti Prata Avant-garde chef Han Li Guang of one Michelin- (Chennai) are some examples.” starred Labyrinth

Malcolm “Modern dishes Lee offers a contemporary must still be relatable spin on Peranakan and, yet, relevant to cuisine at one Michelin-starred what the new age of Candlenut diners want to see on their plates,”

Buah Keluak of Braised Local Chicken with Black Nut Sambal

Wok-fried Tiger Prawns, Petai Beans, Tamarind and Fried Shallots, Candlenut

“The beauty of not having Private chef Shen Tan of a benchmark for Mod-Sin? OwnselfMakeChef, who serves up It gives the cooking style her own rendition of various the freedom to innovate and Singaporean evolve.” classics. “It is great that everyone has their own style. Think of it this way: We have been given an entire box of crayons to draw with. There are no rules KK and and the future of Mod-Sin Dennis Chong of cuisine is as bright as you CreatureS want it.”

epicureasia.com 57 eventually have the right idea of what we are (as a culinary country).” Restaurants of international acclaim like Candlenut and National Kitchen by Violet Oon as well as KF Seetoh’s (founder of Makansutra and Singapore food culture’s go-to guru) World Street Food Congress have sparked curiosity in locals and tourists who want “Without tradition, in get on what ‘true Singaporean fare” is. Lee and Han there would be no have opened the eyes of many to the versatility of Southeast Asian ingredients like buah keluak, ginger base for modern flower and kaya, whether it's through social media or cuisine to build upon.” collaborations abroad. Best of all, Singapore brands are setting up outposts across the globe - Old Chang Willin Low of Wild Rocket coined the Kee in London and 328 Katong Laksa in Taipei, just to term Mod-Sin in 2005 to describe his style of name a few. In October, CreatureS will be bringing cooking their famed Crayfish Hokkien Mee to Beijing (TEASE by CreatureS). “These (overseas) locations provide a platform for diners to become familiarised with our The next wave cuisine,” explains Lee. This begs another question: between the old culinary guards and So, what will the next generation of Singaporean food look ambassadors of Mod-Sin cuisine, which camp can best propagate like? What’s the next frontier beyond this era’s Mod-Sin? Just Singapore’s culinary future? The answer is, unsurprisingly, both. like before its independence, this metropolitan hub continues to “Coexistence is the only way forward.” says Low. Part of gather influence - be it cooking techniques or ingredients - from what makes a meal memorable draws from the story a dish, the abroad, and chefs (and homecooks) are becoming more audacious restaurant and the chef is telling. Regardless of the presentation, in their cooking, perhaps powered by modern conveniences the dishes many Singaporean chefs present are a reflection of like ready-to-cook rempah or Nyonya curry paste from the likes themselves. Think of it as a translation of Singapore’s colourful of Shermay Lee and Jeremy Nguee. Think Upside Down Goreng story on a plate, one that’s well told by the people who live and Pisang, CreatureS’ take on the classic British cake, and Tans’ breathe it. And one (locals or tourists) needs to realise that there Savoury in Coconut Prawn Broth. There's no stopping is no singular right way to present the cuisine. “There’s no need that unique way of experimentation when it comes to Singapore to compare. Simply, be proud of all that make up our heritage,” cuisine. And the world is ready to sit back and watch what this enthuses Han. “As we continue to push forward, people will island nation will offer next. MODERN VS TRADITIONAL

Willin Low’s Laksa VS Violet Oon’s Dry Laksa

58 epicureasia.com SPECIAL FEATURE

cable and the whole device immediately lights up from within. As the carnival-like tune of Mickey Mouse March plays in the background, you can admire specially-commissioned drawings of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Disney and Goofy on a carousel ride. What’s more, housed inside the carousel tin is a two-tier dessert tray; present the mooncakes on the elegant vessel for afternoon tea, or use it as a table centrepiece thereafter. Magical Housed within Disney's musical carousel mooncake box are eight mooncakes in two flavours ($88/four of each flavour). The Moments Made Chocolate Manuka Honey snow skin encases a white chocolate centre and a smooth and not-too-sweet chocolate paste, which is guaranteed to be a hit with kids and adults alike. Bite into the of These Pandan Lotus with gula Melaka mooncake to discover a jade green Moon over Crystal Jade’s one-of-a-kind Disney lotus paste enveloping a creamy gula Melaka filled white chocolate centre. musical carousel mooncake box as well as a For purists, Crystal Jade’s traditional mooncakes, which sport variety of snow skin and baked renditions. thin golden brown and moist pastry skin and a generous filling of low sugar premium natural white lotus, will not disappoint. They Each year, epicureans in Singapore will be spoilt for choice when come in a choice of melon seeds ($58 for four), single yolk ($62 for the Mid-Autumn Festival rolls around as F&B establishments four) and double yolk ($68 for four). Another variety is the Mixed vie with each other to launch the most creative packaging and Nuts and Chicken Ham ($68 for four), which is chock-full of orange delicious mooncake flavour. While others typically offer gift boxes peel, sesame seeds, almonds and chicken ham. All traditional that double up as jewellery cases or lanterns, Crystal Jade’s mooncakes are housed in classy turquoise boxes with a gem collaboration with Disney’s Mickey and Friends goes a step further stone-inspired design. and comes in the form of a limited edition Disney musical For Jadeite members, Citi and DBS/POSB card members carousel mooncake tin ($88 Early bird offer: including eight mooncakes). 20% off: eStore: till 31 August; outlets: 19 to 31 August Plug the stunning rose 10% discount: eStore: 1 to 18 September; outlets: till 24 September gold tin to an attached USB For more information, log on to www.crystaljade.com

epicureasia.com 59 'HIHQFȢDJDLQƔɀFKROHƔWHURȰ What makes Xin Cuisine’s Double-boiled Superior Fish Maw with Bamboo Pith in Bone Broth ($55) stand out is the addition of tian shan xue lian (snow lotus seeds). 6RXOIXȰ6RXSȾ Harvested from cold climates, such as the Himalayans, these translucent marbles are One minute the weather is hot like a furnace, next minute you coveted for their ability to normalise blood are experiencing the big chill in the office. Chinese double-boiled pressure as well as reduce the formation soups are a time-honoured remedy to guard against illnesses in of fat cells and cholesterol. Executive any season. Jessica Chan and Victoria Lim scoured the island to Chinese chef Chan Shun Wong enhances select eight of the best healing broths. the flavourless ingredient with a rich combination of pork bones, shoulder hock and fish maw. Holiday Inn Atrium, 317 Outram Road. Tel: 6731 7173

Wah%HDɀWKȢƔXPPHȼKHDɀ Lok Cantonese Restaurant’s Double- boiled Whole Yellow Melon Soup with Mixed Seafood ($22) has the perfect formula to keep your body cool. Served in a small melon, the soup is brimming with fresh and premium ingredients like crab meat, duck meat, mushroom and bamboo fungus, which are boiled for three hours to bring out the sweet flavours. The melon helps to dispel the heat, humidity, while the bamboo fungus reduces ‘bad’ cholesterol. Level 2, Carlton Hotel Singapore, 76 Bras Basah Road. Tel: 6311 8188

60 epicureasia.com ƣSHȸLȴƛRXȼƔWHȸ as an all-cure in Chinese medicine, cordyceps is a fungus harvested off caterpillars in the mountainous Newly6XSHȼKHDOƚȨERƋƔɀ minted one Michelin- Scallops ($38) – with a cook time regions of China. Despite its rather unappetising starred Jiang-Nan Chun isn't just of 16 hours. The star ingredient is origins and bitter after taste, it is commonly known for its tableside Peking maka, also known as the Peruvian consumed for its energising qualities. In Wan Hao Duck, its range of soups is also Ginseng – an excellent source of Chinese Restaurant’s Double-boiled Cordyceps slurp-worthy. Try the signature vitamins and minerals. Level 2, Flower Consommé with Lobster & Egg White ($32), double-boiled Pork Ribs Soup Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, 190 however, the sweet, succulent flesh of lobster and with Sea Whelk, Maka and Dried Orchard Boulevard. Tel: 6831 7220. broth negates the bitter profile, giving each spoonful a distinctive burst of umami. Level 2, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, 320 Orchard Road. Tel: 6831 4605.

Pulled$ȴDƆOURXQGHȼ too many late nights? Golden Peony’s Double- boiled Cordyceps Flower Soup with Black Chicken and Honey Locust in Young Coconut ($28) will help with the recovery. While it may seem like a straightforward combination of nutritious ingredients, the soup is executed according to yin-and-yang dining principles to improve bone health, reduce fatigue and aid in heat relief. Best of all, it incudes honey locust, a herb known for its defense against the common cold. Level 3, Conrad Centennial Singapore, 2 Temasek Boulevard. Tel: 6432 7482

3XɀƛRXȼEHƔɀIDFȢ IRUZDUȠ If the panoramic view of the South China Sea from Capella Singapore isn’t soul-soothing enough for you, you can head to Cassia for executive chef Lee Hiu Ngai’s Double-boiled Thick Chicken Broth with Fish Maw, Duo of Scallops and Flower Mushroom ($33). Lee selects each ingredient for its high protein content and marries them in a luscious, collagen-rich broth. The centrepiece is the fish maw (dried swim bladder) that has, over eight hours, sopped up the robust chicken broth and dried scallops. Capella Singapore, 1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island. Tel: 6591 5045

epicureasia.com 61 Shang6PRƋWKHȼEORƋȠIORɆ Palace's signature soup is the Double-Boiled Ginseng Soup with Abalone and Black Chicken ($30). Filled with wholesome ingredients like wolfberries and chicken essence, the broth is rich in anti-oxidants and helps to improve blood circulation. Tower Wing, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, 22 Orange Grove Road. Tel: 6213 4398

)LɀKHDOƚKɊOXQJȾ Your lungs will recieve some tender loving care when you order Si Chuan Dou Hua’s nourishing double-boiled ($28). The slew of wholesome ingredients that includes Solomon’s seal, a herb that is commonly used to strengthen your lungs; and American ginseng which known for its cooling properties – to ease dry coughs. #01-99, Our Tampines Hub, 1 Tampines Walk.

62 epicureasia.com SPECIAL FEATURE

Light, tasty & beautiful Rang Mahal ups the ante on traditional with a more refined execution.

Popularly acclaimed Rang Mahal raises the bar on traditional Indian cuisine with a new menu showcasing innovative dishes by award-winning chef Milind Sovani. Sovani has introduced a healthier and lighter spin on Indian culinary classics, with some dishes featuring Ayurvedic herbs and spices. Start the meal with the gigantic Roomali Masala Papad, where papadum is topped with a potpourri of lentil crispies, onion, tomato, chilli, sev and special spice blend. The new Tomato Saar, Mulethi Herb Foam is a light tomato soup starter complemented by the Ayurvedic sweet liquorice root foam, known for its antioxidant properties. Next is the Tandoori Fondue – An Ensemble of Kebabs, which consists of a sharing platter of succulent spiced chicken kebabs accompanied with garlic cubes and a cheese-tomato makhini . Diners will be duly impressed by Sovani's dim sum inspired creations of Butter Chicken Bao and Kheema Per Eeda, Maska Bao. The latter is a spiced minced lamb dish with soft eggs served in a flat pan and sided with buttered buns. Lamb aficionados will love the classic Lucknowi Nalli Ghosht, where tender braised shanks sit in a piquant rosewater and spice curry. Equally delectable are the tandoori Dhuwandaar Lamb Chops, which are marinated in a special spice blend of caramelised pineapple and ginger-garlic, before the meat is smoked with garam masala and applewood for a sweet overtone. End the indulgence with either the Gulab Jamun Flambé, where the golden dumplings are flambéed with Drambuie and served with fresh fruits; or the smoked Lychee Kulfi, homemade with natural ingredients.

7 Raffles Boulevard, Level 3, Pan Pacific Singapore Tel: 6333 1788 I rangmahal.com.sg

epicureasia.com 63 VINE EXPECTATIONS

all, with barely six hours sleep a day. It's a privilege to spend the next Where there’s a 24 hours staying at J.Heinrich, before a hectic weekend begins Sil, there’s a way at wine show VieVinum 2018. “A feeling from the heart” The formidable Silvia Heinrich has faced down In the cosy winery grounds, I meet Silvia's parents, Gerte and every hurdle, but can she take second-generation Johanne Heinrich, from where the wine got its name. Silvia is Austrian winery J. Heinrich to the next level? considering a name change to just Heinrich, although many already By June Lee confuse them for larger Burgenland winery (Gernot) Heinrich. Maybe she should also consider S.Heinrich, seeing how she has completely take the train 100km from Vienna to the well-manicured town transformed the business once she fully took over in 2010. of Deutschkreutz, population 3,000, where Silvia Heinrich has Her dream to make wine nearly didn't come to fruition as her personally come to pick me up. With a wide smile and sunkissed parents initially told her that it was too difficult a job for women. I EMMERICH MAEDL countenance, she bounds up in her Converse All-Stars to the obvious It was her brother Hannes who got to attend winemaking school, only Asian at the station. Winemaker, field hand, single mother, although he had wanted to be a chef. (Today he's happier as a

daughter, designer, marketer, adminstrator – name it and she does it policeman and a farmer.) MAIN PHOTO

64 epicureasia.com J.HEINRICH GOLDBERG J.HEINRICH J.HEINRICH VITIKULT TROCKEN RESERVE 2013 BLAUFRÄNKISCH ALTE TROCKEN 2015 Grapes: 100% Blaufrankisch REBEN 2012 Grapes: 100% Blaufränkisch Taste: Not made in every Grapes: 100% Blaufränkisch Taste: Showing great typicity of the year, the Goldberg Reserve Taste: The pride of the Goldberg grape, the Vitikult from 40-year-old vines comes from its namesake vineyard is the Blaufränkisch is grown on chalky, loamy soils. Full- single vineyard, the oldest vines grown in 1947. These give bodied, juicy dark fruit incorporates fine in in Deutschkreutz. greater fruit depth, mature woody spices from maturation in small Charismatic and complex, tannins and a spicy-mineral oak barrels. Exclusive to Street exuding deep wild character character. Fermented open and Kitchen. with velvety fruit. Expect matured in big barrels for the to cellar at least 10 years or purest expression and ageing J. Heinrich wines are available from more. $67.90 potential. $84.90 Schmidt Vinothek unless otherwise stated

The winery officially started in 1993, when Silvia was 19 and had Shiraz, pretty much in that order. Before 2010, they also had white finished school, so she eventually went to Vienna to work with varieties which ripened in late August, but she boldly decided to companies like Reuters. She didn't give up though, and attended concentrate on being a red winemaker, with 80% of the 36 hectares viticulture classes as a guest student at the Höhere Bundeslehranstalt devoted to the indigenous grape. She has since converted to für Wein- und Obstbau. She also took the chance to make wines in biological methods. Instead of insecticides, she uses pheromones to other countries like Germany and Italy, before her parents relented chase away pests. Hot years have not been unheard of, such as 2003, and she joined them in 2002. 2006 and 2013, but like all winemakers, she prefers cooler years with Her late grandparents had always planted vines – in fact, the more hangtime for her fickle first love – Blaufränkisch. oldest plot of grapes in Deutschkreutz is theirs, the three-hectare Alte Zweitgelt, a crossing of indigenous Blaufränkisch and Saint Reben with Blaufränkisch from 1947. Silvia grew up with “the best Laurent, is boring, she declares – it's too safe, consistent and easy. education” – pruning, harvesting, green work, and doing cellar work It is Blaufränkisch that challenges and defines her as a winemaker, like pumpovers. She also dabbled in marketing and designed the logo from reflecting its terroir to choosing the right blend of oak barrels and labels herself in 1993. to mature it in. In her hands, Blaufränkisch ranges from a vibrant, sparkling Rosé to wild, expressive, spicy, rustic and elegant, proving Many faces of Blaufränkisch its long ageing mettle along the way. We head out to her vineyards, a scant 10-minute drive away, where My visit concludes with a tasting of almost all her reds, as we she details the growing season – beginning September, they harvest marvel at how differently each Blaufränkisch expresses itself. The Pinot Noir, Zweitgelt, Blaufränkisch, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Alte Reben, with just 1,800 bottles, is a standout, thanks to the hard handwork that goes into it – separated harvesting, punching down, and no tanks, the way grandpa would have understood. It's clear, however, that Silvia is stretched from the recent stylish expansions to the winery. With a four-room hospitality offering, modern visitors' centre and production capacity of 200,000 litres, she needs additional help, especially in looking after the viticulture which is mostly in the hands of her father. Her natural optimism falters a little as she confides that she's been looking, but that this little corner of Austria may be too quiet to draw the kind of talent she needs. Her own two daughters, at eight and 15 years old, are a long way from deciding if they will join the winery, and her parents are not getting any younger. The moment passes, and Silvia is back with a ready laugh – after all, she was born to make wine, and she's never begrudged a moment spent on her life-long mission.

epicureasia.com 65 RAISING THE BAR

Crossroads cocktails With Singapore’s sophisticated cocktail scene, it’s getting harder to impress drinking aficionados, but Nouri’s restaurant and beverage manager Matthew Chan has done it. A year after opening, the bar programme finally takes off, putting Chinese nu er hong, Korean baekseju and Indian thandai in the spotlight. Served in traditional ware, An Ode to celebration ($22) cleverly matches huangjiu’s strong nutty notes with fresh grapefruit and osmanthus syrup for a full-bodied tipple. The bar bites menu from chef-owner Ivan Brehm is on point. Think handmade cheong fun with crab and grouper ($22), and Wagyu and kimchi nduja on toast ($14). 72 Amoy Street. Tel: 6221 4148

66 epicureasia.com Ardbeg’s global ambassador, Hamish Torrie Spirited openings was in town to launch Southeast Asia’s first Ardbeg Embassy at The Grande Whisky Edition Bunnahabhain 25 Year Old. Collection at ION Orchard. You get to sip a discerning selection of elixirs from around the world, such as Indian and Czech whisky, There are about and discover your whisky personality 100 unique Ardbeg through taste-matching technology. Embassies around Prices start from $10/30ml while the world, from light bites are available from stores to bars. Each is The Macallan Boutique @ 1855 adjoining Atout bistro. 40C Harding unique, for example, I boasts a stunning display of the Road. Tel: 6877 6977 worked with Luvians, brand’s range of whiskies. Limited in my hometown of editions, such as The Macallan 50 Cupar, to introduce an YO (only 200 bottles worldwide), are Ardbeg ice cream. available along with the core trio The key thing is to have fun, and get people to of 12YO and the 1824 Master series try Ardbeg, the peatiest whisky on Islay at 55ppm collection. Over at the charming (phenolic parts per million). Our neighbour four-seater bar, The Macallan Lagavulin is at 35ppm. Boutique Associate welcomes guests Our fans, who call themselves Ardbeg with a guided flight tasting (from Committee members, can take a pledge to be $15/flight), which currently includes a drambassador, and be the first to try special the The Macallan Sherry Oak 18YO bottles at Embassies around the world. (Finest Cut series; $35/flight). A Of eight distilleries on Islay, we’re number 7 in hidden lounge, shared with The Spot, terms of size and we like it. Even after increasing offers a serene setting for savouring Tipple and Dram comprises two our production from 1.4 to 2.4 million liters over the amber nectars on their own or bars helmed by three business the next four years, we’ll still be number 7. as inimitable tipples ($24). #01-24 partners, who bought over Le Do not put fizzy, sugary liquids into your Ardbeg, Marina One, 5 Straits View. Carillon De L’Angelus. Tipple on that’s just a waste. It can be great in cocktails like the ground floor is a wine bar that a Mojito or Bloody Mary though. continues to ply French wines Try Ardbeg with a little water or ice, it’s so big along with other New World finds, that it can stand up to that. I love it with BBQ while Dram is a 32-seater basement meats or fish, or three-year aged Parmesan, as the whisky bar. Departing from the saltiness in both complements well. usual Scotch offerings, Dram stocks up on over 100 distillery exclusives, including hand-fills and limited collections, which are normally only available at the distillery door. Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Laphroaig and Lagavulin are well represented, Room for More is a stylish whisky though we were drawn to Ledaig atelier by dram-loving restaurateur, 20YO single cask ($99/dram) and Glen Beppe de Vito. Rare and old vintages Moray hand fill ($39/dram). Pairing are de rigeur, here seen in the bites include oysters, , Ardbeg Embassy is located at The Grande Whisky Karuizawa 1984, Brora 30 Year Old cheese, charcuterie and bak kwa. Collection, #05-01 ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn and Wilson and Morgan Collector’s 24 Ann Siang Road. Tel: 6423 0353

epicureasia.com 67 CELLAR CHOICE

POMMERY MILLESIME GRAND CRU 2006 Fine collectible After a three-year hiatus, Pommery is once again available in Singapore, and it’s just in time Champagne too for its latest release – Grand Cru 2006. Comprising 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay from never goes out of 7 Grand Cru villages, the 2006 reflects the restrained and elegant harvest in contrast to a racier style, from a new 2015. Look for subtle mineral depths, rich white fruit with ripe citrus notes, and a lengthy finish. cuvée to vintage $148 from wine-clique.com

assemblages. JOSEPH PERRIER BLANC DE BLANC VINTAGE 2010 With annual production under one million bottles, this is a highly Champagne Henriot Cuvée respected family-run maison Hemera 2005 established in 1825. Chardonnay from Premier and Grand Cru The birth of a new cuvée is cause for celebration, and vineyards like Avize and Le naturally comparison. Hemera was created from the Mesnil sur Oger are fermented parcel by parcel, providing the 2005 vintage, replacing Cuvée des En-Chanteleurs intensity and complexity in this long-lived assemblage. Fine which was last released in 2000. The name Hemera is mousse, attractive floral nose and balanced body with toasty tribute to the Greek goddess of light. This new jewel, tropical warmth keep it lively 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay and all Grand from start to finish. $145 from crystalwines.com Cru, exudes a delicately toasty honeyed palate, with candied citrus fruit and low dosage highlighting KRUG GRANDE CUVÉE 166Ème ÉDITION elegance and long expression. Allocation arriving in The latest release is composed November. From 1855 The Bottle Shop around the 2010 harvest, that vintage being the youngest while some components date to 1998. Looking for fullness, cellarmaster 2005 VINTAGE IN CHAMPAGNE Eric Lebel has blended 45% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay and 16% Unlike 2002 A mild spring but ideal Chardonnays Pinot Meunier, altogether 140 and 2004 which ripening weather during generally fared wines. More matured flowers and were universally harvest saw good conditions better, with first- citrus characterise this edition, heralded, 2005 for most producers, though rate Pinot Noir along with gingerbread and in Champagne wine critic Jancis Robinson from Grand Cru hazelnuts, for a luxurious, velvety was generally notes acidity is on sites that were finish. $248 from The Moomba approachable. the low side. able to fully ripen. Wine Shop

Biajiu blended wine? Wine purists might baulk, but Penfolds is boldly entering uncharted waters with its Penfolds Special Bottlings, a new experimental range. Lot 518 comprises its famous Barossa Shiraz, but fortified with a grain- based Chinese baijiu at 21.5% ABV. It will be on the market from September at global travel retail.

68 epicureasia.com TIPPLE TIPS

Bar manager of Origin Bar, Adam Bursik, delved into Scotts Road's history for this smooth modern Singaporean cocktail.

Hurricane Billy 45ml Scotch whisky 25ml fermented purple mangosteen and cocoa 10ml dry sherry mace perfume

›GcXZ\Xcc`e^i\[`\ekj\oZ\gkdXZ\ For mace perfume perfume into a mixing glass and 6 pieces mace flower stir with ice till well chilled. 300ml neutral spirit ›JkiX`e`ekfXZ_`cc\[ifZbj^cXjj with big ice block and serve with ›GcXZ\`e^i\[`\ekj`ekfXmXZlld fresh mangosteen and chocolate. pack and sous vide for one hour ›JgiXpk_\dXZ\g\i]ld\[`i\Zkcp at 55°C. Place into a spray bottle onto surface of cocktail. for use.

For fermented purple mangosteen and cocoa 1 litre of dechlorinated water 4kg mangosteen 500g sugar 250g cocoa nibs gula melaka (optional)

›Kf[\Z_cfi`eXk\kXgnXk\i#c\Xm\ at room temperature for a few uncovered at room temperature days. Monitor and strain mixture overnight to let chlorine dissipate. when it's reached a juice-like ›G\\cdXe^fjk\\e#b\\g`e^Yfk_ fermented state. fruit and skin. Remove the bitter ›KfdXb\jn\\k\i`]gi\]\ii\[# Modern Singaporean hard shell from the soft pulp skin. warm together with gula melaka in This cocktail doesn't refer to the Hurricane (which is rum, fruit juice EDDIE TEO and grenadine served in a tall hurricane glass), but to captain William ›8[[Xcc`e^i\[`\ekj`ekfnXk\i a pot until the mixture is smooth Scott, whose nickname was Hurricane Billy. He owned a plantation with arrowroot, cocoa and mangosteens along

PHOTOS PHOTOS and leave in a glass jar to ferment and silky. Scotts Road (named after him).

epicureasia.com 69 70 epicureasia.com ENTERTAINING & TRAVEL JENN CHEW

STYLING STYLING » A new spin on old-school Teochew cuisine » The house that Bali built » Austria’s vibrant wine scene EDMOND HO PHOTO

epicureasia.com 71 Videography by TU JIE RUI

Photos EDMOND HO Concept ADELINE WONG Art direction and Styling JENN CHEW

TEOCHEW BEEF NOODLES

Text EUNICE LEW Recipes by IVAN YEO OF THE 1925 BREWING CO. All beers can be found at THE 1925 BREWING CO. Props and location at JAMBU STUDIO SMOKED SALAD

OLD-SCHOOL done anew

More chefs are returning to their culinary roots and bringing traditional dishes to the fore, but in modern guises to appeal to younger diners. Here, Teochew cuisine gets a decidedly contemporary spin. TEOCHEW BEEF NOODLES This rendition of Teochew beef noodles is inspired by Thai-Teochew cuisine. Thai basil adds a hint of freshness to lift the hearty noodle broth. Brisket creates a fuller mouthfeel with its fattiness and texture, and also imparts a pleasant gaminess to the soup.

Pair with: The Yellow Van Pale Ale, which is light-bodied and smooth, with a faint fruitiness and the bitterness of citrus pith.

Serves 6 ensure even cooking, dried lotus leaves a pinch of fish powder (refer to flat fish Prep time 30 minutes can be added to the top to make sure the powder in Smoked Eggplant Salad recipe) Cook time 4 hours brisket is covered. 2 stalks of bak choy » Remove brisket from pot. Slice just before reserved beef brisket broth beef brisket serving. Reserve the broth for use with the 1 cup chicken stock or water 1kg beef brisket soup base. 80g pickled greens, chopped 3 cloves of garlic 30g spring , chopped shallots flavoured egg a pinch of bonito flakes 1 spring onion root 6 eggs at room temperature a dash of chilli oil 1 coriander root 4 tbsp soya sauce 2 tbsp Chinese wine 500ml water » Bring a pot of water to boil and add a 5 cups 2 tbsp Chinese wine dash of . Add noodles and stir 2 litres water vigorously with chopsticks to ensure the 50g waxed pork » Bring a pot of water to boil, then add noodles are evenly cooked. Once cooked, 3 dried lotus leaves room temperature eggs and boil for 5 place noodles in a water bath and sieve minutes and 30 seconds. dry. » Butterfly beef brisket, then roll it up » Place eggs into an ice bath immediately » In a serving bowl, add chilli oil, gently and secure with butcher’s string. and allow to sit for 15 minutes. coriander, , fish powder and » In a pot, stir-fry garlic, shallots, spring » In a separate bowl, add soya sauce and sesame oil. Add cooked noodles and mix onion root and coriander root until a dash of water and Chinese wine. Mix evenly. fragrant, then add Chinese wine to evenly. » Meanwhile, blanch bak choy. deglaze. » Shell eggs gently, then store eggs into » Slice beef brisket and place on noodles, » Add oyster sauce and stir, then reduce the soya sauce mixture overnight before then add bak choy and flavoured egg to fire to medium heat. serving. the serving bowl. » Add brisket roll and make sure brisket » In another pot, add reserved beef brisket is well covered. Add water and waxed beef noodles broth and chicken stock or water and pork. sesame oil, as desired bring the mixture to a boil. » Bring mixture to a boil, then cook at -style egg noodles, as desired » Add pickled mustard greens to the medium heat for about 3 hours or until 1 tbsp chilli oil serving bowl. Pour broth into the serving the meat is tender. Top up with water 30g coriander, chopped bowl. Top with generous amounts of when necessary to make sure that the a pinch of black pepper spring onions, bonito flakes, and a dash of brisket is submerged at all times. To sesame oil and chilli oil, then serve. SMOKED EGGPLANT SALAD Instead of taking its cue from Nanyang Teochew cuisine, which is the variety that’s prevalent in Singapore, this salad is inspired by the Burmese Teochew rendition, which has an explosion of flavours. Burmese Teochews typically use their local coriander, whose distinct citrusy and pungent punch cuts through the dish.

Pair with: The Yellow Van Pale Ale, which is light-bodied and smooth, with a faint fruitiness and the bitterness of citrus pith.

Serves 1 1 pinch of crushed kampot pepper Prep time 15 minutes + overnight for 1 tsp fried shallots seafood sauce 1 bulb of fresh shallot, sliced Cook time 1 hour 3 stalks of coriander, chopped 3 stalks of spring onions, chopped seafood sauce chilli oil 150ml light shoyu sesame oil 30g bonito flakes sakura ebi, as desired 1 tsp brown sugar chilli padi, as desired

» Mix light shoyu evenly with bonito » Wrap Indian eggplant in aluminium foil flakes and brown sugar, then allow to sit and place directly on charcoal and cook overnight before using. until soft to the touch, about 6-8 minutes. It’s normal for the skin to be slightly flat fish powder charred. 300g sole fish or Lotia (Bombay duck) » Slice into halves and make deep incisions into the flesh, but make sure » Place sole fish or Lotia in an oven at not to cut through the skin. 120°C and toast until crunchy, about 30-45 » Pipe seafood sauce into the incisions and minutes. drizzle beer vinegar over the eggplants. » Blend sole fish or Lotia into a powder. » Sprinkle generous amounts of flat fish powder over the eggplants, then top smoked eggplant with kampot peppers, fried shallots, fresh 1 Indian eggplant shallots, coriander and spring onions. 1 tbsp seafood sauce » Drizzle chilli oil and sesame oil over the 1 tsp beer vinegar or black rice vinegar, as eggplants, sprinkle sakura ebi and chilli desired padi, then serve. ZHA JIANG-STYLE COLD BUCKWHEAT NOODLES Served cold, the noodles’ saltiness doesn’t come across as overwhelming and the aromas from the greens are more prominent, which is desirable for such a meaty dish. This versatile creation can also be served in smaller portions as a starter due to its appetising sourness.

Pair with: Blk 622 Dark Ale, which is rich and thick-bodied. It has hints of a robust roasted coffee, yet remains a smooth sessionable beer.

Serves 1 then drizzle with sesame oil and shoyu and Prep time 30 minutes + 30 minutes resting mix well. Set aside. Cook time 45 minutes » Combine minced pork, egg yolk and corn flour, then mix evenly. Allow the mixture 120g buckwheat noodles to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 1 tbsp sesame oil The mixture can also be stored for up to 2 1 tbsp shoyu days in the fridge. 150g minced pork (pork belly and pork loin » Bring a pot of water to boil, then add mixed in a 3:7 ratio) water to minced pork mixture and 1 egg yolk stir with a pair of chopsticks to prevent the 1 tbsp corn flour minced pork from clumping. Once small 1 stalk of spring onion root granules of minced pork are formed, pour drizzle of sesame oil the mixture back into the pot and bring it 3 tbsp oyster sauce to a boil, then turn off the heat and add the 1 tbsp Chinese wine spring onion root. 1 tbsp brown sugar » In a pan on high heat, add a drizzle 3 tbsp black rice vinegar of sesame oil and oyster sauce. Stirring 1 pinch of black pepper or Sichuan pepper continuously, add Chinese wine, then 30g ginger, finely chopped brown sugar and black rice vinegar. Once 1 packet Chinese silken tofu, diced the mixture is evenly mixed, turn off the heat and add pepper. garnishes » Strain minced pork, then add minced 15g spring onions, chopped pork and ginger into the oyster sauce chilli padi, as desired mixture and mix evenly. fried shallots, as desired » Plate noodles, then pour diced tofu and dash of sesame oil minced pork mixture over it. with spring onions, chilli padi, fried shallots and » Cook buckwheat noodles until al dente, a dash of sesame oil.

TEOCHEW PORRIDGE This multi-course meal from was originally meant to be a reliable, daily form of sustenance. At the heart of this modest ‘banquet’ is a variety of small dishes – whether fermented, pickled, cured or aged – that add interest and flavour to a humble bowl of porridge.

Pair with: Small Monster Session India Pale Ale, brewed to be slightly dry and bitter and perfect as a palate cleanser for this light course.

Serves 1 salted egg pickled cucumber Prep time 1 hour + 2-3 days curing 80g rock salt 1 kyuri cucumber Cook time 30 minutes 10g chrysanthemum flowers 1 tbsp light soya sauce 1 egg yolk 1 tbsp sesame oil porridge chilli padi, as desired 1 cup glutinous rice » Fill a tray with rock salt, then add 1 tbsp chilli oil 1 cup Thai jasmine rice chrysanthemum flowers and mix evenly. 100ml black rice vinegar or beer vinegar 1 cup Japanese short-grain rice » Place egg yolk gently in the salt tray, 150ml fresh coconut juice then cover them evenly with salt and » Place kyuri cucumber on the table and 1 ginger flower chrysanthemum flowers. press down hard with your palm until » Store the tray covered in a fridge and it breaks. This creates fissures in the » Soak all rice grains in water in separate allow the yolks to cure for 2-3 days. cucumber that allow the to stick bowls, making sure that the grains are » Dust off salt before serving. to the flesh. fully submerged. » Slice kyuri cucumber into thick » Strain glutinous and Thai jasmine rice oil-poached black bean dace/ikan wedges. and save for other use. Combine water » Mix light soya sauce with sesame from soaking glutinous and Thai jasmine 1 dace or 2 ikan kuning oil, chilli padi, chilli oil and black rice rice. 1 cup oil vinegar. » Cook Japanese short-grain rice in a 1 tbsp fermented black beans » Add kyuri wedges into the mixture and rice cooker. allow to sit in the fridge for at least 30 » Add coconut juice and ginger flower » Remove innards from the fish, then salt minutes. to the water mixture, then bring it to a it lightly. » Serve cold. gentle boil. » Heat to 220°C and flash-fry » Combine cooked Japanese short-grain fish until the fins and bones are crispy. rice with water mixture before serving. » Fill a small pot with oil and add fermented black beans. Place fish in the mixture and heat gently until the fish is soft.

SALTED VEGETABLE DUCK CONFIT This incarnation of the classic Teochew salted vegetable duck soup is thoroughly modern. The trick? A balancing act of tartness and sweetness from sour plum powder, beer vinegar and confit meat.

Pair with: The Yellow Van Pale Ale, which is light-bodied and smooth, with a faint fruitiness and the bitterness of citrus pith.

Serves 1 » Wash off the salt and pat dry the duck Prep time 1 hour thigh. Cook time 30 minutes + 4 hours poaching » Melt duck fat in a pot. » Place duck breasts side down in the pot. kosher salt Add duck fat or vegetable oil, enough to 1 duck thigh cover the breasts. 500g duck fat or vegetable oil » Heat oil to 90°C and poach duck thigh for sour plum powder (available from Sheng 4 hours, until the meat is slightly reddish Shiong) and falls off the bone. Poach for another 30 spicy pickled mustard greens, julienned minutes if needed. (available from NTUC FairPrice or Sheng » On high heat, heat a pan with the oil from Shiong) poaching. When the oil smokes slightly, 1 cherry tomato carefully hold the duck thigh over the pan cracked white pepper and use a spoon to baste the duck thigh 1 tsp beer vinegar or black rice vinegar until the skin is crispy. 1 tbsp brown sugar » Evenly sprinkle sour plum powder on the duck thigh and allow it to rest. garnish » Lightly sauté julienned mustard greens, beer vinegar cherry tomato and cracked white pepper 1 tsp sesame oil in the same pan used to sear the duck Sichuan pepper breasts. Add a little duck fat from the fried shallots poaching to the sauté for taste. Turn off micro coriander the heat, and while the pan is still hot, add beer vinegar and brown sugar and mix » Separate the meat and skin without evenly. tearing the skin if possible. » Spoon mustard greens onto a serving » Salt the skin and meat of the duck thigh plate, then drizzle with beer vinegar and evenly, then let them sit for at least 15 sesame oil. Add Sichuan pepper, fried minutes at room temperature. shallots and micro coriander. Plate duck thigh on the side, then serve.

TEOCHEW ROJAK ICE CREAM The popular rojak versions served in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia typically use shrimp paste, but the Teochew recipe omits it. The result is a sweeter dish that is lighter on the palate, which translates well into an ice cream flavour.

Pair with: The General Fruit Beer, a ginger beer with spicy and sweet notes.

Serves 6 5 tbsp pineapple juice and refrigerate overnight. Prep time 20 minutes + overnight tbsp salt » Pour mixture into an ice cream maker refrigeration + 50 minutes churning + 1 2 tbsp corn starch and churn for 50 minutes. hour dehydrating + 30 minutes drying 6 large egg yolks Cook time 1 hour ¾ cup sugar dehydrated pineapple bits 30g canned pineapple crushed » Mix heavy cream with 1 cup of milk, 1 tbsp unsalted butter pineapple and salt in a saucepan over » Chop into fine bits, then 1 tbsp peanuts medium heat until it simmers gently. dehydrate for 1 hour. 1 tbsp honey » In a small bowl, mix remaining milk with 1 pinch of salt corn starch and set aside. candied ginger and syrup 1 pinch of cayenne pepper powder » While cream mixture is heating, whisk ginger, sliced into thin pieces yolks with sugar in a mixing bowl well sugar solution (1 cup water with 5 tbsp » Preheat oven to 180°C. until pale and thick. sugar) » Melt butter in a medium skillet over » Once the cream mixture starts medium heat. Add peanuts, then stir in simmering, stir in milk and corn starch » Boil ginger in sugar solution until soft, honey and salt. Mix until peanuts are mixture well. Continue to stir over heat for then allow to dry for 30 minutes. well-coated. another 5 minutes. Make sure the mixture » Bring the ginger-infused sugar solution » Stir in cayenne pepper powder until does not come to a boil. to a boil until caramelised. peanuts are well-coated. » Slowly pour the hot mixture into the » Bake peanuts in oven until golden, yolk mixture, whisking the two mixtures assembly about 30 minutes. continuously all the time until well » Plate as desired. » Crush peanuts in a pestle and mortar. incorporated. Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat and whisk for ice cream another 5 minutes. Check out epicure on YouTube for a 1 cup heavy cream » Strain mixture into a clean mixing bowl, behind-the-scenes look at what went on during this month’s cover shoot. 2 cups milk then allow to cool to room temperature MASTERCLASS

ention ingredients like coconut milk, galangal, buah keluak, belachan, lemongrass, and kaffir among M others, and you've got the staples for a soulful Mastering… Peranakan meal. Some of the more popular dishes from this tangy, spicy and herbaceous cuisine include beef rendang, laksa, Nyonya chicken and ayam buah kelak, the latter loved for the iconic tamarind gravy-laden chicken braised with candlenut. To coincide with National Day, executive sous chef Alex curry pie tee and Siah of Conrad Centennial Singapore has teamed up with food consultant, cookbook author and founder-owner, Shermay Lee buah keluak of Shermay’s Singapore Fine Food, to create two dishes that pay homage to the island’s rich Peranakan history. A sixth- beef sliders generation Peranakan with a strong culinary tradition, Lee was only five years old when she started cooking alongside Traditional Peranakan dishes are given a modern her grandmother, Lee Chin Koon, then considered a doyenne twist in a special collaboration between food of Peranakan cuisine, and author of the famous cookbook, Mrs consultant Shermay Lee and executive sous chef Lee’s Cookbook. Shermay’s Singapore Fine Food features a range EDDIE TEO Alex Siah of Conrad Centennial Singapore. of sauces, marinades, crackers and curry powder, of which

By Priyanka Elhence several items have been used in these two recipes. Both dishes PHOTOS

84 epicureasia.com – Nyonya Chicken Curry Pie Tee and Buah Keluak Beef Slices – will be available on the buffet spread at Oscar’s for the month of August. Together, Siah and Lee have given the traditional pie tee a different spin by filling the crispy shells with Mrs. Lee’s Nonya chicken curry-infused coconut 3.4 sauce, and garnished with homemade pickles. “This bite-sized dish is inspired by the crispy Indian pani puri, which is also a popular snack around the world,” says Lee. Giving the beef sliders a Peranakan slant, is the duo’s Buah Keluak Beef Sliders, where premium beef patties are mixed with aromatic buah keluak paste, and nestled between charcoal buns, served along with Lee’s keropok udang fries, instead of potato fries. “The trick in cooking the paste is to give the spices enough time to release the aromatics and make the flavours full-bodied,” advises 5.1 5.2 Lee.

NYONYA CHICKEN CURRY then add it to the curry paste. simple Nyonya pickle PIE TEE 2.2 Add the chicken and mix all until even. ½ cucumber, diced Makes 30 bite-sized portions ½ carrot, diced Prep time 40 minutes + 30 minutes dry chicken curry ½ red onion, diced resting time 1 tbsp oil ½ turnip or jicama, diced (optional) Cook time 30 minutes ¼ white onion, diced 1 tbsp sugar 300ml coconut cream ½ tsp salt curry paste 200g carrots, diced ½ rice or white vinegar 50g Shermay's Nonya Curry Powder (available 50g potatoes, diced at TANGS or www.shermay.com) 1 tsp salt 4.1 In a bowl, mix all the vegetables, sugar 5 tbsp water and salt before adding just enough vinegar 3.1 In a wok, add the oil and sauté the onion to cover the ingredients. Set aside at room 1.1 In a large bowl, mix the curry powder with until light golden brown. temperature for at least 30 minutes. water and stir until it forms a smooth paste. 3.2 Add in the marinated chicken and 4.2 When ready to use, drain excess liquid continue to stir-fry to cook the spice paste. through a fine mesh sieve. aromatics 3.3 Add in coconut cream while stirring. 3 small red shallots, peeled 3.4 Add in carrots and potatoes. Bring the assembly 3 cloves garlic, peeled mixture to a boil, then quickly lower the 1 bucket store-bought mini pie tee shells 3 slices mature ginger, peeled and roughly heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Leave fresh coriander leaves, garnish sliced wok uncovered to allow the mixture to dry. 400g skinless boneless chicken thigh, diced Season. 5.1 Place the pie tee shells on a serving dish. 3.5 Spread the cooked mixture on a wide Using a teaspoon, fill the cooked Nonya 2.1 Blend all the aromatics into a coarse paste, tray to cool. Set aside. chicken into each shell.

epicureasia.com 85 1.2 2.2

4.1

2.4

5.2 Top with the pickles, and garnish with a 1 tsp coriander powder sprig of fresh coriander. Serve immediately. 30g lemongrass 400ml oil, for

THE BLACK GOLD – BUAH 1.1 Blend all the rempah ingredients for the KELUAK BEEF SLIDERS buah keluak mix in a food processor to form Serves 6 a coarse paste. Prep time 40 minutes + 12 hours 1.2 Heat the oil in a non-stick wok over resting time medium-high heat, and add the rempah. Cook time 30 minutes 1.3 Continue stir-frying for approximately 10 minutes to release the aromatics or until rempah for buah keluak mix the oil is released from the paste, and the 60g galangal or blue ginger, peeled and sliced colour darkens to a deeper orange. 5g fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced 20g candlenuts slider mix 100g small red shallots, peeled 350g buah keluak paste 200g fresh red chillies, rinsed and wiped dry 2 tbsp sugar 4.2 50g shrimp paste 1 tsp fine salt

86 epicureasia.com 720g minced striploin untouched for 3 minutes. Check the underside. lightly toasted 4 tbsp vegetable oil for frying If the desirable browning has been achieved, 6 pieces local or romaine lettuce carefully flip the patties over and cook cooked buah keluak paste 2.1 Add the buah keluak paste to the rempah uncovered for another 3 minutes. Remove paste and stir for 2 minutes over medium from the pan and rest for 3 minutes. Shermay's keropok fries (available at TANGS heat to release more oil. Season with sugar or www.shermay.com) and salt. Transfer the cooked mix to a tray to caramelised onion Shermay's Cilicuka Very Hot (available at cool down. Set aside. 1 large white onion, thinly sliced TANGS or www.shermay.com) 2.2 In a bowl with the minced beef, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil fresh calamansi lime 120g of the cooled paste. Mix well and shape 1 tbsp light soy sauce mixture into 50g mini patties. 4.1 Lay heel of the bun on a plate and 2.3 Lay patties on a tray lined with 3.1 Heat the oil in a frying pan over low heat top with patty. Spread 1 tsp of the cooked parchment or cling film, then cover with and add in onions. Stir-fry for approximately buah keluak paste on the patty, and top more cling film to prevent drying. Leave in 10 minutes or until the onions are caramelised. with carmelised onions and lettuce, before the fridge for at least 12 hours to allow it to 3.2 Add in soy sauce and mix evenly. Set aside. adding the crown of the bun. bind. 4.2 Garnish with keropok fries, 2.4 Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium assembly Cilicuka hot sauce and lime, and buah keluak heat. Place patties in the pan and leave 6 charcoal burger buns, buttered and paste. e

Check out epicure on YouTube for a behind- the-scenes video of this masterclass.

epicureasia.com 87 AT HOME WITH

Handcrafted holiday home Singaporean architect Ian Chee opens up his Bali holiday home and shares how he entertains his guests in the tropical climate. By Eve Tedja.

estled amid swaying coconut An architect with VX Design & Architecture, Chee’s studio trees and the ethereal black- has created numerous residential and commercial projects in Nsanded Saba Beach, Rumah London, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Sandiwara is part of caSabama, a gated Hence, it was only natural for him to conceptualise the design community of five freehold houses on of his stylish abode. Showcasing Bali’s indigenous character Bali’s eastside. The waves crash on the was a key focus. “I didn’t want to create a building that could beach in the distance as guests enter just be anywhere, and which was devoid of local culture and from the pool deck, which connects to a craftsmanship,” says Chee. capacious open-air living room. Like the Bali’s natural light filters through every part of his house, rest of the house, it is furnished with customised furniture pieces. bringing a sense of outdoors into the home. His favourite thing Crafted from teak and local suar wood, they were designed by to do in the house is to sit at his desk and listen to music, DHITA BEECHEY DHITA homeowner Ian Chee and handmade by his favourite craftsman although he also enjoys company. “I love having friends over.

from Sayan, Ubud. Therefore, the house was designed as a space to gather, breathe, PHOTOS

88 epicureasia.com relax, and linger,” he airbrick wall allows light and breeze to flow through the kitchen. explains. The solid Through his travels in Indonesia, Chee has amassed concrete house is numerous artworks, be it a batik textile from a Yogyakarta- softened by the use based artist, a Batak wooden sculpture, or an old indigo-dyed of a bamboo ceiling batik tulis with shadow puppets as the motif. “I like to create mat and curvaceous a juxtaposition of things from different origins and I use my wooden and rattan house as a laboratory for testing my design ideas,” says Chee, furnishings. Deriving before disappearing into the kitchen to continue with his food his inspiration from preparation. a traditional Balinese village cluster, the Light and hearty house was built with As an ingredients-driven home chef, Chee’s menu plan is usually local materials and created based on the availability of produce and the season. “I elaborate landscaping cook what I love to eat and it could be anything from anywhere. that blend with the Lately, I’ve been exploring Southeast Asian flavour-inspired salads existing habitat. and trying to make them more substantial, rather than presenting them just as starters or side dishes,” says Chee as he slices open Holiday home a large pomelo. One by one, his guests arrive, welcomed by The 4,800 sq ft his sprightly nine-year-old black Balinese dog, Bama, which is house has a master obviously familiar with some of the guests. bedroom, study To Chee, a successful meal should consist of the right mix room and massage of guests, and it looks like he has got the formula down pat. His room. Upstairs, long-time friends include Sara Hillier, a stylist; Dennis Parker, a there are three guest retired health care expert; Venty Vergianty, a sculptor and fellow bedrooms, a lounge architect and colleague; Kika, a party organiser who recently and sundeck offering relocated to Bali; and Rio Sinurat, an entrepreneur. As we settled panoramic views on the gorgeous dining table and happily help ourselves to the of Bali’s majestic natural landscape. It is light and airy inside salads, satay, and tahu telur, the guests begin to exchange stories the house, even when the sun shines at its brightest – partly on their recent food jaunts while coaxing Chee for the recipes thanks to the deep overhangs that provide shade. An adjoining to today’s meal. The freshness and lightness of the dishes are a dining room is located next to the kitchen, separated by a wall match made in tropical heaven with the current hot weather, decorated with hanging white seashells. Cheerful turquoise while the music, the laughter and the banter certainly add to the cement tiles are used as a backsplash; on the other side, an convivial atmosphere.

epicureasia.com 89 POMELO SALAD Serves 6 Prep time 15 minutes

½ tsp salt 8 large shrimps, peeled and deveined 1 medium size pomelo, or ½ large size pomelo 1 carrot, peeled and shredded ½ cucumber shredded ¼ cup mint leaves, chopped 2 tbs cilantro, chopped, leafy tops only 1 sprig of polygonum (laksa leaf) ¼ cup chopped unsalted, roasted peanuts ¼ cup toasted coconut flakes 2 tbsp fried shallots 1 tbsp crushed dried chilli 3 tbsp fresh coconut cream dressing 2 tbsp fish sauce 1½ tbsp fresh lime juice 1 tbsp water 1 tbsp sugar 1 small garlic, finely chopped and mashed, or put through a press 1 red Thai chilli or ½ Fresno chilli, chopped

›9i`e^_Xc]XjdXccjXlZ\gXef]nXk\ikfXYf`c% Add salt and then the shrimps. As soon as they’ve curled up, remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. ›:lkk_\j_i`dg`ek_\[`X^feXc`ekfcXi^\ pieces that will blend well with the pomelo and other ingredients. ›G\\ck_\gfd\cfXe[j\gXiXk\k_\Ô\j_`ekf small kernels. ›=fik_\[i\jj`e^#ZfdY`e\Ój_jXlZ\#c`d\ juice, water, sugar, garlic, and chilli in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar. ›I`^_kY\]fi\j\im`e^#XiiXe^\Xcc`e^i\[`\ekj on a large platter. Dress and toss. Taste and adjust the flavours, as needed.

DUCK SALAD WITH LEMONGRASS Serves 6 to 8 Duck Salad with Lemongrass Pomelo Salad Prep time 30 minutes

90 epicureasia.com 100ml water 6 tbsp oil fresh pineapple, chopped

›Jc`Z\k_\Y\\]`ekf)'ddg`\Z\j% Mix the ground paste into the meat. Thread the 4-5 pieces of the meat into the sticks. Leave covered to marinate overnight. Remove from the fridge an hour before grilling. Brush with oil and chargrill the meat to your liking. ›@eX_fkgXe#X[[k_\f`c#]ipk_\j_XccfkjZ_`cc`# lemon grass and garlic until fragrant. Gradually add in the tamarind water. Finally, add the pounded roasted peanuts and water. Simmer for 15 minutes till thick. Add palm sugar and salt to taste. ›9\]fi\j\im`e^#[ifg`eXcXi^\jgffe]lcf]] fresh chopped pineapple and mix it with the Beef Satay with Pineapple Sauce sauce. 2 pieces of duck breast BEEF SATAY WITH 1 ripe PINEAPPLE SAUCE TAHU TELUR 1 pack mixed leaf salad Serves 6 Serves 6 to 8 Prep time 45 minutes Prep time 20 minutes dressing 3 stalks of lemongrass 500g beef fillet 1 red chilli Satay sticks 6 eggs 50ml grapeseed oil 200g firm tofu, cut into 2cm cubes 1 tsp honey ground paste ½ tsp salt juice of 4 limes 2 candlenuts ½ tsp ground pepper 2 tsp soya sauce 1 clove garlic oil for deep-frying 2 slices ginger garnish 4 shallots 1 tsp sesame seeds toasted 2 tsp coriander 100g peanuts, skin on 2 tbsp coriander leaves, torn 1 tsp turmeric 5 cloves garlic 2 tbsp Thai basil, torn 1 tsp cumin 3 red chilies 1 tsp salt 2 tsp shrimp paste ›@e]lj\k_\f`cn`k_jdXj_\[c\dfe^iXjjXe[ 2 tbsp palm sugar ¼ tsp salt chillies overnight. Strain through a fine sieve. 3 tbsp pounded roasted peanuts 2 tsp palm sugar Combine the strained oil with honey, lime juice, 2 tsp salt, and soya sauce and whisk till blended. satay sauce with pineapple ½ cup hot water ›>i`cck_\[lZbYi\Xjk('d`elk\jfe\XZ_j`[\ 250g pounded roasted peanuts to give a pink cut of duck. Rest for 10mins 3 cloves garlic accompaniments and slice thinly. Pare off mango skin and slice 2 tbsp chilli 1 cucumber peeled, quartered lengthwise, mangoes. 2 stalks of lemongrass then cut into wedges or shredded ›8iiXe^\k_\jc`Z\[dXe^fXe[[lZbfek_\ 1 tbsp tamarind to 100ml water 100g bean sprouts salad leaves, pour the lemon grass dressing and 4 tbsp palm sugar 100g shredded carrots garnish with sesame, coriander and Thai basil. 2 tsp salt 3 ripe tomatoes

epicureasia.com 91 Serves 6 Prep time 2 hours

500ml coconut milk salt 900 ml water 250g sago 2-3 pandan leaves Coconut Konnyaku Sago Pudding 2 tbsp water 100g palm sugar

›GflijX^f`ekfYf`c`e^nXk\ikfZffblek`c it turns translucent. This takes quite awhile. When the pearls are almost clear, rinse 4 times in cold running water. You will find that the pearls would be transparent after that. ›KiXej]\ijX^fkfpfli[\j`i\[dflc[j_Xg\% Keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour. ›9f`cZfZfelkd`cbn`k_X[Xj_f]jXck%J\kXj`[\% In a clean pot, melt palm sugar in water over low to medium heat along with pandan leaves. Mix well and set aside. ›FeZ\jX^fgl[[`e^`ji\X[p#gflijfd\ coconut milk on it.

Tahu Telur COCONUT KONNYAKU fried shallots omelette Serves 6 to 8 Chinese celery ›C`^_kcpY\Xk\^^jkf^\k_\in`k_jXckXe[ Prep time 2 hours pepper. peanut sauce ›?\XkX]ip`e^gXeXe[Yilj_n`k_jfd\f`c k_`j 1 packet of 10g konnyaku jelly powder ›?\Xk\efl^_f`c`eXgfk]fi[\\g]ip`e^% will prevent the omelette from sticking). 950ml fresh coconut water ›;\\g$]ipg\Xelkjlek`cXj_X[\[Xib\i% ›GfliXk_`i[f]k_\\^^Xe[jZXkk\iXk_`i[f] fresh coconut flesh from the fruits ›I\dfm\Xe[[iX`efegXg\ikfn\ckfXYjfiY tofu on top of the egg. Cook until the egg is sugar to taste excess oil. no longer runny and easily slide off the pan. ›;\\g$]ip^Xic`Z#i\[Z_`c`\jXe[j_i`dggXjk\ Remove the cooked omelette from the frying ›Gflik_\ZfZfelkal`Z\flkkfXYfnc#jZiXgf]] about 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper pan and repeat the process two more times. the meat from the coconut, and only use the towel to absorb excess oil. soft and tender parts. ›>i`e[[\\g$]i`\[g\XelkjXe[j\kXj`[\% to serve ›?\Xkk_\ZfZfelknXk\iXe[Yi`e^`kkfX ›>i`e[[\\g$]i`\[i\[Z_`cc`\j#j_i`dggXjk\#jXck# ›8iiXe^\ZlZldY\ijc`Z\jfeXgcXk\#k_\ekfg simmer. Stir in sugar to taste. and palm sugar together until becoming a thick with blanched , stack the , ›Gflik_\bfeepXbla\ccpgfn[\i^iX[lXccpXe[ paste. top with bean sprout and fried shallots, tomato stir until it dissolves. ›:fdY`e\k_\^ifle[g\Xelkj#Z_`cc`gXjk\# cubes and torn Chinese celery. Lastly, pour the ›Gflik_\d`okli\`ekfXdflc[Xe[X[[k_\ sweet soy sauce, and hot water and peanut sauce on top of the layered salad. Cut coconut flesh. mix well. into wedges and serve immediately. ›I\]i`^\iXk\`kkfj\kXe[j\im\Zfc[%e

92 epicureasia.com

CHEF’S TRAVELOGUE

Daniele Sperindio

to their neighbourhoods which can add to Cool Chicago the confusion. For instance, you could live in West Town, but still say that you live in the There’s a lot more to savour in the East Village area of the Ukrainian Village. And if Windy City than just deep dish pizza you’re from Lake View, you could be from East and hot dogs, says Daniele Sperindio. Lake View, Boystown, Wrigleyville or DePaul. With its rich musical history, it’s no surprise that Chicago offers the most number hicago is often referred to as America’s of dance and music festivals in the country. Second City, but it doesn’t play second fiddle Apart from the famed Chicago blues, the city Cto New York. Known for its long sporting is also known for its distinctive style of jazz; and architectural history, the metropolis is also house music (invented and popularised in the well-loved for its museums, jazz festivals, and of ‘80s by record producer and remixer Frankie course, food. Knuckles), as well as stepping and ghetto-juke Many of Chicago’s signatures actually originate music, both of which originated from the city’s elsewhere, giving rise to its reputation as having one of the most South Side. When it comes to food, Chicago offers infinite venues eclectic ethnic and culinary makeups among all the American with a lively buzz to match its trendy ethnic mix. The burgeoning states. The locals don’t always use the actual official names to refer bar and pub scene offers great drinks and fine dining quality food.

94 epicureasia.com Portillio’s

The ambience is While Chicago is home to several different ethnic foods, and always chic yet amazing South American and Asian districts, the city still holds on

Chicago-style hotdog relaxed, with top strongly to some of its heritage street food dishes. For example, the service minus the jibarito is a traditional Puerto Rican sandwich using flattened, fried stuffiness. No matter what’s your cup of tea, you will be able to find green plantains instead of bread. It’s native to Chicago and traces it in Chicago, and most likely, you’re going to back to the restaurateur Juan Figueroa who introduced it at his love it. Puerto Rican Borinquen Restaurant in Humboldt Park in 1996. Some of Chicago’s other iconic classics include Chicago-style hot dogs, Celebrated variety which were born in the post-Great Depression era and have risen to Thanks to Chicago’s geography, you’re able to find practically the ranks of a Chicago staple. Dig into a steamed all-beef frankfurter anything from the north to the south, with the differences in on a poppy seed bun and served with the works. Just remember not temperature and terroir allowing for a wide variety of produce. With to ask for whenever you have a hot dog here; Chicago-style the rise of more fine dining restaurants and organic food lovers, deep dish pizza, which is closer to a quiche than a traditional pizza there is a greater demand for quality produce. Despite being more pie; the Italian Beef – a thinly sliced seasoned roast beef sandwich mid-west orientated, more and more top notch products can being originating from the 1930’s served au jus on a long Italian-style readily found in Chicago’s markets. I highly recommend visiting roll; and the famous Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, a sandwich Logan Square Farmers Market and Maxwell Street Market, both of consisting of a grilled or fried Polish sausage topped with grilled which are bursting with great local produce. For quality imported onions, yellow mustard and pickled whole, green sport peppers, and products, head to Eataly Chicago. The vibrant Italian marketplace served on a bun. features an interesting mix of food markets and Italian eateries. For fine dining, Chicago has carved a niche for itself with the There is an impressive selection of authentic produce available likes of Grant Achatz, chef-owner of three Michelin-starred Alinea. at very reasonable prices, including a huge selection of artisanal In my opinion, it’s the most creative restaurant in the world and a cheeses and charcuterie. must-try if you are in town.

epicureasia.com 95 Chicago-style deep dish pizza

Giardiniera peppers

Sinful cake shakes and more night out with friends, find your way down to Jim’s Original (it’s For great casual food, Portillo’s is a popular taqueria known for its open 24/7) and get yourself a Polish sausage with mustard and sinful Italian beef sandwich bun with caramelised onions and Polish onions. sausage; and its chocolate cake shake. The cook actually blends a thick slice of double chocolate cake in the liquidiser. It’s a 1,000 Combing through the Windy City calorie shake, and you can run a marathon after, but it’s so worth Start the day with brunch at Giordano’s for pizza and enjoy that it. Head to Rubi’s at Maxwell Street Market for tacos, (The market is with a stroll along the Chicago Riverwalk, a continuous walkway only open on Sundays.) It’s the address for sensational, cheap tacos with restaurants, bars and urban attractions. You’ll immediately with a full-on Mexican atmosphere. understand how Chicago got its blustery reputation. Pass by Honky Tonk BBQ is a classic, rustic Midwest barbeque style Portillo’s for lunch for a Chicago style hot dog or the iconic Italian eatery that specialises in smoked spare ribs, apple-and-oak-smoked beef sandwich. Order the latter hot with giardiniera peppers or pork, and beef brisket. If you’re more of a burger lover, check out sweet with sweet peppers; dipped or wet (the bread is quickly Kuma’s Corner for its serious burger menu - and they have a Sons of dunked), juicy (wetter) or soaked (even wetter). Al’s Beef in Little Italy Anarchy overall feel, complete with a metal-head waiter. claims to be the inventor of the sandwich and has won countless Vying for the top handmade deep dish pizza spot is the family- awards since its founding in 1938. Another popular dive for Italian owned Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria. The word on the street is that the beef is Mr. Beef on Orleans, a small space known for its big flavours. pizzeria has stayed close to its 40-year-old original recipe, including The popular joint is always busy despite having just standing ingredients like fresh mozzarella cheese from the same small dairy counter space and communal sitting tables. that has supplied the pizzeria over the four decades. For fine dining, head to The Blanchard, or even better, Alinea; Finally, after a long day of working or if you’re having a late the latter offers modernist New with a choice of

96 epicureasia.com Palate pampering at Alinea

three distinct dining experiences. There’s no à la carte menu menu, Scoring a reservation at only choices of tasting menus. The private Alinea Kitchen Table Alinea is no offers the most intimate, innovative cutting-edge experience, The easy feat. Gallery @ Alinea on the first floor boasts a 16-18 course menu, while The Salon @ Alinea on the second floor offers 10-14 course menus. Finally, for great watering holes, you can’t beat Dusek’s Board & Beer, Jim’s Original, or the famous Green Mill Cocktail Lounge; the latter was the official hangout of Al Capone and his cronies in the 1920s.

Daniele Sperindio, 31, has trained under top chefs such as Yoshihiro Narisawa of two Michelin-starred Narisawa, and Grant Achatz of three Michelin-starred Alinea. Sperindio was also the sous chef at the (now defunct) Michelin-starred Antica Osteria del Bai in Genoa. After a stint in Miami, he moved to Singapore in 2012 as group head chef of Tippling Club. Sperindio is ALINEA-ALLEN HEMBERGER ALINEA-ALLEN currently the executive chef at ATLAS, offering a mod-European menu

PHOTO accentuated with eclectic flavours.

epicureasia.com 97 In the heart of the city DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru offers every convenience for travellers, whether you're working, shopping or just relaxing across the Causeway

It's not often that a hotel is equally well equipped for both accommodations and full-service facilities, accompanied by warm business and leisure visitors, but DoubleTree by Hilton Johor brand hospitality. Bahru has the equation well thought out. The DoubleTree by Business travellers, who make up the bulk of weekday Hilton brand, which has 500 hotels in 40 countries around the guests, are well-catered for with amenities such as speedy Wi-Fi world, has created a loyal international following for its unique connection and 10 modern meeting spaces. The Executive Lounge

98 epicureasia.com SPECIAL FEATURE

is a favourite place to unwind, where they can enjoy pre-dinner cocktails and canapés and also the excellent city views from the 29th floor. Each of DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru’s 333 rooms and suites is stylishly updated, with a walk-in shower and a glass feature wall that allows natural light into the bathroom. Regardless of your choice of room, you'll enjoy a Sweet Dreams bed that comes with pillow menu, so that you can feel right at home, as well as 40-inch LED TV with cable channels and rain shower. The Crabtree & Evelyn premium toiletries also draw a nod. Meanwhile, one- and two-bedroom suites allow you to choose -style facilities, ranging from kitchenette, laundry facilities and dining areas to a walk-in bathtub in selected flair. This is where the city's sophisticated diners come for fine categories. For suite category and executive rooms on the high Australian Black Angus grain fed sirloin, ribeye or T-bone, carefully floors, complimentary access to the Executive Lounge is included grilled to release the meat's tender juices. The showcase pizza – a major perk. oven also takes pride of place, ensuring your margherita or mixed Leisure travellers can also expect the same level of hospitality seafood pizza is of the correct texture. For fresh ingredients that and amenities. Adults and kids can play in separate swimming can't be beat, the caprese salad is loaded with buffalo mozzarella pools on the 13th floor, while a 24-hour fitness centre offers and roma tomatoes, while the pan-fried ocean trout is delightful ample workout equipment overlooking the inviting pool. The hotel with its crisp skin. has also added a whirlpool and steam room for travellers who All guests are promptly served a warm, delicious in-house enjoy warm hydrotherapy. chocolate chip cookie upon check-in. The small but sweet gesture Most of all, guests are spoilt for choice by a slew of dining puts everyone in a more cheerful frame of mind. Not only is options, starting from Axis Lounge, The Food Store and Makan DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru a hotel that's located in the Kitchen on the ground floor to Tosca Italian Trattoria on the 13th heart of the action, just a few minutes' drive from the Woodlands floor. Makan Kitchen in particular is one of the most enticing all- Checkpoint, it also gives you service from the heart. day dining venues, with an eye-popping array of live stations at the breakfast and dinner buffets. At breakfast, fill up on Chinese, Indian and Malay cuisines, including a full spread, DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru while weekends see the ever-popular seafood dinner buffet that 12 Jalan Ngee Heng, includes shellfish on ice, carvery station and galore. 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia Tosca serves up wood-fired and antipasto specialities with Tel: +60 7 268 6868

epicureasia.com 99 TRAVEL FEATURE The wein lover’s guide to Austria With one of the most admired winemaking reputations in the world, Austrian wine is going places. June Lee her way from scenic villages surrounding Vienna, to the country’s premier wine event, VieVinum, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.

ienna is Wien, and wine is wein, in German. And there are conducted for hotel guests, while non-hotel guests can join really isn’t any better way to get to know this city than monthly scheduled tours. V through a glass of its own high quality grapes. Each cellar holds the finest wines of its category. In the ship- My first glimpse of Vienna’s Innere Stadt (old city) confirms all like New World Cellar, California’s Screaming Eagle and Opus One, its tropes – grand Baroque and Jugendstils (Art Noveau) mansions, alongside Penfolds Grange, dominate. There’s a Champagne cellar, Habsburg Empire palaces and Neoclassical elegance. It lives up to one just for Yquem, and the Old World cellar which holds fine its glittering reputation, from City of Music to City of Wine, having archives of the greatest Austrian wines. It is the French cellar that the most number of wineries still in production within its city seals the deal. Bordeaux and Burgundy’s greatest marques are here, limits. not just by chateaux but also by the legendary vintages declared. Befittingly, one of the world’s finest cellar collections is Try not to gasp when you spot the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, located in the only existing portion of 15th century medieval La Romanée-Conti 1929 and 1945, Cheval Blanc 1947, or Petrus 1962 town fortifications. Palais Coburg (palais-coburg.com), now a priced at $100,000. It’s no wonder that Coburg consistently scores luxury hotel residence, was built before the town walls were World’s Best Wine List in competitions, including from demolished in the 1800s as the city expanded, hence preserving the World of Fine Wine 2017. WIENTOURISMUS / CHRISTIAN STEMPER / CHRISTIAN WIENTOURISMUS atmospheric ramparts which are now repurposed as wine cellars. If all that touring gets you thirsty, the hotel’s bar or resident The Palais Coburg Wine Archive is the second most valuable in two-Michelin starred restaurant, Silvio Nickol, would be a good RESIDENZ HOTEL COBURG PALAIS

the world, numbering 60,000 bottles worth US$26 million. Tours place to peruse all 6,000 wine labels. MAIN PHOTO PHOTO

100 epicureasia.com Going international international panel of over 50 judges from 20 countries tasting the For years, you’ve probably heard that most Austrian wine wines blind. is consumed in Austria itself, leaving very little for the I’m in picturesque Gamlitz, population 2,500, the hilly international market. To better understand how some brands are area that’s dotted with outstanding single vineyards such as positioning themselves for the overseas market, I travel south to Kranachberg, Obegg and Grassnitzberg, coincidentally also where Südsteiermark, to meet ‘Mr Sauvignon’. The moniker was bestowed Walter has plots. He farms 13 sites that are all less than 15km on Walter Skoff, whose fifth-generation family estate – renamed away from the winery, growing not just Sauvignon Blanc but Skoff Original (skofforiginal.com) since 2011 – specialises in autochthonous grapes like Welschriesling, Weissburgunder (Pinot Sauvignon Blanc. Blanc), Gelber Muskateller, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Morillon They’ve notched up some 800 awards, including 300 gold (the local Chardonnay), alongside some Zweitgelt. medals, but in 2017, they made it to the very top, in the Concours The air here is remarkably clear, and the environment is Mondial du Sauvignon where the Skoff Original Kranachberg pristine. It’s clear why this area is considered a well-kept vacation Sauvignon Blanc 2015 won the title of Best Sauvignon Blanc in secret. Head of marketing Harald Wickoff, drives me around town the World. To do that, it had to beat 860 entries from countries and to the vineyards, and also swings by Vinofaktur (vinofaktur.at), like Italy, France, New Zealand and South Africa, through an a slick one-stop gourmet and wine store with Styrian specialities galore. My wallet takes a huge dent as I revel in the selection of over 70 wineries, 100 food producers and even local gins. There are guided tastings and well-crafted exhibitions (in German only) on local delicacies, such as the pumpkin seed oil, a must-buy in this area. Later that night, at the winery’s restaurant Gastlichkeit, I enjoy the regional delight of backhandl (country style fried chicken) served with a potato and pumpkin seed oil dish called erdäpfelsalad, which went perfectly with – what else – Sauvignon Blanc. Before I leave the next day, I make a beeline to the Skoff Original tasting room for the latest in their premium range – the STOAN 2015, an incredible skin contact Sauvignon Blanc made in a stone vat, exuding the most intoxicating minerality and intense

Palais Coburg cellars ripe mango and stonefruit notes. With the success of the inaugural vintage, Walter is looking to expand the quantity by adding one more stone vat. It’s a taste of things to come, with sustainability and natural winemaking very much on the minds of Austria’s top makers. I’ll be knocking on the doors of his Singapore distributor, Schmidt Vinothek, for some of that supply!

View of vineyards from Skoff Original

Walter Skoff, on right, is known as ‘Mr Sauvignon’

epicureasia.com 101 The next wave Austria might be best known for white wine, especially Gruner “Winemakers used to have a sensibility, not just a recipe,” says Veltliner, but the next winemaker has boldly specialised in red wine Michael. He’s not against modernity – in fact, his grandfather was since 2010. Sylvia Heinrich from Weingut J Heinrich (weingut- one of the most forward looking men in the village, selling wine to heinrich.at) is the second winemaker in her family, who is as Vienna (unusual in those days), and being the second person in the modern as it gets in this region bordering Hungary. Trusting in the village to own a car. What bugs him is when biodynamic farming terroir that she’s inherited from her grandparents, she looks to becomes nothing more than a trend or a means to a commercial Blaufrankisch as the benchmark though unpredictable indigenous end, which is when grape that deepens in complexity on the area’s soils. it loses its soul. “As a The writer with winemaker Later on in Vienna at VieVinum, I would have the pleasure winemaker, I feel the Michael Gindl of catching up with her again, except this time she introduces sensitivity to humidity, me to 11 Frauen und ihre Weine (11 Women and ther Wine, temperature, the plants. 11frauenundihreweine.at), a polished cooperative of female I go outside and look at winemakers who have banded together to promote their wines as them, and I know what to well as share knowledge and camaraderie with each other. do. It’s a feeling you have The last winery is the fully biodynamic, Demeter-certified to learn yourself, you mg vom sol – Michael Gindl (mgsol.at), located in the town of can’t find it in a manual Hohenruppersdorf in Weinviertel. Michael is something of a because what happens holistic wine guru (not a word he’d choose), making wines that in my farm is different are taking the natural wine world by storm. I wrangle an invite to from the farm in another his annual pre-VieVinum BBQ, thanks to his distributor Ampelia country,” he expounds. Wines in Singapore, who also sends word to Michael that I must He reads extensively but see his cows. So before the car pulls up to Michael’s winery, I find myself gingerly squelching through a field to meet Bessi and fellow WHERE TO STAY longhorn friends, part of his fully biodynamic programme which includes also goats, vegetables and wheat. Michael learnt winemaking in school, where he was taught to make ‘clean’ wines, using sulfur and modern methods. It was only when he drank a wine that his grandfather made in 1979, and found it to be ‘fresher’ than his more recent wines in the 2000s, that he began to question what he knew. It wasn’t just a matter of less intervention, he concluded, but a whole circle of agriculture, including livestock and crop farming, that brings liveliness to the cycle. “It’s not about fulfilling a checklist,” he tells me, referring to the Demeter certification he received in 2014, but about a truly natural, respectful way of living that mirrors his grandfather’s era. During the course of the BBQ that night, as the late spring sun slowly set about 8.30pm, we feast on hyper local produce, from the lamb that he personally raised, to the most exquisite seasonal white asparagus that tasted freshly plucked off the land. These were accompanied by some of his lauded wines, Little Buteo (named for the buzzards) and Sol, named for the best parcel in Hohenruppersdorf containing old vine Gruner Veltliner. He strives for less filtration and later bottling, using only spontaneous ferment and extended aging on lees. The barrels are of course made by a Hotel Rathaus Wein & local barrel maker friend, who takes wood from Michael’s oak and Design, wine bar (left) and room (right) acacia trees.

102 epicureasia.com Michael Gindl practises holistic and biodynamic farming avoids trying to “preach” the biodynamic message, preferring instead to put his head down and do the hard work the farm demands of him. Perched on a motley assortment of chairs, sitting under the stars surrounded by a working farmhouse, soaking in the warmth and friendship of Michael’s kindred winemaker friends, I feel extremely privileged to have been shown so many sides of winemaking in Austria. This trip has taken me to three corners of the land, and each is proof why the industry continues to enchant and draw wine connoisseurs to search out that elusive, truly Austrian character of wein.

J Vienna J Sudsteiermark Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design Settle into the no frills but well could hardly be more perfect, designed winemaker rooms at in terms of its central location Skoff Original – Walter Skoff, and furnishings. A historic and be spoilt by exuberantly townhouse in Josefstadt puts regional cuisine. Of the six, the focus on both wine and be sure to get one with design, where each of its 39 balcony views overlooking the rooms feature an Austrian vineyards. There’re five wines vintner along with design at the breakfast spread, a well- touches. Be sure to snag stocked cellar door next door, the only Junior Suite, a 35 along with a restaurant, Skoff sq m retreat outfitted by Original Gastlichkeit, not to be Scandinavian Design House missed. Eckberg 16, A-8462 with an incomparable Hästens Gamlitz. Tel: +43 0 3453/4243 box spring bed and the best city view on the top floor. Its dedicated wine bar features J Burgenland over 400 wines, with a vintner There are four simple but focus each month. comfortable hospitality rooms Start your day right with at Weingut J. Heinrich, the full Viennese breakfast. which are available when Coffee and kipferl (a croissant- the winery is not too busy. like morning bun) is de rigeur, Of these, the Goldberg room but don’t miss the regional sits immediately adjacent to cheeses, and sweet the winemaking area, with homemade pies and jams. The all the smells and sounds of hotel can also organise day an authentic wine vacation. tours to nearby wineries. Lange Karnergasse 59, 7301 Gasse 13A, 1080 Vienna. Deutschkreutz. Tel: +43 1 400 1122 Tel: +43 0 2613/89615

epicureasia.com 103 Hofburg Palace plays host to VieVinum

Equally dazzling was the lineup of masterclasses and events Austria’s most that accompanied the event. Anne Krebiehl MW presented a lively, early morning blind tasting masterclass on Zweigelt, where important wine she expounded on Austrian wine’s “squeaky clean” reputation and its strictest laws in the world. Zweitgelt, formerly known as fair: VieVinum Rotburger, is a stable and hardy crossing, born from St Laurent and The first VieVinum was held in 1998, and this 11th Bläufrankisch in 1922, that produces wines of many facets. edition marks its 20th anniversary. The sprawling Two outstanding grapes came from Gebershuber Winery in event was held at the Hofburg Palace from 9-11 Gumpoldskirchen, 25km south of Vienna. Zierfandler (or Spätrot) June, with pre-events happening on 7 and 8 June. and Rotgipfler (traditionally blended with Zierflandler) originated from this area in the Thermenregion, and is still the only region where it thrives, accounting for less than 0.2% of grapes in Austria. There was something special in the air at this year’s edition of Owner Johannes Gebershuber arranged an incredible vintage VieVinum, and it wasn’t just the unusually hot weather that steam- tasting for a small group of media, starting from the 1948 vintage bathed the attendees at Hofburg Palace. to present day 2016. The styles up to 1988 that we sampled were Spotted among the crowd was Raimonds Tomsons from Riga, mainly Spatlese and Auslese, with fine acidity and even freshness who was awarded best sommelier in Europe and Africa in 2017 in the long lived bottles – the 1954 and 1976 stood out. From 2004, and will be competing for the world title in 2019. The lanky Latvian and the 2010 to 2016, the tastings revolved around single vineyard was on the hunt for natural wines. The fair hosted 15,000 attendees Zierfandler from the steep Modler plot. The next VieVinum takes from over 45 countries, who were there to meet and taste wines place from 6-8 June 2020. e from some 550 Austrian winegrowers. The impressive organisation Vintage tasting from 1948 at Weingut Gebeshuber included 1,150 invited professional wine trade guests of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB). Flying in from Hong Kong was Sarah Heller MW who was there to joinly present the Almásy Collection together with Matthias Krön and Erasmus Almásy. The project is an exciting curation of traditional wines from Central Europe, united by the icon of Bernstein Castle located on the Austria-Hungary border. The bottles are marked by their distance from the castle, for instance, 72km for a sparkling Gruner Veltiner, and 248km for a Slovenian Pinela, an aromatic, soft rounded grape with ample charms. “It’s a cultural project through wine,” enthuses Heller, who has tasted and chosen The writer's trip was made possible by Austrian Wine Marketing Board the wines together with the team.

104 epicureasia.com SPECIAL FEATURE

Gourmet Italian An exquisite Italian dining experience awaits at Il Ristorante - Luca Fantin, Bvlgari Resort Bali's jewel in the crown.

When it comes to offering an upscale Bali getaway with a dash of Italian elegance, look to a luxurious resort perched 150 metres above the sea shore in Uluwatu. Located at the edge of a cliff, Bvlgari Resort Bali is renowned for majestic sweeping views of the azure blue Indian Ocean, unspoilt natural The dinner-only, 36-seater restaurant will feature Bali's surroundings and an elegant contemporary design. organic produce, such as tuna, squid, baby pig, pumpkin, corn, Matching the sophistication of its surrounds is an Italian , mango and coconut, and translate them into delectable restaurant which has undergone a rebranding and name change: dishes. The menu includes a selection of Fantin’s signature dishes, Il Ristorante - Luca Fantin. The original Il Ristorante - Luca Fantin in including his acclaimed Squid Ink Gnocchi. Complementing the Tokyo has been helmed by Fantin since 2009. The one Michelin- fine cuisine is, of course, a well-curated wine list. Expect a selection starred Italian restaurant is a destination for Italian fine dining of over 200 wines of predominantly Italian labels, as well as an in Tokyo. Now, the same magic comes to Bali, as Fantin elevates exclusive collection of Champagnes. traditional Italian cuisine with refined cooking techniques and distinctive creativity. Helming the kitchen at Il Ristorante - Luca Bvlgari Resort Bali Fantin is sous chef Fabrizio Crocetta, who has more than six years Jl Goa Lempeh, Banjar Dinas Kangin, Uluwatu, Bali 80364 experience working at Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and Tel: +62 361 8471000 Asia. www.bulgarihotels.com/en_US/bali

epicureasia.com 105 FREQUENT FLYER

Dream weaver Marking Singapore on the world stage of fine arts with his eclectic intepretation of dreams is Ruben Pang. He shares with Jessica Chan how his career led to a love affair with Italy.

uben Pang was introduced to the fine R arts from a young age. He devoured his father’s collection of magazines on old masters, including Rembrandt and Caravaggio, as reference for his paintings, but it wasn’t till the age of 16 did he consider the life of an artist. The firstborn in a Chinese family, Pang felt the pressure to perform academically. His then principal of Catholic Junior College, however, simply told him to study the fine arts after seeing his series of Alexander McQueen-inspired fashion plates. After graduating with a Diploma in Fine Art from Lasalle College of the Arts in 2010, he was selected for the START International Artist Residency Program, where he spent months in Tel-Aviv-Yafo (Israel) surrounded by fellow passionate artists. Pang’s works, of which he describes as “visual syncopations of his dreams”, have won him multiple awards – Sovereign Asia Art Prize Finalist in 2010 and 2012, and the Winston Oh Travelogue award, to name a few. He recently debuted of Halogen Lung, an idiosyncratic visualisation of inanimate objects at Primae Noctis, Lugano (Switzerland), as well as his signature triptych, La Meccanica delle Meraviglie, at MO.CA Centro per le nuove culture in Brescia (Italy).

You’ve mentioned that you draw inspirations from your influence. And they are often portrayed in mediums of lights dreams. How have you translated your vision into reality? and sounds, despite not having the photon particles and air It’s hard to contain it into an elevator pitch but there are two parts respectively for them to realistically manifest. in the simplest sense. Secondly, I’d translate these energies onto the canvas, First, the subject matter. There is a universality to dreams. viscerally. For every painting, a different personality is present. Events or symbols that occur in a dream are not tied to where The light and sound I experienced are visualised onto wood panels the person is from or what gender and race they are. Someone or, particularly, aluminium composite panels. The latter carries a JULIANA TAN in France could be dreaming about free-falling off a cliff or being metallic sheen to allow me to create depth. Thin layers of paint to

exposed, just as someone in Hong Kong would – without cultural allow the underlying metallic sheen to shine through, which when PHOTOS

106 epicureasia.com combined with opaque streaks can create a seemingly endless Lombardy, is another favourite. variety of light. It could be anything; prismatic, laser, fluorescence It is a stunning city with over DESTINATION or light reflected off smoke and vegetation. 3,000 years of history, including HITS the UNESCO World Heritage What is most important for you as an artist? Site and former monastery, San J Lake Garda It is forgetting what I’ve done. This is so I can revisit my works, Salvatore-Santa Giulia dating to Italy Tel: +39 0456 270384 be it mid-way or after, so I can see them with a new perspective. 753 A.D. The city is also one that If you remember your work too well, all you’ll see are mistakes. was plagued with wars. It was J Ristorante Lido 84 But I do keep in mind of my milestones, such as my triptychs, taken from the Byzantines by the Corso Zanardelli, 196, 25083 Gardone Riviera BS, Italy which were based on how empowered and challenged I felt while Lombards, then Charlemange, Tel: +39 0365 20019 creating them. which made it the capital of the J Villa delle Rose Holy Roman Empire, and, more Via Saragozza, 228/230, Of the many places you’ve travelled to, which left an impression recently, in World War II. You 40135 Bologna BO, Italy on you? get to see a city that has been Tel: +39 051 436 818 Italy holds a lot of significance for me. When I was 18, using through so much destruction yet J San Salvatore-Santa what little Italian I learned, I sent an email to one of my heroes, healed and retained its beauty Giulia Via dei Musei, 81/b, 25121 Nicola Samori. Surprisingly, the Italian artist, known for his dark, every single time through its Brescia BS, Italy Baroque-inspired oil paintings, replied and invited me to check monuments and people. Tel: +39 030 297 7833 out his exhibition at Bologna. It was held within Villa delle Rose, Lake Garda a former summer residence dating to the 18th century and as a hospital during WWII. Of course, I flew over in a heartbeat. I still remember musing over the old masters at the various exhibitions

Ristorante Lido 84 in Bologna with him. We maintained our friendship. Just last year I What was a dining experience that impressed you? headed back to Italy, specifically Forli, where he was born. I’m more of a prosciutto crudo sandwich and an espresso kind of Even during my residency in Lugano (Switzerland), I would guy; going to a restaurant as a destination isn’t my focus. However, find my way back to Italy. My host would take me to Lake Garda in Ristorante Lido 84 broke my streak. Overlooking Lake Garda, the north (less than 200km from the Swiss border). It is the largest it’s this intimate, casual space awash in Mediterranean blues lake in Italy and boasts a mesmerising sight; crystal blue waters, and yellows and surrounded by camphor and olive trees. Chef glaciers and gorgeous shorelines dividing Verona, Trentino and Riccardo Camanini does an amazing job, creating inimitable plates Brescia. The lake just has this amazing healing energy. from regional produce. Bagòss cheese (Lombardy) is used for the It lays next to Brescia, a city in northern Italian region of tortellini and raw mountain milk for their Flor di latte ice cream. e

epicureasia.com 107 FOOD TALK

A wok with granny Victoria Lim steps into her grandma’s kitchen to learn how to cook, and receives more than treasured recipes along the way.

here’s big trouble brewing in the kitchen between a Case in point: Chinese New Year 2014. I was tasked to 85-year-old executive chef and a 26-year-old sous chef. remove the head and the roots of the bean sprouts. Such an T It starts off with intermittent grunting, disapproving easy task, you think? But I failed it – I missed out a whole bunch head shakes and escalates into abrupt slapping of the hands. and was rewarded with comments like “if you can’t do this, Exasperated comments come next. “Can you please chop a little I don’t think you can do anything else”. I was then slapped faster?” “Do you not know how to use the scissors?” “Stop getting with heavier duties; I had to scrub off the guck from the pig’s distracted by your phone; eyes on the pot!” Four hours and plenty intestines (for Pig’s Organ Soup) and sea cucumber (for Braised of sighing and pitying looks later, a table filled with traditional Sea Cucumber with Mushrooms). It was then I thought to Hokkien dishes is laid. myself, why were my aunts and granny going through such Welcome to my granny’s version of Hell’s Kitchen. intense mise en place when Grab Eats was just a few clicks What you might ask is happening? Almost every Sunday away. - for the last four years – I have been my granny or Ah Ma (in Four years on, I’d like to think I am less of an obstacle to Hokkien)’s bumbling assistant, tasked with helping her to prepare my Ah Ma and can navigate my way around her kitchen, albeit our extended family’s dinners. The entire Lim clan of 24 members with some strict supervision. She still does not trust me to would travel to her tiny three-room flat in Bukit Panjang for this braise pig trotters or prepare the fillings for , but at least once-a-week repast, a ritual that was already in place during my now I can fry Hokkien Mee with ease. toddler years, and probably earlier than that. As cliched as this sound, the best part about cooking with It was my dad’s idea that I should learn from Ah Ma while Ah Ma (and aunts) is listening to their growing up stories. Like she is still healthy and willing to teach, but it didn’t take much the tale about how my dad burned the family’s pot of porridge to convince me to practice from the matriarch. As the only because he got distracted while watching TV. Mind you, that grandchild in the Lim clan who loves to cook (my 11 other cousins was the family’s entire dinner. To cover up his mistake, he think I should take up another hobby), it dawned on me that her dimmed the lights so that no one could notice the burnt bits. decades-long recipes like Bak Kut Teh and the Mee Sua with White Or how my second uncle licked all the watermelon slices so and Scallops could be lost forever if I didn’t invest time and that he did not have to share it with his other six siblings. effort to learn from her. It would be an enriching experience but Cooking with Ah Ma has taught me loads. What I admire it shouldn’t be too difficult to master. After all, I reason to myself: about her is this fearless spirit. She never went to culinary I can whip up one-pot in a flash and baking rainbow cakes school but picked up a wealth of knowledge by snooping for my friends’ birthdays is a breeze. I could surely knock this around restaurants. Because she has seven kids to feed, she traditional Hokkien cuisine out of the park in weeks. taught herself to cook and bake for the family. Now past her I was so wrong. retirement, she still labours for hours in the kitchen because Cooking with Ah Ma is a case of judo: it flips you, tosses she knows a homecooked meal brings the family together. you and it can be scary, confusing, humbling and liberating at It has certainly brought my aunts together, and not just for the same time. In the beginning, I was at a complete loss and a gossip sessions (the recent one involved sharing why second hindrance to her and my aunts, a bull in a china shop. I would cousin had to call off her wedding). I’m happy to help with slice the pork belly the wrong way, measure in tablespoon instead the preparation work, even though it’s extremely tough. It

of teaspoon, and roll the liver ngoh hiang up, only for it to break definitely beats ordering food delivery. I understand better who LIM AN-LING (WWW.MUSINGCATS.COM) apart. I had to learn to pound chillies and garlic repeatedly in a I am, and what makes my family members the way they are – a until the fiery scent assailed my nostrils, like the hardworking bunch with a wicked sense of humour. After all, I

helpers from yesteryears. am the product of my grandma’s creations, not Deliveroo’s. ILLSUTRATION

108 epicureasia.com

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110 epicureasia.com SUBSCRIPTION

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epicureasia.com 111 EPICURE'S CHOICE

Irish beers and barbeque await those attending The Big Grill Festival (from €18/S$28 per person). Happening from 16 to 19 August at Herbert Park, Dublin, the annual event celebrates some of the world’s best pitmasters and Ireland’s craft breweries. Expect a spectacular showcase of slow-roasted Killenure Dexter steer, an Irish cow bred in the parish near Killenure Castle, by Mario Portella of Churrascada (Brazil). There's also a six-course journey into Argentinian asado with Rama Basilio and Andy Noonan returning to head a private 20-seater chef’s table experience, Offside. Complementing the affair is a bevy of ales and ciders, from the likes of Irishtown Brewing Co. and Kinnegar Brewing, and a cocktail bar filled with Dingle Gin and Jameson Irish Whiskey. biggrillfestival.com

The Bodrum EDITION is hotelier Ian Schruger's most stunning project yet. The Mediterranean utopia is tucked into a wind-sheltered cove and features a sprawling 100m white beach leading into the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea. Guests can take in the breathtaking view from the beachfront infinity pool, or the 102 rooms, suites and villas, (some of which come with a private pool, balcony or garden). Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz will oversee two restaurants on the property. Brava offers with an Asian touch, while the 202-seater Kitchen at The Bodrum Edition serves Turkish brunch and mezze. Look out for the Discetto night club that’ll play host to visiting musicians and bartenders, and a Turkish Hammam. Room rates from €350. Dirmil Mahallesi, Balyek Caddesi. No:5A, 48400 Yalikavak %RGUXP0XáOD7XUNH\7HO

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