epicureAugust 2016的目錄

Pandan chiffon cakes are not just a firm favourite among Singaporeans; tourists and celebrities are also known to lug home boxes of these fragrant gems when they are in the city. To perfect the cake, the eggs must be separated and whipped at high speeds to create a fluffy and light texture. The signature green hue comes from pandanus amaryllifolius leaves, which are pulverised then squeezed through a cheesecloth to obtain their natural essence. This National Day, we celebrate not just the traditional chiffon, but its delightful variations, such as pandan with kaya fudge and pandan butter cake, to name a few. JOE & DOUGH Joe & Dough’s Gula Melaka Pandan Cake uses pandan essence that is extracted the traditional way – by blending the leaves before pressing their juices…

Among InterContinental Singapore’s new range of delicately crafted snow skin spheres is the must-try Snowskin Durian Mooncake ($68, four pieces). It’s made with pure Mao Shan Wang durian extract and a sprinkling of edible gold dust for an elegant touch. 80 Middle Road. Tel: 6338 7600 Sheraton Towers’s Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant has created the new Yam Paste Mooncake with Single Yolk in Flaky Pastry ($66, four pieces). Think salted egg yolk filling ensconced in luscious yam paste and layers of goldhued pastry that relent easily to a bite. 39 Scotts Road. Tel: 6839 5623 Joël Robuchon Restaurant’s Frenchinspired mooncake creations ($95, nine pieces) feature a trio of exquisite snow skin mooncake flavours, including a creamy ganache laced with fresh raspberry purée encased in a delightfully light white lotus paste.…

Like merchant traders captivated by Indonesia’s Spice Islands on the ancient Spice Route, today, an increasing number of restaurants in Bali and Jakarta are inspired by Indonesia’s abundance of amazing and diverse natural produce. Many have joined the global farm-to-table bandwagon, which is still a relatively new movement in the country but a well-established one originating in the U.S. that champions the use of natural, organic, fresh, locally sourced and sustainably farmed ingredients. Frustrated at importing irregularly supplied expensive products, more chefs have discovered surprisingly fine local substitutes, from artisanal cheeses to superior seafood, while supporting smallscale sustainable farmers and cultivators. This has in some ways resulted in reduced costs for restaurateurs and innovative menus offering the freshest possible flavours for diners. Indonesia’s farm-to-fork epicentre is Bali, which boasts the…

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST Jaguar debuts its first Activity Key, the ideal accessory for active lifestyles. The flexible, fully waterproof device is worn like a wristband but serves as a key, allowing for conventional key fobs to be stowed securely in the vehicle – a boon for when you’re swimming or surfing for example, and can’t carry your valuables with you. The sleek black strap is fitted with an integrated transponder, and works on the same frequencies to lock and unlock the car when it’s held in close proximity to the tailgate. It works without batteries, so you never have to worry about charging it on the go. FIRST-CLASS CABIN The F-PACE’s contemporary interior design keeps intuitive controls close at hand, enhancing all-round visibility with Sports Command driving position,…

HUAT KEE This Teochew establishment is as traditional as it gets (cue the latticed silk screens and press clippings plastered at the entrance), which is why watching 26-year-old Jasmine Lee run the show is somewhat of a disconnect. Her father, Lee Chiang Howe, was all set to close the curtains in the eatery he inherited from his father, Ah Huat, when his only daughter said she’d take over the reins. We’re relieved for its continued legacy – Huat Kee’s oyster omelette cooked with a mixture of vegetable oil and duck fat; orh nee with candied pork belly; and ku chye kueh, a pressed ‘cake’ of noodles stained green with brisk chives, are some of the best we’ve had. MR LEE, KNOWING FIRSTHAND THE BACKBREAKING TOLL THIS JOB REQUIRES, ARE YOU…

You were born and raised in Rome. How have you adapted to the Tuscan countryside? I’ve always loved nature and agriculture, and I live full-time at the vineyard now. This is a place where if you need a tool or a tractor, you can ask for it from your neighbour. The terroir produces beautiful wines and we farm with no chemicals and all organic products. I believe 90 percent of the quality is in the field. If you respect the vineyards, you will be rewarded. I started with 16 hectares and now have 22. How different was your previous career? At 22, I worked as a buyer for Bulgari and learnt a lot from my father, especially about paying attention to details when sourcing for precious stones. I learnt on…

EPICURE FOOD HUNTING APP IS NOW AVAILABLE ON ANDROID CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR THREE WINNERS IN JULY’S FOOD HUNTING CONTEST WHO HAVE WON A BOTTLE OF DOM PÉRIGNON VINTAGE 2006 WORTH $250 EACH! Download a free QR Code Reader from your app store and scan the code on the right to access epicure’s Food Hunting App. BACK WITH A BANG Popular Peranakan-themed restaurant Ellenborough Market Café returns with a better buffet repertoire, offering a wider spread of traditional delights as well as live cooking stations to whet your appetite. The restaurant is divided into three zones: a main dining hall in vibrant turquoise and accented with sparkling diamond-cut glass wall features; the lilac mezzanine, complete with a restored stained-glass skylight; and a Hampton-esque space where the show kitchens take centre stage.…

“My store is an extension of my home,” shares Florence Lim, 56, owner of edit lifestyle, a concept store at Tudor Court selling a curated selection of items that include resort wear, accessories, and home décor. Born in the Philippines to owners of a cement-manufacturing business, the former interior designer and residential property developer grew up in Canada and lived in London for 16 years before moving to Singapore in 2009 with her Italian husband Gianpaolo Arrigoni, 55, and two sons – Gianluca, 16, and Gianandrea, 13. It is perhaps this worldliness that has cultivated Lim’s aesthetic eye. While the store reveals glimpses of her personality, it is over lunch at Lim’s beautiful Arcadia Road apartment – where she has lived for the last five years – that we get…

AKA Wall Street The first downtown location for Larry & Brad Korman’s dynamic brand of luxury hotel residences, AKA Wall Street boasts 132 ultra-sleek and spacious studio suites as well as one- and two-bedroom suites and penthouses. The rooftop level is kitted with an outdoor film screening room, a cinema, and a glass-enclosed lounge with panoramic views of One World Trade Center and downtown Manhattan. A cutting-edge Technogym fitness centre with personal training and fitness consultation is also available to exercise enthusiasts. From US$305. 84 William Street, New York, NY 10038. Tel: +1 212 252 9090 The William Vale Nestled in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is a luxury boutique hotel consisting of 183 suites with floorto-ceiling balcony glass windows. The first-ofits-kind outdoor public park, The Vale Park is an elevated 15,000 sq…

With WMF’s new range of ceramic cookware, WMF NATURamic, never again will your dishes fall flat due to residual flavours lingering in your pan. Healthy, nutritious cooking is a cinch with the NATURamic’s smooth and non-porous surface plus cut- and scratch-resistant properties. This means that food retains its intrinsic flavours and aromas, is less likely to be contaminated by bacteria harboured in grooves and interstices, and also requires less oil to cook. The energy-saving range is made from natural, high-tech ceramic with an iron core, which ensures quick and uniform heat conduction and optimum heat retention, shortening your overall cooking time. Eschewing nickel in its production, WMF NATURamic cookware are thus also safe for preparing food for infants and people with a nickel allergy. In particular, the WMF NATURamic Pressure…

T he childhood game of masak masak, or make-believe cooking, sparked Baba Jolly Wee’s interest in food and nurtured his entrepreneurial spirit when he was just eight years old. Eager to learn more, he would quietly observe his mother in the kitchen and repeatedly cook dishes to get them just right. Gifted with a good palate, it wasn’t long before he was cooking for the whole family. Often, his mother would go out to play cherki, a Peranakan card game, while his father worked, and when they returned in the evening, Wee would already have dinner ready. “I would cook for my family regularly during the Japanese occupation. It was great practice for me,” Wee reveals. After World War II, Wee embarked on numerous pursuits, most notably running up to…

Crafted from quality ingredients and made in-house, each box of mooncakes from Carlton Hotel Singapore promises to be a delectable treat. Their signature and all-time favourite, Mini Walnut Moontarts, is a must-try; its smooth white lotus paste and egg yolk are enveloped in a crisp fragrant crust studded with walnuts. There is also a low-sugar alternative without the egg yolk for guilt-free indulgence. Don’t miss other popular selections including the Mini ‘Mao Shan Wang’ Durian Snowskin Mooncakes and Mini Red Velvet Snowskin Mooncakes. Only the freshest durian pulp is encased within the feather-light snowskin – no preservatives are added into the mix. The latter is inspired by the hotel’s café and pâtisserie Tuxedo’s signature Red Velvet Cake; the scrumptious snowskin mooncakes boast rich and velvety cream cheese along with crunchy…

When it comes to offering a variety of mooncakes, The St. Regis Singapore has pulled out all the stops. There are four new varieties of snow skin mooncakes, each packed with flavour combinations to impress your taste buds. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the Pomegranate Truffle with Red Bean Chendol Paste Snowskin Mooncake. It exudes a citrusy fruit flavour, which blends well with the honeyed taste of the red bean chendol paste. Another must-try is the Purple Sweet Potato with Water Chestnut and Salted Yam Paste Snowskin Mooncake, featuring time-honoured ingredients of well-loved Cantonese desserts to produce a mélange of aromas. For an enticing medley of sweet and salty flavours, relish the Portuguese Custard Paste Snowskin Mooncake. The Salted Peanut Truffle with Black Sesame Paste Snowskin Mooncake has…

Serves 4 Prep time 30 minutes + 3 days soak time Cook time 2 hours 15 minutes 20 buah keluak (indonesian black nuts) rempah 100g shallots, peeled 35g garlic, peeled 8g galangal, peeled and finely chopped 18g candlenuts 20g dried chillies (soaked in hot water) 12g belachan 15g lemongrass (white portion only), finely chopped 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1kg Wagyu beef shortribs 50ml thick tamarind water salt and sugar, to taste ♦ to prepare buah keluak, soak them for at least 3 days, scrubbing the nuts and changing the water every day. ♦ locate the smoothest part of the nut and make an incision or fine crack. using a long, thin utensil, dig in and remove most of the nut’s black paste. Pass through a fine sieve to smoothen the…

New York looks every bit as it does on the big screen; however, as a visitor, the city is more accesible than ever with multiple ways to get a taste of the real New York and escape the tourist throngs. The style of food in the city has become really globalised; everywhere you go, you’ll see so many international influences from Asia, Europe and South America. But when you want to get away from all the connectivity of different cultures, you can take a trip to the Hamptons and get your fill of American food and history, or just travel 30 minutes upstate for swathes of greenery. GLOBAL APPEAL My first stop in New York City was a new hangout called 632 on Hudson, which is located on the border…

We have always been fans of InterContinental Singapore’s old-world glamour, as reflected by its shophouse architecture and elegant interiors. And after a multi-million dollar makeover to its lobby areas and Main Tower guest rooms, it’s looking even more spruced up and charming than ever. The hotel has launched a Discover Heritage package which includes accommodation in a Deluxe Room or Premier Suite, buffet breakfast, $50 dining credit, free Internet connectivity, and late check-out till 4pm (subject to availability). Hotel guests can also join an enjoyably educational guided heritage trail to get acquainted with their surrounding vicinity every Saturday afternoon. For two hours, you’ll find yourself playing tourist in your country as you unearth facets of Singapore’s colourful past: Albert Street’s former life as a nightlife hotspot, and Waterloo Street, where…

Bruno Paillard, with his inexplicable Italian name, is a Champenois through and through – his family of brokers and growers in Bouzy and Verzenay dates their history back to 1704. Armed with the experience of a broker, he started Maison Bruno Paillard in 1981, and his fourth child Alice came along a year later. I meet both of them over a superb lunch at Les Amis, where Bruno has obligingly hand-carried a bottle of Nec Plus Ultra Rosé 2003 for us to try – with just 826 bottles produced, there isn’t enough of the vintage to release in Singapore. Bruno is the brains behind many “crazy dreams”, but he’s displayed a knack for bringing them to life. Maison Bruno Paillard was the first Champagne producer to note the disgorgement date…

Salt-baked flower crab in lotus leaf Before crabs came doused in chilli and salted egg yolk sauces, they were simply encased in salt and baked. The hard outer crust traps the crab’s natural juices within, while the lotus leaf adds an unbeatable fragrance – a tried-and-true Teochew classic. Serves 2-4 Prep time 30 minutes + 30 minutes marinating time Cook time 35-45 minutes homemade chilli sauce 1 fresh green chilli 1 fresh red chilli 30g garlic, peeled 2 tsp ginger, peeled and minced juice of 4 calamansi, seeds removed 15g coriander leaves Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend into a fine paste. salt-baked flower crabs 2 live flower crabs (approximately 300-400g each) 1 bottle hua diao jiu (Chinese yellow wine) 5 cinnamon sticks 15 cloves…

Putu mayam with orange sugar and grated coconut is as local a breakfast as kaya toast and soft boiled eggs. But while the latter can still be readily found, the white noodly circlets seem to be in short supply. Daniel Surendran from Heaven’s Indian Curry, a food stall in Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre with various outlets across the island, is one of the few hawkers who still makes string hoppers from scratch. To preserve this first disappearing hawker dish, Surendran conducted a masterclass for 20 culinary students of At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy. The students certainly got a first-hand experience of the wrist-breaking process, which left them wondering just how Surendran manages the sheer feat of making up to 500 of these a day. “It’s crucial to know how long…

You love to cook and entertain at the same time, but there never seems to be enough time to do either. De Dietrich’s new series of intelligent appliances are designed to suit the fast paced lifestyle of modern cooks. Ideal for small kitchens is the energy and cost-saving horiZoneChef TACTILIUM Induction Hob that comes in a compact size of 65cm. Fitted with four separate cooking zones and 12 built-in inductors, the touchscreen induction hob is easy to navigate and allows endless configurations. Simply adjust heat settings and cooking duration with a touch of a finger on the interactive, full colour panel. The cooking zones are also flexible, with its settings automatically adjusted whenever movement is detected, so you never have to fret over temperature control. De Dietrich has introduced a…

Award-winning restaurant Medici Kitchen & Bar in Hotel Muse Bangkok is one of the city’s most revered Italian eateries. The term ‘Medici’ is a reference to neo-classical Florence, the power wielded by the legendary Medici family and the influence it held over politics, religion and finance in ancient Italy. Entering the restaurant in the boutique hotel is like embarking on a journey into the past, making this dining spot one of the most inimitable in Thailand. The restaurant exudes a dark and opulent vibe and the interior is marked by lots of exotic and warm wood. Oenophiles will be pleased with the vast wine cellar housing an impressive selection of premium wines. Raw oak floors add a stylish touch to the restaurant. Emphasing guest interactivity is the open kitchen, the…

It’s time to bring out the lanterns for the little ones as Mid-Autumn Festival, the age-old Chinese tradition, approaches. Concorde Hotel Singapore is set to please taste buds with their exquisite mooncake selections from 1 August. Each mooncake is housed in a sturdy oriental chest with a floral pattern and secured with a delicate golden lock. Great as corporate gifts or presents for friends and family members, the box doubles up as a beautiful jewellery case. The traditional mooncakes are baked to golden brown perfection and filled with a rich blend of pure or white lotus paste. For something different and mouthwatering, try the ever-popular Imperial Ivory ($54 for a box of two pieces), which makes a comeback this year. Think creamy butter pastry skin, cooling winter melon paste packed…