Fans of Gordon Ramsay have been following various online platforms religiously ever since the news of him accepting the invitation (to take on Singapore’s three most popular hawkers in a culinary cook-off) went viral.
Gordon Ramsay’s acceptance video:
After a gruelling culinary showdown on 7 July 2013, the Singapore hawker heroes have defeated Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay. Continue reading
Brace your appetites this July, because the highly anticipated annual Singapore Food Festival is back! This year, the excitement surges as we celebrate its 20th anniversary at the Singapore Favourite Food Village (SFF Village), which will be taking place from 12 to 21 July at Bayfront Avenue (Marina Bay).
This 10-day festival is organised by the Singapore Food & Beverage Alliance (SFBA), with the objective of raising awareness about Singapore’s rich culinary heritage.
Uniting a selection of hawkers and eateries during this celebration, the 2013 edition will showcase Singapore’s favourite dishes such as chilli crab, carrot cake, rojak, laksa, roti prate and tau huay.
Vote online for your favourite local vendors to be at SFF Village
You, food lovers, have a chance to contribute to this significant event. Vote online from now till 2 June 2013 for your favourite local vendors this year. A total of 60 popular hawkers, eateries and restaurants were shortlisted by the SFBA organising committee and advisory panel. The 20 vendors who garner the most votes in each category will proceed to showcase their triumphant fares at the Singapore Favourite Food Village.
Voting is open for the public from now till 2 June 2013 at http://sg.openrice.com/sff and voters stand to win attractive prizes such as:
1st Prize: Limited edition Singapore Favourite Food 2013 FlashPay Card worth $1,500
2nd Prize: One year supply of Taiwan Fruit Beer worth $1,200
3rd Prize: Zonin hamper of Italian Prosecco wines worth $500
Weekly Prizes: $100 cash vouchers. A total of 12 will be given out over four weeks.
Here are some pictures of the participating vendors’ dishes that I’ve tried during a media food trail. Continue reading
23rd April 2013 – I had the most eye-opening experience at a World Gourmet Summit 2013 event, in a Miele kitchen at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, the official venue for this workshop, featuring Masterchefs Bo Lindegaard & Lasse Askov from Denmark.
Background information:
Lasse Askov completed his culinary education in Funen, Denmark over a decade ago, and worked his way up to Head Chef at Restaurant Extra, a modern tapas restaurant. His first Michelin-star was awarded while he was at Restaurant Kokkeriet.
Bo Lindegaard completed cooking school in 2003, and worked at Restaurant Jacobsen, Restaurant Kokkeriet and Restaurant Den Gule Cottage, where he achieved the title of Head Chef. In 2006, he became Creative Director at Madeleine’s Madteater, a free form and experimental food theatre, which served up various performances that all revolve around food. Bo is also a passionate artist, and brings with him the techniques and skills from his handicraft background to the culinary scene.
Together, Lasse and Bo joined forces and formed I’M A KOMBO, hosting The Social Act, in Copenhagen.
More about I’M A KOMBO here: http://www.imakombo.com/information
The Social Act is a highly interactive and hands-on dining experience, which creates anticipation and builds expectations. Diners not only interact with each other at the table, but also with the chefs and the food. In a way diners get to ‘play’ with their food, which creates a sense of ownership.
More about The Social Act here: http://thesocialact.dk/wp/?page_id=12
Steering away from the conventional, innovation is their driving force.
World Gourmet Summit 2013 brings Masterchefs Bo Lindegaard & Lasse Askov to Singapore for the very first time. Their unorthodox views and creative display in culinary breakthroughs were intriguing and impressive. Continue reading
22 April 2013 marks the World Gourmet Summit’s inaugural Youth Chef’s Day, held at the Alkaff Mansion, and presented by Meat & Livestock Australia. It was an intensive 5-hour workshop where close to 300 F&B students took part. Aged 15 to 25, the F&B students from five leading Singapore culinary and tertiary institutions – Shatec Institutes (SHATEC), At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, Temasek Culinary Academy, Republic Polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) – were invited to attend.
Budding chefs and future F&B professionals had a rare opportunity to interact with the world’s best culinary experts, such as three-Michelin-starred French chef Yannick Alléno and Spain’s finest pastry chefs, Paco & Jacob Torreblanca, picking up tricks of the trade and gaining new insights.
The day’s session includes leading industry experts such as Mr Earnst Huber, Awards Of Excellence 2013 Déliciae Lifetime Achievement Award winner, who shared his expertise on the Art of Butchery; David Senia, Executive Chef of Capella Singapore, who believes in drawing inspiration from new experiences with local flavours and ingredients, blending them with various techniques acquired from his stints around the world; Jimi Tegerdine, Executive Chef of LeVel33 and presented by Indoguna; and Chef Edmund Toh, Assistant Vice President of Resorts World Sentosa and President of Singapore Chef’s Association.
This workshop provides young talents with a platform to learn from world-class chefs and award-winning culinary experts. Continue reading
I’ve never been the sporty one. Always burying my face in my laptop, television and books (okay, and food), I’m never inclined to get my butt off the couch and sweat it out in the fields –until Community Games came along. Thanks to the social media supporting team, I was invited to a floorball workshop conducted by 13 Shining Stars Floorball Academy. Continue reading
The World Gourmet Summit is a highly anticipated annual gastronomic extravaganza, organised by A La Carte Productions (a subsidiary of Peter Knipp Holdings Pte Ltd), supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, and presented by Citibank.
This 17th edition of World Gourmet Summit kicks off its eleven-day spectacle at the stunning S.E.A. Aquarium, Resorts World Sentosa Singapore, on 16 April 2013.
This year’s theme, Artisans & The Art Of Dining, showcases artisans from all over the world, whom all are experts in their respective fields. Discerning individuals who appreciate fine wines and gourmet cuisine will certainly know not to miss out on this series of events.
Prestigious Chefs Gabriele Ferron (Italy), Jean-François Piège (France), Joachim Koerper (Portugal), Matt Moran (Australia), Paco & Jacob Torreblanca (Spain), Rodrigo de la Calle (Spain), Sanjeev Kapoor (India) and William Ledeuil (France) make their appearances, showcasing their individual talents and intricate craftsmanship.
Over 600 guests turned up for the Opening Reception, clinking glasses of sparkling, and taking pleasure in sumptuous treats at the live stations, with the vivid and breath-taking aquarium as a backdrop. Continue reading
The 4-day gourmet festival has come to a close, and I’m already eagerly awaiting the next installation. SAVOUR 2013 was a huge success, despite the brutal and unforgiving heat.
The alfresco Gourmet Village featured over 25 leading chefs and 18 award-winning restaurants, several of them with Michelin-stars to boot. Continue reading
Last Saturday, a multitude of tweets and instagram photos were uploaded with the #SgMemory hashtag, adding to the library of over 5000 photos (now 8,900 and counting). Five bloggers, armed with cameras, smartphones, and a ravenous appetite, set out on a Nostalgia Tour to some of the most enduring food establishments in Singapore with rich histories to boot. Even the gray skies and threats of thunderstorm could not dampen our high spirits.
The #SgMemory hashtag can be used on anything Singapore-related, and need not feature anything ‘retro’ or dated. The purpose of this hash tag is to establish a gallery of images for the future generations to look at, and for us to look back on. Continue reading
SAVOUR 2013, presented by NESPRESSO, is Singapore’s largest gourmet festival, back with an all-new line-up to entice fervent foodies.
To be held at the F1 Pit Building & Paddock grounds from 11 to 14 April 2013, attendees can look forward to meeting Michelin-star and world-renowned chefs, along with top local talent, at the 350-seater Gourmet Auditorium. More than 60 award-winning dishes will be presented in pop-up restaurants at the alfresco Gourmet Village, ranging from as low as $6. The extensive array of 300 master classes, workshops and demonstrations is also highly anticipated – all included in an accessibly priced ticket – which provides attendees with a wide variety of itineraries and hands-on involvement.
Tickets are available via SISTIC, with the latest schedules and itineraries available at savour.sg.
Also not to be missed is The Great FIJI Water Race happening on Saturday, 13 April 2013, from 12pm to 4pm, where a winner gets to take home a grand prize of $1000 cash and one year’s supply of FIJI Water. Contest hopefuls are required to complete tasks to earn the most points in the shortest amount of time, documenting their trail through photos and captions on Instagram with the hash tag #FIJIWaterSavour2013. Mini prizes including complimentary cooking demonstrations at ToTT and cupcakes from Cake Over Heels will be awarded to the first 100 participants who complete each task.
For more information on The Great FIJI Water Race, visit their or their website.
NESPRESSO, being SAVOUR 2013’s representing partner and official coffee, is one of the highlights, offering workshops for coffee aficionados and inquisitive novices. Here’s a sneak peek of a NESPRESSO Mixologist Session, with the energetic and jovial yet professional Mark Tay running the show.
We had a hands-on session, utilising the nifty and compact NESPRESSO PIXIE machine. It takes only 25 to 30 seconds to heat up, before it’s ready to use. Here are the recipes of three beverages that we put together, following Mark Tay’s guidance. Continue reading
Wine appreciation workshops are aplenty, but in recent times, the nation has seen a surge in the popularity of coffee appreciation with the emergence of specialty coffee.
Coffee appreciation is in no way less comprehensive than wine appreciation. The coffee-equivalent of wine tasting would be coffee cupping –in which taste, aroma, flavour, acidity and body are determining factors of a great wine or coffee.
I recently attended a coffee appreciation workshop at DEAN & DELUCA, jointly hosted by Papa Palheta.
I was amongst the first in Singapore, along with a few other bloggers, to sample the launch of Nando’s Angry Mango, thanks to Vibes Communications for making arrangements and for the kind invitation.
Before I begin my review of Nando’s, here’s a brief introduction of what Community Games is all about. From March to June 2013, Community Games 2013 will be taking place across Singapore. It is a multi-sports competition held across the island, bringing the Games to the heart of the community and connecting residents of different ages, races and living across estates. Organised by the People’s Association, Singapore Sports Council and Community Sports Clubs, with support from the National Sports Associations, the sports featured under CG 2013 include Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Dragon Boat, Football, Netball, Road Run and Sepaktakraw, Swimming and Table Tennis.
Everyone can take part; simply visit http://www.pacsc.org.sg, click on Community Games 2013, select the sport you’re interested in participating, read the rules and regulations, and download the official registration form on the right hand column. Continue reading
The bi-annual food event SINGAPORE RESTAURANT WEEK is back for its sixth edition! From 18 to 24 March 2013, over 105 participating restaurants are offering exclusive three-course menus for lunch and dinner priced at $25+++ and $35+++ respectively, where you will get an opportunity to dine at fine restaurants without breaking the bank. (A supplement of $15 for lunch and $20 for dinner are charged at DiningCity Star-Awarded restaurants.)
Bookings have started on 22 February 2013 at www.restaurantweek.sg.
One of the highlights would be ‘The Grand Tour of Taste’. Most of the restaurants will craft a unique ‘grand tasting platter’ for one of the courses within its three-course set menu offering, where diners will get to enjoy tasting portions of signature dishes the establishment is renowned for.
To add more excitement, DingCity.sg has launched a new mobile app “BUCKET – Scratch & Win” (available on IOS/iPhone). Patrons of Restaurant Week are entitled two chances each to win daily attractive prizes during 18 to 24 March 2013, which include two tickets to Bali (courtesy of KLM airline), a 1-night stay at the Capella Hotel, a $500 Garibaldi Wine & Dine experience, one year subscription to Time Out magazine, a bottle of Constellation Rouge AOC Magnum by Wine Universe, a bottle of Belvedere vodka by The GIG, and many more. The more you dine out during Restaurant week, the higher chances of winning the Grand Draw prize!
*The free mobile app “BUCKET – Scratch & Win” will be available at the App Store from 18 March 2013.
Here are some of the participating restaurants I’ve visited (click for the full review):
Salt Grill & Sky Bar (Restaurant week preview, October 2012)
Waterfall Café @ Shangri La
For this edition, my top pick goes to OTTO Locanda. Make your reservations at www.restaurantweek.sg before they run out of seats!
The ‘Cookies for Charity’ programme was a huge success, raising over $20,000 to support the needy elderly of the Kreta Ayer constituency.
Following its success, Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS) hosted an appreciation lunch for 60 elderly folks from the Kreta Ayer Seniors Activity Centre at Violet Oon’s Kitchen, where they were treated to a sumptuous Lunar New Year meal. Continue reading
The video begins with an introduction by Manda Foo, Executive Secretary at Kranji Countryside Association and Media Relations Manager at Bollywood Veggies.
Following Singapore’s winning bid to host the 2016 Agricultural Conference of The Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC), Mr Michael Lambert, Honorary Secretary of RASC, flew in specially to grace this private luncheon with his presence, held at Bollywood Veggies. He shares the rationale on why Singapore, a non-traditional agricultural country has been given the honours.
“An excellent bid was put forward by Ivy and her colleagues. The real excitement was that this is the first time the conference is going to be held in Asia,” Mr Michael Lambert mentioned with anticipation. “Asia is of growing importance economically around the world; it’s the area where the world’s fastest economy is situated; it’s an area where the population continues to rise.” He was also thrilled at the opportunity to see farming in a different part of the world.
On behalf of KCA and her fellow farmers, Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim, owner of organic farm Bollywood Veggies and restaurant Poison Ivy, unveils exciting new developments for 2013.
Highlights include:
- A New Look at the Kranji countryside with the launch of the 2nd Edition of the Wild Wild West Brochure
- KCA: World’s First & Best LOHAS region (Lifestyles of Health & Sustainability)
- Happy & Healthy Food Focus: Fresh Local vs Processed
- Launch of Bollywood Veggies 2013 Recipe Calendar
- Introduction of Jurong Frog Farm’s Singapore MADE & Singapore SAFE –Hashima
Chef de Cuisine Lynn Ee, who creates novel recipes from what’s available in the farm, also stresses the significance of fresh versus frozen or fresh versus processed, “the buzzword in the city is organic, raw food and vegan, but food is processed food at the end of the day.” She also emphasises the importance of supporting our local farmers and produce, as a means to achieve a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. “Raw food comes from Australia where it’s 4-7 hours away, so how fresh is it when by the time it comes to your plate.”
The video ends with a visual feast of mouth-watering delights, prepared by Chef Lynn. There was a calorie count that compares typical junkfood and freshly made fastfood. You will find the healthiest Lor Mee, the BEST Bee Tai Mak and the BEST Kueh Kosui in Singapore, at Poison Ivy.
Chef Lynn reminds us, “when you eat something, always think about where it comes from; how it got to your plate.”
Read my previous post on Bollywood Veggies here (https://melicacy.com/?p=3493) and Poison Ivy here (https://melicacy.com/?p=3516).
Visit http://www.kranjicountryside.com/ and http://bollywoodveggies.com/ for more information.
This video was taken using a SONY NEX-VG20E Handycam.
Anna Olson is an acclaimed Canadian chef and baking extraordinaire, recognised internationally as the face of hit programmes such as ‘Sugar’ and ‘Fresh with Anna Olson’, which both air on AFC, StarHub Channel 435. The canny TV star charms our local foodies with her impressive skills in all things sweet and savoury, sharing tasty and approachable recipes.
Did you know? Before realising cooking and baking was her true calling, Anna Olson earned a degree in political studies and sociology. She spent a few years in banking before deciding it was not her life long dream. She is now a professionally trained chef with over fifteen years of experience in the culinary field.
In November, the Asian Food Channel organised a series of dining events with Chef Olson, and I had the privilege of attending an exclusive lunchtime press demo with her. ‘Fresh Flavours with Anna Olson’ is a Canadian Culinary Adventure tour across five countries in Asia, exclusively presented by the Asian Food Channel. Baking aficionados were in for a treat.
Here are three recipes that she shared with us:
Continue reading