Our top picks from a year of wining and dining
<CITE>TODAY Online, </CITE>26/04/2010
The T Awards - Wining and dining
Our top picks from a year of wining and dining
<STYLE type=text/css>@import url("http://sgstc.msn.com/br/csl/css/38742CDE2D315FB67F7A0AF2CBE04B3B/fbutility.css");</STYLE><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>/*<![CDATA[*/jQuery.async(0,0,"http://sgstj.msn.com/br/csl/js/080F5672F07C9CAABA33D7F8C1DB4751/fbutility.js");//]]></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>/*<![CDATA[*/jQuery.async("Msn.Facebook",function(){Msn.Facebook.initiateFacebookLike('129349433651','');Msn.Facebook.TrackingData = {fbAppId:"129349433651",actionName:"like",omniAccountName:"",samplingRate:"100",pageType:"article"};Msn.Facebook.trackingFacebookLike('');});//]]></SCRIPT>
by Don Mendoza,
TODAY
AT BEST, 2010 has so far proven to be mildly savoury - as opposed to decidedly sweet. Clearly, there were noteworthy restaurant openings and evolving trends. But it would be difficult to allude the overall dining out experience over the last 11 months to the taste of sweet success.
Thing is, while teething problems are a factored feature for any newly launched venture, consistency continued to be the bane of many restaurants.
To be frank, we'd also only just begun to crawl out from under the long shadow of apprehension cast by the recent recession, quickly growing more discerning as diners. If only to justify to ourselves the $600-dinner-for-two at a fancy restaurant by a multi-award winning chef - who I'm certain sends his regards from his home somewhere way across the Pacific.
There were, of course, some sweet developments to wit. Though still few and some located far from the city's nerve centre, artisanal products such as a fine espresso and handmade chocolate truffles enjoyed the attention they deserve.
Another interesting addition to the already unique amalgamation of cuisines found on our tiny island was the growing number of renowned Australian brands settling in quite nicely.
The more recently acclimatised include laid-back fine-dining establishments such as Salt Grill at the top of Ion Orchard by celeb-chef Luke Mangan, and Chef Scott Webster's born-again Osia brand of dining (at Resorts World Sentosa), after he had closed the original Michelin-rated London restaurant in 2006 for personal reasons.
We also took our predilection for "dining at the top" to new heights, with more rooftop restaurants - such as Stellar at 1-Altitude (top of OUB Centre) and Ku De Ta above the Marina Bay Sands - taking off with surprising effortlessness.
Here's what we've been chewing on all year.
Most anticipated (and deservedly so) restaurant opening of 2010
Andre. Quite simply because the native Taiwanese toque helming the kitchen continues to deliver the goods where two of the hardest aspects of the restaurant business are concerned: Consistency and surprise. The latter is perhaps the hardest to achieve in the tide of increasingly affluent diners. But 34-year-old Andre Chiang seems almost naturally at ease with the tasks at hand, rewarding eager diners who are willing to wait in line (and, trust us, it's a long line for one of the 30 seats offered) with a refreshing, yet unpretentious display of fine-dining diplomacy.
Most expensive dish, pound for pound
A plate of scallops with white truffle shavings for just under $170. It was had at Gunther's Modern French Cuisine and, to be fair, it was the extra helping of fresh truffle that helped the diner break new ground.
Start-up by a local celebrity worth a mention
Porn's by MediaCorp's Pornsak Prajakwit. Face it, Thai food never sounded more inviting.
Start-up by a local celebrity we duly forgot was still around
Adam Chen's R Burger venture. Honestly, was it even that big in Japan?
Most hyped F&B news to make the news
Iggy's moved house to Hilton Singapore. Sure, it remains Singapore's first answer to some of the best meals to be had anywhere on the planet. And, yes, it's back at No.1 on The Miele Guide's list (2010/2011) of Asia's finest restaurants. So let's just update our smart phones and leave it at that.
Poorest excuse for a celebrity appearance
Bobby Chinn for StarHub's Hubalicious Food Festival 2010. I mean does anyone actually know the name of the restaurant he opened in Hanoi? And, honestly, it's hard to get a fix on an Auckland-born Egyptian-Chinese chef who claimed to have mistakenly added wasabi to mashed potatoes while "trying to make a wasabi cream". Huh?
Most attractive reason to meet the chef
Rachel Allen also held a meet-and-greet session with her fans, and held a cooking demo in August. In short, the gorgeous Irish chef and author is hotter than Nigella (no, it's not a blond-over-brunette thing) and really can cook.
Worse case of flagrant name-dropping
The constellation of "branded restaurants" that recently touched down at the integrated resorts. Sure, names like Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy, Mario Batali and Wolfgang Puck will be hard to resist. But the lofty prices you're forking out for the experience doesn't guarantee that such luminaries will actually be in the kitchen - or even in the region, for that matter. Kudos to Chef Kunio Tokuoka, though. He has been back to prepare his signature kaiseki menus several times since his eponymous restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa opened in May.
Best repeat win
Once again, Chilean icon wines came up tops against wines acknowledged as being among the very best in the world at the most recent recreation of the landmark Berlin (blind) Tasting held in Hong Kong. Skeptics can officially throw blind luck out the window.
Best culinary reaffirmation of 2010
World's most influential chef, Ferran Adria, agrees that foie gras and sharks fin are contradictory to modern civilisation's love for good food and eating well. Well, he did say, "probably".
Quirkiest coincidence
Hoteliers have more than a thing for food. Loh Lik Peng announced his sixth and most notable F&B partnership of recent times with the launch of Andre. Hotelier by day and chocolatier by night Teng Ei Liang opened Truffs a year ago. Coincidence?
Most expensive dinner menu
Santi's $90++ tapas dinner set menu. It's tapas!
Most baffling revival
Bubble tea. Have you seen the queues?
Most optimistic view of the market's improving appetite
Paradise Group. On top of new Paradise Inn outlets strategically located at the new malls, this homegrown business launched at least two new restaurant concepts this year - Paradise Pavilion and Paradise Dynasty - bringing their total count of restaurants in Singapore up to 17. Canton Paradise, specialising in Hong Kong flavours, is slated to open in 2011.
The Bravery (aka "What were you thinking?") Award
Chef Yong Bing Ngen's audacious oyster sorbet as the finale to his oyster-centric eight-course menu served at JING during this year's World Gourmet Summit event.
Best use of other people's money
Young entrepreneurs Cherilyn Tan and Jamie Koh, owners of The Chupitos Bar, which they opened in September with the help of the $20,000 seed capital they got as joint winners of Martell V.S.O.P. The Ultimate Start-up Space 2010 competition.
Most inspired purchase after reading the paper
The Thermomix food processor ($2,299) from ToTT. The customer actually came in with a clipping of the article.
Twitter 2010: Year in Review
