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Monday, August 29, 2005 It’s been an amazingly busy week. So busy in fact that I wasn’t able to find any time to take part in this month’s Is My Blog Burning? challenge. Of course, J over at Kuidaore created enough amazing dishes for a half dozen eager bloggers, so I doubt my lack of participation will even be noticed. Despite my crazy schedule, I did find the time to attend a pretty amazing dinner on Saturday night.
Aussie celeb chef Kylie Kwong is in town to take part in the Singapore Writers Festival. One of her events, and the quickest sell-out event in the Festival, was a dinner at Poppi, a Modern Australian restaurant in Legends (the former Fort Canning Country Club). The menu was a collaboration between Ms Kwong and Poppi’s head chef, Chris Millar. For starters, we were served 3 sharing platters of Sashimi of Kingfish and Ocean Trout; Salad of Squid, Chinese Pork, Baby Herbs and Nolans Rd Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil; and Tasmanian Spiced Chicken and Prawn Salad with Pomegranate, Figs and Cinnamon Spiced Almonds. For mains, we first had a Coconut and Lime Crusted Garoupa in a Smoky Coconut Broth with Asian Herbs. This was followed with a Crisp Skinned Magret of Duck with Fresh Ruby Grapefruit Sauce and Sauteed Asian Greens. This second main was particularly exciting because it was a variation of the amazing crispy duck that Ms Kwong serves up in Billy Kwong, her restaurant in Sydney. For dessert, we had Poached Stone Fruits with Creme de Framboise, Lime Curd and Vanilla Bean Anglaise. It was a good dinner with great company. I was fortunate enough to get seats at the table Ms Kwong herself was at. Other dining companions turned out to be famed New York Times writer RW Apple Jr and Makansutra founder KF Seetoh.
My luck only got better because Sunday, S and I had the great fortune of attending a private lunch in honor of RW Apple Jr (”Johnny” to his friends), prepared by one of Singapore’s best but often underrated chefs, Jimmy Chok. Here’s a picture of Jimmy explaining our menu to Johnny.
The menu, and the food, I have to say, was amazing. I’ve eaten Jimmy’s cooking many, many times. And I’ve always enjoyed his food. But it was never like it was today. Today, perhaps because he wasn’t cooking in a busy restaurant or perhaps because he was hoping to impress Johnny and then get written up favorably and famously in the New York Times or perhaps because he was just in a good mood, the food was particularly inspired. It was both terrific and inspiring. Here’s our menu:
For dessert, we had a rather modern take on ‘goreng pisang’ (fried bananas). And to help wash down all this yummy food, we enjoyed some Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1996 and then some Torbrecks The Steading 2002. Jimmy is currently the executive chef of The Academy Bistro, which is on level 1 of the new Supreme Court building and just opened a couple of weeks ago. The Bistro is open every weekday for lunch and open Fridays for lunch and dinner. On weekends and on weeknights from Monday to Thursday, Jimmy is available for private catering. To reach him, you can email him at jimmy_chok@sal.org.sg.        Posted by Chubby Hubby 
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Wow, what an amazing few days. I heart Kylie Kwong, and your write up about Jimmy Chok (and ofcours the photographs) are wonderful!
Posted by: deborah | 29 August 2005 @ 8:30 am
Lucky you. It looked like great fun. I like Jimmy Chok’s food and recipes! Hence when I saw his new cookbook, I bought it straightaway.
Posted by: boo_licious | 29 August 2005 @ 9:54 am
lunch was spectacular, as much due to jimmy’s inspired cooking and you & s’s masterful direction
Posted by: J | 29 August 2005 @ 11:40 am
Fab shots! And the food sounds sensational. I can’t believe you got to sit at the same table as Kylie Kwong too. That’s a great shot of her as well.
It all looks so good…
Posted by: augustusgloop | 29 August 2005 @ 12:43 pm
Oh looks like i missed out on booking and attending the dinner! The pictures great. I do like Jimmy’s food and thanks for the info on where he is now. I was wondering that for a while since Salt was closed.
Posted by: Skrat | 29 August 2005 @ 1:20 pm
wahh! great pictures, (as always)!
Posted by: gwenda | 29 August 2005 @ 1:41 pm
What an inpsiring few days. Absolutely gorgeous, and looks delicious. Thanks for letting us in on it!
Posted by: tara | 29 August 2005 @ 9:48 pm
Thanks for sharing the experience and the great pics! I like Kylie’s style of cooking, if only I can cook like her…
Posted by: 2-minute Noodle Cook | 30 August 2005 @ 1:58 pm
man, oh man, that’s just not fair dude….
Posted by: Monkey Gland | 31 August 2005 @ 8:56 pm
I am completely envious.. Kylie Kwong just seems so friendly and lovable, and your picture seems to have captured that too. The food looks and sounds wonderful, glad you had a great time!
Posted by: Michèle | 1 September 2005 @ 1:03 am
I would have loved to be there. But your photos and writing made me feel as though I was.
p.s. I just recommended you on my site for BlogDay2005. I love coming to see your latest adventures!
Posted by: Shauna | 1 September 2005 @ 3:05 am
Everything looks amazing, lucky you
Posted by: keiko | 1 September 2005 @ 12:41 pm
Your posts are very bad for my diet! LOL! Those pictures are very well-taken.
Posted by: Karen | 2 September 2005 @ 5:14 am
Wow!!! The menus from both Kylie & Jimmy both sound (and must taste) fantastic! The photographs are the icing on the cake - really, really wonderful!
I just got back from Singapore but my food experiences were not as awesome as yours but it was good nevertheless!
Keep up those delicious lip-smacking photos!!
Posted by: mvo168 | 6 September 2005 @ 12:15 am
wow! what a treat! i am a HUGE Apple fan!!! lucky you! nothing cool like this ever happened to me when i lived in singapore!
Posted by: cucina testa rossa | 13 September 2005 @ 9:51 pm
kylie - I watched your Shanghai special and loved the presentation and the recipies. But I was distracted by your glasses - you pushed them back on 16 times in 25 mins. Please either have the glasses removed or the ask the editor to be a bit more clever. I had laser surgery 10yrs ago, have no regrets and recommend it.
Posted by: Stan | 28 January 2006 @ 11:12 pm