Williams-Sonoma is an enchanting cooking and homewares store, an oasis that induces the buyer with a bit of nostalgia for true Americana. It is filled with beautiful displays of Le Creuset pans to think about making pot roast with for dinner, or baking dishes that call out “take me home and fill me with apple pie”.
When I received word that Bochinche was going through a bit of a rebrand with a more accessible menu and a small gourmet market, I was excited. Argentine food isn’t easily found in Singapore but knowing how palatable and full of flavour the cuisine can be, I thought it was high time that we got a little more serious about our Argentine food education. And who better to give us the low down than Bochinche’s Chef Patron, Diego Jacquet.
In January last year, I visited the first Epicurean Market, organised and hosted by the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort in Singapore. I had a blast, partly because many of the guest chefs were friends and they made sure that my wife and I were well-fed and extremely well-hosted.
It’s no secret that my wife and I are big fans of Chef Willin Low and the Modern Singaporean food he’s been pioneering for the past 9 years through his restaurant Wild Rocket. Fans of Willin’s, including us, were rather distraught last year when he announced he was closing down this flagship eatery in search of a new location. After a few months of looking around, however, he decided that his original location on Mount Emily Hill was better than anything he’d seen. And so, instead of moving, he renovated the old space, re-opening with a brand new look last week, and with the very notable addition of a dining bar, at which Willin has begun to serve a new 8 course degustation menu.
Quinoa has made its way across the globe. As a Peruvian, I’ve seen it go from basic seed to feed chickens to the gluten-free superpower phenomenon of the Gods. Last year was even the International Year of Quinoa. I, however, have only just tasted my first sip of ingenious: quinoa vodka.
I have to admit, it took me a while to appreciate uni. I blame that on the fact that most of my early experiences with sea urchin were with product that today I wouldn’t touch, i.e. stinky and pissy. I remember eating a particularly disgusting uni sushi asking myself, “why would anyone prize this? It’s disgusting.” Of course, these days, I know better.
Last year, while visiting the Christmas edition of Public Garden’s flea market, my wife and I met Joey Gan, founder of GSH Conserves, a local producer of some insanely good sauces. Because we always like to support local artisans, we purchased several jars of Joey’s products and promised, when we had the time, to interview him for this site.
Ever since my last trip to Bali, where I spent four idyllic days on the beach at Nusa Dua, I have been constantly thinking about going back. But this time around, I yearned for the lush hills, ravines and lurid green paddy fields of Ubud, which I have fond memories of, from my honeymoon years ago. The therapeutic effects of being enveloped by peace and tranquility was what I desperately needed to dissolve the stress of the daily hustle and bustle of the city.
Okay, so I don’t like to use this site to flog things that often, but as a self-professed shopaholic, I am happy to write about cool products and promotions that I like and that I feel readers might find useful. Earlier this year, I decided to (finally) ditch my first-gen iPad and picked up a Google Nexus 7 (which I love). Part of what prompted me to do so was a great promo deal from StarHub. I got the tablet for almost nothing when I signed up for what I believe is a very reasonable 2-year contract.
In the first of this series, I sit down with Jennifer Dembitz from PS.Gourmet over a deep plate of linguini vongole. The PS.Gourmet group owns and operates six successful outlets, and will be adding two more to their roster very soon. Jen came to Singapore in 2010 by way of New York, where she was a publicist at award-winning agency Bullfrog & Baum. We talk about her bi-continental F&B career, personal cooking style and of course, the magic formula behind PS.Cafe.