Narisawa has secured the top spot at the inaugural Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in Singapore, and has been named The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Asia. The restaurant has also been named The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Japan. Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna and organised by William Reed Business Media, today announced the winners of the first ever list at a glittering awards ceremony at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. China, Singapore and Japan dominated the list with 16, 10 and 9 restaurants listed respectively. Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa’s unfettered imagination and sense of drama caught the attention of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants voting academy, earning his restaurant this prestigious award. Narisawa champions the theme of sustainability and gastronomy, taking environmental concern into consideration when creating his dishes in harmony with nature and the environment. Commenting on the success of the inaugural awards, William Drew of... Continue reading

A confessed sweet tooth, I simply couldn’t ignore a book titled Decadence, a glorious collection of 90 lush, and truly, decadent desserts by chef Philip Johnson of acclaimed Brisbane bistro e'cco. In 1997, he won the Remy Martin Cognac/Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year award. This is confection in all its dreamy, creamy, chilled, chocolatey, hot, luscious glory; the striking colour photos in this are in itself enough satisfy your inner chocoholic. Some of the recipes include show-stoppers like French toast with cherries and mascarpone, burnt caramel ice-cream with pistachio baklava wafers and the mango tart with macadamia nut pastry. And just for the record my attempt at the Espresso & Cognac mousse with shortbread looked as good as it did within the pages, and friends seemed tongue-tied after sampling it. Continue reading

World-renowned chef, food authority and media personality Neil Perry considers balance and harmony as the cornerstones of good Asian cooking, which is why his beautifully produced, silk-covered tribute to Asian food is labelled so. And while it is expansively titled Balance & Harmony: Asian Food, he confesses that much of it is inspired by Chinese cookery, though the flavours of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and Korea also find their way in. In his foreword, explaining his passion for the cuisines of this region, Perry says, “One of the things I love most about Asian food is that it is made for the shared table, and that is how I love to eat. A bowl of rice, a few dishes, some friends and family and a nice glass of wine or two and I can’t think of a better way to spend an evening.” The book organised in the style of... Continue reading

Three-star Michelin chef Annie Feolde of Restaurante Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence and Grand Chef of Relais & Chateaux in Italy talks about the masterpieces she plates. It’s pretty ironic that the only three-star female Michelin chef from Italy is French. But Annie Feolde hasn’t added any Gallic airs to reach for these stars. Instead she has retained the essence of Tuscany, plating, as she puts it, “light and nice-looking dishes, with roots in Tuscan cuisine” at Enoteca Pinchiorri, her restaurant in Florence named after her husband. The three Michelin stars, she believes, are a result of the top quality she has ensured in all aspects of her cooking. I met her a couple of years ago, when she was invited to Le Normandie at The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok to offer foodies here a chance to experience her simple yet elegantly plated dishes. The focus at that time was on taste... Continue reading

If you are ever in Thailand, The Orient Syrah from the family-run Granmonte Vineyard and Winery is a great choice enjoy on its own or with a meal. Winemaker Nikki Lohitnavy says the syrah for this wine is picked from three oldest blocks of lower yielding vines in the vineyard. The grapes are hand harvested on cool February mornings before being hand sorted. The wine is then aged in new French and American oak barrels for 12 months. Full-bodied and concentrated, it displays layers of berries, blueberries and hints of vanilla and spice. Velvety tannins offer a complex, dry and generous mouthfeel that is rich in dark cherries, sweet plums and black currant. I like the spicy incense nose with finish that conjures up taste memories of Asian spice markets. Continue reading

It's a legend that has enthralled gourmets and gourmands ever since its genesis in the 1990s. Deconstructed it is a warm, poached oyster served on a bed of warm sabayon of pearl tapioca topped with a scoop of caviar. A mere spoonful whose mysteries unfold on the palate. To taste it was to savour each component separately and together: the silky custard suspended with pearls giving it texture, the delightfully poached fine de Claire oyster and the white sturgeon caviar lording it over: firm, nutty, and delightful like a breath of ocean air with a tantalising saltiness. But its creator top American toque Thomas Keller has never tasted it. "I was walking down the aisles of a grocery store and there’s a box of purple tapioca with the word 'pearl' on it. And I think pearls come from oysters, so why don’t I put it together and add cavaiar to... Continue reading

NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong takes the traditional Donburi, a Japanese rice bowl dish, to new and innovative heights with its selection of Donburi Lunches, available daily through the end of September. Many of the Donburi dishes showcase NOBU's innovative new-style Japanese cuisine and incorporate South American influences. Of the five cold Donburi dishes, signature NOBU creations include the NOBU Style Sashimi Jalapeno Donburi and the Sashimi Donburi with Chilled Spicy Ochazuke. Signature Hot Domburi dishes include Wagyu Tataki Jalapeno Donburi, and the Duck Breast and Moro Miso Egglpant Donburi. For a European influenced creation, the "Loco Moco" Foie Gras and Wagyu Donburi is a delicious option. The Iwashi Donburi is a seasonal donburi. Meanwhile the Smoked Chicken Donburi featured house smoked chicken. All Donburi lunches are served with Salad, Miso Soup and Oshinko, with prices ranging from HK$200 - HK$628. (There are also two traditional Donburi Lunches - the Oyako... Continue reading

Last Christmas, this was the main course in the six-course dinner I made for friends. I served it with a side of lemon pasta and creamy mashed potato. It was also my first attempt at plating food, so it didn't turn out like I wanted it to, but it was easy to make and the friends loved it. I have reproduced the recipe below for those that want to try it. I didn't have sweet vermouth/Malvasia to add, so I subsitituted it with a sweetish wine I had at home. Enjoy! Step 1 Preheat the grill or broiler Step 2 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 30 cloves garlic (peeled) 2 cups dry white wine 1 cup sweet wine (such as Malvasia) or sweet vermouth 4 springs of mint (leaves only) In an 8-inch to 10-inch pan, heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves... Continue reading

With Spain’s growing reputation as the new centre of innovative cuisine in Europe, author and chef Jane Lawson’s latest delicacy, Cocina Nueva: The New Spanish Kitchen, is a timely tome. In it she pays homage to her experiences on a recent gastronomic tour of that country and what she describes as “incredible, artistic, technically perfect, fascinating dishes that tasted of focused raw passion.” From tapas plates to authentic, rustic meals, Lawson ingeniously transforms the classics with a modern flair but keeping the traditional colours, flavours and textures. Each chapter – divided into Tasca (tapas), Cocina (main meals) and Postres (desserts), the way the Spaniards like to eat – offers a variety of simple-to-prepare dishes backed up by fabulous photography. Enjoy spiced sidra over a variety of tapas dishes like garlic prawns with chorizo or chicken albondigas with saffron almond sauce. Or spoil friends with sherry-poached veal with potato and anchovy... Continue reading

From a restaurant in the sky to one beneath the ocean, or even one where guests eat in pitch darkness, there are no limits for the daring gourmand or restaurateurs catering to those hungry for a different taste. Under The Sea: Located at the Conrad Maldives, the Ithaa restaurant (www.conradhotels.com), which is “pearl” in the local Divehi lingo, sits five metres beneath sea level at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. The 12.5 cm thick transparent housing allows diners a sense of being surrounded by the ocean giving them an uninterrupted view of the colourful coral reef and its inhabitants. The kitchen that dishes Maldivian-Western fusion is located above water, while guests access the restaurant by a spiral staircase at the end of the jetty. The dining area only seats 12 and is booked well in advance. The restaurant is open for lunch as well as dinner, but during the... Continue reading