If you think you may have nothing in common with chefs and F&B luminaries, think again. Head over to Singapore's finest gourmet purveyor, Culina, and you'll likely be rubbing shoulders with industry professionals as they hunt for the best ingredients for their restaurants. Taste may be subjective, but there's no room to compromise on quality when you're cooking to impress.
Read on to discover why these 7 brands are the best in their class, and your meals will never be the same again.
Alain Milliat
If you expect only the best fruit expression from your wines, then why not your juices? Sommeliers throughout France were impressed by the first products from Allain Milliat over 10 years ago, when he first began making high quality, traditional home style fruit juices, nectars, jams and purees. Born to a farming family in Lyon, Milliat's knowledge of fruit has led him to create unique juices with taste and texture that vary according to the natural seasons. Look for the cloudy, sweet Cox's Orange Apple, refreshingly clear and tart Pippin Apple and pulpy Apricot Nectar the next time you visit Culina. For a special foodie present, Alain Milliat's jams are made with at least 63 per cent fruit, and is available in a special 4-bottle jam gift set.
If you expect only the best fruit expression from your wines, then why not your juices? Sommeliers throughout France were impressed by the first products from Allain Milliat over 10 years ago, when he first began making high quality, traditional home style fruit juices, nectars, jams and purees. Born to a farming family in Lyon, Milliat's knowledge of fruit has led him to create unique juices with taste and texture that vary according to the natural seasons. Look for the cloudy, sweet Cox's Orange Apple, refreshingly clear and tart Pippin Apple and pulpy Apricot Nectar the next time you visit Culina. For a special foodie present, Alain Milliat's jams are made with at least 63 per cent fruit, and is available in a special 4-bottle jam gift set.
Alléosse
Cheese lovers around the world are known to make a specific visit to the Alléosse fromagerie when in Paris. Master cheese ager Philippe Alléosse buys young cheeses from producers across France to ripen them in his remarkable 300 square metre subterranean storage cellar in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. In addition to watching the cheeses as they develop their flavour and acquire their final texture, he is known to give a gourmet flourish like a dash of fine Chablis or infusion of aromatic truffle. He's bagged a gold medal for Reblochon five years in a row, and also honoured for best Brie de Savarin with truffles in 2015. A full range across goat, hard, mould or washed rind cheese and blue-veined cheeses are available.
Cheese lovers around the world are known to make a specific visit to the Alléosse fromagerie when in Paris. Master cheese ager Philippe Alléosse buys young cheeses from producers across France to ripen them in his remarkable 300 square metre subterranean storage cellar in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. In addition to watching the cheeses as they develop their flavour and acquire their final texture, he is known to give a gourmet flourish like a dash of fine Chablis or infusion of aromatic truffle. He's bagged a gold medal for Reblochon five years in a row, and also honoured for best Brie de Savarin with truffles in 2015. A full range across goat, hard, mould or washed rind cheese and blue-veined cheeses are available.
Beillevaire
“So good, you don’t want to even put bread under it,” says pastry chef and author David Lebovitz, recalling the first time he tasted Beillevaire butter. Butter made from raw, unpasturised cream is said to have a sweeter, more complex flavour than regular butter. Beillevaire is the last producer in France to churn unpasturised cream the old fashioned way in a wooden barrel. The family-run business also produces yoghurt, cream and cheeses to be sold in shops, and to restaurants and hotels internationally. The butter is now available in Singapore, exclusively at Culina, in four flavours: lemon, seaweed, smoked paprika and espelette pepper.
“So good, you don’t want to even put bread under it,” says pastry chef and author David Lebovitz, recalling the first time he tasted Beillevaire butter. Butter made from raw, unpasturised cream is said to have a sweeter, more complex flavour than regular butter. Beillevaire is the last producer in France to churn unpasturised cream the old fashioned way in a wooden barrel. The family-run business also produces yoghurt, cream and cheeses to be sold in shops, and to restaurants and hotels internationally. The butter is now available in Singapore, exclusively at Culina, in four flavours: lemon, seaweed, smoked paprika and espelette pepper.
Castaing
A prized deliacy and part of the gastronomic heritage of France, the foie gras used by Maison Castaing in its products is sourced from small local, non-industrial farms in the Landes region. The mulard ducks and geese are given a 100 per cent natural diet, and are fattened by hand and exclusively with French Southwest whole grain corn. The farms and production facilities follow the most stringent regulations to ensure a consistent quality of the products. Beautifully packaged and easy to handle, the ready to eat duck foie gras and goose foie gras pâté block is a must for the hostess with the mostess this season.
A prized deliacy and part of the gastronomic heritage of France, the foie gras used by Maison Castaing in its products is sourced from small local, non-industrial farms in the Landes region. The mulard ducks and geese are given a 100 per cent natural diet, and are fattened by hand and exclusively with French Southwest whole grain corn. The farms and production facilities follow the most stringent regulations to ensure a consistent quality of the products. Beautifully packaged and easy to handle, the ready to eat duck foie gras and goose foie gras pâté block is a must for the hostess with the mostess this season.
Chateau D’Estoublon
From the wine estate of the same name, Château d'Estoublon extra virgin olive oil is highly regarded for its intense flavour.
This precious olive oil comes in six variants, including ‘Salanoque’, which is fresh, herbaceous, and goes well with potatoes and salads, while the powerful, peppery ‘Picholine’ is best drizzled on raw fish or beef tartare.
Grown within the grand Alpilles mountain range in France’s Provence region, the olives are hand picked and pressed within 24 hours using the estate's old stone mill to ensure that the fruits are at its absolute prime.
Cinco Jotas
As one of the oldest and most revered producers of Spain’s famed Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, Cinco Jotas (5J) has focused on keeping alive the centuries-old tradition of making artisanal jamón in Jabugo, a small town in Southwest Spain with the reputation of curing the best ham in the world. For 130 years, Cinco Jotas ham have been celebrated for its sweet nutty flavour and velvety fat, is made from 100 per cent pure bred Iberico pigs raised free-range in the woodlands on a diet of acorns (Bellota means ‘acorns’ in Spanish). The acorns lend an intensely sweet flavour to the meat, a flavour later accentuated by a painstaking 5-year aging and curing process in the estate’s hundred-year-old cellars. Cinco Jotas’ transculent slivers of ham are best savoured at room temperature, untainted by other ingredients, and paired with a glass of red wine or champagne.
As one of the oldest and most revered producers of Spain’s famed Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, Cinco Jotas (5J) has focused on keeping alive the centuries-old tradition of making artisanal jamón in Jabugo, a small town in Southwest Spain with the reputation of curing the best ham in the world. For 130 years, Cinco Jotas ham have been celebrated for its sweet nutty flavour and velvety fat, is made from 100 per cent pure bred Iberico pigs raised free-range in the woodlands on a diet of acorns (Bellota means ‘acorns’ in Spanish). The acorns lend an intensely sweet flavour to the meat, a flavour later accentuated by a painstaking 5-year aging and curing process in the estate’s hundred-year-old cellars. Cinco Jotas’ transculent slivers of ham are best savoured at room temperature, untainted by other ingredients, and paired with a glass of red wine or champagne.
Kaviari
Marketing itself as the favourite caviar of chefs and supplier to numerous Michelin-starred restaurants helmed by Alain Ducasse, Guy Martin and Jean-Francois Piège, the French-based purveryor prides itself for the exquisite flavour of its ethically sourced caviar. With 40 years experience working with sturgeon farms around the world, each step of the process from harvesting and maturation to packaging is rigorously monitored and controlled. The range including Beluga Imperial, Oscietra Prestige, Oscietra Gold, and Kristal showcases flavours from woody and fresh, to briny, buttery, and nutty. For casual tastings, Kaviari’s En-K series offers four varieties (transmontanus, baeri, oscietra, kristal) in a chic and colourful tin containing 15g of the fish roe.
Marketing itself as the favourite caviar of chefs and supplier to numerous Michelin-starred restaurants helmed by Alain Ducasse, Guy Martin and Jean-Francois Piège, the French-based purveryor prides itself for the exquisite flavour of its ethically sourced caviar. With 40 years experience working with sturgeon farms around the world, each step of the process from harvesting and maturation to packaging is rigorously monitored and controlled. The range including Beluga Imperial, Oscietra Prestige, Oscietra Gold, and Kristal showcases flavours from woody and fresh, to briny, buttery, and nutty. For casual tastings, Kaviari’s En-K series offers four varieties (transmontanus, baeri, oscietra, kristal) in a chic and colourful tin containing 15g of the fish roe.
Culina
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 10am to 9pm, Fri-Sun & PH 9am to 9pm
8 Dempsey Road, #01-13
Singapore 247696
T: +65 6474 7338
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 10am to 9pm, Fri-Sun & PH 9am to 9pm
8 Dempsey Road, #01-13
Singapore 247696
T: +65 6474 7338
This post is brought to you in partnership with Culina
