At Tangerine, natural light streams into the dining room from the floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the tranquil pond and surrounding spa villas. On the other side, one of the kitchen’s chefs is meandering through the restaurant’s herb garden, bending down every now and then to pluck sprigs of mint, coriander and basil for the day’s cooking.
Thai celebrity chef Ian Kittichai has been a consultant with Tangerine since 2015. In town visiting recently for a four-hands collaboration with chef Aisha Ibrahim, the chef had already made his inspection of the thriving potager.
“Our garden isn’t huge, but quite impressive in what we can grow – herbs and fruits such as sawtooth coriander, wild pepper leaves, blue pea flowers, turmeric, butterfly ginger, chilli, lemon, lemon balm, pandan, various mints,” he says.
“Our garden isn’t huge, but quite impressive in what we can grow – herbs and fruits such as sawtooth coriander, wild pepper leaves, blue pea flowers, turmeric, butterfly ginger, chilli, lemon, lemon balm, pandan, various mints,” he says.
Fresh off the back of filming MasterChef Thailand Season 2 and the opening of his latest venture in Bangkok—kitchen lab slash event space, Cuisine Concept—chef Ian is now turning his attention to Tangerine in Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa.
The light-filled dining room of Tangerine (Pic: Resorts World Sentosa)
“I’ve been working on new menu items at Tangerine and collaborating with the team regarding the continued expansion of our herb garden,” says the chef. “We’re really looking to highlight local and regional ingredients – even some from our own herb garden.”
Lobster flan steamed, flying fish roe, crustacean lemongrass jus (Pic: Resorts World Sentosa).
Diners got a preview of his culinary plans for Tangerine at the four-hands collaboration which showcased contemporary creations that imaginatively use familiar Southeast Asian ingredients.
A dish of tender and succulent roast chicken is dressed with what the chef calls ‘heritage spice’, a piquant mix of powdered spices and chilies; he serves a cloud of steamed lobster flan lifted with fresh notes of lemongrass; for dessert, chef Ian’s signature jasmine-scented panna cotta makes an appearance, with homemade ice cream of jasmine rice, evocative of his Thai roots.
A dish of tender and succulent roast chicken is dressed with what the chef calls ‘heritage spice’, a piquant mix of powdered spices and chilies; he serves a cloud of steamed lobster flan lifted with fresh notes of lemongrass; for dessert, chef Ian’s signature jasmine-scented panna cotta makes an appearance, with homemade ice cream of jasmine rice, evocative of his Thai roots.
Jasmine panna cotta, jasmine rice ice cream, jasmine tuile (Pic: Resorts World Sentosa).
“I am always inspired and influenced by ingredients from my home region – even when I am travelling. The flavours, smells, tastes, sights, textures are hard-wired into my DNA,” says the chef candidly. “These dishes are my interpretation of some local Southeast Asian flavors and cooking methods, but with a twist to really bring something different in the dining experience for our guests.”
Tangerine
ESPA, Resorts World Sentosa
For reservations, Tel: +65 6577 6336 / +65 6577 6688
Or email: tangerine@rwsentosa.com / dining@rwsentosa.com
