2-Star Restaurants Thevar (Singapore) and Écriture (Hong Kong) Join Culinary Forces for One Day Only on 26 March 2023
Described as a culinary celebration that highlights the diversity of cultures, the chefs from two-MICHELIN-Starred restaurants Thevar in Singapore and Écriture in Hong Kong will come together on Sunday, 26 March 2023, for a dining event that showcases both restaurants' cuisines.
Thevar, which earned its second MICHELIN Star in 2022, is known for its creative multi-course menu rooted in Indian traditions and crafted with European techniques. Two-MICHELIN-Starred Écriture, on the other hand, is also praised by our MICHELIN Guide inspectors for its original and occasionally theatrical cooking.
Both chefs Mano Thevar and Maxime Gilbert enthusiastically express that their vision for this collaboration stemmed form their shared belief that wonders can happen when tradition meets modernity.
Priced at S$388++ per head, the event will be open for both lunch and dinner seatings. Book your spot to the one-day-only Thevar x Écriture collaboration here. Thevar is located at 9 Keong Saik Road, 089117, Singapore.
NARISAWA to Hold a 5-Week Residency in Singapore
Drawing inspiration from the wisdom and traditional food culture of the Satoyama ancestors, the Japanese term "Ji'nen", which refers to the spirit of nature, encompasses the idea of preserving the Satoyama culture in harmony with the natural world. NARISAWA, through the use of this philosophy, aims to create a cuisine that not only nourishes the body, but also the spirit, promoting both personal well-being and a sustainable environment. This is what its chef, Yoshihori Narisawa, refers to as beneficial and sustainable gastronomy. NARISAWA is currently recognised with two MICHELIN Stars and a MICHELIN Green Star, which is given to restaurants that are committed to sustainability, as exemplified through their cuisines.
With NARISAWA's culinary philosophy embodied in dishes such "Bread of the Forest 2010", with natural yeast working its magic before one's eyes; and "Satoyama Scenery and Essence of the Forest", which showcases the essential landscape of Japan, NARISAWA, according to our MICHELIN Guide inspectors, is fomenting a revolution in the culinary world.
This season, the Lion City is in for a treat as NARISAWA will be taking residency at The Mandala Club from 24 March through 30 April 2023. During this period, Narisawa himself will be on-site with his team as NARISAWA in Tokyo, Japan, will be undergoing renovation.
“I am honoured to be bringing my unique style to Singapore,” says Narisawa. “This residency is a fantastic opportunity for me to share my passion for sustainable and delicious cuisine with the people of Singapore. It’s my goal to connect diners to nature, as I believe that sustainable sourcing of ingredients is a chef’s most sacred responsibility.”
With a focus on local and seasonal ingredients, Narisawa says that his dishes are a celebration of the best that nature has to offer. Guests can expect to indulge in his Innovative Satoyama Cuisine, which is a combination of indigenous Japanese ingredients and hyper-seasonality, an art that the chef mastered over a decade ago.
Book a spot at the NARISAWA residency here. The Mandala Club is located at 31 Bukit Pasoh Road, 089845, Singapore.
Yusuke Takada of Two-MICHELIN-Starred La Cime in Osaka Opens First Overseas Concept in Singapore
Opening its doors on 12 March 2023, Hanazen is the first overseas concept by chef Yusuke Takada of two-MICHELIN-Starred La Cime in Osaka. Having dedicated his life to the pursuit of French cuisine à la Japonaise, at La Cime, Takada focuses on Japanese ingredients, sourcing items like pork and citrus fruits from his birthplace of Amamioshima Island, weaving in elements of traditional cuisine that he has brought to refinement.
Located at the CHIJMES dining and entertainment enclave, Takada's first overseas concept, Hanazen, aims to showcase Japanese techniques married with French flair, using local ingredients that pay homage to Singapore. The restaurant comprises a dual concept of a Japanese charcoal-grilled omakase meets French brasserie.
During Hanazen's first phase, the restaurant will feature a single omakase menu that pays homage to La Cime. One of the menu highlights is the Singa Dog, which is a localised version of La Cime's signature dish of Boudin Dog (Blood Sausage). Adapted for the Lion City's diners, the Singa Dog comprises different chicken parts in a fried battered ball, using edible bamboo charcoal to give the ball its black colour, and filled with chicken floss.
According to Takada, his attraction to Singapore stemmed from the country's prevalence of global flavours and eclectic dining scene. This enabled Takada to experiment with a bold interplay of various cultures and flavours as he reimagined his charcoal-grilled dishes in an omakase format.
Hanazen opens to the public at CHIJMES on 12 March 2023, with reservations already available via +65 9820 2963. La Cime is located at 3-2-15 Kawaramachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 541-0048, Japan.
Nae:um Features Barbecue in Its Latest Episodic Menu
With barbecue being an integral part of Korean cuisine, Nae:um's Louis Han, also the winner of the MICHELIN Guide's Young Chef Award in 2022, stages a front yard barbecue-themed meal at his one-MICHELIN-Starred restaurant.
Built on the fondest memories from his barbecue gatherings back home, guests can expect three cold dishes and three hot dishes, with placements in between to counter the barbecued food's richness. The Signature menu includes the Han's comeback creations such as the "duckgalbi" snack, "somyeon" noodle dish, and "kkul hotteok" dessert.
Highlights of the new menu include "dongchimi", a cold water kimchi soup often served side by side with rich dishes. Han's interpretation of his grandmother’s cold soup sees confit Obsiblue prawns, sea urchin, cured eggplant, and fermented kimchi in a pool of brine from house-fermented "mul" water kimchi.
"So bbq" — or literally "beef barbecue" — features a MS7 Wagyu Tenderloin marinated simply in a galbi sauce, then grilled over binchotan. Traditional barbecue accompaniments complement the beef, and a bouquet of herbs is presented at the side, arranged with various condiments wrapped in "sangchu" Korean lettuce.
Lastly, rice, the staple pairing for grilled meats, finds itself in "doeji-galbi bap", or pork rib rice. Nae:um's version makes use of Duroc pork that has been braised overnight in the oven and sits atop three different grains — barley,
short white rice, and brown rice.
Experience Nae:um's newest episodic menu, available until the end of Summer 2023, by booking your seats here. Nae:um is located at 161 Telok Ayer Street, 068615, Singapore.
Juan Amador Visits Singapore to Welcome a New Dining Experience at Alma
Following its closure for renovation, one-MICHELIN-Starred Alma welcomes guests back on 24 March 2023. Chef Juan Amador, the the chef-owner of Alma in Singapore and three-MICHELIN-starred Amador in Vienna, Austria, will be in Singapore this March to unveil the new chapter of his Singapore post. The restaurant celebrates new interiors and welcomes a new culinary team to helm the Alma kitchen.
“I am excited to make a visit to Singapore again and meet the people who have made Alma the success that it is today. Thank you for the support over the years; we wouldn’t be here today without you. I also can’t express enough excitement at some of the new changes coming to the restaurant, where a new menu created by a new culinary team and new interiors await. Look forward to great things to come from Alma,” says Amador.
According to the restaurant, the new menu will include chef Amador’s signature dishes, with an innovative take on Asian ingredients. Guests can also expect dishes such as Beurre Blanc Ice Cream and Parfum de Siam. Incorporating Asian spices and ingredients coupled with Western cooking techniques, the new menu will continue to marry European cuisine with Asian flavours.
Alma is currently temporarily closed from 20 February to 23 March 2023 to undergo renovations in preparation of its new offerings and will reopen to the public on 24 March 2023. Make a booking here. Alma is located at Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Road, 228221, Singapore.
Summer Pavilion and Yong Fu Celebrate a Culinary Crossover this March
For two days only, from 29 March to 30 March 2023, lunch and dinner, one-MICHELIN-Starred restaurants Summer Pavilion in Singapore and Yong Fu in Hong Kong celebrate a culinary crossover of Cantonese and Ningbo cuisines.
Ningbo is known for its unique cooking style that involves different frying skills, along with simmering and steaming, ensuring that special care is applied to the cooking process as to preserve and enhance the foods' freshness and tenderness.
Both restaurants are lauded by our MICHELIN Guide inspectors for the mastery for their respective cuisines. Summer Pavilion's extensive Cantonese menu covers all classics, as well as seasonal dishes, with seafood being a particular highlight, while Yong Fu's fish-centred dishes are painstakingly prepared, using local produce and fish to create authentic Ningbo flavours.
Through this novel partnership, chefs Cheung Siu Kong and chef Liu Zhen aim to showcase the exceptional melding of contemporary Cantonese and Ningbo flavours through a multi-course gastronomic set menu.
The Summer Pavilion x Yong Fu collaboration will be from 29 March to 30 March 2023 at Summer Pavilion. Reservations can be made via Summer Pavilion at 6434 5286 or email rc.sinrz.summerpavilion@ritzcarlton.com. Summer Pavilion is located at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia, Level 3, 7 Raffles Avenue, 039799, Singapore.
