2 Star Octavium from Hong Kong Comes to Singapore in Collaboration with Basque Kitchen by Aitor
Italian restaurant Octavium is described by our MICHELIN Guide inspectors to sport a chic, minimalist dining room that is a befitting lead-in for its elegant Italian classics that are meticulously prepared to bring out the natural flavours of the quality ingredients. To experience the culinary vision of the chefs, the degustation menu, which changes every month to reflect seasonality, is highly recommended. House-made artisanal pasta, such as tagliolini with black truffle and parmesan, is simply unmissable.
But one needn't leave Singapore to sample Octavium's praised Italian fare because on 28 February 2023 (dinner-time) and from 01 to 04 March 2023 (lunch- and dinner-time), Octavium's Bjœrn Alexander and Aitor Jeronimo Orive of MICHELIN-Starred Basque Kitchen by Aitor join hands as they prepare a dining experience that showcases the heritage and provenance of both restaurants' culinary cultures.
Priced at S$248++ per person, the lunch menu features dishes such as spaghettini with squid, garlic, and bottarga; and dry aged pigeon with savoy cabbage, guanciale, and Amalfi lemon. Dinner, priced at S$348++ per person, presents a wider set of dishes including artichokes with almonds and black winter truffles; as well as black lip abalone with comté cheese, zucchini flowers, and zucchini fritta.
Basque Kitchen by Aitor is located at The Fullerton Waterboat House, 3 Fullerton Road, 049215, Singapore. The collaboration with Octavium is available on 28 February and 01-04 March 2023. Interested guests may book online via Basque Kitchen by Aitor's website, or email the restaurant at info@basquekitchenbyaitor.com.
Hamamoto Features Deep-Sea "Fatty" Fish in New Menu
Known for his obsession for procuring the finest quality of fish from Japanese markets, Kyoto-born Kazuhiro Hamamoto pivots to a fattier selection of fish in his eponymous MICHELIN-Starred restaurant's latest menu.
It is no secret that the chef has forged strong ties with produce vendors in Tokyo. Because of these abiding relationships, Hamamoto's menus, according to our MICHELIN Guide inspectors, pack memorable dishes — from the nigiri, whether nodoguro or chutoro, to the signature dishes such as the spiny lobster with uni, or smoked meji-makuro.
This season's bounty showcases corpulent fish from the deepest waters. Amadai (tilefish) enriches the chef's signature shabu-shabu course that stars Matsubagani (male snow crabs) from Hokkaido, while Komochi Yarrika (spear squid pregnant with roe) takes space in the starters. This season’s gutsu-gutsu — a clay pot of steaming broth named for the sound liquid makes when it boils, akin to a volcano — features Hotaruika (firefly squid) from Toyama, along with Takenoko (bamboo shoots), and Kinome, a minty herb from Kyoto.
At lunch, guests may enjoy the Lunch Omakase (from S$280) comprising a seasonal appetiser, seasonal dish, sushi, and dessert. Dinner is a more elaborate affair where guests can choose from the Hamamoto Classic (from S$425) or the Hamamoto Experience (from S$550).
Hamamoto is located at 58 Tras Street, 078997, Singapore. Book a table here or WhatsApp at +65 9672 7110.
RELATED: First Day We Got Our Stars: Kazu Hamamoto of Hamamoto
Marguerite Launches New Menu with Highlights of Duck, Eel, and Artichoke
Michael Wilson of MICHELIN-Starred Marguerite welcomes guests with a new menu that he describes to be inspired by nature, showcasing the season's best ingredients.
According to Wilson, "It’s not enough to just be different when creating food. Deliciousness and a point of difference in our cuisine go hand in hand. With every new menu, we not only celebrate the produce, but we also try to extract the essence, the colours, and the sentiment of the European seasons onto a plate. This new menu highlights the richness, earthiness, and intensity that we love about the European Winter."
The new tasting menu at Marguerite highlights a dish called Duck, Duck, Duck Cherry — a showcase of different parts of the Mallard duck, compressed into a single bite. A duck fat financier is layered with duck liver parfait, a cherry pâte de fruits gel, cured and dry aged duck breast, and draped with a sour cherry veil.
The meal progresses to Smoked Eel from the Catalonian Ebro Delta, paired with an oyster mousse pearl, sea succulents, lovage oil, and a crystal-clear smoked eel consommé. A delicate Roscoff Onion Custard is studded with pearl onions, wood grilled Scottish diver scallops, and crosne (Chinese artichoke). It is swathed in foie gras infused chicken jus before being adorned with mushroom garum made in-house and black winter truffle.
To cap off the meal, a Jerusalem Artichoke Gelato sits on a dessert "forest floor" of cocoa and coffee soil, chocolate sponge, and hazelnut diplomat cream. The dish receives a final flourish of chocolate twigs, 20-year-aged balsamic vinegar, coffee oil, and a crown of pumpkin maple leaf crisps.
Marguerite is located at the Flower Dome, #01-09, Gardens by The Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, 018953, Singapore. Book a table here.
RELATED: First Day We Got Our Stars: Michael Wilson of Marguerite
Fat Cow Welcomes New Head Chef
Described by our MICHELIN Guide inspectors as "the place to be for the finest Wagyu", MICHELIN-listed Fat Cow not only serves chargrilled beef, but also in styles such as shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, sandwiches, and rice bowls. For curious diners, it is encouraged to opt for the 12- to 20-course omakase menus to sample the cow's different cuts, cooked in various ways all at once. The house Daiginjo sake crafted by Watanabe Sahei, which is offered at Fat Cow, pairs well with the meat.
Fat Cow has also recently welcomed a new head chef to helm its kitchen. Hailing from Japan, Shingo Iijima has trained in both kappo and kaiseki styles in various restaurants and ryokans. Prior to his move to Singapore, he was an executive chef at a hotel in Penang, Malaysia.
According to Iijima, there will be a stronger emphasis on seasonality, along with the injection of more kaiseki elements in Fat Cow's menu, with wagyu, of course, remaining the core ingredient. Elements in Japanese culture — both culinary and non-culinary — would be a stronger presence as well.
Two omakase programmes will take the forefront at Fat Cow — Shin and Tetsu. The Shin omakase, which is offered at lunch, highlights dishes such as Wagyu Suji Chawanmushi (Steamed Egg Custard, Red Pepper Grilled Wagyu Tendon, and Purple Chrysanthemum Sauce), Wagyu Nyuumen (Japanese Somen and Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, served in Wagyu and Bonito Broth), and for dessert, Kanmi (Baked Sweet Potato and Vanilla Ice Cream served with Tokushima Wasanbon Molasses).
The Tetsu omakase, served during dinner, showcases courses such as Unagi Tamajimushi (Steamed Egg Custard, Charcoal Grilled Unagi, Sea Urchin, Shiso Leaf Tempura, and Mountain Caviar Sauce), Kaga Renkon Mochi Ikomi Wagyu (Lotus Root Glutinous Cake with Wagyu Beef Filling), and Wagyu to Matsutake No Agemono (Kagoshima Wagyu Beef Tenderloin, Matsutake Mushroom, Japanese Sudachi Citrus, and Sea Salt).
Fat Cow is located at Camden Medical Centre, #01-01/02, 1 Orchard Boulevard, 248649, Singapore. Book a table here.
