Story and photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM
All rights reserved
Food photos are of real food with no photoshop
Friday 12 September, 2014
The implacable and intrepid Travelling GourmetTM visits a casino but not to gamble in…
MARINA BAY SANDS where the 2nd Epicurean market was in full swing!
My good friend, pretty Nicole Eisen, the Food & Beverage Manager of MBS, brought me to say hello to the latest Celebrity Chef to come to MBS. He is Chef David Myers. Affable David was born in Boston but is better known for his restaurant in Los Angeles called Comme Ca. David confided, “I worked my way up through the kitchen the old fashioned way…I didn’t go to CIA.” I loved my time at CIA (Culinary Institute of America). There is another CIA…but that is another story. I tried David’s Prawn, Passion Fruit and Salted Plum Creme Fraiche…it was slightly sweet, slight sour…and very good! Puffed Rice added a crunchy texture. I liked the fact that the crunchy big prawn was nude with no shell at its tail.
So too was a most unusual Thai-inspired dish -Green Papaya & Coconut Shooter. I bit into the frozen Papaya cube to release lovely fruit and vegetal flavours. There were cute chewy black balls like in bubble tea swimming in the white coconut sauce too! Chef David Myers’ new restaurant “Fuse” is due to open in MBS in the first quarter of 2015 (probably March 2015). It shall be on level 1 near the Reception. REMEMBER you heard it FIRST from The Travelling GourmetTM ***
Food is Life! Good food makes people smile!
From left to right, The Travelling GourmetTM, Chef David Myers and Nicole Eisen
I relished a large platter of Charcuterie including tasty terrines, duck rillete, Proscuitto di Parma, Foie Gras, gherkins, green frisee and more, and also a very BIG New York Hotdog from my friends, bouncy Chef Jonathan Kinsella, Chef Benjamin Siwek and cheerful GM of Bistro Moderne Daniel Boulud, Chris Williams. YUMMIE! With that I had a bubbly glass of Cattier Rose champagne! Life is too short to drink bad wine! Chef Benjamin’s Brioche Nanterre is soooo good! Especially with fragrant LavenderHoney from Provence and dipped into steaming hot Nespresso Cubania coffee!
Chef Benjamin Siwek’s Brioche Nanterre is to live for…with Lavender Honey from Provence and dipped into hot Nespresso coffee…then popping it into your mouth!
At the Nespresso stand, my friend, Mark Ho the Nespresso Trainer made Nespresso spiked with Raspberry and Strawberry syrup, and Crème Bruleee Nespresso flamed with a blowtorch for me. Mark, who used to be the Asst. F & B Manager at Raffles told me, “Your article on Raffles is excellent! Well done! The same thing happened to me! I brought a guest and was refused entry…I told my wife to read your article and she said only The Travelling Gourmet could write this!” Mark’s kind comments really made my day as Clint “Dirty Harry” Eastwood would say.
The Epicurean Market is open from 12.9.14 until 14.9.14. so I shall be going there again to discover more gastronomic treats! The buzz and the large crowd this year is even better than last year and I felt the energy when I entered the Celebrity Chef’s Arena. My friend, Chef David Thompson from Australia is also opening his new restaurant in MBS. It is slated open in November 2014. It is to be called Long Chim which means in the Thai language – “Come and taste”. Long Chim will occupy the space previously held by Guy Savoy. I hope to catch up with David when I visit again.
Saturday 13 September, 2014
At the Punjab Grill, I tasted very yummie North Indian cuisine like creamy Butter Chicken served in two triangular crispy pastries. Slightly spicy and extremely fragrant!
The Biriyani Rice was nice too with boneless chunks of chicken hidden inside the rice. Basmati rice is the most healthy rice with a low Glycaemic Index, unlike Jasmine rice.
At Cut, I tried the Beef Fillet sandwiched between crusty bread. My friend, Chef Joshua Brown told me with a chuckle, “You’ve got the last one!”
Cut’s Beef Fillet
Super-spicy Long Chim’s Thai food!
Today I tried Long Chim’s Thai offerings. Very good but extremely chilli-spicy! Just like in Thailand. I think the high rollers from China (PRC) that love to gamble in MBS will not be able to appreciate his spicy dishes unless they are from the Sichuan province. The appetising saffron coloured Chicken with Vermicelli had lots of fresh Mint leaves and Thai Holy Basil leaves. I like spicy but my mouth was burning for over half and hour! It only got better after a glass of Chateau Musar from the Lebanon at the Pinnacle Wines and Spirits stand. My good friend, the boss, Tan Kim Hai welcomed me warmly and also congratulated me on my Raffles article! “It’s time someone had the guts to tell it as it is! Right on!”, he exclaimed shaking my hand. Chateau Musar to the initiated is the famous wine from the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. It was made all throught the Civil War except for two vintages. The Winemaker, my friend, Gaston Hochar, told me last year that he braved high velocity bullets and even Mortar fire to carry on with his wine making!
Tan Kim Hai of Pinnacle Wine and Spirits
I also had the pleasure of trying a Vodka made from…MILK! Yes, I could not believe it at first but it is the FIRST Vodka made from milk. Black Cow Vodka is made from the milk of grass-fed cows by West Dorset Dairy Farmer Jason Barber. The milk is separated into Curds and Whey. The curd is made into Barber’s 1833 Cheddar Cheese. The whey is fermented to make a beer using special yeast, and then distilled, blended, triple filtered and bottled. It wasn’t bad actually, although not a powerful as those made from grain and potatoes!
Fresh Trust Vegetables and Fruits was another very happy stopover. Really delectable Bowen Mangoes from Queensland and Cantaloupe with sweet juicy orange flesh plus Strawberries bursting with fresh tangy flavours! Oh! La! La! C’est fantastique! The amiable and unassuming CEO, Glenn Turner, explained candidly, “I’m a farmer. So was my father. I’ve been a farmer since I was 16. Our produce is farm fresh and better than export quality. With export quality you’re concerned about shelf life and so some flavour is sacrificed..” I’ll drink and eat to that! Currently, they supply products to restaurants in MBS including the Celebrity Chef restaurants. Their website is:
Glenn of Fresh Trust and The Travelling GourmetTM
Irresistable succulent Mango and Cantaloupe!
The Cantaloupe is excellent with Proscuitto di Parma!
Food is Life, Food is Love! Good food is one of the greatest pleasures in our lives!
Guten Appetit! 🙂
The Travelling Gourmet 