elBulli Foundation x Catalunya

It was one of the most spectacular nights under the starry skies of Singapore. Culinary legend Ferran Adria and Chris Au, owner of Catalunya, hosted an amazing dinner to announce the launch of elBulli foundation. The venue could not be more befitting because Catalunya is now "home" to several staff that were part of Ferran's original team at elBulli.

A real honour to meet the legendary Ferran Adria, the man who is regarded as one of the best chefs in the world. Not only is he humble and nice, he is also a visionary. I was completely blown away by  the grand plans he conceptualised for the elBulli foundation.

elBulli foundation is a private foundation backed by Ferran Adria and Juli Soler, and will see the creation of two principal arms.

elBulli, the restaurant itself will be transformed into a permanent exhibition space where visitors can discover its legacy and culinary evolution. It is expected to open to the public in early 2015.

Visitors will be able to take a chronological tour to learn about the history of elBulli.

Visit the legendary kitchen where the creative team once worked their magic during dinner service.

There will be an audiovisual room where visitors can watch short films about elBulli.

The pop-up restaurant will be a gastronomy draw for many. It was a pity that I did not managed to dine at the legendary elBulli restaurant before Chef Ferran closed it on 30th July 2011, but I might be able to savour his creations when elBulli reopens as an exhibition space.

 There will be an elBulli store where visitors can take home souvenirs.

Ever year, elBulli will recruit 30 chefs from around the world to be part of its creative team project.  Working with the main elBulli team, the project will focus on research and innovation. Using cooking as a language, the project will also involve a multi-discipline interaction platform involving design, science and architecture.

The results from the creative team project will be published daily online and will be made accessible to the public. elBulli will also host a dining experience once a month as part of its fund raising effort for the foundation.

The second arm of the elBulli foundation is Bullipedia, a creative archive that serves as an encyclopedia of history of cooking. Its main aim is to give creative stimulus to chefs and to inspire individuals all around the world. 

Chef Ferran's vision is to create a curated search engine for culinary education and inspiration. Using technology to create something for everyone to learn with precision and accumulate knowledge in culinary pursuits, be it professionally or as as a hobby.

Spain will definitely be on my travel plans come 2015. Mark your calendar too!

For more information, please visit www.elbullifoundation.org

ABSOLUT ELYX Craft of Perfection Exhibition

If you are in Singapore this long Easter weekend, why not check out the ABSOLUT ELYX Craft of Perfection exhibition that is housed at a conservation shophouse on 47 Tessensohn Road. This unique exhibition is open to the public from 29th March to 5th April 2013, 11am to 8pm daily. 

Free admission to all, but the first 150 visitors daily (aged 18 years old and above) will also get to enjoy a complimentary ABSOLUT ELYX Tropics cocktail created specially to celebrate this exhibition. This is also the first time that ABSOLUT ELYX has a pop-up bar in Singapore.

ABSOLUT ELYX Tropics

ABSOLUT ELYX is a ultra premium vodka of real substance that honours the roots of Swedish spirit‐making tradition. Manually distilled in a copper column still from 1929, and made from a single harvest of Swedish winter wheat, ABSOLUT ELYX is the result of century‐old expertise, passed down through generations of Swedish vodka makers.

In line with its philosophy, ABSOLUT ELYX will be celebrating and honouring the art of traditional craftsmanship in Singapore. The exhibition aims to capture and revitalise the importance and significance of craftsmanship, exemplified in certain artisanal trade and professions in Singapore that may have fallen through the cracks of time.

ABSOLUT ELYX Craft of Perfection exhibition aims to bring to life low‐profile craftsmen, sharing with the public how these craftsmen learnt and honed their craft over the decades, and their experience and character that define their craftsmanship.

 

The debut features traditional keysmith, Mr Chow Ho Weng, who runs a little key‐making store called Handy Service in the heart of Chinatown. Mr Chow, aged 66, has been working with locks and keys for almost 50 years. He first learned his craft from his father in the early 1960s, when he was still a teenager. It may be easy to overlook Mr Chow as an ordinary keysmith who only makes and duplicates keys for homes and offices, a profession that one may not associate readily with the idea of craftsmanship. 

However, behind the seemingly nondescript occupation, Mr Chow was once the keysmith of choice for Chubb Vault Systems back in the heydays for Singapore and Malaysia, and Kumahira vaults of Japan, where he headed and put together a team that built vault doors for minting vaults for Bank Negara Malaysia, the central bank of Malaysia. Unbeknown to many, Mr Chow is also a certified master locksmith and is a member of the Associated Locksmith of America (ALOA).

I was at the site inspection earlier and took some photos and this is truly an exclusive sneak preview of what to expect at the exhibition. Not only will you learn the history of keys and locks, you will also get to see some really cool artefacts and antiques related to key making. 

 

For more information and to stand a chance to win an invitation to the ABSOLUT Secret Party happening on 5th April, please visit:

www.absolutelyx.sg
www.facebook.com/ABSOLUTSingapore

A short documentary video of Mr Chow and his craft of keysmithing is available on YouTube at the following link: http://youtu.be/MPBDzHJtT-Y

I love My Kanken!

It was love at first sight when I saw it in the pages of Grazia UK. Having collected most of the 'IT' bags, it has been a while since I have lusted after a bag. In fact, it came as a shocker to me that my latest desire is a utility backpack that has been around for half a century and costs slightly over S$100!

The first time I laid my eyes on Fjällräven Kanken bags was in the pages of GRAZIA.

There is a size and colour to suit everyone.

I had my eyes set on the Forest Green and Graphite. Can't wait to receive my order soon!

Fjällräven is a Swedish company that specialises in outdoor gear and the name means arctic fox. It was founded in 1960 by Åke Nordin.

 

I also love Fjällräven's I Love My Kanken Facebook page where it encourages its fans to post pics of them using their favourite bags. Here are some snap shots that caught my eye...

I am sure I will be sending pics of me and my Kankens to the official Facebook page when I received my order. If you are keen to get your hands on a Kanken, you can do so here on their online store: www.ilovemykanken.com

Chopsuey Cafe

There is a new place in town for dim sum, and it is not in a typical Chinese restaurant. Tucked away in a corner of Dempsey Village is Chopsuey Cafe, the new concept restaurant by the P.S.Cafe group. I checked it out last week before it closed for the Lunar New Year hols, which happened to be the first day they opened for brunch service.

Chopsuey Cafe presents a collage of fond food memories inspired by the many good times abroad spent in Chinese restaurants or takeaways satiating the food cravings of a hungry student or traveler.

The decor is highly Colonial-inspired, befitting the building's heritage as a army barracks.

For those who love outdoor dining, there's also the choice of al fresco area.

Here's a look at what we had at brunch. The dim sum is delish...

 Sweet Corn, Fresh Crab & Egg Drop

This is one of the best version I have ever tasted. Fresh handpicked crab meat with cut corn from a cob. I highly recommend this soup.

Sticky Crunch Baby Squid

It has a slight Thai cuisine influence to this dish. If you like squid, you must try this.

Pumpkin and Cod Dumpling

How clever for the chef to shape the dumplings like little pumpkins. Not my fav but they are sure pretty.

Flaky Char Siew Puff

They don't look like the traditional Char Siew pastries that you see in Chinese restaurants. These taste really good as they are truly flaky and not doughy.

Steamed Char Siew Bun

 These hot buns will give the Chinese restaurants a run for their money. Really delish.

Steamed Prawn Dumpling

 Smoked Duck & Lychee Salad

Not my fav but hubs loved it. I would say give it a miss and stick to dim sum.

Great ambiance, good service and delicious food. I will definitely be back for more. A great place to introduce Chinese & Asian cuisine to your visiting friends, as well as a quaint place for locals to have dim sum in a different setting.

They don't take reservations for brunch, but they do for dinner and is highly recommended. For more information, please visit chopsueycafe.com.

Ocean Restaurant By Cat Cora

It has been a while since I have been in awe of a restaurant's decor. When hubs suggested going to the new Ocean Restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), I was a little reluctant at first. Jaded me thought the idea was not novel, having been to Dubai's Burj Al Arab aquarium-themed restaurant named Al Mahara almost a decade ago. Ocean Restaurant turned out to be the most amazing "underwater" experience for a non-diver like me.

Located near Hotel Equarius of RWS, Ocean Restaurant is helmed by female Iron Chef Cat Cora and this 63-seat restaurant has an amazing view of the Open Ocean Gallery of S.E.A Aquarium. The menu offers many of Cat's signature dishes from her six restaurants in the United Sates, as well as some dishes that she created specially for this restaurant. Animal rights conscious foodie will be happy to know that the restaurant serves sustainably sourced seafood.

As the restaurant opened just two weeks ago, there are some teething problems that they have to sort out. Some examples of less than immaculate service are the waiter spilled sparkling water all over my leather bag and they didn't refill our wine glasses and hubs had to walk over to grab the bottle to top up his tipple. Don't get me wrong, the service staff are polite but it it just that their experience is not befitting of a restaurant that positions itself on the international level.

However, the view will make up for all the imperfections. I was in awe and was in fact distracted from my meal by the amazing marine life. The photos below were the view from my dining table. It beats any fancy decor or expensive artwork. 

Not forgetting the photos of our dinner...

 Ceviche

 Sakura Shrimp Risotto

 Seared Scallops with Soba

Lobster Mac & Cheese

Chocolate & Almond Tart

Definitely check out this restaurant if you can. The dining experience is really awesome with the captivating grace of the marine life. For more information, please www.rwsentosa.com