I had a small spot of free time this weekend (which is not normal) and finally got around to taking a few pictures of our new place. And since I promised to post one of our new kitchen, here it is. The kitchen is approximately 4 metres wide by 6 metres long. As you can see, it is all white with black and white hexagonal floor tiles and an island in the middle.

Some of you emailed and left comments asking what S and I consider essential in a well-equipped kitchen. Honestly, all a good kitchen really needs is counter space, pretty good storage space, a hob (gas or induction) with at least 4 zones, good exhaust, an oven, a fridge, and sufficient power points to run a variety of tools and appliances. With these, a good cook should be able to whip up any number of delicious meals.

Obviously, S and I did more than just build an adequate kitchen. We figured that after years of moving into pre-kitted out and pre-planned apartments, and basically adapting to the kitchens we were stuck with, we couldn’t resist the temptation to go all out and design the kitchen of our dreams. For us, first and foremost, that meant allocating a big enough space so that the two of us could cook side by side without getting in each other’s way. We achieved this creating dual cooking areas on the 3.3 metre island that runs through the middle of the room. The zone closer to the entrance is a 4 zone induction hob. Closer to the back wall (with floor to ceiling windows to bring in natural light) is a 2 zone gas hob, an 8 BTU gas wok burner, and the coolest domestic salamander on the market. Above the island are two almost identical exhaust units.

Almost all the major cooking equiptment in the new kitchen comes from Miele. Miele is a client of ours and also a partner on a very exciting and important project. Over the past few years, we’ve gotten to know their product range very well. We respect their build quality and accuracy tremendously and, for S especially, there really wasn’t any question of using any other brand.

Same shot with some captions

When desiging the kitchen, we wanted to go with an all-white theme, which we thought would be good for photography. To that end, we also tried to minimize reflective surfaces. All the cabinetry is matte white, as are the silestone counters. We chose silestone because it is harder, more durable, more heat resistant, and more stain resistant than other synthetic surfaces, like corian for example. As mentioned, the back wall has floor to ceiling windows, in front of which we have placed translucent white roller blinds. This give us great diffused natural light. The wall / splashback areas are matte white ceramic tiles.

The right side of the kitchen houses our 4-door fridge (S literally hugged this thing when she first saw it in the showroom). Next to that is a column of built-in appliances: (from top to bottom) a coffee machine; a small cup warmer; a 60cm combi-steam oven (works as both a steamer and a normal oven); and a 60cm combi-microwave (works as both a microwave and a normal oven). Around these is storage space. After the appliances is counter space and more storage.

The left side of the kitchen offers more counter space and is also where our two sinks are situated. When cooking, we would stand between this side of the room and the island, which makes the sinks highly accessible. Between the sinks, we have designed a small trash chute. Under the counters, we have two dish washers, one on each side of the room. At the far end of the counter is our wonderfully sexy 90cm oven. Above the counter and under the overhanging cabinets, we’ve installed a system from which we can hang a variety of racks: cookbook racks, knife racks, spice racks, etc. Under the counter (not in the photos), to the left of the first dish washer, we also have two plate warmers.

We have more storage under the island, which is ideal for storing smaller pots and pans as well as essential cooking condiments. As you can tell, we like storage. In fact, when it comes to creating kitchen storage space, I don’t think enough is ever enough. I say the more the better.

One of the greatest things we’ve done is air-condition this space. I can’t tell you how annoying it is to cook in a non-air-conditioned kitchen in the tropics. It is almost impossible to make pasta and pastry in a hot kitchen and the one we used to cook in was often sweltering. Another luxury is something we added quite late in our plans. Originally, the space behind the right wall of the kitchen was a void space. But after speaking with our architect, we were able to add a small, narrow walk-in wine cellar. To access it, you go to the end of the kitchen, and turn right. It is less than a metre wide but around 3-4 metres deep.

Some of you have also asked what extra standalone appliances every great kitchen has to have. Well, I am sure some might disagree with me, but here’s my list: KitchenAid stand mixer, toaster, blender or stick blender (I swear by Bamix), electric kitchen scale, and an electric hot water kettle. I am assuming of course that you already have a good set of knives and a few good cutting boards; simple tools like meauring spoons, tongs and whisks; adequate mixing bowls and mis en place bowls; and some really good quality pots and pans. One of my own personal favourite appliances, which is not at all a necessity but is great to have, is an ice cream maker. I especially love ours because I never actually use it — I just pester S until she makes me a batch. Another machine that I love is our meat slicer — purchased right after we came back from Spain with a bag full of pata negra. Two appliances that I don’t have but really want is a vacuum packer (that can pack semi-wet ingredients) and a Thermomix.

Well, that’s it for the tour. I hope you like it. We’re really happy with how it turned out and owe our architect, our contractor and our carpenter major snaps for pulling this off for us so well.

As I mentioned in my previous post, S and I have just moved into a new house. You can’t imagine just how happy we are with our new place. The house itself is a project that was two years in the making — starting with purchasing a small one-story intermediate terrace house; tearing it down; working with a brilliant but fussy architect to design a New York inspired redbrick townhouse in Singapore; months spent negotiating with contractors to work within the tiny budget that we had set aside for the build; and then finally, patiently waiting and watching over the actual build for the last 13 months.

As you might imagine, we allocated a pretty healthy space for our kitchen. I’ll devote a future post to photographing the kitchen and telling you guys and gals all about it but suffice it to say, it’s pretty darned impressive. S was in charge of both space planning and choosing our appliances. She did an amazing job… well, to be accurate, she put us in some serious debt, but it looks amazing. And since moving in last month, we’ve been having a ball entertaining again.

To our amusement, we’re also not the only ones itching to give our new kitchen a whirl. Recently, some friends of ours volunteered to come over and cook us dinner. And since one of them is one helluva cook, we happily turned over our tongs and let him have full run of the place.

B and his hottie gal-pal L prepapred an amazing meal. B claimed it was “something simple”, the dishes, he said, were just whipped together last minute using ingredients he just happened to have lying around. I’m not sure about you, but even I don’t have truffles, chanterelles and grade 9 Wagyu just sitting around in my larder. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what B pulled out of the trendy leather man bag that he toted into our house.

Dinner was wonderful. We started with spaghetti with fresh chanterelles and a heavy and heady dose of summer truffles. Our main course was a seared then roasted grade 9 Wagyu beef served with a tomato and basil salad. The beef was beautifully marbled and tasted sensational. We washed the food down with a Quintarelli Rosso Del Bepi followed by an Iggy’s Pinot Noir. Both wines were perfect matches for the food.

Since B made such an amazing meal, it was only right that we made dessert. We had been given some gorgeous, large and really aromatic peaches by some other friends. While we had devoured a few au naturel, we also kept some to use in desserts. To end of the meal, we made a Buttermilk Peach Coffee Cake, using a recipe from Tish Boyle’s The Cake Book. This is a fantastic recipe. It’s relatively easy and the cake is perfect both as a chic dessert, a hearty breakfast or for snacking on at any time of the day.

We’ve included the recipe for the cake below. I hope you give it a try. And if you like it, you should buy Boyle’s book. It’s chock full of delicious recipes.

Buttermilk Peach Coffee Cake
From The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

Crumb topping and filling:
1 cup (121g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (108g) firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 (57g) unblanched sliced almonds
7 tablespoons (100g) unsalted butter, salted

Buttermilk peach cake:
2 cups (242g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 (170g) unsalted butter, softened
1.25 cups (250g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk
1 heaping cup 1/4 inch thick fresh or frozen peach slices

First make the topping and filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and almonds until well blended. Add the melted butter and mix with a fork, stirring until the butter is absorbed and the dry ingredients are uniformly moistened. Set aside.

Position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Dust the pan with flour.

Then make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well-blended; set aside.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract. At low speed, beat in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating it with the buttermilk in two additions.

Scrape half the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a small offset metal spatula. Sprinkle half of the crumb topping evenly over the batter, breaking up any large lumps with your fingers. Arrange a circle of peach slices, overlapping them slightly, around the outer edge of the pan. Arrange another circle of the remaining slices in the centre. Spoon the remaining batter over the filling and smooth it into an even layer, covering the folling. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top of the cake.

Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover the cake with foil during the last 15 minutes of baking if it is getting too brown. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

Remove the side of the pan and cool the cake completely.

I’m really sorry that I haven’t been posting for several months. While I do have two rather substantial excuses (first, S and I have been moving house and we really haven’t had access to a working kitchen for a while and second, we have both been ridiculously busy with work), I know for some of you that really doesn’t cut the mustard. To the readers who emailed me expressing concern, thank you very much. I appreciate your messages. And we will both try our best to update this blog much more frequently in the future.

What better way to revive this site than with an enthusiastic recommendation to try the food of one of Singapore’s hottest (in more ways than one) new chefs. Taiwan-born Andre Chiang is not just tall, slim and (annoyingly) handsome, he is also hands-down one of the most talented and skilled chefs working in Singapore today. Chef Andre prepares what he terms, “French Nouvelle Cuisine”, which essentially means that his food is exquisitely well-conceived, small portions of artfully plated and light French fare. I do have to admit that while I am a huge supporter and fan of what Chef Andre is doing in the kitchen, his food might not appeal to everyone. If you prefer big, hearty portions and fussfree fare, you’re not going to be happy. But if you enjoy trying really interesting, modern, inventive and well-executed food, you have to try Chef Andre’s food.

Now, here’s the kicker. Chef Andre is helming Jaan, a restaurant that until a couple of weeks ago, I honestly would never have dreamt of stepping into. This tiny space, parked in the corner of the rather monstrous Equinox complex in Swissotel the Stamford, has rarely (as far as I know) been known for good food. Good views maybe. Amazingly, however, in the three months that Chef Andre has been running Jaan, it has gone from nottie to hottie and is now (in my opinion at least) one of the two or three best and most high-end European / French restaurants in Singapore.

That said, I have only dined (so far) twice at Jaan, once two weeks ago and again this week. Both times, I and my dining companions asked Chef Andre to do whatever he liked. This week, I took my darling wife S to try the restaurant (my previous visit was a working lunch with two other blokes). Chef Andre wowed us with a lovely 9 course lunch. We started our meal with a trio of amuse-bouches: gambas with pear jelly (pictured above); peach jelly in a chilled earl grey tea; and lobster cornets. The fried gambas ball was delicious and delightfully presented. Second course was a foie gras sandwich. Third was a real treat: Alaskan crab rolled in a snapper carpaccio, topped with caviar and served with a spicy gazpacho sorbet. Yum.

My favourite course of the meal was next (pictured above). It was a pan-seared Hokkaido scallop with a pumpkin-cumin puree and a puffed wild rice carbonara. This was a delicious dish with really interesting textures. S loved the next course, a thin slice of smoked duck with a coriander coulis served in a spicy kaffir lime consomme. Our sixth course was pan-fried goby filet with tapenade and celeriac puree. The main course of the meal (pictured below) was a ridiculously good grade 9 wagyu beef filet served with a cheese pancake, Ratte potato and a pea puree. We ended the meal with a pre-dessert of goat cheese ice cream (gorgeous!) and a taste of three of Chef Andre’s signature desserts: artichoke creme brulee with tarragon ice cream; white snickers bar 2008; and red fruits minestrone with basil and sorbet. To round off an amazing meal, a delectable quartet of petit fours was elegantly presented on steel plates that bore Andre’s name.

Before coming to Singapore, Chef Andre worked for the Pourcel brothers. Shanghai-residents might recognize him as he used to helm Sens & Bund. While young (he’s just 32), he has already worked with many of the best French chefs on the planet, including Pierre Gagnaire, Joel Robuchon, Pascal Barbot, and of course the Pourcels. He has also been recognized as one of just 150 Relais Gourmand Master Chefs worldwide.

A meal at Jaan, I should also say, isn’t cheap (a Feed at Raffles card is a very useful thing for dining here). But neither is a meal at Iggy’s, Les Amis, Caprice, Kahala or any other “super-top” (as a French friend of mine likes to say) establishment in this region. If Andre can continue to push Jaan in the direction he has already been able to set in just a few months, then there is no doubt that it will very quickly establish itself not just as one of Singapore’s best restaurants, but one of Asia’s best.

Jaan
Swissotel The Stamford
Singapore
Tel: +65 6837 3322

Some restaurants, when they first open, need time to mature. Too often, restaurants open before they’re actually ready for public scrutiny. The food disappoints. The service is slow and inefficient. Sometimes, even the decor isn’t properly finished. But when an experienced, successful and talented restaurateur decides to open a new signature restaurant, chances are high that he will make darned sure that before his first paying customer ever steps foot into his new place, every single detail would be perfect.

Such is the case with Forlino, the new stunning Italian restaurant opened by Beppe de Vito and Chef Osvaldo Forlino. My always hungry wife S and I had the great pleasure of dining at Forlino on opening night and, well, quite simply, we were blown away. Forlino is stunning. It is easily one of the sexiest and chicest looking restaurants in Singapore. The floors are clad in a classic, polished black and white diamond-shaped pattern. The wood-panelled and ornately decorated walls are a warm bluish-grey. The furniture is rich and elegant. The overall space exudes power, sensuality and elegance, a rare thing for restaurants here today.

The food is equally stunning. When Chef Osvaldo cooked at Il Lido, S and I were fans. But we always felt that he wasn’t quite the right chef for what was being positioned as a very modern and contemporary Italian restaurant. Here, surrounded by his family and cooking the food his own way, i.e. more traditionally, he’s finally proving why and how his family restaurant in Northern Italy was able to earn a Michelin star. The food at Forlino is traditional Italian fine-dining. And it is beautiful.

S and I enjoyed a fabulous meal. We started with a cornmeal cake with 36 months aged parmesan, topped with egg confit, and shaved summer truffles. The second course was both S’s and my favourite dish of the night: Piedmontese veal ravioli with shank ragu (and of course, topped with some more summer truffles). This dish was sensational. You could taste the hand chopped veal inside each savory and delicate raviolo. Our main course was grilled rack of milk-fed goat with Spring vegetables and a small portion of risotto. To round off our meal, we had two desserts. The first was Volpedo white peaches in moscato gelee. The second was a gorgeous Renette apple tarte with barolo chinato gelato. Everything was delicious. Considering that the restaurant had been open for only a few hours, we were truly and deeply astounded.

As mentioned, helping Chef Osvaldo run this very impressive restaurant is his family. His whole family. Having closed their family restaurant in Tortina, the Forlino clan has moved en masse to Singapore. Chef Osvaldo’s mother is in the kitchen, baking bread daily. His wife Patrizia is chef de cuisine. His daughter Serena is also working in the kitchen. His sister Laura and another daughter Gaia — a trained sommelier — are in charge of wine. Cousin Simone is the restaurant’s manager and Simone’s wife is also cooking in the kitchen.

I have no doubt that Forlino, situated on the second floor of the 1 Fullerton building and perched overlooking Marina Bay, will be a success. It may even become Singapore’s very best Italian restaurant — it certainly is the sexiest.

Forlino
One Fullerton #02-06
1 Fullerton Road, Singapore 049213
Tel: +65 6877 6996
Three-course set lunch $45
Four-course traditional menu $100
a la carte available

(Sorry about the crappy quality of the photos. Forlino’s is very dimly lit, which while sexy as all heck, is hell for taking pictures.)

Ever since returning from Barcelona, I have been slightly obsessed with peta zeta, or as we say in English, pop rocks. It’s Oriol Balaguer’s fault. When we were in Spain, one of the must-visit places on my wife S’s itinerary was Balaguer’s boutique. She’s been slightly obsessed with this genius chocolatier ever since a pastry chef friend gave her Balaguer’s cookbook as a present some years back. Balaguer’s Barcelona boutique is a very small, chic corner space, located in the middle of a wealthy residential neighborhood. (It is also just around the corner from the showroom of Tresserra, an amazing Spanish furniture brand I am currently in love with but cannot afford — and probably won’t be able to for decades to come.)

As you can imagine, we tried many of Balaguer’s chocolates and even some of his pastries. Everything was delicious, but one thing in particular blew me away — his pop rock filled chocolate truffles. These were simply fabulous, not just because they were made with the very best chocolate but because they were fun. Really fun. I hadn’t eaten pop rocks in years. In fact, I wasn’t even aware that these effervescent candies were still being made.

Pop rocks, for those of you who have never had them (and I was amazed to discover that one of my colleagues and a close friend were among those unfortunate few), is a carbonated candy that releases carbon dioxide when popped into one’s mouth. The candy pops and sizzles on the tongue, which makes your whole mouth tingle in the most delightful way. One of the most amusing facts about this candy is that for some strange reason, back when it was really popular, some freaks started spreading a rumour that if you ate pop rocks and drank Coke at the same time, your stomach would explode. Obviously, this isn’t true, but countless kids did try and test the theory for themselves.

The Balaguer peta zeta truffles were so outstanding that the day before departing Barcelona, S and I went back to the boutique in order to purchase several boxes, for ourselves and a few friends. Of course, these lasted only a week or two. Since then, I have been sporadically doing research of how we home-chefs can play with pop rocks in our own desserts.

The first thing I had to do, of course, was get my hands on some pop rocks. Thank the gods for eBay. A couple clicks and within a week, a carton of 36 packets of pop rocks (half of them strawberry flavoured and the other half watermelon) was delivered to my door. As you might imagine, there aren’t a whole lot of interesting recipes out there. Most of them were the “sprinkle your pop rocks on your finished dessert” variety, which to me seems like a bit of a culinary cop-out. Then I found Heston Blumenthal’s “popping-candy chocolate cake”, a chocolate mousse cake built over a hazlenut and pop rock base. The recipe seemed promising and relatively easy to make.

The pop rocks are mixed into melted milk chocolate. This in turn is mixed into a hazelnut paste and pressed into the bottom of a ring mould (Heston suggests making one cake using a 12cm ring mould but S and I used 9cm moulds and discovered that his recipe provides enough to make 3 smaller cakes). This becomes the base of the cake. From the pictures, you can tell that we really should have made the base quite a bit thinner (but hey, this was our first attempt).

The mousse was rich and tasty. Very delicious in fact. But when chilled, it became dense and a little too heavy for our tastes. S and I have decided that if and when we make another popping-candy cake, we’ll use a light gelatin-based mousse a la Hidemi Sugino (i.e. a Japanese style mousse cake).

That said, the cake was fun to make and even more fun to eat. We ate one, gave one to our colleagues, and another to a friend (the one who had never had pop rocks before). I have 26 packets of pop rocks left so I plan on experimenting a little more. Here’s the recipe in case some of you can get your hands on some pop rocks and want to try the recipe also.

Heston Blumenthal’s popping-candy chocolate cake

For the popping-candy base
85g whole hazelnuts
40g milk chocolate
2 tsp mixed spice
100g popping candy

For the chocolate mousse
350g dark chocolate
400ml double cream
Pinch of salt

For the chocolate glaze
20g chocolate (same type as for the mousse)
120ml water
8 whole coffee beans
Couple of pinches of salt
30g cocoa powder
70g unrefined golden caster sugar

To make the base, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas Mark 4 and roast the hazelnuts for about 10 minutes until lightly coloured. Blend to a paste in a food processor, then set aside. Melt the milk chocolate in a bain-marie (a large basin over a saucepan of simmering shallow water take care that the water does not touch the basin) and stir in the ginger spice and popping candy. Next, fold in the hazelnut pure. Place the 12 cm ring mould on a serving dish and gently press in the base mixture to a depth of about 1cm. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until hard.

To make the mousse, chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a metal bowl. Bring 150ml of the cream to the boil in a small saucepan. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir extremely gently until all the chocolate has melted, watching carefully to ensure it doesnt take on a granular texture. Add the salt to taste. Once the chocolate cream has cooled to room temperature, lightly whip the remaining 250ml cream to soft peaks, but do not overwhip. Fold into the chocolate mix. Pour over the base in the ring mould and place in the fridge to set for two hours.

To make the glaze, chop up the chocolate and set aside. Place the water, coffee beans and salt in a pan, whisk in the cocoa powder, then set over a medium heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, put the sugar in a small pan and melt over a medium heat. Unrefined sugar will caramelise quickly, so keep an eye on it; when it does, pour over the coffee and cocoa mix stand back, as it will bubble and spit. Beat in the chopped chocolate and, when melted, pass through a fine sieve. When cool, but still liquid, pour over the mousse to your preferred depth and return the cake to the fridge to set.

To serve, run a hot knife around the inside of the ring before removing the cake. When slicing it, again make sure the blade of the knife is nice and hot.