Singapore Sizzle

SINGAPOREANS are efficient. I was in the city-nation in November, with 28 writers representing food and wine magazines from around the world, to check out preparations for the Singapore Food Festival (SFF) and World Gourmet Summit (WGC) to be held between March 30 and April 30, 2001! That's right, a good four months in advance. And the way Singapore Tourism Promotion Board (STPB) had gone about the exercise, the manner in which everybody was set and raring to go, you would have thought we were covering the actual events!

I have not witnessed such zeal, such sincerity, in any government officials before. The most minute details had been looked into, individual schedules planned, names of participating restaurants finalised, menus selected, pictures and other promo material organised and in place... in short, the whole works. Four days later, when I returned home, I was acquainted with all there was to know about the SFF and WGC. And convinced both events will be thumping successes, I'm recommending them to you... and making plans to cover them myself!

So what are the SFF and WGC all about? Quite simply, they're an annual gastronomic extravaganza - Singapore's favourite month of feasting which involves total dining experiences. These experiences go beyond just visiting restaurants. They are events that allow you to enjoy food as a form of lifestyle. You can be entertained by hilarious live theatre complemented by great food and drinks. This programme promises a combination of a comedy of acts from food-related plays.

There are cookery classes at the at-sunrice in Fort Canning Park with a tour of the Spice Garden, a visit to Far East Square where a depiction of the grand wedding feast is enacted and where feng shui is a way of life. You have Violet Oon, Singapore's favourite culinary celebrity, sharing heritage recipes which she has coaxed out of grandmas. With Violet, you can learn to cook authentic dishes from ethnic groups like Hokkien, Hainanese, Cantonese, Nonya, Indian, Malay, etc.

There are also culinary workshops of a different kind. A ceramic painting studio which allows you to paint personalised crockery like plates, fruit boxes, mugs and bowls, they provide everything, instructions, bisques, colours, tools, even glazes and fires to bake your masterpiece. The creativity and uniqueness of ideas is truly remarkable. Would you have ever thought of having tea with an orang utan or lunching with lions (there are nine of the Asiatic variety, separated from you by just a sheet of glass)... or joining friendly sub-Antarctic penguins in a classy black-and-white dinner?

If you are an incurable romantic you could get onto the majestic Eastern and Oriental Express train for a delightful five-and-half hours' return-journey with a delectable four-course dinner complemented with wines. This one comes complete with shining silver service, and glittering crystal. Ah, bliss! But romance takes you further. You could be suspended in air by a cable! Yes, the famous Singapore Cable Car Company is also participating. Care to dine in panaromic splendour?

Japanese food is of a very high standard in Singapore. The Senbazuru restaurant in Hotel New Otani offers an exclusive winter Kaiseki meal. This is the traditional tea ceremony dinner, angel fish liver in clear soup, sashimi, grilled oyster mentaiyaki, in colour schemes that complement the tableware and setting. Just around the Hotel Otani is Clark Quay, a very enjoyable walk by the Singapore river. Here you'll find tourists and locals enjoying meals by the wayside.

But what could be nicer than consuming a few bouts of beer at Brewerkz? It is a microbrewery and restaurant with a Canadian brewmaster offering customers beer that they can see brewing in a modern, sleek industrial setting. Brewerkz also has a cigar divan displaying a variety of premium cigars, humidors, a pool table, indoor and outdoor seating for 400 with a river viewing.

The Blue Lobster is described as a seafood restaurant and fish market. It is a sensation! Chose between al fresco dining and the Chef's Table. And the specialities: oysters, clams, mussels, salmon. The lobsters are from Australian and Boston, the oysters from Canada and New Zealand, the crabs have exotic names - Spanner Crab, Champagne Crab, Dungense Crab. You are under a crustacean attack!

No food event is complete without a pub crawl, a bar night. Go clubbing down trendy Mohammed Sultan Road. It's hip, it's happenin' out here in this stretch. I recommend Wong San's Pub & Grub Walk. A hundred Singapore dollar "passport" guarantees entry to Wong San's, to Eastside, The Siam SupperClub, and Viet Cafe. Seems like all of Singapore's youth are on the move! Your "passport" ensures beer, exotic cocktails with names like Laughing Buddha, California Maki, Vietnamese Drip, Bun Thit, East Wing Martini and a game of pool.

Fun and games, good cheer, good food, but you'll have to get serious between April 22 and 27, the WGS appeals to both the interests of the trade and the consumer. Leading chefs and restaurateurs of the world meet up and share new trends. One week of wine tastings and vintners dinners, gourmet safaris and cooking demonstrations, hosted by the leading restaurants and hotels of Singapore, including Raffles, Four Seasons, Regent, Grand Hyatt, Inter-Continental, Les Amis, Ritz-Carlton, Shangri-La, the Fullerton. Each hosts a masterchef who will unfold the exciting culinary activities. Last year, our Ananda Solomon was one, this year, the masterchefs are Paul Urchs of the Ritz-Carlton in Germany, Reinhard Gerer of Korso Restaurant in Austria, Rocco DiSpirito of Union Pacific in US, George Morrone of the Fifth Floor Restaurant in US, George Jardine of The Cellars dining bar in South Africa, Roy Yamaguchi of Roy's Restaurant in Hawaii, and Tony Bilson, the godfather of Australian cooks.

The food will of course be matched by wines, and participating in the WGS will be Maison Louis Jadot of France, Patz & Hall of US, Penfolds of Australia, Conti Sertoli of Italy, Alvaro Palacios & Dominos Pingus of Spain, Saxenburg of South Africa and Inniskillin of Canada. I'll explain the Master Chef Safari, a gastronomic odyssey where guests will dine at top culinary establishments, partaking a course in each, meeting the chefs, sampling fine wines... all in one evening. Starting with an appetiser at the first and ending with dessert at the last stop, the classy, snazzy Mezza 9. Main course at Club Chinois, which serves modern Chinese in Wedgewood with jazz playing in the background. But the highpoint will be at Pontini, at the Grand Capthorna Waterfront Hotel, where the staff welcome guests in by clattering the crockery and cutlery. My Safari was made memorable by charming and suave Peter Knipp, presiding deity at the SFF and WGS, and Mr. Singapore himself. And celebrity Master Chef Martin Yan... in person, yes, he's going to be barbecuing and grilling. Who said TV Chef's cannot cook.