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Review: Bistro November’s Weekend Brunch

by Global Gastronaut
Posted on August 6, 2017December 9, 2017

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I've been reporting on food professionally for close to seven years now, and while excellent restaurants deserve more visits, part of the job is to prioritise new spots. I limit myself to three restaurants a week for health reasons and that means, dining for my own leisure takes a back seat. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The visit to Les Amis this week required planning more than a month ahead. It's been four years since I last had a meal there and that was when chefs Sebastien Lepinoy and Cheryl Koh made their Singapore debut. I'm reminded once again of how, despite the excitement of our dining scene, it is the classic stately restaurants that form our gastronomic spine. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Les Amis has and still will play one of the most important roles in our country not just because so many names have sharpened their knives in these storied kitchens. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The food here is still far more sophisticated, polished and executed with a finesse that's lightyears ahead of some of these newfangled try-too-hard restaurants. So many dishes made an impact on my party of four; the langoustine wrapped with thin sheets of courgette, topped with a generous dollop of caviar was one, as did the pairing of sea bass with verjus sauce and (gasp) grapes. Who would've thought that those flavours could sing in such harmony together? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And just before the meal ended, the dessert course delivered an elegant repartee on a pear tart, where slices of Williams pear poached in star anise was arranged like a closed palm around a tiny ball of puff pastry. At its centre? A caramel cream that held the elements in the perfect embrace. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The meal was a timely reminder that despite living in a world of rockstar chefs working hard to push the envelope on gastronomy, classic is still timeless. Thank you @lesamisrestaurant for the evening.

If you’ve eaten one, you’ve eaten 10. That’s one of the pitfalls of luxury ingredients like caviar, sea urchin and foie gras, simply because very little needs to be done to make them shine. Maybe it’s because I’m jaded but one spoonful of any of these is enough (“okay thanks next!”) The foie gras semifreddo at one-Michelin-starred @braci.sg though, was a pie in my face. It’s a terrine that arrives beautifully presented looking almost like a giant Lego brick; an odd cross between a dessert and a starter. And oh boy does it work. The entire slab is covered with a thin crust of white chocolate while drops of fig vincotta, each larger than the next, lend a sticky sweetness to the assembly. On its side? A mini quenelle of kumquat that lifts the dish with a fresh burst of citrus. I thought I was bored of foie gras and the million permutations I’ve had the misfortune of eating. But this one, this one was special.

In #Tokyo right now in the midst of a heatwave that’s seeing 34 degree afternoons. Cooling down with a mango ice cream.

So I finally went ahead and did it: I documented my grandmother’s laksa Siglap recipe (link in my profile 👉🏽) This is Singapore’s forgotten laksa I’ve longed talked about; a Malay dish that originates in Kampung Siglap. I’ve been thinking about writing out and refining the recipe for over a year now but the thought of going through the paces put me off. I went the whole nine yards making kerisik and noodles from scratch, not to mention the broth itself. That said, it isn’t a difficult recipe — just time consuming, especially when it comes to pounding the toasted coconut and deboning the ikan parang (wolf herring). If you want to give this recipe a shot, allocate three hours, and if you do, take a pic and tag me. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Until then like I said yesterday on IG stories, heritage isn’t just meant to be preserved, it’s meant to be shared. Nothing would delight me more than seeing this humble dish travel from my home to yours. ❤️

Haven’t been updating as much since life’s been a whirlwind and I’ve been kept occupied with a personal project after work hours. Still, it’s only Tuesday and it’s been a great week of dining so far. Lunch today was plate after plate of sin. I’m talking about that bone marrow butter in the centre of the picture that had me going back for more bread than I should have. Then there’s that grilled provolone cheese with almonds and a luscious drizzling of honey — by far the main reason that draws me to Argentinean restaurant @bochinchesg all these years. Thanks @jillyeats for the laughs!

Stumbled upon this incredible heritage bakery in JB’s old town that’s still powered by a giant wood-fired oven. It’s been been running since 1937 and specialises in Bengali curry puffs, or just karipap, as they’re locally known. These are thin sheets of pastry wrapped around fillings like curried potatoes, lamb or beef. I went a little after lunch but locals tell me the aroma of bread baking over coals and wood in the morning is simply irresistible. I also bought some kaya buns and wholemeal bread — and I can’t wait to tear into them with my bare hands.

Penang is home to more than just one type of laksa. I managed to squeeze in lunch at @jawihouse and got to speak to @nurilkarim, the head chef and son of an anthropologist who owns the place just before flying off and it was truly an educational experience. What’s pictured here is the Jawi Peranakan laksa, a dish created by the Jawi Peranakan community who are of Arab, Indian and Malay descent. Much like the Chinese Peranakans, this community thrived in the urban areas of the Straits Settlements (specifically Penang and Singapore) and arose from marriages of immigrant grooms and local Malay brides. The result is a cuisine that is nuanced and cosmopolitan for its time. This laksa itself is a coconut based tuna fish broth that incorporates spices like fennel seed and star anise; ingredients otherwise not seen in other laksa varieties and points at middle eastern and Indian influences. There are hints of finger root and a good hit of turmeric. Torch ginger slivers and mint used for garnish brightens up an otherwise creamy base and a reminder of its distant cousin, the asam laksa that Penang is otherwise famous for. This is what I love about food; it exists outside the boundaries of state control, codifies history and immigration patterns while still being a breathing culture that is lived everyday.

My search for good hawker fare of course led me to Penang. On top of my list: char kway teow like it’s meant to be. These are flat rice noodles stir fried over a searing heat. The magic isn’t in the seasoning. No that’s the easy part. It lies in mastery of the wok; of man’s manipulation of time and fire to produce a plate that’s smokey and complex. It’s difficult to go on a hunt when time is so short. I was torn between sampling all that the island had to offer and really nailing down the good ones. I ended up at Sisters char kway teow on Macalister road simply because it’s the only stall on my list that opened at 9am. While the dish was perfectly seasoned, it lacked the kiss of wok hei that I was looking for. Sure the prawns were fresh, plump and juicy and the cubes of lard gave the entire dish a nice crunchy lift. Was it because I came too early? I didn’t manage to try everything I wanted to but that’s alright because I’m pretty sure I’ll be making many more trips to come.

"I don't want this dish to end," said one of my dining companions that Friday night. We're at @Dewakanmy and about a third through the extensive degustation when this dish arrived. It's a little smaller than it looks in pictures yet its flavours punched well above its weight. This dish to me represents all that Modern Malaysian cuisine could be, elegantly interpreted with a restrained hand. It's not about taking a classic hawker creation and shoving it through the meat grinder of a restaurant and turning it into a Frankenstein dish. It's about breaking down the ingredients and flavours and assembling it carefully on a plate. What you see here are slices of prawn warmed lightly in a tart starfuit juice speckled with kaffir lime leaf oil. The green bouquet that sits on top is a selection of local herbs, leaves and shoots known as ulam, along with their blossoms. Each leaf was an incredible explosion of herbaceous beauty; one that many of us have forgotten as we lurch into urban times. These ingredients have been falling to the wayside as we embrace all that is foreign. This is one of the new dishes in Dewakan's latest menu and I've been watching the restaurant grow from strength to strength. What's being served right now is a strong selection of hits while older signatures have been tightened. The dish unfortunately ended, and with that, the curtain around what exactly this country is capable of has come down. If this is the direction Modern Malaysian can take, I can't wait to see more.

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A recipe for Laksa Siglap – Singapore’s forgotten laksa
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Dining dispatches from Southeast Asia, and beyond.

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Recent Posts

A recipe for Laksa Siglap – Singapore’s forgotten laksa
Nasi ulam: A herbed rice recipe that’s easy, nutritious and delicious
Modern Malaysian cuisine blooms in the kitchens of Beta KL
Photoessay: Saturday morning at a Malaysian Farmer’s Market
Gaggan’s head chef Rydo Anton hopes to represent Indonesia to scale new heights

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