Successfully completing its 8th annual run at The Ritz Carlton Millennia Hotel Singapore, the New World Food & Wine Festival was a thrilling gathering of celebrated chefs and wine personalities from all over the world. Almost a week long, the celebration featured sumptuous lunches, divine dinners, rare wine tastings and other fantastic culinary activities to local and international participants. To me, this also meant devouring one million calories that equated with at least two-hour sessions daily on the Stairmaster for a very long time. Thank God they had a gym at the hotel!
I was truly in hotel bliss when I found out that a beautiful and tres chic corner one-bedroom suite at The Ritz was to be my home for the next six days. The room had sweeping views of the bay and the ever-bustling Singapore city skyline. It also had access to the Ritz Carlton Club, located at the top level of the hotel, which means access to your own concierge service and a lounge that serves five complementary food and beverage presentations daily including free bubbly! Consistently recognized as "the world’s favorite hotel" by an international leading business magazine, The Ritz Carlton Millennia has definitely become one of the most recognized luxury hotels in the world.
The New World Food & Wine festival certainly kicked off loudly at the opening cocktail reception with the beats of Wicked Aura Batucada, a Brazilian & Asian-flavored percussion group that led the event’s entertainment at the hotel’s grand ballroom. That evening, the hotel’s culinary team led by Chef Jeffrey Tan featured dozens of Asian-inspired tapas from the hotel’s new and fabulous cookbook, Asian Tapas. Filipinos will be proud to know that fellow Pinoy Anton Kilayko, the dynamic and caballero PR director of The Ritz Carlton Millennia is a co-author of this book, which will soon be available internationally.
At the reception, I savored delicate creations such as fresh oysters with ponzu jelly, quail egg in nori flakes, marinated soya sauce beef and pomelo sago Tiramisu complemented by the wines of the famous Saltram Winery from South Australia. I almost could not pry myself from the cheese buffet that had over 50 kinds of farmhouse cheeses paired with dried fruits, nuts and sweet jelly butters – alas, the thought of having to go through another strict Atkins diet and suffer major separation anxiety from my Quarter Pounder with Cheese gave me the strength to let go. Happily content and buzzed, I found my way back to my suite that evening, nibbled on my complimentary Valrhona chocolates and slumbered peacefully to lala land on the softest goose-down-feather pillows.
Lunch the next day was prepared by Morimoto, also former executive chef of Nobu New York and now owner of his own restaurant, Morimoto, in Philadelphia.
"Going to a restaurant is like going to the theater," says Morimoto.
It was certainly a presentation of Moulin Rouge dramatic proportions as one enormously long table was beautifully laid out for over a hundred guests at the grand ballroom. Morimoto’s masterful creations were accompanied by many different champagne vintages from Dom Perignon.
In the evening, I attended the Australian dinner by chef Warren Turnbull. Turnbull is the executive chef of the fashionable Cruise restaurant and bar in Sydney. He created a five-course meal that included very innovative creations such as rabbit and goose liver terrine with hazelnut vinaigrette and roasted veal fillet with wild mushrooms asparagus and almond foam – truly divine!
At least 10,000 calories later and a few pounds heavier, the third day of the festival started with lunch by Singapore’s homegrown celebrity chef Justin Quek, thrice awarded Chef of the Year at the World Gourmet Summit Awards. That afternoon, suave and handsome Italian Barista Andrea Lattuda concocted amazing java delights accompanied by heavenly pastries from The Ritz pastry chef Philippe Agnese. This was followed with the tasting of rare Mas La Plana Magnum vintages from the internationally renowned Miguel Torres Wineries by sommelier Christophe Brunet.
At the hotel’s Greenhouse restaurant, chef Flavia Quaresma of Brazil hosted the South American dinner. Queresma is a culinary household name in her country and is known for her unique style of South American cuisine. It certainly turned out to be a festive and spice-flavored atmosphere as a live Latino band got many of the guests dancing.
Chef Fok Kai Yee carried the festival’s torch on the fourth day with a Chinese lunch at the hotel’s signature restaurant, The Summer Pavillion, which is widely regarded as the premier Cantonese dining establishment in Singapore. Fok was a recipient of The Asian Cuisine Chef Award of Excellence at the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards 2002-2003. His tasty steamed Shark’s Fin Cream Soup with Black Trumpet reminded me of our dinuguan.
It was definitely a treat for duck aficionados that afternoon as Rougie – makers of the famous canned foie gras that we find in better delis – hosted a duck seminar and tasting. Rougie’s Guillame de Saint Laurent discussed the history of duck farming and the intricacies of foie gras presentation.
In the evening, chef Sandro Gamba, a James Beard Award nominee, was the master of dinner ceremonies as wines from Stonehenge Winery of California accompanied each of the courses. Après diner, Skyy vodka hosted a buzzing cocktail event featuring absolutely delish cocktails made from their flavored vodkas.
I woke up the next day so extremely hung over that I just had to excuse myself from the day’s lunch. I later regretted it, after having found out that Chef Gilles Perrin, also of Alain Ducasse fame, dished out amazing Asian tapas that elicited countless ooohs and aaahs. In the afternoon, pastry Chef World Cup silver medalist Eric Perez hosted a Chinoiserie tea gathering with delicious pastries accompanied with Port from Saltram wines.
Finally, "The Grand Celebration Gala Dinner" – the most anticipated dinner of the festival – took place on the fifth day. Rounding up a week of gastronomic indulgence, each guest showcased their creations together, matched with the splendid wines from the participating wineries of the festival. International attendees, industry experts and Singapore’s crème de la crème, all dressed to the nines, flocked to the Ritz’s glitzy grand ballroom as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Wicked Aura Batucada percussion group led the night’s entertainment. Dinner was a sumptuous five-course menu that included chef Quek’s roast home-smoked main lobster with mushroom fricasse and oriental greens and Chef Perez’s chocolate and red berry "Chapeau du Papet" with jasmine tea ice cream and cassis tuile.
Highlights of the Gala celebration included the awarding of the lifetime achievement award to Chef Justin Quek and the auction of rare and fine wines to raise funds for The Ritz-Carlton Millennia Singapore Food & Beverage Scholarship fund.
Alas, as all good things must come to an end, the festival concluded on the sixth day with two amazing brunches. The Sunday Celebration Champagne Brunch with Moet & Chandon featured each celebrity chef preparing a signature dish a la minute, coupled with the Ritz Sunday regular brunch fare of seafood and an extensive spread of over 50 farmhouse cheeses. Held at the same time was the Ultimate Champagne Brunch featuring Dom Perignon ‘80s vintages with rare champagnes and the most sought after pinot noirs. This was held at the Ritz Carlton Suite and had a minimum bid of Singapore$4,888.00.
‘Twas definitely, in the words of Irving Berlin, "Puttin’ on the ritz."
E-mail your comments to djmontano@pacific.net.ph