Freshly Served
Bite-sized updates from the F&B scene.
01 HATCHBACK
There was no small amount of disappointment when chef Kenjiro “Hatch” Hashida shuttered his eponymous restaurant along Mohamed Sultan Road. Well, he’s back and has partnered with property developer OUE Limited to open Hashida Singapore in a 2,772 sq ft space in Amoy Street. Inspired by the layout of a Shinto shrine, it has three distinctly furnished dining rooms that seat seven, eight and 12.
The food is still unmistakably Hashida: seasonal, sushi-centred omakase with modern touches such as house-made sakura ebi tofu with a pudding for dessert. What we're most grateful for is the persistence of one of Hashida's signature dishes: otoro sushi that features mille feuillelike layers of thinly-shaved, melt-in
02 COOKING UP A STORM
There's no point in having a kitchen full of V-Zug's high-tech, Swiss-built kitchen equipment if one doesn't properly realise their potential. So, what better way to do that than to put owners through their paces by having them prepare restaurantquality dishes. Enter An Asian Touch, V-Zug Singapore that features 21 prominent Singapore-based chefs, who have collectively contributed 100 Asian-centric recipes that range from Ryan Clift's modernist creations to classics from local bastions of Asian cooking like Eric Neo and Milind Sovani.
03 MEAT FEST
Bedrock Bar & Grill’s World Meat Series is back and will be on till March 31. While showcasing some of the best produce from around the globe, the spotlight is on Yamaguchi (live) aged wagyu from the famed Juhuko farm in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. This means that the cows are typically slaughtered after 100 months, far longer than the usual 26 to 28 months. The resulting beef is used in dishes like applewood-smoked, tartare of ribeye cap that’s handchopped, seasoned with smoky house-made ketchup and presented over just-cooked marrowbone.
04 WALK IN THE PARK
Missing those wine-fuelled journeys in Australia? Recreate some of that magic with this year's Pinot Picnic, an annual celebration of Western Australia's wine and produce. While travelling might be out of the equation, Pinot Picnic has made its hampers available for Singapore through lushplatters.com. Expect yours to include producers like Below & Above and Lost Lake that offer pinot noir in a range of styles, from red to rose and sparkling. Each hamper also comes with a set of Plumm Outdoors stemless wine glasses and a cheese and charcuterie board.
05 WHISKY LEGACY
The Macallan commissioned Spanish painter and illustrator Javi Aznarez to produce the labels for each of the bottles in The Red Collection, a range of six age statements that begins at 40 years old and ends at 78. Aznarez entitled Introducing The Macallan Red Collection that's set to music by Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti. Only two sets exist. One is in the brand's vault, while the other has been auctioned off for over $1.3 million at Sotheby's London. Not all is lost for the whisky collector, though. Individual bottles – sans the Aznarez labels – are available for sale at The
06 WHOLESOME EATING
Joining the rapidly expanding meatless movement is Baker & Cook, whose Dempsey outlet now has a plant-based menu that builds on the brand's repertoire of hearty, healthful cuisine, including a selection of dishes using Impossible meat in meatball form on a sourdough pizza and as a patty in a mushroom-Swiss cheeseburger. For those not into meat substitutes, there's a dish of roasted heirloom beetroot with rye crisps, walnuts and pomegranate molasses dressing. There’s also a list of curated vegan wines to go with the food.
07 CHAPTER THREE
As if their periodically changing themes weren't enough work, the team at Preludio have outdone themselves with the restaurant's third ongoing concept, Capture and Release. Diners are offered two juxtaposed menus – one that showcases ingredients in their pure, essential forms and another that explores possibilities with a maximalist mindset. Want to try both? You'll have to dine twice because every person at your table has to take the same menu. We're not complaining. This gives us an excuse to return.