Other than theHarry Potter Exhibitionvisit on the very first day of its opening and the behind the scenes tour of Gardens by the Bay, my personal highlight of the trip was the Kitchen Tours at selected Celebrity Chef restaurants in Marina Bay Sands.
As a foodie, meeting and speaking to celebrity and experiencedexecutive chefs is like sustenance to my food obsessedself. My experience at the World Gourmet Summit 2012 was most stimulating, meeting almost 20-30 international and local 20-30 chefs in one place at the same time.
The Celebrity Chef restaurants in Marina Bay Sands are revered as one of the most dine at locations in Singapore.Granted, the founder chefs are not in the outlet all the time, but these restaurants are headed by amazingly competent Head Chefs, as I found out during my tour.
Videos are hard work, so if you have never been to any of these restaurants before, do watch my video! 
Each restaurant presents a unique dining concept and menu to enthrall the most discerning epicureans. The group of us toured, probed and ate as we uncover the inspiration behind the creations of these celebrity chefs.
If you are unaware (I forgive you if you are still ignorant but NOT after reading my post! :P ) of the Celebrity Chef restaur! ants her e in Marina Bay, let me bring you up to date!
The acclaimed celebrity chefs creating culinary magic at Marina Bay Sands are:
Mario Batali (New York) Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza
Daniel Boulud (New York) db Bistro Moderne
Wolfgang Puck (Los Angeles) CUT
Guy Savoy (Paris) Guy Savoy
Tetsuya Wakuda (Sydney) Waku Ghin
Justin Quek (Singapore) Sky on 57
Our exclusive and educational tour begin at Guy Savoy, (athree Michelin stars restaurant in Paris)where Head Chef Eric Bost and the restaurant manager briefed us generally on the restaurants concept.
BELOW: Eric Bost.
For Chef Guy Savoy, fine dining is all about the senses. It is through his cuisine that this reveredFrench chef expresses his sensitivity and passion for food. He is the youngest of the French legends credited with pioneeringNouvelle Cuisine.Selecting only the finest ingredients, Chef Savoy prepares and serveswith an uncompromising awareness of what makes a dining experience truly exceptional.
We didnt manage to have a full meal here, but Chef Eric graciously served us Chef Savoyssignature soup: Artichoke Truffle Puree with Thick Black Truffle Slices and parmesan cheese shavings paired with a flaky Black Truffle Brioche slathered in truffle butter. And no, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. There were a lot of TRUFFLE in that name!
Luscious and so sinfully delicious is all I can utter as I slurped the soup happily. For now I can only dream hows a full meal at Guy Savoys is going to be like.
Fast Facts on Guy Savoy:
** Guests! can enj oy a pre-dinner aperitif at the champagne bar before moving in to the main dining area, which seats up to 80 people.
** Two private dining rooms cater to small and intimate dinners, corporate functions, birthday and wedding celebrations.
** A bar dining menu, Wine Moment with Guy Savoy, comprising of the best wines from France and beyond, is available in the afternoon. The best wines and Champagnes are served alongside tasting portions of signature dishes. The menu is available from 3pm 6pm.
** Another dish that epitomizes the chefs culinary style is the Seabass with Crisp Scales and Delicate Spices, accompanied by Swiss Chard, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, and a Vanilla and Spice Jus.
** Guy Savoy is available for bar dining (3 pm 10.45pm) and dinner (6 pm 10.45 pm).
For reservations, please call 6688 8513 or email guy.savoy@marinabaysands.com.
Slightly heady from the creamy soup, we strolled over toWaku Ghin by Chef Tetsuya Wakuda. The restaurant was located by the Casino and from the entrance we stood and glanced down at the action downstairs. Cameras were strictly forbidden at this point so no photographs from me of the casino, 
Once we were inside the restaurant, our cameras came back into action. Waku Ghinincludes a sake bar and caviar lounge, a dining hall, private dining rooms, an extensivewine collection and a drawing room which serves desserts, coffees, teas and cognacs.
Waku Ghins interior was created by JZA+D and mirrors Chef Tetsuyas dynamic and multi-dimensionalapproach towards his dishes. The corridor walls are curving and sinuous, echoing the work of Americanminimalist sculptor, Richard Serra.
Now, Im not an interior designer not do I have an eye for designs but you have to admit that this piece was pretty riveting no?
Waku Ghinsdining concept is based upon a multi-faceted use of space, where diners canmove from room to room, starting with the lounge at the entrance for aperitifs before headingto the private dining rooms.
Opened seven days a week from 6:30pm to 10:30pm, for dinner, there are two seatings pernight at 6pm and 8.30pm.
Each private enclosure is helmed by a chef, bringing forward the seasons best to the Chefs Table. Nightly a10-course degustation menu is available for dinner foronly 25 seats, promising a truly private and exclusive experience.
The menu isEuropean/Japanese; boasting new creations sourced from the freshest ingredients from theregion and beyond. Signature items include Marinated Botan Shrimp with Sea Urchin and Caviar and theAustralian Wagyu with Wasabi and Citrus Soy.
Good lord, can you guess whats this?
We could tell it was still alive as the flesh was still throbbing in a way as if theres a heartbeat!
This, by the way, is a sea urchin.
Chef Tetsuya wasnt in town so one of the chefs in charge gave us a prelude of the dining experience in Waku Ghin.We are seated in front of a long grill plate with a back wall of protruding wooden blocks. Ghin means silver in Japanese and for this r! estauran t it is represented in the knives, the grill and even things like fish which features so predominantly on the menu.
Chef whipped up springy lobster in some sauce which I unfortunately have forgotten. I only remembered being mesmerized by the slow skillful way he prepared the extremely fresh and top quality lobster, simmering and coaxing the sweet flavours from its flesh.
We were each served a portion of succulent lobster, straight out of the saucepan.
As expected, it was sublime. Guy Savoy, Waku Ghin oh my.. my head was pounding and my pockets felt lighter virtually! Still, I vowed that Ill be back for a full meal!
The affable Chef who hails from Malacca. Yes, hes Malaysian! 
We strolled over to CUT by Wolfgang Puck next, and I gazed wide-eyed at the largeportraitures of movie stars/famous personalities on its walls.At the entrance, a dramatic faade of four-meter high,lacquered bronze panels with a series of alternating flush frameless doors that open outwardlike shutters greeted us.
The bar is lined by iconic Mario Bellini leather upholstered barstools. There also are custom designed swiveling lounge seats along the open facade for guests to enjoy drinks and small bites.
The private room is a stunning display of glittering mirror glass walls and floor-to-ceiling glass and lacquer wine display cases.
The main dining room, which featur! es the s ame iconic Bellini armchair and side chairs, also offers private dining booths, each seating up to 5 guests.
The best wines are paired with the best meats from CUTs kitchen. CUTs elaborate wine list offersmore than 500 selections of wines.
Chef Wolfgang wasnt in the country and CUTs Executive Chef Joshua Brown wasnt available to speak to us. It was pretty disappointing not being able to speak to either one of them and not have the chance to sample the famed steaks here. I resorted to foursquare tips which gave me pretty quality and honest feedback.
Phone: HTC One X.
But we did get to sneak into the kitchen. These are the famous pretzels of CUT by Wolfgang Puck.
Apologies but the name of these pastries eluded me.
For reservations, please call 6688 8517 or email cutreservations@marinabaysands.com.
Reservations are recommended.
Last but not least was Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Moz! za,Mario Batalis first venture into Asia, marking another milestonefor the chef who has 14 restaurants, eight cookbooks and a host of television shows under his name.Both restaurants will be almost exactly as they are in California, providing two different diningexperiences within the same venue.
Things here were not as gloom. Both the Executive Chef and GM of Mozza were more than happy to share and walk us through their outlet.
In fact they spent almost 30 minutes just speaking to us and answering our queries about everything from the menu to the ingredients and the concept of the restaurant.
Below: The animated Chef David Jordan; whoup in Agoura Hills in Los Angeles, California and began cooking passionately at the ageof 15.
The centerpiece of the refined and elegant Osteria Mozza is the Mozzarella Bar where a wide array of fresh items from mozzarella, burrata, bocconcini and stracciatella are prepared. The live act! ion behi nd the Mozzarella Bar warrants a gastronomic and sensational experience for diners at Osteria Mozza.
Below: The dining area of Osteria Mozza.
The menu:
On the opposite side of the restaurant is a more casual setup of Pizzeria Mozza, a bustling, urban burst of flavor and color.
The menu:
Fast Facts on Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza:
Osteria Mozza showcases a Mozzarella Bar where approximately 16 different kinds of cheeses from Los Angeles and Italy will be available for tastings.
Two wood burning pizza ovens in Pizzeria Mozza will serve freshly made pizzas and dinerswill get a full view of chefs preparing the food on the spot.
The opening hours a! re as fo llows:
* Osteria Mozza >Dinner 5pm to 11pm
* Pizzeria Mozza >Lunch 12pm 2pm,Dinner 5pm 11pm
Reservations are recommended and can be made at (65) 6688 8522.
So there is it! The half an afternoon tour of the celebrity chefs restaurants in Marina Bay Sands!
Heres the video again; WATCH please as there are some parts covered that are not pictured here in the post. Also, watch because it took me weeks to edit it! 
We actually dined a full meal atdb Bistro Moderne by Daniel Boulud so Ill be posting a full article for that dinner. Same goes for the lunch we had at Sky on 57 helmed by Singapores very own celebrity chef Justin Quek.
So, which would be your pick if you have to choose ONE restaurant to dine in out of the above?
No comments:
Post a Comment