Daniel Boulud's db Bistro Moderne, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

After lunch at Gunther's and teatime macarons from Antoinette, I have to say so far I was pretty impressed with Singapore's dining scene. Our original plan for dinner was to visit Jason Atherton's Esquina (on Chui Chak Road - I am a big fan of Jason Atherton having eaten his food at Maze when he was Executive Chef there), however we sort of overran on shopping time and because I've read a review that there was limited seating at Esquina and you had to get there early if you wanted a seat, we have to improvise on our plans.

Another restaurant high on my "to eat" list was db Bistro Moderne in Marina Bay Sands (which we were planning on going the next day if we could find time) owned by the famous Daniel Boulud, best known for his 3-star Michelin restaurant Daniel in New York. We got to kill two birds with one stone since Hubby also wanted to view the impressive structures around there.

db Bistro Moderne, Singapore

I think the MRT in Singapore is pretty good (and cheap for transport). We started our journey at Ion Orchard (all nicely lit up in the evening) and stopped at Marina Bay, and from there it was a short 10-minute walk to the The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands where db Bistro Moderne is located. The journey felt pretty short, since we got a nice picturesque view of the banking district and its surroundings.

Ion Orchard, where we started our MRT journey

A view from afar taken from Raffles Hotel in the afternoon

Our first sighting of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel .. pretty impressive, right?

Banking district

Across the water

We didn't make a reservation and were lucky to get a table as the place was pretty packed. The table for two here is pretty small though, so space is limited. The menu here is composed of "seasonal, classical and casual dishes in the spirit of Lyon-New York bistro." You can view the full menu here.

db on the floor

db on the napkins

Hanging globe lights, interior design by Jeffrey Beers

Nice, casual ambience

 I don't usually go into much detail about the bread basket, but I have to say the bread here is really good. They have a slight saltiness to them, for me that makes them very palatable.

A glass of red (S$24)

Other than the dinner menu, they also have a specials menu. We decided to share the Spanish Bluefin Tuna Duo (S$32) from the specials as our appetizer. The dish is very vibrant and all the flavours melded well together. On the left is the Moroccan tartare and on the right is the Provencale carpaccio.

db Bistro Moderne is famous for their burgers. Since Hubby was ordering a burger, I decided to try something else and picked the Roasted Nantucket Bay Scallops with truffle risotto, glazed salsify and turnip with chicken jus (S$46). Nantucket Bay scallops are smaller in size, but very tender. The scallops portion were generous, cooked to perfection and the truffle risotto was very good. All my favorite ingredients in one dish - scallops, risotto and truffle. YUMS!

Scallop, truffle and risotto.. heavenly

There are 4 types of burgers here, but we went for the Original db Burger (S$38). It is a sirloin burger, filled with braised short ribs and foie gras, served on a parmesan bun. Don't expect the patty texture to be same as regular burgers, when you bite into it, you will actually get 3 different textues from the sirloin,short ribs and foie. The foie is pretty small though (a small bit in the centre). This is an excellent gourmet as a burger... very juicy.

Best gourmet burger we've eaten

Couldn't get a better photo, but it was good

Fries

Since we were already full, we skipped dessert and had a walk around the shops. Here are some photos from The Shoppes in Marina Bay Sands.

They have a large water feature and canals around the mall, and I think you can take a sampan ride if you wish.

The Rain Oculus by Ned Kehn

Dior, Marina Bay Sands

Louis Vuitton, Marina Bay Sands

Chanel, Marina Bay Sands

Taking the underground passage to LV Island Maison

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Across the water

LV Island Maison (impressive glass structure)

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

The Rain Oculus from the outside (you can stand in opposite directions and talk to your friend though this is not its main function)

Verdict: Another great meal in Singapore! Nice ambience and good casual, fine dining.

Full set of photos available to view here.

Service: Good.

Price: Total bill was S$167.13.

Location: db Bistro Moderne, B1-48, Galleria Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956.

Tel: +65 6688 8525

Website: http://www.danielnyc.com/dbbistroSingapore.html

*All photos taken with iPhone4S.

A Day Off with Chuck Hughes @ The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Know this man? Yes, he is none other than the charming Chef Chuck Hughes who appears on Chuck's Day Off on Channel 703 (Asian Food Channel) every Wednesday at 9pm.

Chuck Hughes in Garde Manger

Chuck Hughes and his lemon meringue pie tattoo

A chef with a great sense of humour

Canadian celebrity chef Chuck Hughes was recently in KL, Malaysia for the third edition of the Celebrity Chef Series, jointly presented by American Express and the Asian Food Channel (AFC). I was lucky to be invited to the media session at The Ritz-Carlton KL on 22 February where we got to sit-in on an exclusive cooking demo, sample his food as well as listen to many of his many amazing tales (which kept us very amused throughout the session). Since I love cooking and meeting up with chefs, this was indeed a fun day for me.

Just a little backgrounder on Chuck Hughes - he hails from Quebec, Montreal, Canada and in 2006, with his wo best friends opened their own eatery, Garde Manger. The restaurant serves comfort food and plays loud rock music, and is an attraction for tourists and locals alike. In 2010, he started the TV show "Chuck's Day Off" where he cooks for his friends and co-workers on his day off,  the show is filmed in Garde Manger. (If you have time, you should watch it bcos it's things you can and will cook at home - the other day I learnt a new trick from his show - using 2 plates, first one downside up, place cherry tomatoes and then another plate placed upwards, then using a big knife, slice the tomatoes in the middle... saves lots of time! I would never think of doing something like that but that's so clever!)

The most defining moment of his career was when he became the youngest Canadian chef to win the popular show, Iron Chef America. With his delicious lobster recipe, he became the only Canadian chef to beat the legendary chef Bobby Flay. He also opened a second restaurant, Le Bremmer in Montreal and is launching a new series "Chuck's Week Off: Mexico".

We sat right in front of the stage so we got a very good view of Chuck Hughes.. ahem I mean the cooking demo..

The MC for the afternoon, Xandra Ooi who kept us entertained and taught Chuck Hughes some Manglish. ;P

Chuck Hughes was telling us about his first encounter with durian. According to him, "it's one of those things that's so bad, it's good"... He says that he will be getting a tattoo of a durian on his arm soon. Btw, speaking of tattoos, Chuck Hughes has loads of tattoos on his arms (and he says there are some on his back and chest too) - he tells us that he grew up loving tattoos and the first one he got was actually of 3 skulls with the flames and mum etched across it. Haha! He has bacon, lemon meringue pie, lobster and aragula leaves tattooed on his arms - that's how passionate he is about food.

See the 275 degrees one on his right arm - that's the perfect temperature for cooking potato chips! I'll never forget that now too.

For his cooking demo, Chuck Hughes prepared 3 dishes for us - popcorn rock shrimp with spicy honey, seared raw beef with potato chips, fried capers and lemon aioli and chocolate risotto arancini.

Here are some interesting facts he shared with us:
1. Always add salt and pepper to everything you fry.
2. He uses lime/lemon/orange zest on everything he cooks/prepare.
3. His mum has always encouraged him to cook. Once his mum said to him "one day you will be chef" to which he answered "But I want to be a millionaire".
4. When coating something in batter, always add flour first before the egg. Flour will help the eggs to stick.
5. He doesn't measure things, "I just cook and I improvise as I go. If I don't get it right, it's not the end of the world. Just start again".

Zesting an orange

Always wear a glove when coating batter

The popcorn rock shrimp with spicy honey is first dish he ever created for his first menu in one of the restaurants he worked at (not his own). He likes it because it is a combination of salty, sweet, spicy and crispy. It's so popular that people who go into his restaurant now often requests for it. It looks quite simple to prepare and was delicious.  (Will share the recipe soon in another post)

Our favourite from the afternoon was the seared raw beef (sort of like beef carpaccio but seared on the outside) and he slices it a little thicker than you would a carpaccio for more texture.

Seared raw beef with potato chips, fried capers and lemon aioli

The inspiration for this dish came when one day they had leftover risotto rice and decided to make this dessert, chocolate risotto arancini. He placed some chocolate in the center, coated it with panko breadcrumbs and then deep fried it. Nice when eaten warm.

Talking to the press after the cooking demo

Showing off his tattoos again ;)

And yes, the moment I have been waiting for... a photo with Chuck Hughes ;)

*First four photos are courtesy of Asian Food Channel/Martin Laprise. Thanks to Alice George Communications for the invite.


Full set of photos available to view here.


Catch him on Asian Food Channel (Astro 703) on Wednesday 9pm. 


Website: http://www.afcstudio.com