Cover Acclaimed pastry chef Makoto Arami, who will be opening his brick-and-mortar concept AMI Patisserie at Scotts Road
Acclaimed pastry chef Makoto Arami, who will be opening his brick-and-mortar concept AMI Patisserie at Scotts Road
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Acclaimed pastry chef Makoto Arami, the ex-executive pastry chef of Béni, is turning his wildly popular online business into a brick-and-mortar concept with a chef’s table experience
Pastry lovers have had much to celebrate in recent months, with several high profile pâtisseries and dessert shops popping up around Singapore (Cédric Grolet, anyone?). Come November, there’ll be reason to rejoice again with the opening of pastry chef Makoto Arami’s Ami Pâtisserie on Scotts Road.
Previously the executive pastry chef of one-Michelin-starred Béni and pastry sous chef at Marina Bay Sands, Arami started Ami Pâtisserie as an online business in 2021, quickly gaining a cult following for his intricate, picturesque pastries. The upcoming physical store will not only feature fan favourites in its café, but Arami will also offer a six-course “Chef’s Table Discovery” menu in the pâtisserie’s intimate eight-seater “Tsudoi” room. A Japanese term meaning “any time”, “all the time”, or “whenever”, tsudo is at the heart of Arami’s new concept that aims to reframe “the role of pastries as a full experience, and not just an afterthought”. According to him, pastries can and should be “savoured at any time of the day, even as a meal in itself”.
“I didn’t have many opportunities to meet my customers when Ami was an online-only business,” Arami says. “With the new physical concept, I’m looking forward to being able to interact with my guests in person.” In anticipation of the long-awaited opening, here are five things we can’t wait to see at the new Ami Pâtisserie.
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1. Sweet and savoury pastries
Drawing from his experience at fine dining restaurants, Arami’s “Chef’s Table Discovery” menu is a carefully curated exploration of sweet and savoury European-style pastries, each crafted to bring out the “distinct, natural flavours of Japanese produce”.
The experience will start with a welcome drink infused with seasonal fruits and vegetables, before you are treated to bread and sweet pastry canapés—just like you would expect in a fine dining experience. Savoury courses will then follow before Arami’s signature dessert creations return to the stage to help end the meal on a delicately sweet note.
While we have to wait to see what Arami has up his sleeves, the chef’s repertoire of dessert masterpieces offers a glimpse into what we can expect. The fan-favourite burnt cheesecake infused with Tahitian vanilla, for instance, is decadently topped with black truffle shavings, presenting a novel yet luxurious combination of sweet and savoury flavours.
2. Elegant Japanese interiors
Above Exteriors of Ami Pâtisserie's physical concept, encompassing both the café area and the Tsudoi room
Exteriors of Ami Pâtisserie's physical concept, encompassing both the café area and the Tsudoi room
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Pastries won’t be the only Instagram-worthy items at Ami Pâtisserie. Arami, who was born in the Shiga prefecture near Kyoto, Japan, will embrace his Japanese roots by incorporating a Kyoto-style interior design that’s close to home.Through the use of neutral hues and natural materials, the space will boast an elegant and contemporary design which mirrors that of a kyo machiya, which is a Kyoto-style traditional wooden townhouse. It is especially fitting given that a key characteristic of a kyo machiya is a beautiful garden, much like the lush foliage surrounding the black and white colonial house at 27 Scotts Road.
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3. Exquisite tableware
Exquisite Shigaraki yaki (Shigaraki tableware) are the tableware of choice at Ami, with handmade plates, bowls and coasters masterfully crafted by traditional potter Kasho Morioka, a friend of Arami’s. This ceramic tableware is known for its characteristic reddish-brown hue, courtesy of the iron-rich clay used in the Shigaraki region. Bespoke glassware from Kimura Glass, a century-old Tokyo-based glass atelier, will also grace the tables of the pâtisserie.
4. Exceptional ingredients
Above Arami sources for exceptional ingredients, including vanilla from Sukabumi, West Java
Arami sources for exceptional ingredients, including vanilla from Sukabumi, West Java
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With plans for a seasonal menu, guests will be able to sample different creations depending on the time of year, featuring the best of each season’s produce. Of course, we can expect directly imported seasonal Japanese fruits, as well as fresh ingredients from around the world. For Ami’s opening in November, look out for autumn’s best harvest, such as chestnuts, white truffle, and carrots grown in snow, which are higher in sugar and hence also sweeter.
Exceptional ingredients from around the region, such as vanilla from Sukabumi, West Java, already feature in some of Arami’s existing creations, but keep an eye out for special ingredients that he has plans to source, such as Vietnamese cacao beans.
5. Chef Arami’s signature pastries
Above Shizuoka crown melon tart
Shizuoka crown melon tart
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If you’ve been a fan of Ami Pâtisserie’s pastries since day one, you’ll be relieved to find Arami’s signature creations in the café portion of the pâtisserie. Popular items like the assorted choux au craquelin and alcohol-infused fruit tarts will be on the menu. The tarts in particular are made with a tender and flaky filo pastry that is based on techniques Arami learnt while working at Beige Alain Ducasse before revising it to create his own style. Take, for instance, the Shizuoka crown melon tart, where a mildly intoxicating Cointreau vanilla custard is layered over a filo tarte and topped with juicy crown melon balls.
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Ethan is a dining writer with Tatler Singapore. Trained in literary arts and filmmaking, their work has previously been published in Esquire Singapore, Men's Folio, and with the Asian Film Archive and the Singapore International and Film Festival, across a wide range of interests from gastronomy to fashion and arts criticism.
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Ethan writes about exciting news in the F&B industry, specialising in fine dining, exclusive spirits launches, and new restaurants. They are always looking for riveting voices to bring something fresh to an already-dynamic industry.
Follow them on Instagram at @faustiangourmand.
