Cover Giuseppe Farinotti, Dan Zenou, Kirk Westaway and Louisa Lim
Giuseppe Farinotti, Dan Zenou, Kirk Westaway and Louisa Lim
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Tatler Singapore hosted an intimate gathering at Tatler House to recognise the best of the best in Singapore’s dining scene over delectable canapés and premium beverages
February 26 marked a special date for Singapore’s dining scene as honourees of the Tatler Dining Guide gathered at the Tatler House to celebrate their achievements at the Tatler Dining Awards appreciation party. For the uninitiated, the Tatler Dining Guide has been a staple in Singapore’s culinary scene since 1986, and is a compilation of over 200 established and novel restaurants which had been carefully selected by our team of expert reviewers and tastemakers based on the quality of the food, wine selection, service and ambience.
Since 2007, Tatler Singapore has been recognising these establishments for making the local dining scene buzzy through the Tatler Dining Awards. For this year’s festivities, we had every intention to keep things intimate, cosy, and extra tasty by throwing a gastronomic-led party that is chock full of delicious bites and endless tipples.
Read more: The best of the year restaurant awardees in the Tatler Dining Awards 2024
Aun Koh and Dudi Aureus
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The serendipitous evening kicked off with speeches by Aun Koh (editor-in-chief of Tatler Singapore), and Dudi Aureus (senior editor of Tatler Dining Singapore), who commended the hard work and fortitude of these top chefs. Stephanie Tay (managing director of Tatler Singapore) also graced the occasion to express her compliments to the guests. Having unveiled the awardees via social media at the beginning of February, a series of captivating video reels were shown to honour the crème de la crème of the over 200 restaurants listed on the guide.
Besides the Tatler Dining 20, the Tatler Dining Awards have also expanded our Best of the Year awards in recognition of more outstanding chefs and restaurants. Notable mentions include the Impact Award which the eponymous Justin Quek secured; the Rising Star Award which Hafizzul Hashim of Fiz fully deserved; and the Best Sommelier Award which Justin Wee of La Dame de Pic, Raffles Singapore took home.
For the full list of the Best of the Year awardees, read more here.
Louisa lim, Stephanie Tay and Dan Zenou
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To reinforce the fact that Singapore’s culinary scene is brimming with talent and full of potential, we also launched the Honourable Mentions category which reveals an esteemed list of ten remarkable establishments beyond the top 20. These include Mirko Febbrile’s stunning waterfront dining destination Fico; Johanne Siy’s contemporary cuisine restaurant Lolla; and Malcolm Lee’s idyllic modern Peranakan restaurant Pangium.
For the full list of the Honourable Mentions nominees, read more here.
After a short break, the attention was once again gathered in celebration of Odette restaurant, which came in with a sweeping treble securing Restaurant of the Year and Best Service while Louisa Lim was crowned Best Pastry Chef. To end the night in style, the Tatler Dining team orchestrated an interactive trivia game to test the knowledge of chefs in attendance. The prize? A Dom Pérignon champagne which the top three winners took home. After eleven sizzling rounds, the winners emerged. Making the podium were triumphant foodies Raymond Lim and Lim Sze Liang, while Julian Mercer of Claudine showed up for the chef contingent.
The Decennial Opulence by Tim’s Fine Catering
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Of course, no Tatler Dining event is complete without food and drinks, and guests grazed on canapés created by chef Tim Meijiers of Tim’s Fine Catering. These included seared foie gras topped on a mini apple pie with fleur de sel (a type of French sea salt); Jerusalem artichoke, expressed in two textures—mousseline and a crisp pickled sliver—and layered with dashi jelly and baeri caviar, stylishly served in a caviar tin; and the crowd-pleasing Australian Wagyu beef drizzled with red wine jus and accompaniments of Yorkshire pudding and roasted brussel sprouts. For sweet endings, Meijiers presented a dark chocolate whisky truffle and an Armagnac-infused rhum baba adorned with edible flowers and gold leaf.
At the Tatler bar, there was no shortage of options for merrymaking. Refreshing craft cocktails aside, event beverage partners Grand Vin and Pivene poured an array of wines, from vibrant whites such as Domane Wachau Grüner Veltliner 2020 by Heinz & Friends and Seguinot Bordet Chablis 2022 to opulent reds like the Couvent des Jacobins Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2015, to satisfy the oenophiles. For the whisky-loving folks, The Dalmore single malt whiskies—including the highly coveted King Alexander III—made a spirited appearance courtesy of Emperador Inc.
Find out what went down at the Tatler Dining Awards in the video below:
Credits
Photography: Max Chan and Adrian Lee
