Cover Where Your Senses Feast
Where Your Senses Feast
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Held over two weeks in May, the food and wine festival featured some of Asia’s best chefs and bartenders coming together to create inspired collaboration menus—served with a side of theatrics
Collaborative dinners have become common in our buzzy dining scene, but integrated resorts Marina Bay Sands took this experience up a notch when it launched the first edition of its ‘Where Your Senses Feast’. The culinary extravaganza, which was held from May 15 to 28, featured the world’s most celebrated chefs coming together to create innovative four- and six-hands menus that showcase their culinary styles and the best seasonal bounty. And, unlike any other collaborative dining experiences gourmands have probably had in Singapore, these were served with a side of theatrics in the form of mesmerising performances that made for a memorable experience.
Tatler Singapore’s editors were lucky enough to partake in some of these culinary feasts. Read on below to find out what went down at four of Marina Bay Sands' signature dining events.
In case you missed it: Marina Bay Sands’ Food and Wine Festival is set to be a gastronomic escapade unlike any other
1. The Great Chef Showcase by Luke Mangan
Above Confit ocean trout
Confit ocean trout
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Armed with his Australian culinary flair and penchant for fine Asian flavours, celebrated chef Luke Mangan presented ‘The Great Chef Showcase’ to a sold-out, 160-strong crowd on May 17 and 18. Gourmands from across Asia descended upon the Event Dome overlooking the Marina Bay, into an immersive, light beamed dining hall that served as the backdrop to the fine, fresh feast to come.
Dinner commenced with slivers of finely sliced Hiramasa kingfish sashimi in a pool of sesame and dashi dressing, topped with cubes of compressed nashi pear and shiso as the first course; while the second course showcased the delicate flavours of the sea with confit ocean trout complemented by a prawn, coconut yoghurt, kaffir lime and nam jim dressing made with garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chilli. Fusing native ingredients from Japan and Thailand, these dishes were paired with equally refreshing white wines: A Trimbach Riesling 2020 from Alsace, France, and a Miles From Nowhere Best Blocks Chardonnay 2021 from Margaret River, Australia.
Seared and poached 9+ Wagyu beef fillet came served with an earthy medley of red wine braised onions, mushroom, fig and asparagus for our mains, offering up a moreish contrast that the more carnivorous diners loved. This was paired with a full-bodied red—Miles From Nowhere Best Blocks shiraz 2020 from Margaret River, Australia. Dinner culminated on refreshing high with a dessert of liquorice, apple, lime and mint—a dish that Mangan said reminded him of one of the greatest real love stories he’s ever known. Paired with a delightfully saccharine Angerhof Tschida Auslese 2021 from Burgenland Austria, the end of the four-course meal also featured a performance by internationally acclaimed dancers and acrobats formerly from the Cirque du Soleil.
2. Six Star Dinner
Tetsuya Wakuda, the chef-owner of Wakuda Singapore and Waku Ghin
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How many can say they’ve savoured a six-hand, six Michelin-star meal combining the culinary prowess of three highly acclaimed chefs? That was the gastronomic experience we experienced at the Six Star Dinner, featuring a collaborative menu by chefs Greg Bess of one-Michelin-starred Cut by Wolfgang Puck; Stefan Stiller of three-Michelin-starred Taian Table; and Tetsuya Wakuda of two-Michelin-starred Waku Ghin.
A trio of delectable canapés kicked off the fete of flavours. It was followed by Wakuda’s succulent abalone salad with white asparagus, laced with a luscious black bean and orange sauce. Wakuda, who is also a sake ambassador, complemented the dish with the Masuizumi Junmai Daiginjo, made especially for Wakuda’s restaurants.
The second and third courses were presented by Stiller, starting with the shio koji-cured aji (horse mackerel) with beef tongue and umeboshi that balanced the sour, salty and umami with much aplomb. Accentuating the flavours of the sea, we were soon served with the perfectly cooked Brittany blue lobster with carrots tartar and vin jaune sauce. These were served with a 2019 Peter Lauer riesling and 2018 François Carillon Burgundy, respectively.
The fourth course of the evening was robust yet bright—a stone axe full blood Wagyu filet mignon with wasabi pea puree, caramelised red onion and yuzu kosho—of which diners indulged in with sips of Wolfgang Puck’s 2010 Schrader-Beckstoffer-Georges III red wine. Taking palates to what could only be described as a Japanese tea party in France was Wakuda’s dessert. The light and flaky mille-feuille of caramelised apple, tea cream, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce was both silky and sumptuous, satiating the lucky diners who managed to book seats for the night.
Read more: Celebrity chef Tetsuya Wakuda opens his second restaurant in Singapore
3. A Culinary Symphony with Chef Ton
Above Mango and smoked coconut by chef Ton
Above Prawn, seaweed, beetroot and chilli by chef Ton
Mango and smoked coconut by chef Ton
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A hungry crowd of gourmands showed up at the Dome in Event Plaza, Marina Bay Sands on May 21 for a very special lunch, dubbed ‘A Culinary Symphony with Chef Ton’. Also known as Thitid Tassanakajohn, the chef-owner of Le Du and Nusara (the first and third best restaurants in Asia at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list) showcased his love of Thailand in a delectable four-course menu, which kicked off with a refreshing and spicy composition of prawn, served with three kinds of seaweed, a beetroot sorbet, chilli and fish sauce. This was perfectly paired with a glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, as Tassanakajohn is also a certified sommelier and gave strict instructions on the kinds of wines to be paired with his dishes.
Our second course was a beautifully prepared amadai (red tilefish), plated with a fried sticky rice cake and an intoxicatingly aromatic curry made from 10 different Thai herbs. The overall combination paired well with a lovely, floral 2021 Domaine Reverdy-Ducroux Sancerre. As for the main savoury course, two medallions of incredibly fatty Wagyu were accompanied by khao soi-inspired curry sauce and Northern Thai pepper. It paired beautifully with the 2020 Domaine Faively Bourgogne Rouge.
Inspired by the classic Thai combination of rice, coconut and mango, the dessert was a sticky rice cake with a smoked coconut sorbet, fresh mango and a mango puree. This was smartly served with a refreshing and sweet 2021 Angerhof Tschida Auslese from Burgenland, Austria. In all, it was a wonderful experience and a great introduction to Tassanakajohn’s cooking, especially for those who have not yet had the opportunity to dine at his restaurants in Bangkok.
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4. Marquee Experiential Dining
Oyster and pearl by chef Johanne
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On May 23 and 24, Marquee Nightclub was transformed into the ultimate dining destination when celebrated Filipino chefs Johanne Siy (Lolla, Singapore) and Jordy Navarra (Toyo Eatery, Philippines) took over the kitchen to curate a four-course dinner menu inspired by their home country.
Siy shared with the evening’s guests that she always had “access to the freshest seafood” in her youth due to the proximity of her hometown to the sea, and she was able to evoke this on a plate with her first course of Oysters and Pearls. Memories of beach holidays came to mind as we were served the oyster tartare and oyster aioli topped with a bright and refreshing tomato gelee and creamy caviar to accentuate the star ingredient. These even came with a surprise—ice cream pearls hidden under the oyster shell, which acted as a palate cleanser before the next course.
Navarra mentioned that the second course featured “all the things that I love to eat”—and so, his dish was the pork sisig with achara chillies and assorted pickles. These kept our palates refreshed as we dug into the spicy fish pie served on the side.
Fiesta! Kamayan Feast was the main course and was a collaborative effort between both chefs. In the Philippines, communal feasts comprise different types of food laid out on a table covered with banana leaves, and guests are more than welcome to eat with their hands. Navarra and Siy’s take on this dish consisted of a meaty Carabinero prawn packed with umami flavour, and best had with the savoury garlic rice, and pickles to round off the dish with acerbic notes.
As for dessert, the chefs elevated the Halo Halo, a traditional Filipino ice-cold dessert of shaved ice, various sweetened fruits and beans, sweetened milk and ice cream. Their version came with popcorn and nut brittle for that welcome textural contrast that brought this creation to another level. Each dish was served with refreshing cocktails, and as we sipped into our drinks we were also treated to mesmerising dance performances in between courses that made for an unforgettable sensorial feast.
