Singapore’s premier food and wine event returns with a slew of fun and exciting activities to satisfy the gourmand in you.
The much-awaited World Gourmet Summit (WGS), to be held from 28 March to 24 April, is back to celebrate 20 years of fine cuisine, great wines and unique dining experiences. Throughout the month-long event, the biggest names from the industry — from Singapore’s chef Julien Royer to Ireland’s best young chef Mark Moriarty — will be hosting a series of events, which range from dinner and wine tastings to cooking workshops. Are you ready to join this foodie extravaganza?
Epicurean Delights Featuring Reto Mathis
Stellar @ 1-Altitude, 13 to 16 April
Swiss culinary legend Reto Mathis was the first master chef invited when the World Gourmet Summit started in 1997. It’s only fitting then that he returns to host a series of events with executive chef Christopher Millar at Stellar @ 1-Altitude.
Truly an epicurean feast, you can savour his Swiss Alps signature dishes which include the crispy panzanella of octopus and onions; open-faced raviolo of braised veal shank; as well as his famous truffle and caviar creations — all of which are offered in two exquisite seven-course menus.
WGS 20 Best
Stellar @ 1-Altitude, 16 to 17 April, 9:30am to 4pm
One of the highlights of the month-long summit is the WGS 20 Best, which brings some of Singapore’s culinary powerhouses to Stellar @ 1-Altitude for 20 jam sessions.
Spread out over the weekend, these include special dinners, wine and master classes by chefs such as André Chiang, Sam Aisbett and Julien Royer. Coinciding with the event is the Farmer’s Market at CulinaryON, located at the building opposite the restaurant, which has about 20 vendors selling champagnes, organic products and gourmet foods.
Photo courtesy of World Gourmet Summit
Hands-On Workshop Featuring Mark Moriarty
At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, 14 April, 10am to 2pm
Flying all the way from Ireland is San Pellegrino’s Young Chef 2015, Mark Moriarty, who is scheduled to conduct a four-hour culinary workshop at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy.
The young chef, who won the prestigious title with his vegetarian dish, will teach you the basics of preparing a selection of Irish dishes cooked in new and innovative ways. At the event, you will also have the opportunity to cook alongside him and ask any tricks or techniques to start you off on your own culinary journey.
Photo courtesy of World Gourmet Summit
A 10-Year Kitchen Affair by Brandon Foo
Le Bistrot du Sommelier, 30 March
Chef-owner Brandon Foo takes us on a walk down memory lane with a five-course WGS menu that pays homage to his chef mentors throughout his 10-year career; some of them are chefs Arnaud Carré from Café de Paris, Jean Marc Bessire from Restaurant Le Cigalon and Patrick Heuberger from Casse Crôute.
Their influences have inspired chef Brandon to showcase French-Swiss dishes that include the yellow fin tuna cannelloni, La Brochete Margaridou and dry-aged Angus beef done three ways. With the option to top up, you can pair these dishes with fine French wines, as chosen by founder-sommelier Maximilien Fedkiw.
Spring in Bloom
Terra, 29 March, 7pm to 11pm
Singapore’s first Tokyo-Italian restaurant, Terra, celebrates the WGS with an indulgent omakase set that features authentic Italian dishes cooked with Japanese ingredients.
Chef-owner Seita Nakahara, who is well-versed in the techniques and flavours of Italian cooking, is all set to whip up his signatures which starts with the uni bruschetta and Shizuoka scampi carpaccio — both use seasonal vegetables and seafood air-flown from his home country. The menu continues with more seafood and beef dishes, and ends with his signature Terramisu with amaou strawberries.
Four Hands
Jaan, 11 to 14 April, lunch and dinner
The last time chef de cuisine Kirk Westaway and chef Mark Moriarty saw each other, it was to battle it out at San Pellegrino’s Young Chef 2015 competition in Milan. This year, they have teamed up for WGS, not to compete but to work together and present a modern French dining experience at Jaan.
Titled Four Hands, both chefs have prepared a five-course lunch and eight-course dinner menus that highlight some of their signature dishes. From chef Mark, you have the charred whole celeriac marinated in pearl barley and fermented hay, which earned him the title of San Pellegrino’s Young Chef 2015; meanwhile, Jaan’s chef de cuisine sticks to familiar favourites such as the heirloom tomato.
Awards of Excellence Presentation Ceremony & World Gourmet Summit Opening Reception
One Farrer Hotel & Spa, 5 April, 5pm to 10pm
Returning for its 16th edition, the Awards of Excellence ceremony will once again honour the top 32 individuals who excelled in the fields of F&B and hospitality. The prestigious event will take place at One Farrer Hotel & Spa, and will give you the chance to rub shoulders with top chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and trade professionals in the industry.
Aside from witnessing the momentous occasion, you will also be in for an epicurean feast, complemented by an exquisite selection of wines, which will be prepared by top restaurants and hotels.
Photo courtesy of World Gourmet Summit
Epicurean Delights Featuring Chris Donnellan
Ding Dong, 6 to 9 April, 6pm to 10:30pm (Wed and Thur) 6pm to 11:30pm (Fri, Sat)
The month-long summit encompasses all cuisines from European to Asian. At Ding Dong, it will showcase Vietnamese food with the help of guest chef Chris Donnellan.
His menu reflects the restaurant’s mod-Asian cuisine with a tempting lineup of dishes presented in a six-course dinner menu. Some of the highlights are the cold smoked ocean trout tartar; tom kha soup with seared foie gras and Fine de Claire oysters; and the slow-braised Wagyu shin with Peking cabbage, pomelo salad and roasted bone marrow.
Photo courtesy of Ding Dong
The Art of Plating Presented by Chef Keisuke Matsumoto
Lewin Terrace, 18 April, 7pm
Japanese cuisine is not just about the taste, but the overall presentation as well. You can witness how these come together at chef Keisuke Matsumoto’s Art of Plating, organised in conjunction with the WGS.
The session begins with chef Keisuke showing you how he marries Japanese flavours and French cooking techniques; then, he will demonstrate how he creatively plates the food using the ceramic tableware, Minoyaki, as base. The workshop concludes with a sumptuous five-course feast featuring chef Matsumoto’s signature creations.
Bikers Gourmet Safari
Singapore-Malaysia, 23 to 24 April, all-day event
WGS also has something for foodies in need of a great adventure — the Bikers Gourmet Safari. Organised by Travels with Samadhi, the two-day event has planned a food trip which takes you all the way to Johor and Malacca.
There are a couple of food stops along the way. Day is dedicated to exploring Johor and its famous food haunts, some of which are Ho Kopitiam for its steamed bao and Banang Hawker Centre for a variety of delicious hawker fare. Day two starts with a food stop in Malacca before riders head back to Singapore.
Photo courtesy of Travels with Samadhi
To find out more about these events and to book these sessions, please click here.