The inaugural dining event by Robert Parker Wine Advocate honours Singapore’s brightest and boldest.
Making its debut this year, the GastroMonth Circle of Excellence Awards, organised by Robert Parker Wine Advocate (RPWA), recognises and celebrates the contributions of outstanding individuals who have demonstrated excellence in their respective fields in the F&B industry.
One of the two big nods on the night (held at Shangri-La on Saturday) went to Beppe De Vito, founder of the ilLido Group of restaurants and bars, who was named this year’s Innovative and Bold Restauranteur, while Pepe Moncayo, executive chef of BAM!, earned the honour being the inaugural award’s first Innovative and Bold Chef recipient.
Michelin-starred American steakhouse Cut by Wolfgang Puck also stood out with two wins— it took home the award for Favourite Restaurant Team, while its manager Paul Joseph snagged the Favourite Restaurant Manager honours.
(Related: Is There Anything That Still Challenges Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck?)
Unlike the Innovative and Bold tributes, which were voted by a panel of judges from the industry and the media, the “favourite” award winners were selected based on about 6,000 online votes by the public over a period of two months. So it made sense that organisers included nods to the ever-buzzing street food scene—popular hawker stall A Noodle Story in Amoy Street Food Centre was the public’s Favourite Street Food Vendor. Other expected recipients were Boo Jing Heng of Tess Bar & Kitchen, who was voted Favourite Bartender, while Daisuke Kawai of La Terre was this year’s Favourite Sommelier.
Of course, the celebration doesn’t end here. The month-long series of dining events and workshops held this month features an exciting line-up of over 40 participating restaurants, and includes specially priced menus like the $240++ lunch omakase at Shoukouwa that would normally cost $320++.
(Related: One-On-One With Revered Wine Critic Robert M. Parker, Jr.)
There’s also a specially curated four-course lunch menu (choose from 16 ingredients; omakase style) with a complimentary glass of wine at Chef’s Table by Chef Stephan for $58++ (now until Nov 11), as well as a three-course dinner at three-Michelin starred Joel Robuchon at $248++ (Nov 21-26) that includes of a tour of the kitchen. There’s even a complimentary masterclass to complement a five-course dinner ($120++) at Stellar on Nov 20.
Visit www.gastromonth.com for more information.
