Iggy’s, Singapore

Continuing the ‘run down’ - in at seven… Iggy’s.

As I have already blogged (see here) about my visit to Ignatius Chan’s unique fine dining establishment in Singapore, there is not much I can add with regards to food. But I can tell you more about this interesting man and his journey to become the restaurateur behind Asia’s Number One Restaurant, (according to the Miele guide) and the thriving food scene in Singapore, at which Ignatius ‘Iggy’ Chan is at the heart.

Firstly, let me start by correcting myself, for it is a massive understatement to say that the food scene in Singapore is simply “thriving”. This tiny city-state island is rapidly becoming a mecca for foodies, only rivalled by the likes of London, New York, Paris and Tokyo. Internationally renowned Chefs such as Guy Savoy, Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Boulud, Tetsuya Wakuda, Joël Robuchon, Mario Batali and of course Santi Santamaria (who sadly died earlier this year whilst at his restaurant in Singapore’s new Marina Bay Sands complex) all have outposts there.

Salmon, Savoy Cabbage & Basil Seeds - the best smoked salmon I've ever tasted.  

Impressive, huh? Well, these are just the big, big names, there is also a plethora of other exciting eateries run by local talents and gifted chefs of all nationalities who have made this food obsessed island their home. The list is huge but here is my pick of the bunch:

Foie Gras, Figs, Tarragon & Cassis

Restaurant André – Former protégée of Pierre Gagnaire, Joël Roubochon, Michel Troisgros and the Pourcel brothers, Taiwanese Chef André Chiang helped to secure his previous employer Jaan a ranking of 39^th Best Restaurant in the World on the S.Pellegrino list with his modern French cuisine. His first solo venture managed to bag the 100^th spot in the 2011 list just a few months after opening.

Capellini, Sakura Ebi, Konbu & Scampi Oil

Jaan Restaurant – upon André’s departure, Jaan located in the Swissôtel, took on ‘The Swedish Gagnaire’, Ebbe Vollmer. At the age of 16, Vollmer landed a job at Marco Pierre White’s iconic Harvey’s (where he worked alongside a young Gordon Ramsay), he then returned to Sweden to infuse this classic training with Nordic traditions, before returning to London to work for his old chum Gordon Ramsay at his eponymous 3 starred Royal Hospital Road restaurant.

Seasonal Market Fish, Fennel, Caper Berry & Pernod

Gunther’s Modern French Cuisine – another restaurant that I have blogged about (see here), Belgian Chef Gunther Hubrechsen worked for five years as sous chef to Alain Passard at L’Arpege before he opened his elegant modern eatery.

Duck, Carrot, Sesame with Natural Jus

FiftyThree – Michael Han is a Singaporean chef with a law degree from Bristol University and trained at The Fat Duck, Mugartiz and Noma… need I say more?

Wagyu Tenderloin, Pink Garlic & Aubergine

Goto – A hidden gem! The eponymous, four cover restaurant serving authentic kaiseki cuisine crafted by Hisao Goto, the former private chef of the Japanese ambassador in Singapore. Phenomenal!

Gnocchi, Fava Beans, Lamb Belly & Pea

The Tippling Club – A, what should be, revolutionary concept: the ‘Gastrobar’ (not pub)– progressive molecular cookery paired with equally imaginative cocktails! An amazing place, headed up by the massively talented English Chef, Ryan Clift (Ex Head Chef of Shannon Bennett’s Vue du Monde in Australia and former employee of Marco Pierre White, Peter Gordon, Emmanuel Renaut and Raymond Capaldi.)

2am:DessertBar (see here) – Janice Wong is a young and incredibly gifted Le Cordon Bleu trained pastry Chef. She has worked establishments such as WD-50 (alongside Alex Stupak, and Rosio Sanchez of Noma fame), Les Amis, Arzak, Alinea and Per Se – with a resume like this I’m sure Janice could get a job in any top kitchen, anywhere in the world. Instead, still in her early twenties, she took the bold and innovative move to open a ‘dessert bar’ in the trendy Holland Village area. Each of Janice’s dishes is an artistic masterpiece and a stimulating multisensory attack of colour, flavour and texture. All Janice’s creations come with wine pairings and are served from her modish bar, which is open to 2am! If you are planning a visit to Singapore – you have to go there! Alternatively, look out for her first book ‘Perfection in Imperfection’ available here.

You may be thinking, ‘Why, when this post is about Iggy’s are you telling me all this?’ The reason is simple: to understand how good Iggy’s is consider that of all these places and chefs mentioned, the Miele Guide’s Number One Restaurant in Asia is Iggy’s.

Some of Iggy's awards & accolades

Furthermore, in 2009, it became the first Singaporean restaurant to enter the Restaurant Magazine’s S.Pellegrino Top 50 list at number 45; 2010 saw a rise to position 28 and a move to new premises from the Regent Hotel to The Hilton on Orchard Road and in 2011 it advanced one place further - when you consider that, at 27, it is higher placed than The Ledbury, Marcus Wareing, The French Laundry, Bras and Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee all this seems a phenomenal feat for a restaurant owned by a ‘sommelier’ and one that doesn’t even have a head chef!

“No head chef?”

Iggy himself is not a chef, but a fully trained and respected sommelier. At young age he became a waiter at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Singapore where he worked and studied hard and eventually earned the promotion to sommelier. In 1990, he won the Veuve Clicquot Champagne scholarship; in ‘91 he became cellar master at the famous Raffles Hotel; in ’94 he became a restaurateur when he and Chef Justin Quek helped set up Les Amis.

In 2004, Ignatius and his wife, Janice Wong (a different Janice Wong to the owner of the 2am:dessertbar) decided to open their own place, and Iggy’s was born. They pride themselves on providing guests with a highly personal (despite moving to new premises which are double in size, they decided to retain the number of covers) and sensational gastronomic dining experience.

Exceptional tomatoes; sourced by Iggy.

Oh yes, the no head chef thing… essentially, it works like this: Iggy travels around the world eating at the best restaurants and sourcing exceptional seasonal ingredients (and wines) from the likes of Australia, Europe and Japan. He then meets with his kitchen staff where they collaborate to develop progressive new and largely modern European dishes, naturally with the Asian palate in mind.

Each section (fish, meat, cold dishes, pastries etc…) of Iggy’s state of the art kitchen has a chef who acts as section leader. There are typically sixteen chefs as well as trainees and stagiaires. Iggy has assembled an ambitious young team, who without a single big named chef at the helm are afforded greater creativity and freedom to express their talents. All Iggy’s chefs are currently under 30 and include hotshots from America, India Switzerland and of course, Singapore.

One such ‘section leader’ is virtuoso pastry supremo Andres Lara – Chicago born Andres (or Andy) has worked in some of the finest pâtisseries on the planet, including those of Eric Perez, Dimitri Fayard and Paco Torreblanca; and some of the most creative restaurants, including the kitchens of El Bulli and Noma. One of the charms if Iggy’s is, when sitting at the fabulous dessert counter, the experience of being able to see masters such as Andres at work.

Rhubarb, Salted Sable, Vanilla Beans with Blood Orange

All this is why Iggy’s is so special and my meal there so memorable. So there we have it, my 7^th best restaurant of all time! 

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Hungry Hoss Top Ten: No. 8 – Jean Georges

Continuing the ‘run down’ of my Hungry Hoss Top Ten favourite restaurants of all time - at number eight, another New York offering, the three star Jean Georges.

On my last visit to the big apple, I wanted to try at least one of the city’s five* 3 Michelin starred restaurants. (*Now seven, with Eleven Madison Park and Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare gaining them in the recently 2012 guide.) Masa was dismissed as I already had a booking at Kajitsu (see here) and as much as I love Japanese food, wanted some variety on my trip; Eric Ripert’s classic La Bernadin was a serious contender; I’d heard wonderful things about the service at Thomas Keller’s Per Se and Daniel Boulud’s eponymous Daniel is legendary and has trained so many top chefs.

However, it was the Asian tinged contemporary French cuisine of Jean-Georges Vongerichten that eventually won the day. Adding weight to this decision was the restaurant’s prestigious location in the Trump International Hotel and Tower at One Central Park West on Columbus Circle.

On the introduction to my top  ten (the Pied à Terre post) I  stated that when coming up with this list, I considered, ‘the quality of food, service, décor, ambience, location’ and ‘‘x factor’ or ‘je ne sais quoi’ – I’d like to add ‘timing’ to this list. For, what also made Jean Georges so memorable was the role that Central Park played as the perfect ‘digestif’ - after our meal, the time that my wife and I spent in the glorious autumnal sunshine, strolling hand in hand through the park, as the words and sentiments of Frank Sinatra’s ‘Autumn in New York’ rung through our hearts, rounded off the lunch perfectly and helped to make the meal all the more magical. Rounding off, the rounding off was a ride of the fabulous merry-go-round and a skate round the Wollman Rink.

All this, I suppose, does beg the question, would the whole experience be as memorable if it had been raining and we had hailed a yellow can back to our hotel? Maybe not, but like I say, that was just the digestif; we still have the fabulous meal to recount.

At the time of dining, the ‘Tastes of Autumn’ lunch menu offered twenty-one dishes with the set price of $32 for two and additional dishes for $16 each. My wife and I decided to select three dishes each. Please, forgive my relative lack of comments on the following, this meal was in October 2010 and I was not writing this blog at the time and although I took a few pictures for posterity, no notes were made. Consequently, I do not want to attempt to write too much from memory as I feel I would not do the food justice – suffice to say that my general recollection is that the cooking was absolutely flawless and the flavours harmonious.

I went for:

Black Sea Bass Sashimi, Himrod Grapes and Lime Ponzu – a fabulous Asian inspired dish; my favourite dish of the lunch.

Crispy Crab, Pink Peppercorn, Mustard and Exotic Fruits – a great combination of textures and flavours: with the crisp kromeski of sweet crabmeat; the juicy, soft exotic fruits and the ‘pepperiness’ of the mustard cress.

Slow Baked Salmon with Burgundy Truffle Crumb, Silky and Crispy Parsnip

My wife opted for:

Wild Mushroom Ravioli, Parmesan, Jalapeno and Mint

Coach Farms Goat Cheese Gnocchi, Caramelized Baby Artichokes, Lemon and Olive Oil (My wife’s favourite dish of the lunch).

Caramelized Beef Tenderloin, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Pecans and Avocado

To follow, being in New York and inspired by the phrase, ‘As American as apple pie’ I chose the dish simply called ‘Apple’ which featured: Granny Smith Sorbet, Chartreuse Compressed Fennel, Crispy Salted Fronds, Spice Cake, Cider Sorbet, Clementine, Dates and Hazelnuts.

The spiced apple cake with the cider sorbet piped into its centre was beautiful; this was surrounded by dates topped with cinnamon encrusted hazelnuts and tiny Clementine juice vesicles that had been separated by liquid nitrogen. The Granny Smith apple sorbet and fennel with Chartreuse and a hint of aniseed then accompanied this, along with the crispy fennel fronds on top - a fabulous finish to the meal.  

My wife chose ‘Chocolate’ starring: Jean Georges’ Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Caramelized Honey Ganache, Amaranth Seeds and Hibiscus Streusel.

After the meal, before the park, we were presented with petit fours to accompany our tea - these included handmade chocolates, macaroons and the rather fun marshmallows, which were cut at the table.

One negative to our meal was the green tea, which was served steaming hot and unfortunately had to be sent back and replaced. I don’t want to make sweeping generalisations about America’s inability to make a decent cup of tea; or indeed reinforce stereotypes about the British and our tea obsession, but a three star establishment, even if in a city famed for its coffee consumption, should know the correct temperature to prepare and serve the teas that they have on their menu.

For those that don’t, here’s the technical bit: the delicate flavour and aroma of tea is determined by natural sugars and amino acids present in the leaves; whereas, polyphenols or ‘tannins’ contribute to astringent and bitter notes. Amino acids dissolve at 60°C, while tannins dissolve at 80°C. Consequently, tea brewed at lower temperatures will enable the sweet complex flavours to shine and will not be overpowered by bitterness or astringency. I’d guess the tea at Jean Georges was served in the high nineties*, resulting in burnt leaves and overpowering bitterness. (*Whilst this temperature is suitable for oolong or black teas it’s far too hot for green, yellow or white) – I hope someone from the restaurant reads this, as they were just about perfect in every other area!

Simple solution, when in New York, go to Jean Georges – it’s wonderful (but order a coffee.)

At the time of dining Jean George was ranked as the Restaurant Magazine's 19th Best Restaurant in the World (it has ranked as high as 4, in 2003).

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Kajitsu, New York

Continuing the posts on my Hungry Hoss Top Ten restaurants of all time, a ‘vegan’ restaurant may not seem an obvious choice but Kajitsu, meaning ‘day of celebration’ is special for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I love all things Japanese: samurai warriors; ninjas; the literature of Murakami and poetry of Basho; kitschy J-Pop and Hello Kitty. Most of all, I love the food of Japan - and this small two Michelin starred restaurant in New York’s happening East Village specialises in ‘shojin cuisine’, artistically presented in the kaiseki style; the Japanese equivalent of haute cuisine. The second reason being, the brilliant sake menu and parings.

The Kajitsu website states: ‘Kajitsu serves shojin cuisine; an ancient Japanese cuisine developed in Zen Buddhist monasteries. Following the Buddhist principle of not taking life, Shojin cuisine does not use meat or fish. Meals are prepared from fresh, seasonal vegetables, legumes, wild herbs, seeds and grains, chosen at the moment in the season that best reflects their flavour. At Kajitsu they make their delicious and wholesome dishes from high quality ingredients prepared with traditional Japanese culinary techniques.’

A master of his craft, having trained for ten years in Kyoto’s Kitcho, Chef Masato Nishihara works alone, like a rōnin, at his counter of the open kitchen, skilfully creating technically flawless and beautiful food. Such is the power of the chef’s fantastically fresh, authentic cuisine, that with every mouthful, I could imagine being at the foot of Mount Fuji surrounded by sakura, as opposed to a basement restaurant in the bustling city that never sleeps.

Despite it being late October, we had enjoyed particularly pleasing weather. Earlier in the day, we had taken another stroll through Central Park and had a sun kissed skate around the Wollman Ice Rink. In the evening however, the weather took a turn for the worse (so much so that our plan to go up the Empire State Building after our meal, had to be shelved). It also made haling a yellow taxi outside our hotel seemingly impossible. Wet and fearing that we would be late for our reservation, we were starting to get a little stressed - fortunately, the Waldorf Astoria has its own fleet of ‘limousines’, so even though we were a little bit worse for wear we eventually made our way to the restaurant in style.

I’m certain that Kajitsu could be described as Zen-like any time of the year, but stepping into this wonderfully tranquil restaurant from a cold, blustery and rainy New York street, made for an impactful contrast. Sparsely furnished with heavy wooden tables, stone floors and neutral hues, the restaurant’s décor is distinctively calming; this is enhanced by the subtlest splashes of colour from simply arranged flowers and artworks. I don’t remember any music – if there was it was unobtrusive. Simply put, I can’t remember a time when I have felt so relaxed.

As much as I love the image of the Geisha, it was also reassuringly ‘authentic’ to be served by a casually dressed New Yorker in jeans, a t-shirt and apron. At Kajitsu, authenticity comes from the food and the food alone - not from putting their waiting staff in traditional Japanese dress. The staff were also very knowledgeable, telling us about key ingredients, such as Fu (a traditional type of wheat gluten) and, of course, the different sakes (or Nihonshu.)

All dishes came served on bright red melamine trays, which made a vibrant contrast to the rustic Japanese glazed pottery that contained our first dish from the ‘Hana’ menu, Grilled Eggplant with Ponzu Gelée and a Hibiscus Leaf - blissfully delicate and beautifully delectable.

This dish was paired with Denshin Sake from Fukui – although I am not a regular drinker, I do enjoy sake. This one was very dry (my wife’s favourite from those we tasted.)

The next dish was an umami rich Autumn Mushroom Soup, showcasing some superb specimens. Some were familiar, such as Shimeji and Enoki; others were new to me, such as: Matsutake, Maitake and the White Wood Ear. The dish also featured Choji-Fu, Green Yuzu and Sudachi, which added a citrusy tang to the hearty and earthy broth.

This dish was paired with an Azumaichi Sake from Saga – as this meal was taken over a year ago, I can’t recall too much about this one and as I hadn’t started my blog at this time I don’t have any notes to refer to.

Next up came a trio of dishes, which complemented each other so well. My favourite was the Calamarata Pasta Stuffed with Multi Grain Rice and Chestnuts (The large rings of Calamarata pasta get their name from their resemblance to calamari rings; an unusual ingredient in Japanese cuisine).

Served along side this were Grilled Fennel Bulbs with Miso Marinated Sesame Tofu and Black Truffle – full on, traditional Japanese flavours and wonderful textures. (Sesame Tofu or 'goma dofu' is actually nut a tofu at all; it is made from kuzu, water and sesame paste.)

The final part of the triad was a Salad of Fresh Persimmons (Sharon Fruit) and Kabu Turnips – regally topped with jewels of pomegranate. 

This dish was paired with Born Sake from Fukui – a much sweeter offering.

The next course was undoubtedly my favourite, House-Made Udon with Kuzu Broth, Yuba (more commonly known in the UK as beancurd skin, sheet or paper and sometimes as tofu skin) and Nori – extracted from the root of a vigorous Japanese mountain weed, the Kuzu starch works as delicious thickener which makes soups have the most wonderful silken texture.

Served within the hollowed out gourds from different squashes, the next course was perhaps the most visually impressive, Grilled Yomogi Nama-Fu and Vegetables with Sansho Sauce and Nuts, Kabocha Squash Tempura with Daikon, Horseradish and Ume Plum Paste – the green Nama-Fu was the star of the show.

This dish was paired with Sasaichi Sake from Yamanashi – a particularly refreshing offering.

Following this came another trio of dishes. One being Gomoku Rice - some quick Internet research tells me, that ‘Gomoku is a rice based Japanese dish traditionally made with five vegetables and some type of protein. Everything in this one pot meal has strong healing properties that all come together to create a deeply nourishing meal.’ I can’t vouch for its healing properties but it sure tasted good!

Accompanying the rice was a small serving of Red Miso Soup. Of all the dishes on the menu this was the one that I was most familiar with  - it was the best miso I have ever tasted.

Complementing these dishes were some delicious House-Made Pickles, topped with delicate flowers.

This dish was paired with a Daishichi Sake with Fukushima – this was the smoothest of the sakes we tasted and my personal favourite on the evening.

The first of the desserts was a Sweet Potato Pastry Square – although I would perhaps have preferred a nice chocolaty rich cake, it’s good to eat different things - but it’s fair to say, Japanese desserts are not my favourite sweet treats.

Following the ‘sweet’ was a traditionally prepared beautifully bitter Matcha Tea served with Candies from, Kyoto’s ‘oldest and best known okashi-ya’ (sweet shop), Kagizen Yoshifusa.

An enchanting eating experience - for providing us with exquisitely prepared Shojin cuisine in perfectly peaceful surroundings, Kajitsu is the restaurant, currently at number 9 in my all time Hungry Hoss Top Ten. 

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Pied à Terre - 2 Michelin Stars

Since starting this here foodie blog, a few friends and colleagues have asked me about my favourite restaurants. Naturally, being a bit of a nerd, I do keep an excel document that keeps track of such pertinent information. Detailing the amount of times each one has been visited and logging such information as the number of Michelin stars and/or ranking in the S.Pellegrino list (and Miele Guide for those in Asia).

So, geekily, I thought I’d share a ‘run down’ of the Hungry Hoss Top Ten. Based on a number of factors, my list does not necessarily include just those in which I have eaten the best food; for example, on food alone, the Roca brother’s one Michelin starred Moo in Barcelona or New York’s, similarly one starred, WD-50 would undoubtedly secure a ranking. However both had dining rooms that let them down - I found Moo’s ‘hotel lobby’ based restaurant unwelcoming. Whereas WD-50’s was too cramped for me, with seats positioned uncomfortably close to neighbouring diners (as pleasant as the young Oregon couple on our left were, I did not expect to be sharing a supposedly intimate and romantic evening with them.)

Coming up with a definitive (for now) list, I have considered the quality of food, service, décor, ambience, location and in some cases, what I can only describe as a certain ‘x factor’ or ‘je ne sais quoi’ that makes them stand out from the crowd. I would like to point out that I visited many of the restaurants on the list before starting my blog, consequently not all the food was photographed and where it was, the photographs are not always of great quality. Also no notes were taken therefore I have to rely on memory alone – thankfully all on the list did provide memorable experiences; so I hope my recollections do them justice!

With this in mind - At number 10: Pied à Terre

We visited Pied à Terre in June last year; at the time Shane Osborn was in charge of the two Michelin starred kitchen. Sadly, following his subsequent departure, the restaurant went on to lose one of its stars. Eleven years prior, the same thing happened when Shane took over from Tom Aitkens but he managed to restore the two star status a couple of years later; successfully retaining them throughout his tenure. Let’s hope that Shane’s replacement, Marcus Eaves, joining from L’Autre Pied (Pied à Terre’s Michelin-starred sister restaurant) can repeat his former mentor’s achievements.

Having seen glimpses of the Charlotte Street restaurant (and owner David Moore) on the television show ‘The Restaurant’ with Raymond Blanc, I was keen to eat there on my next visit to London. Having looked on their website, I also thought that my wife would appreciate the gorgeous pink and purple gerbera emblazoned place settings –flowers which are always special to us, they are what we had at our wedding.

As I recall, it was a typically hot day in the city for that time of year and by the time we arrived at the restaurant we had worked up a thirst and an appetite through a morning of walking and shopping. We were first to arrive at the restaurant and were greeted warmly by the staff – the service throughout the meal was excellent; the staff doing a great job in an often tight space. I do like it when you sit down and there is something to nibble on. On this occasion it was a bowl of deliciously salty green olives (which were quickly replenished!)

A trio of amuse bouche soon followed, featuring a tasty little gnocchi topped with a shaving of Parmesan; a light, cheese topped mousse (which I seem to recall being pumpkin, although on reflection this would have been an unusual choice for the season) and, the third component, a delicate foie gras mousse, sandwiched between two paper-thin poppy seed wafers.

My wife’s chosen starter was a striking, vibrantly coloured arrangement of beetroot cured salmon and with pickled beets - a beautiful dish.

For my starter, I opted for the snail dish. I love snails and these were the juiciest and most tender I have ever tasted. They were served with mushroom beignets; lentils, smoked bacon and a parsley velouté – the picture does not do it justice.

My wife went for the pork main. Once again, the dish’s presentation was exemplary. As usual, she was kind enough to give me a taste; I remember the meat being wonderfully flavoursome and perfectly cooked - although, it was the little pillows of potato that particularly pleased.

I chose the fish main. I can’t for the life of me remember much about this dish but, as the photo shows, it was another attractively presented dish that also delivered on flavour and technical execution. For more pictures of Pied à Terre’s exquisite looking food check out the gallery pages on their website (here) – truly stunning.

I’m always keen to try ingredients that I have not previously tasted and this was the first time of trying loquat as a fruit and not in a jam. Served poached with honey jelly; a silky smooth vanilla bean ice cream and delicate almond tuiles, the dish had an exotic flavour without being too sweet. Once again, simple yet elegant presentation further enhanced this dish.

The cheese course featured three quality cheeses, served with more paper thin seeded wafers (imaginatively served on Spaghetti tongs) with a pot of chutney and honey. 

Our meal ended with a fabulous selection of petit fours, served with the coffee.

A terrific menu with interesting flavours and exemplary execution  - for top notch service and faultless cookery; Pied à Terre is the restaurant, currently at number 10 in my all time Hungry Hoss Top Ten. 

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