Open Farm Community, National Kitchen by Violet Oon, Tippling Club, Lokkee, Wooloomooloo, The Butchers Club, and 24 other top restaurants participate in the biggest food event of the year
20 years on, is the World Gourmet Summit still relevant? We’re not being cynical party poopers here; this issue was raised by Peter A. Knipp himself, the head honcho who manages and curates the annual gastronomical event. Just like chefs in the kitchen, the organisers of WGS are conscious about the food-focused audiences it attracts from all over the world. At a press conference yesterday, Knipp quoted the following figures: WGS has garnered a total of 200 Michelin stars, invited over 300 international chefs, served one-and-a-half million delicacies, and showcased 150 wineries since its inception in 1997. It was hard to swallow any dollops of doubt after we absorbed all that; truly, given the swift pace of our country’s food industry and reputation Singaporean chefs have built overseas, WGS is much more relevant than ever. And for the event’s 20-year anniversary, it’s gonna be pulling out all the stops.
Singapore’s Top Chefs Come Out To Play
With the eyes of the culinary world all dead-set on our nosh-loving isle, the chefs from 30 of Singapore’s top restaurants will be stepping up their game. WGS exclusive dining events take place over a month (28 March – 24 April), so you’ll have plenty of gourmet hangouts to have a feast at. These include the garden-growing Open Farm Community, the newly revamped Spruce at Phoenix Park, Indian cuisine greats like National Gallery’s SAHA and Marina Bay Sands’ Punjab Grill, burgers and steaks from The Butchers Club and Wooloomooloo, and also Chinese contenders like Tung Lok’s Lokkee and Quayside Isle’s Blue Lotus. Other must-try picks of ours are the Tokyo-Italian Terra, the Japanese-French Lewin Terrace, and the Asian-fusion Ding Dong.
Signature Events Worth Your Attention
At least two events are slated to occur every single day during the WGS period (here’s the full schedule), but the WGS promoters were quick to point out just some of the key highlights. Have a sky-high, scrumptious journey at Stellar at 1-Altitude, with the St. Moritz Champagne Topless Club featuring Reto Mathis and Chris Millar, the former known for his truffle and caviar specialties. Open Farm Community will host a six-course wine dinner titled From the Ground in the Pan, on the Plate; rich wines paired with the herb-enriched dishes of the Dempsey fixture. Peranakan icon, Violet Oon, cooks up A Culinary Symphony from her National Kitchen at National Gallery, with a guest appearance from Lynnette Seah, who’s known for concocting concertos in the kitchen as gracefully as she does on stage as the Associate Concertmaster of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Music to our ears; joy to our palates.
If you think WGS is all about atas vibes and snobbish dispositions, think again; WGS is taking it to the streets this year! Roping in a motley crew comprising 28 Hong Kong Street, FOC, Bacchanalia, Vasco and The Butchers Club, WGS is throwing a back alley block party for a rowdy alfresco sesh with bites and booze. And finally, Le 3 Mamme Dinner at Forlino looks to be the most eye-opening event of all; forget about Michelin chefs and other fancy accolades, ’cos there’s nothing better than your Mum’s home-cooked food. Likewise, these three Italian mothers (they have an average age of 75!) will be cooking up a traditional Ligurian dinner chock-full of fresh ingredients, experienced wisdom, and lots of love. Mamma mia, indeed!
The flabbergasting thing about all of this, however, is that this will be the last World Gourmet Summit… in its current format. Once it goes past the two-decade mark in 2017, the food event wishes to revamp its programming completely – for better or worse, we can’t say for now. What’s assured at least, is that this year looks to be the greatest World Gourmet Summit yet. Going on a diet, you say? Save it for after!
World Gourmet Summit 2016, 28 March – 24 April. For more details on events schedule, participating restaurants and reservations, visit the official website.
