The World Gourmet Summit is being held in Singapore this week. Many top chefs have been invited to cook at various restaurants around the island, and one in particular caught my eye: Thomas Bühner of Michelin 3-starred Restaurant La Vie in Osnabrück, Germany. Seeing as the price of a meal in his presence was pretty reasonable as well, compared to many other ridiculously overpriced celebrity meals in Singapore, I wasted no time in securing a reservation for this afternoon, and made my way to the hosting restaurant Dolce Vita in Mandarin Oriental Hotel with a friend and her husband.
It was our first time here. We were given a well-lit window seat with a good view of the space, and as the restaurant is situated just besides the hotel's swimming pool, we could also see other guests enjoying a suntan and a leisurely swim - very dolce vita indeed!
Shortly after we were sat by the staff, the restaurant manager Jan, with whom I had corresponded when making the reservation, came over to greet us. He was very friendly and warm, and even addressed me by name. I was very impressed by the reception and we felt at ease very quickly.
First, we had bread to start, accompanied by typically Italian dips of sundried tomato pesto, tomato and basil crème fraîche, and olive oil with balsamico. In the context of a German chef's food these appeared somewhat strange, but they were of very high quality indeed, and it must be said that Dolce Vita usually operates as an Italian restaurant so these offerings were hardly surprising.
We had opted for the five-course option at $138, with a wine flight at a surprisingly reasonable $50 for 5 glasses.
First course: lobster, variations on beetroot (fresh, puréed, and red mullet roe marinated in beetroot juice) and hazelnut (fresh, crackers, foam).
Wine pairing: 2012 Hugel & Fils, Riesling AAC, Riquewihr (Alsace), France.
This extremely pretty dish - painstakingly plated over 15 minutes, according to Jan - was a delightful way to start. The sweetness and succulence of the lobster chunks were very effectively matched by the delicate earthy sweetness of beetroot, and the marinated mullet roe was particularly memorable for its juiciness and balance of sweet and briny flavours. The hazelnut variations provided more characteristic deep flavour as well as a pleasant crunch to the dish. It was refreshing to note how such seemingly disparate ingredients could be brought together in the same dish and still work so well together.
The pale-green wine, a dry, fresh and easy to drink Riesling, with citrusy notes of green apple, gooseberry, citrus, grapefruit, lime, was an apt way to begin the wine flight, as well as a good pairing for the lobster.
First course (substitute): foie gras cream, topped with Coca-Cola jelly, lemon granité and rocket. Served with a brioche on the side.
First course (substitute): foie gras cream, topped with Coca-Cola jelly, lemon granité and rocket. Served with a brioche on the side.
This was a substitution (which Jan kindly allowed from the dinner menu) for the first course due to a shellfish allergy within our party. A lunch signature from the German flagship, foie gras is of course quintessentially French but the pairing with Coca-Cola and lemon was highly unusual. Both ingredients balanced the rich and musky foie gras cream nicely with their fresh taste and light textures. The sweet-sour balance between the jelly and the granité had also been very well-judged. A few rocket leaves and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt provided additional flavours and clean spicy aromas. The bite-sized brioche on the side was crisp and fluffy, and very enjoyable indeed.
Second course: turbot with parsley infusion and tandoori cream.
Wine pairing: 2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils, Chablis (Burgundy), France.
This was for me the best dish of today's lunch, illustrating why returning to tried-and-tested combinations of ingredients and flavours remains relevant and necessary in a gastronomic scene that has sometimes prized creativity over effectiveness. The generous portion of turbot had been cooked to a tender and succulent perfection, while the herbs and spices used enhanced the fish's delicate taste very nicely. This was incredibly aromatic, tasty and familiar. It has been the trend for a while now to incorporate Asian spices into fine Western cooking, and I was quite impressed in particular with the authentic taste of the tandoori cream.
The wine was produced by Christian's son Fabien, one of the leading figures in Chablis, in the heart of the Chablis countryside at the foot of the Grand Crus vineyards, near to the Champagne region. Chablis is of course a popular and effective pairing for fish, and this vintage was no different. This rich, yet bone dry Chardonnay with crisp green apple, lemon and a touch of saline was bright and crisp, with the taut structure, puckering sensation and lingering minerality that define traditional Chablis. It cut through the distinctive and intense aromas and flavours of this dish very well, and enlivened the subtle and fresh taste of the fish.
Third course: potato foam with pumpkin-curry ice cream.
Wine pairing: 2012 Weingut Markus Huber, Grüner Veltliner 'Obere Steigen', Traisental, Austria.
Another lunch staple at La Vie, this seemingly monochrome dish contained a very effective and unexpected combination of flavours, with a delightful contrast in temperatures between the hot foam and ice cream. This tiny amuse bouche-sized portion was remarkably substantial and comforting; both the foam and ice cream were very rich and creamy, and the ice cream had such an intense flavour and aroma that it was like eating solidified curry sauce. Pumpkin in the mixture tempered the strong and distinctive taste of curry with a lovely sweetness and smoothness. Again, this was an impressive effort in the usage and execution of local/regional spices. Considering the popularity of savoury ice cream (e.g. salted caramel) in Singapore, ice cream parlours here would do even better to make localised flavours like this pumpkin-and-curry combination.
The wine pairing had an equally distinctive identity: Grüner Veltliner is probably the wine of Austria. Made by a prodigious winemaker only 2 years older than I am, in the Traisental valley of Lower Austria, this medium yellow-green wine with a powerful spiciness and minerality and a long finish was perfectly suited to robust Asian spices such as curry.
Fourth course: beef fillet with braised chicory, miso foam and biscuit made of beef jus.
Wine pairing: 2010 Marchese Antinori, Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva, Mercatale Val di Pesa, Italy.
The beef, cooked to a nice medium rare, was extremely tender and juicy, and the miso foam and touch of braised shallots on the beef provided some really deep flavours and aromas. Shame though about the 'biscuit' which didn't feel like one at all; it was mushy and spongy instead of crisp, certainly not the most appealing of textures not matter how tasty it was. I also thought that the overall presentation of this dish could have been better conceptualised; the line between sloppiness and simplicity is quite often a fine one, I have found.
Finally we had an Italian wine to go with this main course. A blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet from the Antinori family's vineyards in the Chianti wine region, this vintage displayed aromas of violets and cherries along with smoky notes of tobacco and oak. It was a little too acidic and tannic for my taste to drink alone, but such is the nature of Chianti wines, and this particular one was still quite a good pairing for the rich flavours of this dish.
Fifth course (dessert): strawberry and cucumber (as fresh slices, purée and snow), with Hendrick's gin jelly and basil (cream and meringues).
Wine pairing: 2010 Alois Kracher 'Cuvée Blend' Auslese, Burgenland, Austria.
This was a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds. Strawberry sorbet was exquisitely shaped as real strawberries complete with dimples - everyone at the table was fooled until we tried to pick them up with our forks! Of course, real strawberries were also present (beneath the sorbet). A viscous strawberry coulis was also enclosed in a layer of strawberry jelly (in the background). Chopped pistachios coated in strawberry powder contributed a lovely crunch and deeper flavour. Cucumber, basil and gin derivatives complemented the sweet and tangy strawberry variations very well, leaving the palate feeling extremely fresh and light. This highly creative and technically sophisticated dessert was for me a very close second to the earlier fish course.
The last wine pairing was another excellent sweet Austrian wine, made with 70% Welsh Riesling and 30% Chardonnay, and also by a gifted young winemaker my age, Gerhard Kracher, who took over the reins of his family's winery after the sudden death of his father Alois Kracher Jr. in 2007. The Krachers are particularly known for their dessert wines, with a remarkable acidity in the midst of a lingering sweetness, due to the grape blend. This 2010 vintage had a lovely aroma of roast apples, and tasted of ripe peaches and apples with a balanced acidity and a long floral and stone fruit finish. The freshness and lightness of this drink made for a very pleasant ending to the wine flight.
Regrettably, Thomas Bühner had left the restaurant for a meeting by this time, and although we had earlier asked to speak and take a picture with him after the meal, none of the staff informed us that he would be going away before 3 pm, despite assurances that he would come over to our table. In fact, I didn't see him going to any other tables this afternoon, which was a little strange considering his status and the rarity of this visit. Perhaps it is not in our local culture to ask for the chef and compliment him after a meal, but for a passionate foodie, not being able to meet him certainly put a damper on the overall experience.
I also noted that there were neither amuse-bouches nor petit fours that typically accompany a fine meal like this, and wondered if this is normal in the local fine-dining context. This meal seemed to me a somewhat watered-down version of what one might actually experience in Germany. On the whole, somewhat 'bare' (I was expecting a few more bells and whistles for the price paid) but still a very good experience, especially in the company of friends, and I might do it again if there were future visits of equal culinary status and standards.
