CHEFS of De Dietrich

CHEFS 

of 

SETTING NEW VALUES

Foreword 

from 

Dear food lovers, 

Welcome to the inaugural issue of CHEFS of De Dietrich! 

As your companion who shares the 

same passion for fine cuisines, De 

Dietrich is proud to present the 

country’s top 15 award-winning chefs and 

their most sought-after recipes. Discover 

the philosophies of these amazing chefs as 

they share with us their remarkable journeys 

to the peak, the inspirations behind their 

finest culinary creations and their unrelenting 

pursuits to offer you the best gastronomical 

experiences in their dining establishments. 

With the ever-changing diverse culinary scene in 

Singapore, what has remained constant are the culinary 

prowess and passions of these chefs to their craft; who 

continue to impress and surprise discerning palates. 

It is with this same passion and dedication that the De 

Dietrich history began more than 300 years ago in Alsace, 

France; to continuously offer its very best to the world with 

products of quality, innovation, design and performance. 

These are the very same values that we continue to 

build on today: creating distinctive kitchen appliances to 

inspire these culinary masters who continue to amaze us 

with their extraordinary culinary creations; be it western, 

Asian or fusion. 

To the 15 masterchefs who have generously opened 

their hearts and kitchens to us, we salute you for your 

dedication and contribution to Singapore’s sophisticated 

fine dining scene. Most importantly, we couldn’t be 

happier that you have chosen De Dietrich as your partner 

in your culinary explorations! 

I invite all readers to join us as we savour every delectable 

morsel these master chefs have prepared using their 

favourite De Dietrich appliances! Discover how you can 

prepare the same award-winning dishes in your own 

kitchen to share with your family and friends – 

Bon appétit! 

Yours faithfully, 

Patrice Charbon 

Managing Director 

Brandt Asia Pte Ltd 

www.dedietrich.com.sg

Contents 

easy chef > 

The Colour Matrics Oven 

4 Chef Julien Bompard 

8 Chef Michael Muller 

12 Chef Martin Woo 

freshest at its best > 

The Steam Oven 

18 Chef Sebastian Goh 

22 Chef Frédéric Colin 

26 Chef Yong Bing Ngen 

best of both worlds > 

The Combi-Microwave Oven 

32 Chef Gunther Hubrechsen 

36 Chef Yoshiyuki Nobukawa 

40 Chef Milind Sovani 

black magic > 

The Continuum Induction Hob 

46 Chef Edward Voon 

50 Chef Luca Pezzera 

54 Chef Shawn Armstrong 

perfect brew > 

The Espresso Coffee Machine 

60 Chef Gabriele Piegaia 

64 Chef Pang Kok Keong 

68 Chef Diego Chiarini 

72 Authorised De Dietrich Distributors 

Publisher Edipresse Singapore Pte Ltd, 11C Mount Sophia, #01-16, Singapore 228467 

Telephone 6323 1606 Fax 6323 1692 E-mail general@singaporetatler.com Managing Director Gilbert Cheah 

Director - Special Projects Phillip Hong Editor Joseph Lim Contributor Y I Phoon Designer Nicholas Lim 

Photography Koh Boon Wei (Beebox) Location thanks to Fide Living Traffic Manager Grace Lim 

CEO, Edipresse Asia Barrie Goodridge

easy chef 

The Colour Matrics Oven 

It’s not hard being at the top of your game, home chef, 

that is. With De Dietrich’s Colour Matrics Oven you are really at 

the helm of the kitchen. Everything in this sleek, aestheticallypleasing 

device is simplified — no need for thick manuals and 

catatonic stares when things go wrong. The world’s first Colour 

Matrics Oven has an intelligent touch-screen electronic display 

to access and execute cooking functions in mere moments. 

And if low temperature cooking is your indulgence, the new 

De Dietrich ovens equipped with the slow cooking feature 

are your best bet. The Intelligent Control System (ICS) in your 

De Dietrich oven eschews the guesswork of figuring out 

placement of dish, duration, temperature and all other 

inputs. And thanks to the automatic control coupled with the 

interactive touch control screen, you can transform the simplest 

ingredients into lip-smacking goodness, or create cakes that 

Martha Stewart would approve of. The self cleaning feature 

also means hassle-free maintenance. Now everyday is a party!

Julien Bompard 

frenchdistinction 

Le Saint Julien 

Chef Julien Bompard has been 

in the culinary profession for 

about 20 years and it shows. But 

it’s not because of the way he 

looks; rather, it’s because of the 

way he cooks. 

This 39-year-old multiple-awardwinning 

French chef dishes out 

French food with finesse at his 

riverfront restaurant, Le Saint Julien. 

His cuisine background comes 

from stellar establishments such as 

Hong Kong’s top French restaurant, 

Gaddi’s at The Peninsula Hotel, and 

one of Asia’s most reputed French 

restaurants Le Normandie at The 

Oriental, Bangkok. In fact, Bompard 

is a two-time winner of the prestigious 

Five-Star Diamond Award as “One 

of the Best Chefs in the World”, 

handed out by American Academy 

Hospitality Sciences. 

“I’ve worked under several 

notable chefs such as Alain 

Dutournier of Carre des Feuillants (a 

Paris restaurant named by Frommer’s 

as “a bastion of perfection, an 

enclave of haute gastronomy”), Louis 

Outhier of L’Oasis on the Cote d’Azur 

near Cannes, and the three Michelinstar 

master chef Jacques Lameloise 

in Burgundy, France. They have all 

taught me many of the lessons that 

I pass on to my people these days,” 

he says. 

“Another very important chef 

for me is Mr Norbert Kostner of The 

Oriental. To me, he is the most 

impressive chef in terms of his 

“What keeps me going 

is my main motivation, 

which is also my reward 

— I love bringing 

happiness to my guests 

through giving them 

the fruits of my 

best efforts.” 

knowledge, the respect that people 

have for him, and his modesty.” 

The Italian-born Kostner, who 

has lived in Thailand for 40 years, 

heads the culinary team at what is 

widely regarded as the world’s best 

hotel, overseeing about 150 cooks in 

addition to his other duties such as 

4 CHEFS of De Dietrich 

CHEFS of De Dietrich 5

creating premium in-flight menus for 

the German airline Lufthansa. 

Bompard, too, knows a thing or 

two about staying power. He tells 

us, “I’ve always been interested 

in cooking and very simply, my 

philosophy is to do everything well, 

whether the task is big or small. 

“What keeps me going is my main 

motivation, which is also my reward 

— I love bringing happiness to my 

guests through giving them the fruits 

of my best efforts.” 

These “efforts” are classic 

Burgundy dishes with a lighter twist 

to suit the local weather, such as 

his signature lobster bisque with sea 

scallops, and roast Huppe duck 

with foie gras. Offers Bompard, “I 

really like working with duck — both 

wild and farm-bred — as it can be 

cooked many ways. Of course, the 

most important thing is to use only 

the very best products and prepare 

them in a premium way.” 

“I also think that it’s important to 

respect the classics and maintain 

a harmony between tradition 

and innovation, which is why my 

restaurant brings back French cuisine 

from several decades ago into the 

modern dining scene.” 

Indeed, much of his cooking 

features traditional ingredients 

designed to reproduce the original 

flavours of France, such as yellow 

wine and Provencal herbs. “Honey 

is also a great ingredient and 

very interesting to use,” Bompard 

mentions, adding that he often gets 

inspired by what’s in season to think 

up new recipes. 

While French cooking can be 

terribly complicated and meticulous, 

Bompard is an advocate of keeping 

things simple while maintaining 

consistent quality. In 2006, the chef 

wrote the Editions Didier Millet book 

French Classics Modern Kitchen, 

where traditional recipes along with 

useful tips and time-saving shortcuts 

are featured. 

A convection oven, too, he tells 

us, is a great convenience. “Every 

Western kitchen has a convection 

oven. It is a very handy appliance 

when you have company. Once you 

know how to use your oven well, you 

“I chose these dishes to 

show how the superb 

temperature control of 

a De Dietrich oven can 

maintain the quality of 

premium ingredients 

and draw out their full 

potential and flavours” 

can easily prepare food for small 

parties without messing up 

your kitchen.” 

For a new professional kitchen 

that he is building, Bompard says 

he has chosen to use De Dietrich 

appliances as “their functions are 

very modern and the levels of 

precision excellent, in addition, they 

are user-friendly so they can be used 

at home and also by professionals”. 

The new kitchen will include a 

low temperature cooking oven 

by De Dietrich that Bompard calls 

“amazing”. “It will easily match the 

demands of a professional chef,” he 

explains. “But one should really take 

the time to read the instructions and 

understand all the features — it will 

change your way of cooking.” 

This oven, the chef adds, is ideal 

for creating the two recipes he has 

provided: Lamb loin baked in pastry 

with Nyons olives, and a Reblochon 

cheese gratin. “I chose these dishes 

to show how the superb temperature 

control of a De Dietrich oven can 

maintain the quality of premium 

ingredients and draw out their full 

potential and flavours,” he says. 

Cuisine bourgeois, perhaps, but 

Bompard’s “honest approach to fine 

dining”, as he calls it, is as sincere 

as how he cooks and presents the 

dishes from his heart. 

Tartiflette (Cheese and 

Reblochon Gratin) 

Ingredients (Serves 6 persons) 

1200g potatoes, peeled 

500g onions, chopped 

1 slice smoked bacon, diced 

400ml white wine 

1½ pcs Reblochon (type of French cheese) 

50g butter 

Salt & pepper 

Method: 

• Boil the potato in salted water until cooked. 

• Place the butter into a saucepan, and bring the 

heat to medium, then add the chopped onions 

and diced bacon, stir constantly until translucent. 

• Remove the skin of the reblochon and dice it. 

• Pour the white wine over the bacon and onion, 

and bring to simmer. 

• Add the reblochon cubes and the potatoes 

and transfer to a gratin dish. 

• Bake in oven for 15 mins at 180 

degrees Celsius. 

• Serve immediately. 

Filet d’agneau en feuilletage aux 

olives de Nyons (Lamb loin baked 

in pastry with Nyons olives) 


2 pcs lamb loin 

Dash of crushed pepper and salt 

Splash of olive oil 

300g puff pastry sheet 

1 egg 

12 pcs Nyons olives 

50ml Nyons olive oil 

6 servings tomato concassée 

6 servings lamb sauce (from Le Saint Julien) 

Method: 

• Trim the lamb loin if necessary and season with 

the crushed black pepper and sea salt. 

• Heat a frying pan with olive oil. 

• Sear strongly each side of the lamb loin and 

set aside. 

• Lay the puff pastry and roll the lamb loin to 

cover it, repeat for the next loin, then set aside. 

• Boil the lamb sauce. 

• Prepare the tomato concassée. 

• Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash. 

• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees 

Celsius for about 9 mins. 

• Bring the lamb sauce to boil and add the Nyons 

olive oil and olives. 

• Allow the lamb to rest for 5 mins before serving. 



Michael Muller 

epicureanheights 

Meet a chef who crafts superb French 

cuisine to match the stunning panoramic 

cityscapes viewed from the 70th floor of 

Swissôtel The Stamford, Singapore. 

It is impossible to ignore Chef Michael 

Muller’s megawatt-smile and piercing 

blue eyes when you first meet him. 

Coupled with his cheery disposition 

and warm, personal style, you at once 

become at ease. The 32-year-old chef 

has been chef de cuisine of Jaan since 

2003. And if you think French people are 

reserved, well, Muller is quite the opposite. 

He’s utterly gregarious and loves to crack 

jokes with wait staff and members of his 

kitchen team. Best of all, his conversation 

comes interspersed with colloquial “lahs” 

and “mahs”, and he knows he’s an “ang 

moh” (foreigner). 

Here is a chef who is adept in the 

kitchen as he is at breaking the ice with 

strangers. Aside from his contagious 

charm, he’s truly a chef enamoured by 

the pursuit of culinary perfection. After 

all, he was trained for three years under 

famed Alain Reix of Le Jules Verne at 

Eiffel Tower in Paris. In addition, he has 

traversed to exotic locales such as 

Carribean and Luxembourg to hone his 

culinary skills. 

During his promotional trip 

to Singapore in 2003, under the 

accompaniment of Alain Reix, he fell in 

love with the country and decided to call 

it home. Fast forward to 2008, Muller has 

built up a firm reputation with his patrons. 

In fact, one such doting patron thanked 

Muller for the meal during our interview! 

But Singapore’s climate and local 

palette has thrown some challenges at 

him. In order to appease to the local 

clientele, he’s seasoned his food with a 

lighter hand so French cuisine can be 

better appreciated. He adds, “France is 

a much colder country than Singapore, 

so you can definitely work up an appetite 

to consume rich French food. When I 

came to Singapore I definitely had to 

Aside from his 

contagious charm, he’s 

truly a chef enamoured 

by the pursuit of 

culinary perfection. 

be mindful about local tastes and the 

attitude towards French cuisine. It was 

a challenge for me but I took it with a 

positive attitude.” 

And it is his positive attitude and his 

hardworking team that really gets him 

inspired to create new dishes. On his 

free time, he surfs the net and reads 

cookbooks to get the creative juices 

flowing. He even finds time to hang out 

with other chefs to exchange ideas and 

update on cooking trends. 

Muller’s curiosity isn’t limited to just 

exquisite ingredients. He mentions that 

kitchen appliances are utmost important 

Jaan’s interior 



when creating dishes that really stand 

out. He enthuses, “De Dietrich has come 

up with some really beautiful kitchen 

appliances that are extremely functional 

for any chef. I love the intelligent touch 

controls that give me precise control of 

the functions, especially the temperature 

setting. Not only are all the features easy 

to use, it helps me in streamlining my 

cooking processes and I don’t have to 

fret about the little details as I go about 

preparing other dishes. In fact, it makes 

me a more organised chef!” 

And when quizzed about his cooking 

philosophies, Muller shares, “There is really 

no shortcut to cooking. You deliver your 

best efforts in the kitchen and you must 

always use the freshest produce.” 

The art of cooking well is keeping the 

identity of the produce intact and infused 

with the best flavours possible. This advice 

bodes well when you’re cooking his two 

featured dishes. Muller adds, “The flavour 

of lamb is best enhanced by cooking in 

low temperature slowly with the butter 

and garlic. As for the Alaskan King Crab 

Brioche, always use a thin layer of dough 

to keep the dish moist. You’ll be very 

happy with the results.” 

But Muller’s sheer satisfaction comes 

from patron’s compliments. All the hard 

‘‘De Dietrich has come 

up with some really 

beautiful kitchen 

appliances that are 

extremely functional for 

any chef.’’ 

work to ensure every dish leaves the 

kitchen well presented needs to be 

monitored by him. “I constantly push my 

staff to do their best and I ensure that all 

dishes are served hot, and if they are not, 

I start to scold them in French with bits 

of Mandarin thrown in,” chortles Muller. 

But he is certainly not the tyrant in the 

kitchen. Staff members appreciate his 

hard-driving attitude because at the end 

of the day, it’s all about team effort and 

the priceless satisfaction seen on 

patrons’ faces. 

He cites that revenue at the restaurant 

saw a steady increase when he first took 

over as chef de cuisine. This lifted his 

spirits, encouraging him to experiment 

with his culinary creativity. That adventure 

has never stopped and has kept him 

happy at Jaan till this day. 

But this French chef’s other simple joys 

include enjoying the local cuisine and 

the humid weather. And his greatest joy is 

experiencing the compliments first-hand 

from patrons. Muller makes it a point to 

come out of the kitchen and connect 

with patrons. He believes it gives Jaan an 

identity because people can put a real 

face to the good cuisine served. Here’s 

a chef who’s passionate about cooking 

and loving every moment of it. 

Petit Pain of Alaska King Crab 


Filling 

1 lobster head 

500g carrots 

200g onions 

5g fennel 

500g celery 

800ml fish stock 


20ml Cognac 

10ml olive oil 

5g Thyme 

5g Rosemary 

10g Piment d’Espelette 

100g whipping cream 

Method: 

• Proceed to prepare a lobster bisque. 

• Whip and raise the fresh butter 

and cream. 

• Season with the Espelette chilli. 

Brioche 

4kg flour 

200g milk powder 

280g sugar 

700g eggs 

120g yeast 

1.6 litres of water 

400g butter 

80g salt 

Method: 

• Put the egg, the yeast and the water in 

mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. 

• Next add flour then combine the rest of 

the ingredients. 

• Allow ingredients to cool to room 

temperature and mix again. 

• Roll the dough and allow to rest in the fridge. 

• Roll out dough and cut into sections. 

• Wrap filling with dough and bake in the 

oven until golden brown. Oven should be preheated 

at 180 degrees Celsius. 

Spicy Lobster Coulis 

400g frozen Alaskan King Crab 

200g leeks 

100g shallots 


50g butter 

100g Crème Fraiche 

5g salt 

5g pepper 

Method: 

• Steam the crab, peel and remove meat 

from shell. 

• Chop the leeks finely and boil in water, drain 

and set aside. 

• Next add the chopped shallots, leeks and 

crabmeat in frying pan and let it sweat. 

• Season to taste and add the fresh butter. 

• When cooled add the crème fraiche. 

Assembly 

• Place brioche in a dish then pour the spicy 

lobster coulis around it, and it’s ready to serve. 

Roasted baby lamb rack, basil gnocchi with 

red cabbage 


600g lamb rack 

200g onions 

500g potatoes 

200g shallots 

500ml red wine 

500g red cabbage 

2 eggs 

100g flour 

20ml Basil puree 

100gm Parmesan cheese 

5g butter 

50g chicken jus 

5g salt 

5g pepper 

Method: 

• Debone the lamb rack then tie with 

butcher string to keep a round shape. 

• Vacuum (using the Sous-vide method) 

and cook at 56 degrees Celsius for 

20 mins. 

• Take out the lamb from the bag and 

sear on a frying pan until brown. 

• Cut into serving portions. 

Red cabbage puree 

• Sweat the cabbage with onion and a bit of 

thyme on a frying pan. 

• Add sugar, deglaze with raspberry vinegar to 

reduce the mixture. 

• Pour in red wine and cover with 

silicon paper. 

• Braise the mixture in the oven for 2 hours at 

140 degrees Celsius. 

• When cooked, take out and blend it to a 

smooth consistency. 

Basil gnocchi 

• Mix the flour, the mashed potato, eggs, basil 

puree and Parmesan cheese gently until it 

forms a dough-like consistency. 

• Roll it and cut into small cubes. 

• Add some salt to the water and boil, then 

blanch the gnocchi until they float. 

• Cool it down in bowl of ice water. 

Assembly 

• Plate with a dollop of red cabbage puree, 

placing lamb rack on top, with a sprinkling 

of Gnocchi. 



spicemaster 

Watching Martin Woo run 

his kitchen with flair and 

efficiency, one would 

never expect that the 

executive sous chef at 

Hilton Singapore had 

once felt like a fish out of 

water working in 

a restaurant. 

Unlikely as it sounds, though, there 

was a time when the 49-year-old 

felt like throwing in the towel, never 

to return. Woo admits with a laugh, “Just 

before I entered National Service, at 

the age of 17, I joined a restaurant as a 

service staff and soon found out that it 

was not the vocation for me. There was 

no inner motivation — I was late for work 

every day!” 

Fortunately, he then chanced upon 

an opportunity to go behind the scenes, 

where he discovered his true calling. “I 

was inspired by the chefs who showed so 

much dedication for what they did,” Woo 

says, his voice taking on a new intensity, 

“That was when I started developing an 

interest in cooking. I decided to focus my 

attention on it and pursue it as a career. 

Since then, I have not looked back.” 

Indeed, after graduating from Shatec 

Singapore with a certificate in hotel 

management, and from Paris’ Ritz 

Escoffier school with a Master Diploma 

in cuisine, this award-winning chef has 

taken his craft to many places. From 

Singapore’s Malay Village theme park 

and the Singapore Airlines sports club 

early in his career, to — more recently 

— culinary institutions such as France’s 

two Michelin-star Le Chabichou in the ski 

resort of Courchevel, and the glamorous 

riverside Le Pont de l’Ouysse, Woo’s climb 

up the culinary ladder has been just as 

impressive as his creations. 

In 2003, he bumped up his credo 

by doing a stint at La Pergola, a three- 

“To succeed in producing 

an excellent dish, you 

must first believe in 

yourself... If you believe 

that you can produce a 

good dish out of your own 

talents and skills, 

you will.” 

MartinWoo 

star rated establishment within Rome’s 

Cavalieri Hilton, hailed by Roman food 

critics as the best restaurant in the city, 

and staffed by a crew that works so 

harmoniously that they have often been 

compared to the renowned 

Vienna Philharmonic. 

A man who is so well travelled has 

surely gained, in no small measure, 

The Harbour Grill & Oyster Bar, Hilton Singapore 



worldliness and confidence — and it is this 

assuredness, in part, that has contributed 

to Woo’s culinary philosophy and success. 

“To succeed in producing an excellent 

dish, you must first believe in yourself,” 

he affirms. “If you believe that you can 

produce a good dish out of your own 

talents and skills, you will.” 

This self-assurance, it seems, applies not 

just to Woo’s execution, but his inspiration, 

too. “For cooking inspiration and ideas, I 

often search within myself,” explains the 

chef. “That’s because I strongly believe 

that the best inspiration comes from within 

oneself; it is then original and personal.” 

But that’s not to say his travels abroad 

haven’t contributed to his culinary 

creativity. Perhaps anxious to clarify that 

he does reach out of his own box, Woo 

adds, “My experiences in Michelin-star 

restaurants and as a guest chef in London 

are equally valuable. I also refer to books 

and online resources to keep myself 

constantly updated about the food 

trends in the world.” 

“De Dietrich appliances 

are very user-friendly 

and durable, and they 

can be adapted for every 

culinary occasions: 

warming the sauces at 

the Checkers’ Café or for 

pan-frying foie gras at 

outdoor catering,” 

Oven-baked minute salmon served with green 

pea emulsion and mustard potato 

Ingredients (Serves 1 person) 

100g salmon fillet macerated with 

smoked wood (½ hr) 

1 pinch cajun spices with salt 

Mustard potato 

1 tsp pommery mustard 

50ml reduced cream 

30g diamond-shaped potato 

Green pea emulsion 

100g green peas 

30g chopped onion 

60ml whipped cram 

1 pinch salt & pepper 

Garnish 

green crest and shiso crest 

Method: 

Oven-baked Salmon 

• Pre-heat the oven in slow heat at 120 


• Lay the salmon fillet on the greased 

pan and bake for 2 mins. 

Mustard Potato 

• Bring the reduced cream to 

boiling temperature.. 

• Add in potato and lower the 

heat, simmering the cream till the 

potato is cooked. 

• Fold the cream into the pommery 

mustard when the cream thickens. 

Green Pea Emulsion 

• Boil the whipped cream and 

onion together. 

• Add in green peas then lower to 

simmer temperature till the peas 

are cooked. 

• Blend the mixture till smooth and 

add in seasoning. 

Presentation: 

• Lay oven-baked salmon fillet on 

the plate. 

• Spread mustard potato, then add 

green pea emulsion on the 

salmon fillet. 

Oven-baked stuffed chicken breast served 

with Mozzarella & Roma tomato with carrot 

mash and veal jus 

“And when I come up with new 

recipes, I always have the diner in mind. 

I put a lot of research into my efforts — I 

have to understand the consumer trends 

and customise menus to patrons’ liking.” 

As a chef, Woo is incredibly versatile, 

flitting from the complex to more 

elementary dishes — such as the ovenbaked 

recipes he shares here — with 

ease. But while he makes it all look quite 

effortless, he admits it’s taken him “a lot of 

practice and countless hours of 

hands-on learning”. 

“Cooking is a very complicated 

process,” he says. “It requires many 

steps to turn raw meat into gastronomic 

brilliance. Great chefs have been through 

decades of training, from washing dishes 

to chopping ingredients, before plating 

a dish. But if you have the passion and 

self-perseverance, you will stand out and 

unlock your own potential.” 

Rather unusually, Woo does not have a 

pet ingredient that he works with; instead 

he simply says that he enjoys using herbs 

and spices in most of his recipes. 

“I don’t have a particular herb or 

spice that I constantly use, as I match 

different dishes with different spices,” he 

tells us. “Herbs and spices create an extra 

fragrance in each dish, above its original 

flavour. It is important, though, that the 

aroma of these herbs and spices do not 

overpower the original flavour.” 

He also mentions that the oven-baking 

technique used for the recipes he has 

provided in this supplement is ideal for 

“preserving the aroma and maintaining 

original flavours as the dish is 

being cooked”. 

“Especially for someone like myself, 

who enjoys using herbs and spices — it 

is very important that the flavours of the 

food, as well as the herbs and spices, 

are retained in the dish,” he says. Of 

course, it is crucial that quality does not 

disappoint someone with such exacting 

standards, which is why Woo — and all 

the restaurants in Hilton Singapore, for that 

matter — use De Dietrich appliances. 

“De Dietrich appliances are very userfriendly 

and durable, and they can be 

adapted for every culinary occasions: 

warming the sauces at the Checkers’ 

Café or for pan-frying foie gras at outdoor 

catering,” explains Woo of his choice. 

“Whether it is international, western or 

Asian cuisine, the De Dietrich induction 

hobs and ovens are used in every 

occasion, even in the monthly culinary 

classes conducted by Hilton hotel. 

“At Hilton Singapore, we use De 

Dietrich appliances in every dining 

establishment as they are easy to clean 

and are very presentable to our 

valued guests.” 


1 slice chicken breast with wing 

2 slices mozzarella cheese 

2 slices confit roma tomato 

1 pinch paprika spice and salt 

1 bunch fresh thyme 

60 g carrot puree 

40 g mashed potato 

30 ml reduce cream 

¼ bay leaf 

20 ml veal jus 

Method: 

Stuffed Chicken Breast 

• Slice open the chicken breast 

using the ‘butterfly method’. 

• Arrange cheese and tomato by 

layers and fold the breast meat. 

• Season with spice and salt. 

• Pan-sear the chicken breast and 

bake in the oven with fresh thyme 

at 160 degrees Celsius for 

18 mins. 

Mashed Carrots 

• Steam the peeled carrots with 

bay leaf till cooked. 

• Add cream and mashed potato 

in a saucepot with the carrots. 

• Bring it to boiling temperature. 

• Pour into the blender to puree 

the mixture. 

Presentation: 

• Place chicken breast on plate 

and the mashed carrot beside it. 

• Drip veal jus around plate. 

• Ready to serve. 



freshest at its best > 

The Steam Oven 

Since its introduction in 1997, the De Dietrich steam oven 

remains as one of the most sought-after appliances to whip 

up healthy cuisines. Compared to traditional cooking for 

vegetables, fish and meat; steam cooking retains much more 

delicate nutrients, vital minerals and trace elements than any 

other culinary method. In addition, steam cooking is also the 

most ideal method to fully retain the fatty acids and essential 

oils such as omega-3 found in fish. Now is the time to have your 

salmon and relish it! Best of all, steam cooking requires no oil or 

seasoning so you can savour fat-free food at its freshest and 

most natural taste!

Sebastian Goh 

chefprodigy 

Szechuan Court’s Interior 

In the culinary world, every chef 

understands that experience will 

commensurate with age. But 

one chef opposes this theory – 

Sebastian Goh – and he gets us 

excited to find out more. 

For a brief 20 minutes just before 

the noontime lunch crowd, 

the boyish and bespectacled 

29-year-old chef with swarthy 

complexion greets us with a smile 

and a warm handshake, and then 

leads us to a small tearoom for 

a chat. 

He begins by apologising that 

the interview has to be short. We 

understood his reason well for we 

were told that he is at the helm of 

Szechuan Court, Fairmont Singapore, 

so being busy is part and parcel of 

his job. 

He laughs approvingly and says, 

“In ‘chef years’, I have risen among 

the ranks very quickly. But I think 

people have this misconception 

about my tender age and boyish 

looks. I believe people should look 

at my skills set and talents instead.” 

Indeed, here is a chef who is both 

gifted and innovative, and has 

“In ‘chef years’, I have 

risen among the ranks 

very quickly. But I 

think people have this 

misconception about 

my tender age and 

boyish looks.” 

acquired more than 11 years of 

unrivalled culinary expertise from 

his tenure at notable restaurants 

in Singapore and Moscow. In his 

twenties, he worked under the strict 

supervision of chef Sam Leong at 

Tung Lok restaurant. Those crucial 



Steamed Ginseng chicken, 

“Dang Gui” and Chinese spice 


1 whole chicken 

1 pc ginger 

20g Chinese cooking wine 

200g chicken stock 

2 pcs grease paper 

2 pcs Aluminum foil 

Herbs 

3g Dang Gui 

5g Yu Zhu 

2 pcs Dan Seng 

2 pcs Chuan Gong 

5g Wolfberries 

years allowed him to learn the rich 

and intricate art of Chinese cooking 

— the delicate flavours, rich textures 

and exotic ingredients. 

“Being under the care and 

supervision of Leong allowed me 

to garner important principles and 

knowledge about Chinese cooking 

and this I have to thank him for”, 

adds Goh. 

“Also, a lot of chefs at my age 

just do their jobs without much 

passion. I get my inspiration and 

passion from my mother, but I’m also 

equally fascinated and influenced 

by experienced chefs who are 

dedicated to their craft. Even at 

their level, they constantly strive to 

improve their skills and techniques”, 

he affirms. 

This is a chef who also 

understands that food presentation 

is critical in today’s culinary context 

where we “eat with our eyes first”. 

His cooking philosophy is simple and 

straightforward — to use the widest 

range of the freshest and the most 

exotic ingredients, and then concoct 

“I find De Dietrich’s 

appliances extremely 

user-friendly and 

durable. They are 

perfect kitchen helpers 

at home and at my work 

kitchen. Most of all, the 

new range’s design is 

aesthetically pleasing. 

I’m proud to cook my 

dishes in them” 

them with a multitude of cooking 

techniques. Then he lets his creations 

— of varying flavours and textures — 

cater to a myriad of palates. 

“You need to keep abreast with 

the latest trends in the world of 

gastronomy through research and 

reading culinary books, references 

and magazines. It is also important to 

think beyond the culinary boundaries, 

and to constantly challenge and 

experiment the conventional 

approach to Chinese cuisine. This 

kind of attitude has helped me to 

concoct numerous new dishes that 

are tasty and unique while retaining 

the essence of traditional Chinese 

cooking”, he states. 

In December 2007, his approach 

reaped positive results: guests were 

pleasurably stunned by his method of 

turning dried-out, hard-as-rock South 

African molluscs into velvety smooth 

abalones. The delicious process of 

transforming a raw ingredient into a 

luxury dish remains a secret. While we 

marvel at his food knowledge and 

deft execution, it is his imagination 

that eggs him on to refine his 

culinary talent. 

Above all, he says the best 

cooking equipment is important in 

delivering tasty dishes. “I find 

De Dietrich’s appliances extremely 

user-friendly and durable. They are 

perfect kitchen helpers at home and 

at my work kitchen. Most of all, the 

new range’s design is aesthetically 

pleasing. I’m proud to cook my 

dishes in them”, smiles Goh. 

Steamed silver fin cod fillet 

topped with black olive and 

shallot relish 


200g cod fillet 

20g preserved olive 

8g shallot, chopped 

5g garlic, chopped 

5g red chilli, chopped 

Ingredients for sauce 

15g coriander 


8g Maggi seasoning 

20g light soy sauce 

5g dark soy sauce 

Method: 

• First, mix shallot, garlic, red chilli and olive in 

a bowl. 

• Add sugar, sesame oil and Chinese 

cooking wine for seasoning. 

• Pour mixture onto cod fillet and steam for 

8 mins. 

• Combine all ingredients for sauce and boil in a 

pot, then pour onto serving plate. 

• Place cooked cod fillet onto serving plate and 

it’s ready to serve. 

Method: 

• Wash and clean the chicken thoroughly. 

• Soak herbs in warm water for 5 mins before 

drying them. 

• Place herbs inside the chicken. 

• Place chicken on top of aluminum foil plus a 

layer of grease paper. 

• Add 2 pinches of salt into the chicken stock 

before pouring it onto the chicken. 

• Wrap the chicken securely with foil 

and paper. 

• Proceed to steam chicken for 45 mins. 

• Unwrap from foil and paper and it’s ready 

to serve. 



Frédéric Colin 

culinarytriumph 

French chefs may have an image 

of being aloof and temperamental, 

but anyone who knows chef 

Frédéric Colin’s of Les Saveurs at 

St. Regis Hotel will dispute that. Staff, 

subordinates and guests regard him 

as professional, methodological 

and affable. 

Les Saveurs 

In moments of our arrival at the 

lobby, the tall and handsome chef 

offers a firm handshake and says, 

“Enchante!” smiling warmly. He insists 

that we have a drink with him and 

proceeds to apologise that he only 

has twenty minutes for the interview 

before he scoots off to supervise the 

kitchen for a lunch buffet. 

The chef was surprisingly friendly 

and forthcoming to all of our 

questions. When he speaks, we 

can feel his palpable passion for 

the love of food, and particularly 

traditional French cuisine. And his 

resume reads illustriously: He studied 

at the prestigious École Hôtelière 

Jean Ferrandi in Paris, and was 

under the apprenticeship of two 

chefs who have two Michelin-stars 

each: Bernard Joinville at Restaurant 

‘Lasserre’ in Paris and chef Jean- 

Marie Mulien at ‘Le Clos Longchamp’ 

Restaurant at Hotel Le Méridien Etoile 

in Paris. In 1999, he was Chef de 

Partie at the acclaimed gastronomic 

restaurant ‘Jules Verne’ at the Eiffel 

Tower, under Michelin-star chef 

Alain Reix. His turning point came 

in 2000 when he joined one of the 

top three Michelin-star restaurants 

in Paris, Restaurant ‘Ledoyen’, as 

Chef de Partie under famous chef 

Christian Lesquer. He is also the 

man responsible for opening three 

remarkable outlets including Jean- 

Georges’ signature restaurant in ultraexclusive 

St. Regis Resort Bora Bora in 

French Polynesia. 

He tells us that ever since he 

was a child, he’s been fascinated 

by food, flavours and textures, and 

this led him to pursue a career as a 

chef. His early years as a chef were 

hard especially working under Alain 

Reix. He shares, “Though the journey 

was tough, I’m thankful to Reix for 

teaching me the fundamentals of 

French cuisine, which are now so 

important to me when leading an 

entire kitchen at Les Saveurs.” 

For Colin, St. Regis opens up 

a new dimension to his culinary 

experience as he now takes his 

passion even further by creating 

flavourful and healthy French 

cuisine with a modern twist. He 

adds, “I am proud to be part of this 



establishment, and I have deep 

respect for St. Regis’ attention to 

detail and uniqueness. We bring in 

exquisite wines and many luxurious 

ingredients such as Dammann 

Frères Tea from France, Chateldon 

sparkling water that’s supplied only 

to Michelin-star restaurants, handpicked 

scallops from Brittany 

and other organic treats 

from Normandy.” 

When quizzed where he gets his 

inspiration from, he smiles, “What 

drives me to come to work is my 

passion for cooking, plus I have an 

incredible kitchen staff that shares 

the same vision with me.” 

And for this supplement, Colin 

has chosen two exquisite recipes 

that you can prepare at home. Both 

are dishes with delicate flavours and 

special main ingredients — duck 

and oysters. He explains, “The duck 

leg confit rolled in Savoy cabbage 

is something unique for the Asian 

palette as it showcases the light and 

delicate flavours of French cuisine. 

And with the De Dietrich Steam 

Oven, you can actually cook the dish 

at 85 degrees Celsius while retaining 

the freshness and crispness of the 

Savoy cabbage even after steaming. 

Moreover, the meat is cooked 

just right and you don’t get oversteamed 

bits. It’s a truly remarkable 

device. I like the convenience and 

ease of maintenance with just a 

quick wipe of a cloth.” 

For the other dish, Colin picked 

steamed oysters with roasted 

hazelnut emulsion. He says, “It’s 

“And with the 

De Dietrich Steam 

Oven, you can actually 

cook the dish at 85 

degrees Celsius while 

retaining the freshness 

and crispness of the 

Savoy cabbage even 

after steaming. ” 

easy to over cook oysters where the 

meat becomes hard and you don’t 

have that juiciness inside. The De 

Dietrich Steam Oven gets me at a 

temperature lower than the boiling 

point of water, but still manages to 

cook the oyster meat and retain its 

seafood-y gooiness and juiciness. 

And when paired with the hazelnut 

emulsion, it’s divine and delicious! 

This will also be an excellent recipe to 

entertain friends at home.” 

We can certainly sense good 

things headed for Colin’s way 

because he shares the same mission 

as St. Regis Hotel, Singapore, that 

is, to introduce several exquisite 

fine dining concepts that are truly 

world class. And Colin is only hoping 

that, if you have the willpower and 

inspiration, you can introduce the 

concept of fine dining to your family 

and friends at home, too. 

Duck leg confit rolled in Savoy cabbage, 

tartar sauce and caper berries 


Duck leg confit mix 

500g, duck leg confit meat 

30g shallots, diced 


10g Italian parsley, chopped 

10g chervil, chopped 

10g chives, chopped 


3g Penja pepper (from Cameroun) 

Gribiche sauce 

1 soft boiled egg 

1 ml olive oil 

1 tbs aged mustard 

Dash of salt and pepper 

Parsley and tarragon, chopped 

1 tbs of red wine vinegar 

1 tbs lemon juice 

1 tbs capers 

Garnish 

Baby coriander 

Crispy duck skin chips 

Reduce red wine sauce with carrots and onion brunoise 

Method: 

• Steam Savoy cabbage for 5 mins. 

• Mix all the duck leg confit mixture. 

• Roll a small portion of mixture with a leaf of Savoy cabbage,make 

6 rolls and leave aside. 

• To do Grebiche sauce, add ingredients and mayonnaise, then 

season to taste. 

• To serve, steam duck confit for 3 mins, and top with the garnish. 

Steamed oysters with roasted 

hazelnut emulsion 


3 pcs of ‘Gillardeau’ Oysters from France or any type 

of oysters 

Roasted hazelnut emulsion 

250g butter 

1 clove garlic, peeled 

200g truffle juice 

1 tbsp lemon juice 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Garnish 

1 piece, roasted hazelnut 

Sprig of chervil 

Method: 

• Steam leeks for 4 mins. 

• Steam oysters for 3 mins. 

• Clarify the butter and add garlic, then strain. 

• Add truffle juice then reduce to half. 

• Now add cream and reduce to half and season well. 

• To serve, foam the sauce and garnish with sliced truffle. 

Clarifying butter: 

Melt the butter slowly. Let it sit for a bit to separate. Skim off the 

foam that rises to the top, and gently pour the butter off of the milk 

solids, which have settled to the bottom. 



Yong Bing Ngen 

regalpride 

Majestic Restaurant 

Here’s a chef who loves to 

bring out the fine flavours 

of Cantonese cuisine 

simply by using clean 

accompaniments and 

simple ingredients. 

We are having one of chef 

Yong Bing Ngen’s signature 

dishes, the oven-baked sea 

perch in a fine champagne sauce, 

and it is making more waves in our 

mouths than whoever is splashing 

about above our heads, viewed from 

the porthole set in the ceiling of the 

Majestic Retaurant. 

Yong is the owner-chef of the 

Majestic Restaurant at the uber-cool 

New Majestic Hotel, a two-anda-half-year-old 

designer boutique 

establishment along Keong Saik 

Road, and the fish is just one item in 

a modern Cantonese repertoire that 

has earned the 42-year-old Malaysian 

chef numerous international 

accolades. It’s also given Majestic 

Restaurant the reputation of being 

one of Singapore’s best restaurants 

since opening in 2006. 

Perhaps all this success is because 

Yong is a natural at the stove. “I’ve 

been interested in cooking since I 

was 10 years old,” says the downto-earth 

bespectacled man, who 

started out as a cutter in the kitchen 

of Kuala Lumpur’s Ming Court Hotel 

at the age of 21 and worked his way 

up the ranks. 

“And I put my heart in my cooking 

to make sure my guests leave my 

restaurant happy and satisfied.” 

Since then, he has worked in such 

establishments such as Kuching’s 

Hilton and Bangkok’s Novotel, as 

“And I put my heart in 

my cooking to make 

sure my guests leave my 

restaurant happy 

and satisfied.” 

well as helmed culinary bastions in 

Singapore like Raffles Hotel’s Doc 

Cheng’s and Pan Pacific Hotel’s Hai 

Tien Lo restaurants. 

Yong lists Mr Leong Mun Soon, 

father of chef Sam Leong, as one 

of his biggest inspirations. The elder 

Leong worked in Kuala Lumpur’s Tai 

Thong restaurant before making a 

name for himself in the city’s Merlin 

and Equatorial hotels in the 1960s. 

His other big inspiration, Yong says, 

is based a little further from home, 

Mr Nobu Matsuhisa, the Japanese 

celebrity chef and restaurateur. In 

fact, there are echoes of Matsuhisa’s 

style in Yong’s cooking — after all, 

the Japanese chef is known for 

traditional fare with a modern twist. 

Matsuhisa’s signature dish is black 

cod in a miso sauce, and he owns 

seven eponymous restaurants in 

New York, Aspen, Malibu, London, 

Melbourne, Hong Kong and Tokyo. 

Like many other practitioners of 

authentic Cantonese cooking, Yong 

favours clean accompaniments and 

simple ingredients such as garlic, 

ginger and spring onion. These are 

popularly used in Cantonese cuisine 

— along with sugar, salt, corn starch, 

soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil 

— because they are light and do not 

overwhelm the flavours of the primary 

ingredients. As such, spices are used 

sparingly in this type of cooking. 

Says the chef, “I love working 

with spring onion, ginger and garlic 

as they bring out the flavours of the 

food. They also leave a lingering 

taste that diners will remember and 

not get sick of.” 

Such subtle flavours work as a 

base for his “experimental” creations. 



“To develop additions to my menu, 

I work on each dish by tasting and 

trying the food, then adjusting the 

recipe till it seems just right to me,” 

he explains. 

Despite belonging to the Hakka 

— a dialect group that typically uses 

dried and preserved ingredients 

in its cuisine — Yong constantly 

emphasises the importance of using 

fresh produce during our interview. 

“When cooking, you must always 

adhere to the correct amount of 

time and temperature given in a 

recipe and make sure fresh items 

are used. The last point is especially 

important if you are steaming food 

because it’s impossible to cover up 

bad food using this method,” 

he says. 

As if to reiterate his statement, 

he picks two recipes using the De 

Dietrich Steam Oven, for sharing in 

this book. 

Yong says, “Steaming is a very 

important cooking method in 

Chinese cuisine. It retains the original 

“I find the appliances’ 

fascia and controls 

really uncluttered. I 

also love their compact 

size and stylish design, 

and it makes for great 

conversation when 

guests pop by your 

kitchen. Best of all, when 

they are turned off, they 

look so sleek.” 

flavour of the food — and you can 

easily tell if the steamed dish that you 

are having is fresh.” 

Of course, when it comes 

to sticking to the right time and 

temperature in a recipe, it helps to 

have precise temperature controls as 

on the De Dietrich Steam Oven too. 

Says Yong, “It’s great cooking with 

De Dietrich appliances as they are 

very, very easy to use and control. 

I find the appliances’ fascia and 

controls really uncluttered. I also love 

their compact size and stylish design, 

and it makes for great conversation 

when guests pop by your kitchen. 

Best of all, when they are turned off, 

they look so sleek.” 

Coming from a man who works 

in an environment filled with the 

works of design geniuses such as 

Arne Jacobsen, Pøul Henningsen, 

and Charles and Ray Eames, that’s a 

compliment indeed. 

Steamed leopard coral-trout roll with 

dried mustard leaves 


500g fresh leopard coral-trout 

10g Chinese ham, shredded 

30g fragrant mushrooms. shredded 

100g spring onions, shredded 

6 stalks Kai Lan 

100g dried mustard leaves 


Coriander leaf for garnish 

Seasoning 

2 tsp fish sauce 

2 tsp oyster sauce 

1 tsp Maggi seasoning 

1 tsp dark soya sauce 

2 pcs rock sugar 

150ml water 

Steamed Australia lobster with 

minced garlic 

Method: 

• Soak dried mustard leaves over night in fridge. 

• Rinse and thoroughly clean dried mustard leaves a couple of times over running tap. 

• Cut dried mustard leaves into fine cubes. 

• Place leaves in hot boiling water for 1 min. 

• Strain the leaves and repeat above step and strain again. 

• Place the leaves in clean pot, fry over small fire till dry. 

• Oil the wok, fry chopped garlic till golden brown. 

• Pour 150ml water over fried garlic. 

• Pour all seasoning into wok. 

• When this boils, pour the leaves into the seasoning. 

• Boil till leaves absorb the seasoning till broth-like consistency. 

• Pour leaves mixture into a container for steaming, and steam for 40 mins. 

• Cut fish into thin fillets. 

• Place shredded Chinese ham, fragrant mushrooms and spring onions on the fillet and 

roll it up. 

• Place all rolled up fillets in steamer for 2 mins. Do not exceed 2 mins. 

• Plate the steamed fish rolls, and pour steamed dried mustard leaves over it. 

• Garnish with coriander leaves and add boiled kai lan on the side of the plate. 

Tips 

• Choose dried mustard leaves from Guang Zhou province. 

• Make sure the leaves have a sweet taste. 

• When steaming the fish rolls, oil the base plate to prevent sticking. 


700g Australian lobster 

80g garlic, minced 

30g spring onions, chopped 

Seasoning 

150ml water 

2 tsp superior light soya saucer 

2 tsp Kikoman sauce 

1 tsp sugar 

1 tsp Maggi seasoning 

1 tsp fish sauce 

5 drops dark soya sauce 

5 drops sesame oil 

Dash of salt and pepper 

Note: please adjust the seasoning to your liking 

Method: 

• Cut lobster into half and clean it thoroughly. 

• Use 1/3 of minced garlic and fry with a little oil till golden brown. 

• Filter oil into a bowl and add 2 teaspoons of the oil into the other 2/3 of 

minced garlic. 

• Add a pinch of salt and sugar into the garlic and mix evenly. 

• Smother garlic mix on lobster flesh and steam for 3 mins at highest 

temperature. 

• Prepare sauce for lobster, cook all seasoning and taste to your liking. 

• Pour sauce over plate and place cooked lobster on the sauce. 

• Garnish with the golden brown minced garlic and chopped spring onions. 

Tips: 

• Always insist on live Australian lobsters. 

• You need to adjust the timing based on the lobster’s size. 



est of both worlds 

The Combi-Microwave Oven 

The new Combi-Microwave oven is a technological marvel 

fusing beauty and functionality. By combining the automatic 

cooking expertise of an oven with the exceptional practicality 

of speed-cooking in a microwave oven, De Dietrich opens up 

a world of possibilities for lovers of fine cuisine. Choose from a 

wide-range of cooking methods like traditional fan cooking, 

grilling, microwave cooking or a combination of both! In 

addition to its large 40-litre cooking capacity and enamelled 

cavity for fuss-free cleaning, the new combi-microwave oven 

also offers great cooking convenience with its quick defrost 

and 10 autocook programmes that recommends the ideal 

cooking times and cooking programmes. 

Enjoy more with less!

Gunther Hubrechsen 

hotgun 

Gunther’s Restaurant 

Here is one of Singapore’s most 

sought-after chefs who has talent, 

brains and brio — meet the gifted 

Gunther Hubrechsen. 

The gregarious and affable 

Belgian chef chortles, “Yes, I’m 

proud to have won the awards 

— Singapore Tatler’s Best Restaurants 

Guide 2008 for “Best New Restaurant” 

and “Best for Service” — but that 

doesn’t mean that I’m perfect and 

cannot do better!” 

On a humid weekday, he takes 

time off to share with us some of 

his background and philosophies. 

He begins by talking about how 

at the tender age of 16 he began 

his culinary training at the Bruges 

Culinary Institute Voor Voeding 

(IVV), Ter Groene Poorte, in Belgium. 

There he learnt all the fundamentals 

necessary for a chef to tackle the 

demands in the kitchen. Life was 

tough at first, having to work his way 

up in several renowned restaurants 

in Belgium, including Le Bouquet and 

Restaurant Gravin van Buren before 

“Yes, I’m proud to have 

won the awards... but 

that doesn’t mean that 

I’m perfect and cannot 

do better!” 

moving on to France. It was in Paris 

that his career skyrocketed from 

trainee position to sous chef. The 

mentor in that moment of his life was 

Alain Passard at his three Michelinstar 

restaurant L’Arpege in Paris, 

where he worked for five years under 

much trials and tribulations. 

2002 was the time he landed in 

Singapore to work with the Les Amis 

Group. His unwavering spirit, hard 

work and dedication brought Les 

Amis restaurant to the 83rd position 



in British Restaurant Magazine’s list 

of Best 100 Restaurants in 2007. That 

very same year, his dream to own his 

own restaurant was realised when he 

collaborated with Roberto Galetti of 

Garibaldi Group to open Gunther’s 

“The menu is so 

intuitive even a kid 

could learn how to 

cook! If I really have 

more time with this 

device, I’m sure I 

can explore its other 

wonderful features. I’m 

also pleased that the 

crisping and browning 

of the gratin of onion is 

so even and it took so 

little time to get 

it done.” 

Restaurant along Purvis Street. The 

modern yet classy French fine dining 

restaurant was opened to great 

acclaim on August 2, 2007. 

Hubrechsen’s cooking philosophy 

is pretty simple — he’s the firm 

advocate of “natural cuisine”. He 

says, “Cuisine can be heightened 

by the use of natural jus and slow 

cooking techniques to enhance the 

flavours of a dish, thereby offering 

a refreshing change to classic 

French food.” With his unassuming 

charm, he proceeds to add that, 

“Modernising a certain type of 

cuisine so that quality of textures 

and flavours stay intact, is an art 

to master. And there’s certainly no 

margin for error!” 

Hubrechsen is a man renowned 

for his cutting-edge style and flair 

when he takes the helm at his 

kitchen. He believes in constant 

changing or redesigning of the 

menus to include seasonal delights 

and fine ingredients. He emphasises, 

“You can never camouflage your 

mistakes when you adopt the 

simplest cooking method. This is an 

art that discerning chefs must master 

to be at the top of their game.” 

And it is these sound philosophies 

that garnered him the award of 

Rising Chef of the Year at the World 

Gourmet Summit in 2006. Ask him 

what inspires him to cook, he says, 

“No chef is ever perfect. Customers’ 

compliments inspire me constantly. 

Inspiration comes from my ability 

to think out of the box and to 

constantly change and reevaluate 

my standards and recipes. When 

you see life in different angles, great 

things can happen.” 

And it’s no surprise that he finds 

great joy in using the grilling function 

of the De Dietrich Colour Matrics 

Oven. “The menu is so intuitive even 

a kid could learn how to cook! I’m 

also pleased that the crisping and 

browning of the gratin of onion is so 

even and it took so little time to get 

it done. I love the slow cooking and 

self-cleaning features of this oven 

too! Now can I keep it? If I had a 

place of my own, I would like to kit 

up my kitchen with this nifty oven”, 

laughs the friendly chef. 

Fine apple tart ala dragées 


1 ½ apples 

1 tbsp salted butter 

1 tsp sugar 

1 pinch cinnamon powder 

2 sheets filo pastry 

10 dragées, crushed 

Method: 

• Wash, peel and core the apples then slice them thinly. 

• Bake apples with salted butter in oven for 2 mins at the 

temperature of 180 degrees Celsius. 

• Add sugar and cinnamon and stew for another 3 mins 

and place it aside. 

• Open filo pastry and add the apples. 

• Close pastry in triangle form and sprinkle crushed 

dragées over it. 

• Place in oven with grill function until it turns 

golden brown. 

• Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream. 

Gratin of onion 


2 onions 

1 tbsp salted butter 

20g Parmesan cheese, shaved 

Method: 

• Slice onions in paper-thin slices. 

• Melt butter in pan, ad onions, and 

cook over slow heat till texture of 

compote is obtained. 

• Place compote of onion in oven 

safe dish, sprinkle parmesan cheese 

over it, and put in oven set at 180 

degrees Celsius until it turns 

golden brown. 




prideandperfection 

There are two sides to chef Yoshiyuki Nobukawa: 

there is the hard-driving, no-nonsense and 

meticulous attitude when he heads the 

kitchen at Inagiku, then there is the cordial and 

approachable side of him when he settles down 

for an interview. We were fortunate to meet the 

latter persona. 

N 

obukawa is actually one of 

the nicest chefs to know. He is 

basically very focused in the 

kitchen and staff have deep respect for 

his stern approach to Japanese cuisine. 

On a weekday mid-afternoon, with the 

help of his interpreter, he softly giggles 

and shares, “Yes, I’m known to be the 

hard-driving boss in the kitchen but it’s 

only because I insist on serving the best 

Japanese food to our patrons. It’s easy to 

find the freshest seasonal ingredients but 

culinary execution is another 

story altogether.” 

It’s no surprise that Nobukawa began 

his culinary career with the strictest 

traditions and practices that most 

Japanese chefs had to master. For a 

moment, he reminisces and explains, 

“At an early age in 1986, my skills were 

honed from strict tutelage under a 

master chef at Azuma Japanese 

Restaurant, Kirakukan Hotel, Japan. 

There, I was trained in the traditional 

culinary techniques of Japanese cuisine. 

In 1993, I pursued the art of Kaiseki cuisine 

at renowned Kaien-tei Restaurant in 

Japan. Later on, I earned my badge as 

sous chef. In 1995, I was head chef for 

Kotobuki Restaurant famed for its 

Ryou-tei fare and frequented by 

Japanese celebrities. When 1997 arrived, 

Yoshiyuki Nobukawa 

I flew to Singapore to specialise in Kaiseki 

cuisine for Inagiku at Raffles the Plaza, 

Singapore. It was here that I earned my 

role as head chef.” 

“My culinary philosophies are based 

on a book that I read and it said, 

“Beautiful flowers need water, people 

need love and Japanese cuisine needs 

heart”. I feel that these words best 

exemplifies the art of Japanese cuisine. 

I always believe that it is very important 

for a Japanese chef to cook with love”, 

he emphasises. In fact, chef mentions 

that the De Dietrich Colour Matrics 

Oven’s menu screen is so intriguing that 

he’s curious to try out its other features. 

“Yes, I would like to experiment different 

creations in it”, he laughs. 

“Yes, I’m known to be 

the hard-driving boss 

in the kitchen but it’s 

only because I insist 

on serving the best 

Japanese food to our 

patrons. It’s easy to find 

the freshest seasonal 

ingredients but culinary 

execution is another 

story altogether.” 

Inagiku’s private dining room 



Here is a chef who also gets his 

inspiration by visiting other restaurants to 

try their food, reading magazines and 

books, and consistently keeping himself 

informed of the latest trends and styles 

in cooking to improve his skills. He further 

adds, “In fact, I was lucky to be born in 

a place with scenic landscapes and rich 

natural resources which gave me the 

chance to learn and eat the freshest, 

most natural and delicious food and 

ingredients. My inspiration gets ignited by 

these elements.” 

When the former Raffles The Plaza at 

Raffles City was re-branded to Fairmont 

Singapore in December 2007 to be part 

of an American five-star hotel chain 

branching into Asia, the restaurant 

underwent a complete refurbishment 

to carry the new name. Nobukawa 

was roped in to redesign certain dishes 

and come up with new ones to reflect 

the restaurant’s contemporary look. 

Today, the revised menu is a marriage of 

the classics with the new. You’ll still find 

traditional fare such as sushi, teppanyaki, 

tempura and yakitori. And you need to 

be adventurous to try his new creations 

such as the wasabi cherry sherbet and 

live flounder sashimi with sea urchin and 

caviar drizzled with sesame sauce and 

fresh lime. And it is these new dishes that 

are luring new patrons to Inagiku while 

keeping their regulars satiated with 

the classics. 

And before Nobukawa left the 

interview, he had this to say, “I am proud 

to be associated with De Dietrich as 

the appliances really stand out with its 

innovative features. I believe that using 

good kitchen appliances will enable 

me to prepare better food, thereby 

enhancing the quality of my dishes. 

There are really no important cooking 

tips for my featured dishes because I 

always believe in putting your heart and 

soul when preparing and cooking the 

dish and people who taste your dish will 

appreciate your effort. The De Dietrich 

Colour Matrics Oven is great for a chef 

like me because sometimes I don’t want 

to think too much when I’m cooking. The 

touch-screen panel is a joy to use and 

the intuitive interface makes cooking so 

easy. I am thrilled that the combi-griller 

function made my Japanese rice cakes 

all toasty and crispy in such a short time.” 

‘‘The touch-screen panel 

is a joy to use and the 

intuitive interface makes 

cooking so easy. I am 

thrilled that the combigriller 

function made my 

Japanese rice cakes all 

toasty and crispy in such 

a short time.’’ 

Here is a chef who has 20 years of 

culinary experience but never rests on 

his laurels. He’s constantly in pursuit of the 

finest gastronomic treasures and believes 

that nothing is impossible, and will 

always experiment limitlessly to concoct 

unconventional and sophisticated dishes 

that are tempting for the eyes and 

sumptuous for the taste buds. 

Grilled skewer of salmon fillet 

with Eringi mushroom served 

with Ikura sauce 


320g Salmon fillet 

150g Eringi mushroom 

12g sea salt 

8 pcs Japanese bamboo skewer 

Ikura sauce 

40g Ikura roe 

20g Japanese plum 

4 pcs watercress puree 

40g Sudachi citrus 

Grilled Yaki Onigiri 

(Rice Ball) with Yamasa 

soy sauce 


400g Japanese rice 

320g Yamasa soy sauce 

1 pc Oba leaf 

Method: 

• Steam the Japanese rice. 

• When rice is cooked, mould rice into 

rice balls. 

• Pour Yamasa soy sauce onto 

rice balls. 

• Put rice balls inside the oven with grill 

set at 180 degrees Celsius. 

• Place one piece of Oba leaf onto 

serving plate. 

• Place grilled rice balls on top of 

Oba leaf and it’s ready to serve. 

Method: 

• Season salmon and mushroom. 

• Skewer both items. 

• Place the skewered items into the pre-heated 

oven set at 180 degrees Celsius. 

• Prepare the Ikura sauce by mixing 

all ingredients. 

• Pour Ikura sauce onto serving plate. 

• Place skewered salmon and mushroom onto 

the plate and sprinkle sea salt. 




cuisineevangelist 

He’s full of passion and 

energy, and adamant about 

promoting fine Indian cuisine 

on a global level. 

Although Milind Sovani is 

dressed as if for a Formula 

One race, in white overalls 

emblazoned with logos and 

embroidered with his name on the 

collar, it is through closer inspection 

where the cloth appliques reveal that 

he is a chef at the award-winning 

restaurant The Song of India, and the 

only race he is in is that to promote 

fine Indian cuisine around the world. 

The 44-year-old man is obviously 

proud of how far he has come 

since the days of his youth in 

Mumbai, India. 

“I was a good student, so when 

I applied to go to hospitality school 

my neighbours and parents’ friends 

came round to tell my folks that I was 

making a terrible decision,” he says, 

his eyes twinkling with glee. “They felt 

I should have become an engineer 

or a lawyer, something like that. 

Luckily, my parents supported me 

and I gained admission to the school. 

“But even then, I had not decided 

to be a chef. It was only when the 

school passed round a form on 

which we students had to indicate 

whether we would like to be hotel 

management trainees or kitchen 

trainees that I made my choice — 

five of my friends naturally chose 

this position, so I deliberately picked 

something different. Thus, a simple 

“It was tiring, but when we got there the 

experience was pretty unbelievable… cooking on a 

mountain-top surrounded by ice-capped peaks and 

watching the sun rise — can you imagine?” 

tick changed my life.” 

Indeed, through his culinary 

career Sovani has been given “oncein-a-lifetime 

opportunities” to do 

things he would otherwise not have. 

When he graduated from hospitality 

school, for instance, the budding 

star was hand-picked to join the 

then-Prime Minister of India Rajiv 

Gandhi’s catering team, with whom 

he whipped up dishes for well-known 

names from all over the world. 

One event, he says, called for the 

team to prepare breakfast for several 

visiting politicians and diplomats at 

the top of a mountain in Cherapunji, 

a region in India that experiences 

one of the highest amounts of rainfall 

in the world. 

“We had to wake up at 2am, 

because breakfast was to be ready 

at 8am, and carry our pots and pans 

up the mountain to the summit,” 

shares Sovani. “It was tiring, but when 

we got there the experience was 

pretty unbelievable… cooking on 

a mountain top surrounded by icecapped 

peaks and watching the sun 

rise — can you imagine?” 

Something of a celebrity chef 

Milind Sovani 

Song of India’s interior 

in India, Sovani has hosted several 

cookery shows on television, 

including Har Dil Lazeez, a Zee 

TV programme that is currently 

screening in South-east Asia, New 

Zealand and Australia. 

“I would like to use my fame to 

take Indian cuisine to a global level,” 

he says earnestly. “The typical image 

of India is that of snake charmers 

and bullock carts; that of a historical 

country. But India is emerging and 

I want to show people a modern 

India, an India of the future.” 

When asked why he has not 

veered from his roots, Sovani says, 

“Indian cuisine is such a strong, 

scientific cuisine with a rich heritage, 

so why should I? I want to use the 

traditional as a base and give 

it a modern touch to appeal to 

the younger generation. As one 

Indian designer who is famous 

for reinventing the sari recently 

explained, ‘we are trying to keep the 

sari alive. We don’t want the sari 

to die’.” 

This yearning to spread the word 

and the flavours, as it were, is part 

of the reason why the chef left his 



hometown for Singapore. Lured 

by the opportunity to become the 

group executive chef of the Rang 

Mahal group, he arrived here six 

years ago and almost immediately 

made an impact on the dining scene 

with the establishment of Vaansh, 

Singapore’s first truly trendy modern 

Indian restaurant, and a makeover of 

the main Rang Mahal restaurant at 

Pan Pacific Singapore. 

Since then, Sovani has also won 

the titles of Best Asian Cuisine Chef 

and Best Chef at the 2006-2007 and 

2005-2006 Hospitality Asia Platinum 

Awards, respectively. 

Unlike most other chefs, 

who glean inspiration from their 

colleagues, he says his 

biggest inspirations “are not 

necessarily chefs”. 

“My inspirations and influences are 

just people who do things differently,” 

explains the rebel-with-a-cause. 

“People who do things with passion 

give me motivation and ideas. 

Film-makers, fashion people, social 

“They look good, and 

that is especially 

pertinent in this age of 

kitchens becoming a 

lifestyle component of 

the home” 

leaders — I get a kick out of admiring 

people like that.” 

As one who professes to love 

art, so much so that he designed 

and patented The Song of India’s 

palette-shaped plates on which he 

could display his own work, Sovani 

especially appreciates the aesthetics 

of De Dietrich appliances. 

“They look good, and that is 

especially pertinent in this age 

of kitchens becoming a lifestyle 

component of the home,” he says. 

“Of course, it helps that they’re 

technologically-savvy, too.” 

And his tips to preparing these 

recipes so they turn out picture 

perfect? “Marination is the most 

important part of any grilled recipe, 

so don’t ignore or change the 

marination time given. It is marination 

that does the magic. Also, the 

general rule for grilling is to turn off 

the heat once the food is 90 to 95 

per cent cooked. The remaining 

heat in the oven will cook the centre, 

anyway. This is so that the food will 

retain its juiciness inside.” 

Grilled Masala pomfret 


1 pomfret (medium) 

1 tsp ginger paste 

1 tsp garlic paste 

1 tbsp lime juice 

Salt to taste 

Marinade 

200g thick yogurt 

1 tbsp olive oil 

¼ tsp Garam Masala powder 

½ tsp Ajwaiin (carum seeds) 

½ tsp white pepper powder 

Salt to taste 

1 tbsp roasted bengalgram flour (roasted in 2 tsp butter) 

2 tsp butter (for basting) 


2 Quails 

Salt to taste 

Tandoori marinade 

200g thick yogurt 

2 tsp red chilly powder 

1 tsp Garam masala powder 

1 tsp coriander powder 

1 tsp cumin powder 

Salt to taste 

Few drops of orange-red color 

2 tsp mustard oil 

1 tbsp butter 

1 tsp Chat masala 

Method: 

• Clean the pomfret and keep it whole. 

• Make 3-inch long cuts/slits with a sharp knife on both sides of the 

fish at one-inch distance. 

• Rub pomfret with limejuice, salt and ginger and garlic paste. 

• For the marinade, mix all the ingredients to a smooth paste. 

• Evenly apply the paste to the pomfret on all sides. 

• Marinate for 2-3 hours and cook it in oven with grilling function 

set at 180-200 degrees Celsius, for 12-15 mins. While cooking, apply 

butter for basting. 

• Remove and serve hot with a lemon wedge. 

Tandoori Bhuna Bater 

(grilled juicy quails in Tandoori marinade) 

Method: 

• Clean and wash the quails. Make insertions on the breast and 

leg with a sharp knife for the marinade to penetrate into 

the meat. 

• Rub it with ginger and garlic paste, lemon juice and salt and 

leave aside for 15 mins. 

• Mix all the marinade ingredients to form a smooth paste and 

apply it evenly to the quails, and leave it for 2 to 3 hours in 

a fridge. 

• Arrange the quails on a skewer and roast it in moderately hot 

(180 to 200 degrees Celsius) oven for 15 - 18 minutes till done. 

• Baste it with butter before removing it from the oven. 

• Serve hot, garnished with onion rings and lemon wedges. 



lack magic > 

The Continuum Induction Hob 

Turn on your culinary magic with the new De Dietrich 

Continuum Induction Hob. It literally inspires you to cook up 

a storm with its dark, decadent fascia. This induction hob is 

waiting for the ‘chef in you’ to whip up pan-fried or sautéed 

dishes that stir the soul and warms the heart. Controls are 

at the touch of your fingertips and with precision settings to 

manage temperature, you’re all set to simmer, boil and fry 

just about any exquisite ingredient; while keeping your kitchen 

cool. The Continuum accomodates a wide variety of large 

or odd size cookware. Its culinary performance is unrivalled 

– boiling a two-litre pot of water in just under five minutes! 

Safety wise, it offers a host of innovative features to prevent 

overheating, protecting your cookware, and ensuring that no 

accidental start-ups occur. When the party’s over, a simple 

wipe of a sponge is all it takes to get it looking clean and sleek 

again. Now everybody’s allowed to indulge in some 

black magic.

Edward Voon 

boldcreations 

Edward Voon is regarded as a revolutionary 

chef in Singapore, who creates intriguing dishes 

based on molecular gastronomy techniques. 

Aurum’s dining and bar area 

When we first meet Edward Voon, 

he is busily stirring his concotion 

over a De Dietrich induction 

hob. Moments later, he tell us to keep 

away. But it’s not because the 34-yearold 

executive chef is mysophobic. 

Rather, it is because Voon is “reverse 

frying” scoops of chocolate mousse in a 

saucepan full of a liquid that is crackling 

away merrily. Just looking at him cook is 

like being entertained in a theatre. 

“Watch your hands,” the fair-skin, 

boyish-looking chef tells me. “This is liquid 

nitrogen, which means your fingers could 

“I can make a cube of 

watermelon taste like 

crispy bacon. It has 

the same texture as 

watermelon but the 

flavour of bacon. Sounds 

pretty amazing huh? 

Yes, it’s a complicated 

technique that requires a 

lot of skill.” 

fall off if they come into contact with it.” 

He should know. Voon has no 

missing fingers, but he does specialise 

in molecular gastronomy, a branch of 

food science that explores the physical 

and chemical processes that occur in 

cooking. It is an amalgamation of the 

passions — art, designing and cuisine 

— that he pursued as a youth in his 

hometown of Penang. 

“At the age of 16, I decided to merge 

my interests and come to Singapore to 

take up cooking,” he says. “Singapore 

has very high culinary expectations 

and offers me more opportunities to 

develop my skills through participation in 

competitions. I hope to become a role 

model for young chefs and to create an 

impact in the industry with my own style 

and philosophies.” 

Those philosophies, he shares, are 

based on understanding people, 

passions, products and the basic 

fundamentals of cooking. It’s no wonder 

that Voon sits in elite chef circles both 

locally and internationally. He was, after 

all, the captain of the Singapore national 

culinary team who led the contingent 

to bag the overall champion title at the 

prestigious Salon Culinaire Mondial 2005 

in Basel, Switzerland. Then he was only 

32 years old. His fame escalated further 

when he nabbed gold medals at the 

Salon Culinaire in Dubai in the same year. 

He was also chef de cuisine of Dolce Vita 

Mediterranean restaurant at The 

Oriental Hotel. 



Today, he is recognised and 

applauded for making Aurum as the 

republic’s first molecular gastronomy 

restaurant. For the ignoramus, this sort 

of cooking technique involves the 

deconstruction of food at their basic, 

or you might call it, “molecular level”. 

He shares, “I can make a cube of 

watermelon taste like crispy bacon. It has 

the same texture as watermelon but the 

flavour of bacon. Sound pretty amazing 

huh? Yes, it’s a complicated technique 

that requires a lot of skill.” 

“Chefs should constantly be making 

positive contributions to the industry, 

searching for new ideas, staying modest 

and humble, respecting their clients 

and fellow workers, and recognising 

innovation. I’d like to say that this is the 

sort of creative injection I want to see in 

the culinary industry and people who 

want to understand what my cuisine 

is all about should come to Aurum. I 

believe one has to dare to break the 

rules of cooking to discover new flavours, 

compositions and textures — we must 

allow our imaginations to take control,” 

he mentions. 

He also emphasises, “As chefs, it’s 

important to stick to your guns or beliefs 

and follow your dreams. I never allow 

anyone to undermine my skills or talents, 

not even the most acerbic food critique!” 

He cites innovative chefs like Thomas 

Keller who has three Michelin-stars under 

his belt as his mentor and teacher. Keller 

is the sort of chef who has no qualms 

about serving hamburgers with wine at 

one of his California restaurants, Bouchon. 

Voon’s other inspirational chef is the 

famed El Bulli-trained Paco Roncero, who 

is well known for his molecular creations. 

Explains Voon, “If I am inspired 

by something I see, I interpret it into 

something special to me. And that 

defines my recipes.” 

Just then, he interrupts our interview 

and merrily swirls the laksa mixture in an 

emulsifier that’s simmering in a pan of 

water. He then offers us a dollop of the 

mixture and it tastes scrumptiously like 

the real thing! He proceeds to decorate 

the second dish with the emulsion and 

other garnish like berries and flowers. Just 

watching him at work, we immediately 

sense the palpable passion for his job. 

To produce results, he says, one must 

cook with sincerity and patience, and 

dare to try and fail. 

Of course, quality equipment helps, 

too, and Voon appreciates De Dietrich 

appliances for their “avant-garde vision, 

futuristic technology and topnotch 

performance”. 

“The brand is a harmony of the 

“The brand is a 

harmony of the best 

– from its 21 st century 

design and technology to 

the products’ durability, 

De Dietrich sets new 

trends and values in 

this industry of 

culinary expectations” 

best — from its 21st century design and 

technology to the products’ durability, 

De Dietrich sets new trends and values 

in this industry of culinary expectations. I 

think the brand has an avant-garde feel 

and this complements the contemporary 

food I’m serving at Aurum. And for 

those who love beautiful kitchens, these 

appliances are simply alluring!” 

he laughs. 

Throughout our interview, it’s hard 

not to be intrigued by Voon’s skills and 

talents. He is by far, one of the most 

unique chefs to set new standards and 

inject ‘culinary creativity’ in Singapore. 

Voon even hopes that young chefs will 

be inspired by what he does and to 

continue pursuing their passion. 

Sous —vide salmon with white olive oil, citrus, 

lemon, olives, gazpacho gelée 


Sous-vide salmon 

100g Scottish salmon 

70g sugar 

20g salt 

5g dill 

5g parsley 

5g basil 

5g tarragon 


Method: 

• Cure salmon fillet for 

two hours. 

• Mix all herbs and olive oil 

in vacuum bag with salmon. 

• Poach in 45 degrees 

Celsius water for 30 mins 

in roner (slow cooking 

machine). 

White olive oil 


50g maltodextrin 

5g crimiel 

3g fizzy 

Method: 

• Mix all ingredients and 

set aside. 

Gazpacho 

200ml tomato juice 

100ml soda water 

400g red pepper 

200g roma tomatoes 

20g garlic 

10g basil 

20g cucumber 

10g red onion 

8pcs gelatin 

10ml sherry vinegar 

Method: 

• Marinate all vegetables 

for 24 hours. 

• Fine strain, add gelatin 


Lemon gummies 

200ml lemon juice 


8g gelatin 

Method: 

• Add all items in 

thermomixer and set for 

a day. 

Black olive gummies 

200ml olive juice 


8g gelatin 

Method: 

• Add all items in 

thermomixer and set for 

a day. 

Citrus salad 


50ml oyster juice 

80g blood orange 

80g pink grapefruit 

80g orange 

10g cilantro 

10g raspberry nitro 

20ml champagne vinegar 

Method: 

• Peel all citrus and 

portions into wedges. 

• Mix with all the rest of the 

ingredients and season 

to taste. 

• Squeeze all the citrus 

juice, mix in the dressing 


Assembly and plating: 

Arrange the dish starting 

from the salmon right down 

to the citrus salad. 

Note: Sous-vide, a French 

term for ‘‘under vacuum’’, 

refers to vacuum-sealing 

food in a plastic bag 

and cooking it in a lowtemperature 

water bath. 

Proponents claim that it 

maintains the natural flavors, 

nutrients and textures of food 

better than other methods. 

Pan-roasted Hokkaido scallops with laksa fluid, 

spring vegetables and pineapple slaw 


Laksa stock 

100g lemon grass 

20g blue ginger 

30g tumeric, fresh 

30g dried shrimp 

60g garlic 

200g shallots 

300g laksa leaves 

200g lime leaves 

5l water 

Method: 

• Place the first seven 

ingredients in motar to get 

it crushed. 

• Place oil and rambal the 

crushed ingredients. 

• Add in water and bring 

to boil then let it simmer to 

required taste. 

Laksa gelatine 

400ml laksa stock 

100ml coconut milk 

2.5g gelatine 

1pc siphon 

Method: 

• Boil laksa stock 

with gelatine. 

• Pour coconut milk, stir well 

and bring to boil. 

• Blend gelatine into mixture 

using hand blender. 

• Pour in siphon with 1 gas 

charger and set aside. 

Vegetables 

20g yellow baby beet 

20g pink radish 

20g baby carrot 

20g baby turnip 

200ml pickling water 

40g butter 

20g bacon, chopped 

1 sprig lemon thyme 

5g garlic 

Method: 

• Bring pickling water to boil 

and cook all vegetables. 

• Sautee chopped bacon, 

garlic and vegetables 

with butter. 

• Add seasoning and thyme 

to taste and set aside. 

Pineapple slaw 

100g Hokkaido scallop 

30g pineapple 


5g red onion 

3g red chilli 

3g coriander leaves 

5ml raspberry vinegar 

10g sugar 

Method: 

• Pan roast scallops with 

butter and olive oil till 

medium cooked. 

• Slice all ingredients, mix well 



Start with the laksa stock 

preparation and work down to 

the pineapple slaw used as a 

side garnish. 



Luca Pezzara 

soulcooking 

Bonta’s contemporary loft-like interior, with its 

elegant fittings, is a far cry from a young 

Italian boy’s backyard kitchen in Bergano, 

Italy. But the latter is what ignited 

Bonta’s partner-chef Luca 

Pezzera’s passion for cooking 

almost 40 years ago. 

As a young boy, Pezzera watched his neighbour 

cooking, working the dough and smelling the 

aromas coming out of the wood fired oven; this 

left a deep impression on him. 

Graduating from the prestigious San Pellegrino School 

of Hoteliers in 1986, Pezzera has spent the past 20 years 

pursuing his passion across the globe in countries such as 

Turkey, Jordan, Switzerland, Scotland, Dubai and most 

recently, Indonesia, where he pioneered and established 

Scusa, one of the Indonesia’s best Italian restaurants. 

While in Indonesia, he won the Best Restaurant Award in 

2006 (Jakarta Kini) and Indonesian Black Box 

Competition 2005. 

Since his childhood, Pezzera had dreamed of 

becoming his own boss, with his plans finally coming into 

fruition with the opening of his first entrepreneurial base in 

Singapore — Bonta. He says it is Singaporeans’ affinity to 

food that makes him feel at home here. 

Don’t let Pezzera’s easy-going nature fool you. For a 

culinary master who is almost impeccable in his craft, 

he is fussy about his already-perfectly-executed dishes 

that he considers art. It is this passion that ensures every 

morsel is fit for a king’s table. And in fact, he has had 

the pleasure of cooking for royalty — King Abdullah II Bin 

Hussein of Jordan, as well as the queen of French cinema, 

Catherine Deneuve. 

Having cooked for many other prestigious clients, too, 

such as action star Sylvester Stallone and Indonesian 

president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, you wonder if 

For a culinary master who is almost 

impeccable at his craft, he can still 

quibble about his already-perfected 

dishes that he considers art. 

Bonta’s alfresco dining area 



Pezzera is being ironic when he 

says his favourite ingredient is flour. 

However, he explains that “a great 

dish can have humble beginnings; 

flour can create a great foundation 

and you can transform it into so 

many dishes”. 

“My cooking style is just simplicity 

with emphasis on using the 

freshest, top quality ingredients, 

with a keen sense of taste, texture, 

presentation and execution. I am 

largely influenced by the ingredients 

and cuisine of Northern Italy, very 

authentic yet with my personal 

signature modern touch,” he says. 

From the ordinary palate to the 

refined taste buds, it is this signature 

touch that has garnered Pezzera a 

loyal following. With his combination 

of culinary skill and personable 

charm, it’s not surprising that some 

of the chef’s clients and friends have 

been known to travel to Singapore 

to satisfy their cravings for his 

scrumptious creations. 

For inspiration, Pezzera looks to 

Chicago chef and restaurateur, 

Mr Charlie Trotter. He says, “I am 

impressed with (Trotter’s) choice 

of ingredients, the quality and 

presentation of his food, and the 

“I loved the fact that the 

De Detrich induction 

hob allowed me to 

control the cooking 

temperature precisely, 

and this helped me to 

maintain the freshness 

and texture of 

the ingredients.” 

ambience and holistic experience 

of dining in his restaurant.” Charlie 

Trotter was inducted into the 

esteemed Relais & Chateaux group 

in 1995 and in 1998 was accepted 

as a member by Traditions & Qualité. 

It was also named Wine Spectator’s 

Best Restaurant in the World in 

1998 and received 10 James Beard 

Foundation awards, including that for 

2000’s Outstanding Restaurant and 

1999’s Outstanding Chef. 

Pezzera also has great admiration 

for his mentor, Mr Sergio Mei Tomasi, 

executive chef of the Four Seasons 

Hotel Milan. Tomasi won gold and 

silver medals for the Italian culinary 

team in the Culinary World Cup in 

1996 and was named Chef of the 

Year in 1998 by Campione d’Italia. 

Pezzera credits him for instilling the 

values of dedication to his craft and 

for helping him start his career in fivestar 

hotels. 

Pezzera is his own harshest 

critic and constantly challenges 

himself to create exciting cuisine 

by experimenting with new 

combinations of flavours and 

ingredients. “The food has to be 

healthful and look appetising with 

vibrant colours. And it has to be 

delightfully palatable and deliver 

flavourful sensations. That makes 

a truly satisfying gastronomic 

experience,” he says. 

As with any committed artist, the 

tools of a chef’s trade are just as 

important as his creativity. Pezzera 

only uses top-quality ingredients, 

and to ensure ultimate perfection of 

each dish he says, “I loved the fact 

that The De Detrich induction hob 

allowed me to control the cooking 

temperature precisely, and this 

helped me to maintain the freshness 

and texture of the ingredients.” 

Pezzera also appreciates the 

induction hob’s ability to deliver 

heat that is strong and steady, and 

its easy-to-use touch interface and 

streamlined design. 

In addition to an education in the 

art of Italian gastronomy and a fully 

satiated belly, Pezzera leaves us with 

a nugget of wisdom, “Everything you 

do, do it with passion and put in 100 

per cent.” 

Pan-fried duck liver 


2 pcs sliced duck liver (50g each) 

2 pcs rosemary lavash (5g each) 


8g semi-dried moscato grapes 

10g Mesculum lettuce 

5g balsamic dressing 

2 pcs cherry tomatoes 

4g micro herbs 

5g 25-year-old balsamic vinegar 

Method: 

• Heat the pan on the induction stove to power 10. 

• Season the duck liver and pan-fry until crispy. 

• Remove the duck liver and set aside. 

• In a bowl, toss the lettuce, semi-dried moscato 

grapes, cherry tomatoes with the balsamic dressing. 

• Place a small amount of lettuce with the moscato 

grapes on the plate. 

Arrange one slice of lavash on the lettuce and slice of 

duck liver. 

• Repeat the same steps with the remaining 

ingredients by creating a small pyramid. 

• Drizzle with the 25-year-old balsamic vinegar. 

• Garnish with cherry tomatoes cut in half and 

micro herbs and it’s ready to serve. 

Pan roasted Korobuta pork rack 

served with caramelised, black 

figs and wild berry sauce 


300g Korobuta pork rack 

100g boiled purple potatoes 

1 pc black fig 

50g Mostarda di Cremona 

40g demi-glace sauce 

5g fried leeks chips 

5g eggplant chips 

5g red wine vinegar 

15g white sugar 

10g extra virgin olive oil 

5g butter 

20g fresh, wild mixed berries 

Method: 

• Preheat the pan on the induction hob and add some 

olive oil. 

• Season the pork rack and cook in the pan for 4 to 5 

mins until medium well. 

• Slice the purple potato in 1-cm thickness. 

• In separate pan, pour the olive oil and sauté the 

potato until crispy. 

• Peel the figs, cut in half, dust them with white sugar 

and sauté in butter until caramelised. 

• For the wild berries sauce; melt the sugar and the red 

wine vinegar in a pan. 

• Add the wild berries and sauté for few seconds then 

add the demi-glace, let it simmer to a sticky consistency 

and place aside. 

• Arrange the purple potato on the plate and place the 

pork rack on it. 

• Spread the mostarda di cremona on the rack. 

• Garnish with leeks and eggplant chips. 

• Drizzle the wild berry sauce around the rack 

and serve. 



americandream 

Unlike many other chefs’ early influences, it was 

a tattoo of red and yellow flames that got 

Shawn Armstrong, chef de cuisine of 

The Cliff at Sentosa, all fired up 

about cooking. 

The burly and friendly Americanborn 

34-year-old chef says, “I 

enrolled in a culinary school in 

Austin, Texas when I was 22, after a 

stint at a large corporate restaurant 

group. During my time at the school, 

I worked for a fine dining Italian 

restaurant in Houston and it was there 

that I learned that cooking could be 

exciting and adventurous. This was 

mainly due to the chef, who had a 

tattoo of red and yellow flames on 

his head, and his contemporary style 

of cuisine. That really inspired me to 

pursue a chef career.” 

Armstrong later moved on to 

the upscale American seafood 

restaurant McCormick’s and 

Schmicks, which he refers to as 

“the seafood version of Morton’s”. 

And it was here, he says, that he 

established a love for ocean catch 

and was taught how fresh ingredients 

could really make a difference. 

Today, it’s not difficult to see why 

Armstrong is well known for his fresh, 

innovative seafood creations — there 

can’t be that many restaurants 

that offer a more rigorous training 

ground for chefs who want to work 

Shawn Armstrong 

The Cliff 

“I also constantly push myself and my team to 

achieve and go beyond the standards we have built 

our reputation on.” 

with seafood than McCormick’s. 

The restaurant has a mind-boggling 

array of seafood — between 30 

and 45 species of seafood ranging 

from black-tip sharks to razor clams 

are offered at any one time — and 

menus that change daily. 

Since then, the burly man with 

the baby-blue eyes has worked in 

Hong Kong and the Maldives, after 

which he took the leap and landed 

at The Cliff in 2004. But his culinary 

philosophies have changed little from 

those days at McCormick’s. “I like 

to keep things simple and fresh,” he 

tells us when asked about his style 

of cooking. “I also constantly push 

myself and my team to achieve and 

go beyond the standards we have 

built our reputation on.” 

The chef, who wrote the 

Archipelago Press-published 

cookbook Seafood: Recipes from 

The Cliff in 2005, says he gets many 

of the ideas for his creations from 

his personal collection of “tonnes 

of cookbooks that I love to look 

through”. But, he emphasises, the 

real inspiration comes from the 

ingredients themselves. 

Since Armstrong loves to work with 

“true seasonal products”, these could 

mean anything from Kyoho grapes 

and truffles to fresh morels and wild 

Copper River salmon. “They’re highquality 

products and we don’t get 

to use them often,” he explains of his 

fascination with seasonal produce. 

After picking a main ingredient to 

work into his menu, he begins asking 

himself, “What pairs nicely with the 

ingredient, and what will make it 

more complete?” 

“Once I have decided on the 

main ingredient, I begin to break it 

down from there — what type, what 

garnish and what cut to use if it’s a 

piece of meat, for example” says 

the chef. “I also like to have a good 

balance of cooking methods on my 

menu — there should be a variety of 

sautéed, braised and grilled items, 

and more. The cooking methods, 

garnishes, main ingredients… these 



are all factors that can be changed 

and in changing them, I can show 

that my cuisine is always evolving 

and that I am constantly trying 

to improve.” 

For this book, Armstrong has 

chosen to use a De Dietrich induction 

hob to produce two seafood dishes 

— cardamom seared scallops, and 

black ink risotto with sautéed squid. 

When asked about this choice of 

cooking equipment, he says, “At 

The Cliff, the induction range is our 

primary tool for cooking the majority 

of our menu items. So, I really wanted 

to reflect what was going on in 

our kitchen.” 

He finds the premium French 

brand an excellent choice because 

of its aesthetics, ease of use and 

durability. “I find the Zoneless 

Continuum Induction hob a cut 

above the rest because of its quick 

heat transfer capabilities,” says 

the chef. 

“At The Cliff, the 

induction range is our 

primary tool for cooking 

the majority of our 

menu items. So, I really 

wanted to reflect what 

was going on in 

our kitchen.” 

Of his reason behind choosing 

these recipes, Armstrong says he 

picked them because of their 

“ease of preparation, taste and 

visual appeal”. He explains, “Both 

recipes are simple to prepare and 

will definitely impress your guests with 

their sublime taste and 

dramatic presentation.” 

To sauté the seafood in both 

recipes, start by heating a dry 

(preferably Teflon or non-stick) pan 

on medium-high heat. When the pan 

is hot, add enough oil or clarified 

butter to just coat the bottom of 

the pan. “Only add in the seafood 

once the oil starts to smoke,” says 

Armstrong. “This will give it a nice 

colour and a crisp texture.” 

It seems the biggest lesson this 

chef has to share, however, is that 

one must be unafraid to change and 

improve. “I get ideas that look great 

in my mind, but often, they need to 

be modified before the food is on the 

plate,” he says. “So, an idea is only 

where the evolution begins.” 

Cardamon seared scallops 


12 scallops, shelled 


Cardamom sugar 

4 cardamom seeds 

4 tbsp sugar 

Beetroot purée 

2 beetroots 

½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped 

and reserved 

1 shallot, minced 

1 tsp parsley, minced 

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 



Pineapple anise compote 

½ pineapple, diced into 4mm cubes 

2 star anises 

2 tbsp sugar 

For cardamom sugar 

• Toast cardamom seeds in dry pan 

until fragrant. 

• Place in blender or coffee grinder and 

puree until it becomes a 

fine powder. 

• Filter through fine mesh sieve. 

For beetroot puree and beetroot salad 

• Trim ends of beetroot and place in a 

pot of lightly salted water and boil until 

they are tender (about 40 mins). Strain and 

reserve some of the liquid. 

• Cool beetroot slightly and remove skin 

with hands. You may want to wear gloves. 

• Dice 1 beetroot in small 2mm cubes and 

mix with shallots, parsley, 1 tbsp balsamic 

and 1 tbsp olive oil. 

• Season with salt and pepper and chill. 

For purée 

• Prepare other beetroot as per above. 

Chop roughly and place in blender with 

a little of the reserved cooking liquid and 

vanilla seeds scraped from the pod, puree 

until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. 

Re-warm the purée. 

For pineapple anise compote 

• Combine pineapple, sugar and 

cardamom in a pot and cook over medium 

heat until sugar is dissolved and compote 

is thick. 


• Season scallops with salt and pepper. 

• Dust one flat side with cardamom sugar 

and sauté in hot oiled pan on an induction 

hob for about 30 seconds each side. 

• Place compote on plate, top with 

scallops and garnish with beetroot salad, 

beetroot puree and drizzle over remaining 

balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 

Black ink risotto with sautéed squid 


Risotto 


250g Carnaroli or Arborio risotto 

1 tbsp white onion, minced 


400ml warm chicken stock 

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese 

15 to 20g squid ink 


Squid 


240g squid, thinly sliced 

1 tomato, skinned, seeded and diced 

1 tsp espalette pepper (chilli flakes) 

2 tsp parsley, finely chopped 

1 garlic, minced 


Crisp parsley 

30 large parsley leaves 

Oil as needed 

Garnishing 

Thinly shaved parmesan as needed 

For crisp parsley 

• Tightly cover plate with cling film, brush 

with olive oil and lay parsley leaves flat 

on cling film. 

• Microwave on high for 3 to 5 mins or 

until parsley is crisp. 

For black ink risotto 

• Heat sauce pan on medium heat. 

Add oil followed by rice. Stir until rice is 

well coated. 

• Add onion and wine. Stir frequently 

until all the wine is absorbed. 

• Add warm stock about 100ml at a 

time. Continue to stir frequently so that 

the rice will not stick and the starch will 

release from the rice. Finish with all 

the stock. 

• Test rice for al dente texture. Add more 

stock or water if necessary. 

• Stir in grated parmesan and squid ink. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

• Prepare the squid while finishing 

the rice. 

For sautéed squid 

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in sauté pan over 

medium-high heat. 

• Add squid, tomatoes, espalette 

pepper, parsley, garlic and seasonings. 

Sauté for about 30 seconds to 1 min until 

squid is just cooked through. 


• Spoon risotto onto centre of plate. Top 

with squid, shaved parmesan and 

crisp parsley. 

56 

CHEFS of De Dietrich 


perfect brew 

The Espresso Coffee Machine 

One of life’s simplest pleasures is enjoying a great tasting cup of 

coffee. Look to De Dietrich’s fully automatic espresso machine 

to craft that perfect cuppa in a few minutes. The new espresso 

coffee machine is focused on delivering a barista-approving 

brew in the comfort of your own home. It flaunts technology 

to heat water to 85 degrees Celsius, grind your beans and to 

produce at least ‘15 bars’ of pump pressure to eke out all the 

essential aromas from the ground beans. Absolute connoisseur 

coffee is delivered every time! And with a built-in frothing 

system and a steam nozzle, an excellent cup of cappuccino 

or latte is out before you can say ‘‘Jack Robinson’’. Now that’s 

technology which is inspirational and smart!

Gabriele Piegaia 

italianflair 

It’s a pretty big deal when an Italian 

trades time that could be spent 

playing or watching football – one 

of Italy’s greatest passions – for 

another activity. But even at a 

young age, Gabriele Piegaia knew 

he had other flames to fan. 

The rosy-cheeked executive chef of 

Senso Ristorante and Bar, who is from 

the town of Lucca in Tuscany, says 

he has always wanted to cook and even 

gave up playing football with his cousin 

for a whole summer after he decided 

to observe his grandmother at the stove 

instead. He was only 6 years old then. 

The driven youth spent another 

summer learning culinary skills during 

a secondary school attachment at 

a Tuscan hotel institute before postgraduation 

wanderlust carried him 

overseas, where his skills and diligent 

attitude found him work at several 

prestigious restaurants in the United 

States, England and Egypt. 

At 31, Piegaia has settled in Singapore, 

which he calls “a new world full of 

different tastes, ingredients and very 

creative people”, but still holds strong one 

cooking philosophy he picked up from his 

hometown, a city rich in fresh produce: 

He is adamant that only the freshest 

ingredients are used in his creations. 

When asked about the ideas behind 

these dishes, he says he draws inspiration 

from those childhood days, among 

other things. 

“There is inspiration everywhere, so 

never limit yourself,” offers the sociable 

man. “Anything from childhood 

memories, to smells, colours and close 

friends… they all play a part.” 

“The key is to always be on the lookout 

for inspiration. Sometimes, they will come 

to you when you least expect it. I always 

keep a pen and memo with me to 

write down any sudden bursts of ideas. 

Creative people should always do it; no 

thought should be wasted.” 

“The key is to always 

be on the lookout for 

inspiration. Sometimes, 

they will come to you 

when you least expect it. 

I always keep a pen and 

memo with me to write 

down any sudden bursts 

of ideas. Creative people 

should always do it; no 

thought should 

be wasted.” 

Piegaia — who lists chef Roberto 

Carani of the Antica Osteria del Bai 

restaurant in Genoa, Italy as one of his 

biggest culinary influences — is known 

for lacing the tradizionale with a nuovo 

touch (i.e. traditional with a new touch). 

Some of his innovations include fresh 

pappardelle topped with duck confit 

and braised eggplant, and poached 

pears stuffed with panna cotta. 

His recipe for success? The chef 

advises making sure that all ingredients 

are ready before cooking and getting 

to know your appliance, as “it can then 

become a great friend”. He adds, “De 

Dietrich appliances are a cut above 

Senso Ristorante and Bar Main Dining Room 



the rest because the company really 

understands what is important in a 

kitchen. They are practical and you don’t 

need a manual to use them. Plus, they’re 

made of prime materials that are easy 

to clean. It’s an honour for me to cook in 

such a prestigious kitchen.” 

Having a good know-how of your tools 

and ingredients plus excellent teamwork 

among staff, he says, “equals a happy 

kitchen and happy customers — it’s that 

“I must admit that 

De Dietrich has taken 

great strides in making 

the most difficult of 

tasks so simple to 

execute. Technology 

should be made simple, 

don’t you agree?” 

simple. Always have that as a rule-ofthumb 

and you will get the results 

you want”. 

Here, Piegaia has chosen to use a De 

Dietrich Espresso Machine to brew a cup 

of espresso in order to make tiramisu, 

the traditional Italian dessert, as well as 

infuse what is typically a Chinese dish in 

Singapore — coffee pork ribs — with an 

Italian twist. 

“Coffee is an interesting ingredient that 

can add a different facet to your dishes, 

especially with its unmistakeable aroma,” 

he says. “But many people often just see 

it as a drink. I would like to show that the 

De Dietrich Espresso Machine could be 

used for preparing both conventional 

and unconventional dishes, too.” 

When asked to comment about the 

appliance, he smiles, “It’s great that 

this machine can really whip a cup 

of delicious espresso so quickly. All the 

aromas are intact and just smelling it 

inspires me to create more dishes or 

desserts. Best of all, it’s idiot-proof and 

anyone in the family can use it. Hmm, if I 

had time, I would probably use the milk 

frother to make me a cappuccino but 

that’s too bad because the next chef is 

already waiting to use it! But I think key 

to a great cuppa is the technology itself. 

I must admit that De Dietrich has taken 

great strides in making the most difficult 

of tasks so simple to execute. Technology 

should be made simple, don’t 

you agree?” 

Here’s one Italian chef that is brimming 

with passion, and it is this passion that 

becomes the driving force behind his 

successful Senso Ristorante and Bar. And 

regular patrons have this to say about the 

establishment, “Magnifico!” 

Tiramisu 

Pork ribs with rosemary and 

garlic with espresso sauce 


12 pieces of pork ribs 

Sprig of rosemary 

1 clove of garlic 


15g salt 

5g freshly crushed black pepper 

1 cup brown sauce 

10g butter 

4 cups espresso 

Roasted coffee beans 

Method: 

• Marinate the pork ribs with rosemary, garlic, 

olive oil, salt and pepper. 

• Grill the pork ribs for 10 mins till light brown. 

• To make the sauce, add 4 cups of espresso 

in a pot and reduce the liquid to half by 

boiling. Now add in the brown sauce, after 

which you whip the sauce with butter. 

• Put the grilled pork ribs on a plate, top it 

with the sauce, and then garnish with coffee 

beans and rosemary. 


9 egg yolks 

125g sugar 

250g Mascarpone cheese 

50g Marsala Wine 

24 Ladyfinger cookies 

2kg cream 

4 cups espresso 

1 tsp cocoa powder 

Sprig of mint leaves 

Handful of raspberries 

Method: 

• Beat all the yolks and sugar till creamy 

• Fold in the Mascarpone cheese into the 

egg mixture. 

• Lastly fold in the whipped cream. 

• Prepare the cups or glasses: First, add the 

mascarpone cream then add the ladyfinger 

cookies soaked in espresso, follow by the 

mascarpone cream again. 

• Decorate with powdered cocoa, fresh 

raspberries and a sprig of mint leaves. 




sweetinspirations 

If Pang Kok Keong 

had a penny for 

each culinary 

accomplishment 

he has under his 

belt, he would 

be nearly as 

rich as one of his 

delectable desserts. 

The 33-year-old executive pastry chef 

of Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie, 

one of the restaurants under the Les 

Amis Group, has represented Singapore 

in numerous international culinary events 

in Luxembourg, France and Malaysia. 

He has won medals for his creations at 

competitions such as the Food and Hotel 

Asia International Salon Culinaire, and at 

the age of 27, he became the youngest 

pastry chef ever to helm the kitchen of 

five-star The Hilton Singapore. 

His youthful-looking round face 

crinkling into a smile, Pang admits that 

he begun his training as a cook at the 

Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education 

Centre (Shatec) in 1993. “But during 

my industrial training attachment, I was 

always rostered to work in the pastry 

kitchen because they were short on 

staff,” he says. “So, my passion for pastry 

making slowly grew because the work 

is very wide-ranging… from cakes and 

chocolate work to sugar work and 

desserts, the challenges in this field are 

never-ending. A pastry chef makes 

everything from scratch with just flour, 

butter, sugar and eggs — it’s cooking in its 

rawest form.” 

After graduating from Shatec, 

he decided to get a career out of 

pastry and applied to more than 70 

establishments in Europe to further hone 

his skills. His efforts paid off — he was 

accepted to train at Pasteleria Totel in 

Alicante, a town five hours from Madrid 

in Spain. 

“So, my passion for 

pastry making slowly 

grew because the work 

is very wide-ranging… 

from cakes and chocolate 

work to sugar work 

and desserts, the 

challenges in this field 

are never-ending.” 

Pang Kok Keong 

That award-winning patisserie is 

helmed by one of Spain’s most innovative 

chefs, Mr Paco Torreblanca, who is also 

widely regarded as one of the best 

pastry chefs in the world. The legendary 

Spaniard is known for employing 

original but stunning techniques on 

unconventional ingredients such as 

isomalt or dried cornstarch. 

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie 



“Most of the top pastry chefs hail 

from Spain, including Albert Adria and 

Oriol Balaguer, have trained under 

Torreblanca,” says Pang, “so it was an 

honour to have worked in his kitchen. I 

also had the privilege to train under Mr 

Eric Perez in sugar work — and you don’t 

know what busy means until you’ve 

met Perez! He runs multiple pastry shops 

in Bangkok and Shanghai and does 

consulting work for international pastry 

brands. For someone that busy to spend 

his time training me, I just feel 

awfully grateful.” 

Our interview with the young maestro 

sounds like a ‘who’s who’ of the patisserie 

world, with so many people that he 

was fortunate to work with. Pang also 

shares that he has other mentors and 

these include some of Singapore’s most 

talented pastry chefs — Philippe Egalon, 

Daniel Tay, Kenny Kong and Gottfried 

Schuetzenberger among them — and 

cuisine chefs such as Otto Weibel and 

Emmanuel Souliere, all of whom he says 

Noisettine 


250g cream 

45g glucose 

350g Valrhona pur caribe 66% 

75g soft butter 

120g hazelnuts 

Method: 

• Bring cream and glucose to boil. 

• Chop the chocolate. 

• Pour the cream mixture into the chopped chocolate slowly and make a smooth 

emulsion. 

• Pour it into a suitable frame to achieve a 10mm thick slab 

• Refrigerate at 16 degrees Celsius to crystallise overnight to form 

the ganache. 

• Roast the hazelnuts at 150 degrees Celsius for approximate 15 to 20 mins and then 

leave it to cool and set aside for garnish. 

• The next day, remove the frame from the ganache and turn it over to a cutting board 

and cut into approximately 2.5 x 2.5cm squares. 

• Garnish coarsely broken hazelnuts and serve with a hot cup of coffee. 

“I love good-looking 

products that are also 

functional and durable 

— which is why I’ve 

fitted a De Dietrich 

induction range, oven 

and exhaust hood into 

my new kitchen. I can 

quite safely say that the 

company’s products 

are industrial 

strength proven.” 

have “moulded me into what I 

am today.” 

Such an extraordinary career, yet it 

all began with a rather — in Pang’s own 

words — “clichéd” start. “Yes, my first 

influence was actually my mum,” he 

tells us with a grin. “One of my earliest 

memories of childhood is of all the 

delicious food my mum made, and of me 

chopping and cutting the ingredients for 

her and watching her cook.” 

It’s unsurprising then, that his cooking 

philosophy is to “respect the traditions” 

despite his inspirations being radical 

culinary icons such as Torreblanca, 

Spanish molecular gastronomy specialists 

Ferran and Albert Adria, French avantgarde 

pastry chef Pierre Herme and 

English enfant terrible Marco Pierre White. 

Indeed, his favourite ingredient, too, is 

rather conventional — chocolate. But it’s 

only because Pang knows this product 

so intimately that he favours it. In fact, he 

adores this ingredient so much that he 

can wax lyrical about it. “In recent years, 

thanks to the discovery of single estate 

cocoa, chocolate manufacturers have 

been producing delectable single-estate 

chocolate couverture to the delight of 

pastry chefs such as myself,” he says. “I 

can absolutely appreciate the different 

characters of each estate where the 

cocoa is produced. It’s much like wine.” 

When asked how he comes up with 

new recipes, such as the dark chocolate 

Noisettine and the Opera My Way, that 

utilise an espresso machine, Pang says 

charmingly, “I think a lot!” 

He adds, “I don’t normally use 

the coffee brewed from an espresso 

machine, but this time I decided to go 

this way with the De Dietrich Espresso 

Machine as it fits my two 

concoctions perfectly”. 

“I’ve used De Dietrich appliances 

for more than eight years,” says Pang. 

“During this time, I’ve come across 

many other brands, but De Dietrich’s 

technology and design are something 

I absolutely appreciate. I love goodlooking 

products that are also functional 

and durable — which is why I’ve fitted a 

De Dietrich induction range, oven and 

exhaust hood into my new kitchen. I 

can quite safely say that the company’s 

products are industrial strength proven.” 

“Does one need anything other than 

quality appliances to carve out a similar 

candy-coated career,” we ask before 

our interview ends. And Pang responds 

with this piece of advice, “Never be 

afraid of failure. It will only make you a 

better cook!” 

Opera “On my way” 


Coffee Espuma 

500g cream 

5 yolks 

75g sugar 

140g espresso 

Method: 

• Bring cream and espresso to boil, mix 

sugar and yolks together. 

• While cream mixture is boiling, temper 

in the yolk mixture and cook to 85 

degrees Celsius, strain and cool in an 

ice bath. 

Crème Chocolat 

160g cream 

375g milk 

60g sugar 

85g yolks 

200g Valrhona’s Manjari 64% (chopped) 

Method: 

• Bring cream and milk to boil. 

• Temper in the sugar and yolks as per 

coffee espuma. 

• Strain and add slowly into the 

chopped chocolate making a 

smooth emulsion. 

• Set aside in chiller overnight. 

Espresso Jelly 

250g water 

80g marsala wine 

80g sugar 

8g gelatine leaf 

170g espresso 

Method: 

• Bring water, marsala and sugar to 

boil, pour into the softened gelatine leaf 

and fresh espresso. 

• Stir well and set aside. 

Chocolate almond fudge cake 

90g cream cheese 

180g butter 

345g sugar 

165g eggs 

130g flour 

60g cocoa powder 

110g almonds, chopped 

Method: 

• Whip the cream cheese and butter 

and sugar till smooth. 

• Add eggs slowly into the mixture. 

• Sieve the flour and cocoa and add to 

the egg mixture. 

• Add the almonds. 

• Place in an appropriate frame 

and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 

approximately 30 to 40 mins. 

Almond Nougatine 

200g whole almonds with skin 

40g sugar 

15g water 

15g butter 

Method: 

• Bring sugar and water to a boil and 

add almonds. 

• Cook over medium high heat to 

caramelise the sugar and roast 

the almonds. 

• Remove from heat when a nice 

amber caramel is achieved and then 

add butter. 

• Keep in air-tight container. 


• Fill a siphon with the coffee espuma 

mixture with two nitrogen chargers. Cut 

out the fudge cake in approximately 15 

x 2.5cm and place in centre of the plate. 

Quenelle the dark chocolate cream, 

pipe out the espuma and sprinkle the 

almond nougatine over the espuma. 



Diego Chiarini 

globalexotica 

OSO’s interior 

Chef Diego Chiarini 

has been called an 

overachiever, and that’s 

not far from the truth. 

The Milanese chef de cuisine and 

partner of the much-lauded OSO 

Ristorante along Tanjong Pagar 

Road is fluent in Italian, French and 

English and has a strong knowledge 

of Japanese, thanks in part to his 

work experience around the globe. 

He’s taught at Le Cordon Bleu Paris 

and at the Bice Cooking School in 

Tokyo, written a cookbook as well 

as for a French food magazine, and 

worked in Japan, France, Italy and 

Monaco, among other places. 

When we first learned of all the 

accomplishments of the man who’s 

been featured in a book called Hot 

Chefs — the 40 Most Recognised 

Chefs Worldwide, we think: “Is there 

anything this man cannot do?” 

But there is — occasionally, he 

won’t be able to produce, say, the 

tomato salad on his menu when 

the correct tomatoes cannot be 

acquired. “Because if I cannot 

“Because if I cannot find 

the exact ingredient 

that I am looking for, 

there is no point in me 

providing cuisine that is 

not authentic” 

find the exact ingredient that I 

am looking for, there is no point 

in me providing cuisine that is not 

authentic,” he says. 

Alas, success eludes even a 

perfectionist sometimes. 

Even in his youth, Chiarini was 

meticulous about doing things just 

so. Says the cheery, bald chef, “I 

started by learning all the different 

styles of cuisine from the best hotels 

and restaurants in the world. I also 

went to humble eateries to learn the 

oldest Italian style of cooking, and to 

top restaurants to learn advanced 

cuisine. I chose to do this so that I 



It’s clear aesthetics 

appeal to him as much 

as flavours, which is 

why he says he admires 

De Dietrich appliances. 

would know every aspect of my job 

from A to Z.” 

Indeed, it seems this awardwinning 

chef has really gone places 

when it comes to cooking, having 

worked in prestigious venues such 

as Bice at the Tokyo Four Seasons 

Hotel, which has been voted one 

of the 10 best Italian restaurants in 

the world, and Carpaccio in Paris’ 

opulent Royal Monceau Hotel. The 

latter was voted one of the French 

capital’s best restaurants in a Henri 

Gault (a French journalist and food 

critic named by the New York Times 

as a “champion of nouvelle cuisine”) 

food guide. 

Chiarini has even worked 

alongside culinary great chef Alain 

Ducasse at Monte Carlo’s Hotel de 

Paris, whom he cites as one of his 

biggest inspirations. Ducasse had 

simultaneously held a three Michelinstar 

ranking in three countries until 

he closed one of his restaurants in 

New York last year. The French chef 

currently owns Monaco’s Louis XV 

restaurant and another eponymous 

eatery at the Plaza Athenee in Paris, 

and he has recently opened another 

at the St Regis Hotel New York. 

When asked to share another of 

his inspirations, Chiarini names his wife 

but adds, with a twinkle in his eye, 

“when she cooks, that is”. 

The chef moved here in 2000 

so that he could set up the Italian 

restaurant Senso with three other 

partners. He left the restaurant four 

years later to open OSO, which 

has since garnered a reputation 

as one of Singapore’s top dining 

establishments. It has also been 

voted the country’s best 

Italian restaurant. 

Chiarini has put his experience to 

good use at his second Singapore 

venture, offering a range of multiregional 

treats from Italy. He has no 

particular culinary philosophy, he 

says, except to “maintain the original 

flavour of each ingredient in 

the dish”. 

As such, his pet ingredient is 

equally humble: Potatoes. “I favour 

working with potatoes as this is 

the only ingredient that is versatile 

enough to make many recipes with,” 

he says. “We never stop making 

new recipes.” 

So far, his innovative creations 

have included a fish, scallop and 

prawn salad garnished with a ring 

of chilled papaya filled with parsley 

dressing, clam linguine in a basil 

pesto sauce blended with cheese, 

and a roasted cod fillet merluzzo 

alongside rosemary potato puree. 

“I like experimenting with new 

ingredients and their combinations, 

and viewing them from another 

angle,” says Chiarini. 

It’s clear aesthetics appeal to 

him as much as flavours, which is 

why he says he admires De Dietrich 

appliances. “They are great for 

professional use,” he says. “And 

better still, they are durable.” Charini 

also confesses that he uses both De 

Dietrich appliances in his restaurant 

and in his home kitchen, and De 

Dietrich induction hobs are used in 

OSO to whip up his culinary creations. 

For this book, Chiarini has chosen 

to share two recipes using a De 

Dietrich espresso machine. The 

intention, explains the chef, is to show 

that traditional desserts can be made 

with such a modern machine, too. 

“These recipes are also quite 

unusual,” he adds, “and it’s easy 

for people with basic cooking 

knowledge to follow as well. Plus, you 

can add your own final touches to 

‘personalise’ the dishes before your 

guests sit down to eat!” 

Peach and red wine jelly with hot 

cinnamon cappuccino “spuma” 


4 peaches, ripe 

25g sugar 

100ml red wine 

10g ground coffee 

2 pcs gelatin sheet 

Method: 

• Slowly cook all ingredients together for 1 hour. 

• Put into the martini glass, let it set and keep in 

the fridge. 

• At the time to serve, prepare the cappuccino 

foam using the De Dietrich froth maker, then add 

cinnamon powder. 

Oven baked mascarpone cheese 

“affogato” with cappuccino 


200g sugar 

100g butter 

3 yolks 

3 egg whites 

100g white flour 

100ml milk 

175g Mascarpone cheese 

Method: 

• Mix the butter together with half of the sugar 

until melted, add the yolk one by one and then 

the flour then let it rest for 15 mins. 

• At the same time mix together the mascarpone 

cheese with the milk, after that add into the 

previous yolk mélange. 

• Wisk the white eggs together with the remaining 

sugar until solid and form peaks. Next, add the 

other ingredients. 

• Add a big cup of coffee into a Bain Marie and 

cook in the oven for 15 mins at 180 


• Once cooked, prepare cappuccino froth by 

using De Dietrich froth maker, add to the top of 

Bain Marie and serve. 



Asia Pacific 

Distributors 

Singapore 

To view the full range of De Dietrich 

Appliances, visit: 

La Gallerie De Dietrich 

120 Lower Delta Road 

#01-04 Cendex Centre 

Singapore 169208 

Main line: 6508 4600 

Fax: 6273 0422 

Brandt Asia Pte Ltd 

(Sales & Marketing Office) 

7 Jalan Kilang #03-01 

Singapore 159407 

Tel: 6508 4648 

Fax: 6476 4188 

Email: info@dedietrich.com.sg 

Website: www.dedietrich.com.sg 

___________________________ 

Australia 

Major Electrical Appliances (MEA) 

104 Vanessa Street, Kingsgrove, 

NSW, Australia 2208 

Showroom: 

35 Centre Road, Scoresby, 

Victoria, Australia 3179 

Freecall Tel (In Australia): 1300 553 720 

Freecall Fax (In Australia): 1300 553 719 

Email: edwardss@meaappliances.com.au 

Website: www.dedietrich.com.au 

De Dietrich sold exclusively in Australia 

through Clive Peeters and Rick Hart stores. 

__________________________________ 

Cambodia 

D.H.T Cambodia Ltd 

38Eo Street 144 

Phnom Penh 

Tel: + 855 23 219 513 

Fax: + 855 23 214 487 

Email: dht.admin_manager@citylink.com.kh 

Website: www.dht-cambodia.com.kh 

_______________________________ 

Dubai 

Brandt Middle East Pte Ltd 

Office #LB180806 

Tower A/Eighth Floor 

Lobby 18 

Jebel Ali Free Zone 

Dubai 

United Arab Emirates 

Email: salesdubai@fagorbrandt.com 

______________________________ 

Hong Kong 

Gilman Home Appliances 

Showroom: 

3rd Floor,1 Duddell Street, Central 

Hong Kong 

Tel: + 852 25525 1938 

Email: 8210service@gilman-group.com 

Website: www.dedietrich.com.hk 

Indonesia 

PT. Panca Wisesa Adhika 

Jl. Cideng Timur No. 56 

Tel: + 6221 380 0386/0311 

Fax: + 6221 380 2022 

Email: marketing@panca.co.id 

Showroom: 

Jakarta: Jakarta Design Center, 2nd floor, 

Jl. Gatot Subroto Kav. 53, Slipi 

Tel: + 6221 572 0528/38 

Fax: + 6221 530 4718 

Surabaya: Jl. Tidar No. 36 

Tel: + 6231 546 1153/3045 

Fax: + 6231 547 9339 

Bali: Jl. Teuku Umar No. 222A 

Tel: + 6236 125 5037/38/39 

Fax: + 6236 123 8408 

Email: info@galleria.co.id 

Website: www.dedietrich.co.id 

____________________ 

Malaysia 

Maldric Sdn Bhd 

No. 9 Jalan PJU 3/42 

Sunway Damansara 

47810 Petaling Jaya 

Selangor Darul Ehsan 

Malaysia 

Tel: + 603 7885 0677 

Fax: + 603 7885 0722 

Email: maldric@streamyx.com 

_________________________ 

New Zealand 

Prestige Appliances NZ Limited 

P.O. Box 305 555 

Triton Plaza, Albany 

Auckland 0757 

New Zealand 

Tel: + 649 259 1105 

Fax: + 649 276 9582 

Email: cookpower@prestigeappliances.co.nz 

Website: www.prestigeappliances.co.nz 

_________________________________ 

Thailand 

Verasu Group Co., Ltd 

83/7 Wireless Road 

Lumpini Patumwan 

Bangkok 10330 

Thailand 

Tel: + 662 254 8100 thru 8 

Fax: + 662 253 1574 

Email: wera@verasu.com 

Website: www.verasu.com 

72 CHEFS of De Dietrich

t 

SETTING NEW VALUES 

Gunther 

Hubrechsen 

Yoshiyuki 

Nobukawa Yong Bing Ngen Julien Bompard Luca Pezzera 

Pang Kok Keong 

Martin Woo 

Gabriele 

Piegaia 

Sebastian Goh 

Milind Sovani 

Michael Muller 

Shawn 

Armstrong 

Frédéric Colin 

Diego Charini 

Edward Voon 

www.dedietrich.com.sg 

PRODUCED BY SINGAPORE TATLER SPECIAL PROJECTS ON BEHALF OF DE DIETRICH

CHEFS of De Dietrich

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