|Places| From left: the
|Places| From left: the elegant interior of Raffles’ La Dame de Pic; Singapore-born chef LG Han of Labyrinth; Pangium chef Malcolm Lee’s Sweets and Kueh, a selection of locally inspired desserts been the centre of social life in the city,” says Christian Westbeld, the hotel’s German general manager. Today, after an extensive twoyear renovation, Raffles ( raffles.com) continues this role in a very contemporary way, especially when it comes to gastronomy. There are nine restaurants and bars and three celebrity chefs, including blockbuster French chefs Anne-Sophie Pic and Alain Ducasse. The latter serves casual dishes from the Italian Riviera at Osteria BBR (in the former Bar & Billiard Room), which, while architecturally spectacular, is more of a convivial hot spot for locals rather than a genteel culinary temple. Pic, meanwhile, was awarded her first Michelin star here this summer (she has nine others across the globe) for her restaurant La Dame de Pic, a much more intimate affair sheathed in elegant beige and pastel shades. Here – in addition to new creations – guests are invited to rediscover the vaunted chef’s most iconic dishes, such as her famous berlingots (dainty pasta parcels filled with liquid cheese in a fragrant pea emulsion) and her extraordinary white millefeuille, a beautiful white cube that, when cut, reveals a delicious interior of the crispest puff pastry and vanilla cream flavoured with jasmine flowers. But perhaps the most interesting eatery for Western visitors is Yì by Jereme Leung. In his menu, the Singapore-born chef with years of experience in China combines influences from Szechuan, Canton and other regional cuisines of the vast country. Signature dishes include an ultra-crispy version of Peking duck, drenched in a sauce of roses and fermented beans and served with pancake wraps in a variety of colours. Another eye-catcher is his Hundred- Ring Cucumber, an elaborately marinated cucumber fanned out wafer-thin thanks to a special cutting technique, then coiled into a tower topped with poached sea snails. Stepping outside Raffles, your next great dinner is never very far away. In fact, the city’s culinary darling du jour has set up shop just a stone’s throw from the hotel. When French chef Julien Royer arrived in Singapore in 2007, he was, more or less, a nobody. Today, he’s a force to be reckoned with: holding a whopping three Michelin stars, his Odette restaurant (odetterestaurant. com) has twice been ranked number one in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. He is convinced that he owes a part of his enormous success to the spirit of the city: “Singapore is a great place for a chef. People here are just crazy about good food,” he exclaims. The setting at Odette (named after his grandmother) is one of opulence: the restaurant is located in the National Gallery building, and the light, modern interior provides charming contrast to the historic edifice. Royer’s cuisine is a pleasing mix of classic French craftsmanship, excellent produce (he receives a fresh delivery of seafood from Japan every day) and a diversity of Asian PHOTO FROM LEFT: © RAFFLES SINGAPORE, JOHN HENG, AUDREY & MOK 44 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
