#2 | World Gourmet Summit Awards, Kangaroo dumplings, Airline Food Grounded
The Potluck - A weekly round-up of what's buzzing in the F&B world across Asia ( 7 - 13 Sep)
(Photo: WelbiltAsia FB Page)
World Gourmet Summit Awards Goes Online
Singapore - Like many other things, the World Gourmet Summit Awards, a stalwart B2B food industry award, turned virtual this year. 38 awards were handed out to dining establishments, chefs, restaurant managers and sommeliers. There were predictable big wins: Burnt Ends for Best Restaurant of the Year and Loh Lik Peng of Unlisted Collection for Restaurateur of the Year. VUE Bar & Grill, which almost turns 1 soon, is crowned New Restaurant of the Year.Â
One name that caught my eye is Aeron Choo, chef-owner of Kappou Japanese Sushi Tapas Bar in Fortune Centre in Middle Road, who was named Rising Chef of the Year (Female). She is one of the most chirpy chefs whom I have met.
Beneath that smile lies a woman of steel, who set up a Japanese hawker stall in the Yishun heartlands for years to earn enough to set up her hole-in-the-wall restaurant and had to shave her head in order to step in the male-dominated kitchens in Japan to learn the art of sushi-making.
More Michelin-starred restaurants re-open
Two Michelin-starred French fine-dining restaurant Les Amis in Singapore re-opened in mid-June. (Photo: Kenneth SZ Goh)
The Michelin Guide is keeping close tabs on the operational status of its starred restaurants around the world with an international barometer that monitors the number of restaurants that are open for dine-in and/or on their terraces across 35 destinations. In Week 36 (week ending 6 Sep), 83% of starred restaurants are open for business. For Asia, the barometer states that the situation remains steady, with a slight increase in Macau, where one new Michelin Starred restaurant has reopened. Besides, the full selection of Michelin Guide Taipei & Taichung 2020Â was announced on 24 August with one 2-starred restaurant (JL Studio) and three 1-starred restaurants in the inaugural Taichung selection.
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Kangaroo dumplings anyone?Â
Sydney - Just when you thought cell-based breast milk produced by Singapore biotech start-up Turtle Tree Labs is weird, this one takes the cake. Vow, an Australian innovative food company, has raised the ‘steaks’ higher - by developing meat products directly from animal cells. These cells are selected from animals such as kangaroo, pig, lamb, alpaca, rabbit and goat. Renowned Aussie chef, Neil Perry of the now-defunct Rockpool restaurant empire, has been roped in to front the brand, whipping up dishes from the cell-based meat. Kangaroo dumplings anyone?Â
(Photo: Thai Airways FB)
A Great Way to….DineÂ
Bangkok - Thai Airways has opened a restaurant that is modelled after its plane cabins - complete with the airline’s iconic lilac, orange, and pink plane seats and pillows. On the menu are typical fare such as Caesar salad, pasta beef bolognese and carbonara penne. Let’s face it, diners aren’t there for the food, but the experience of being up in the air..kinda. Now, if only Singapore Airlines could sell its lobster thermidor too…
Vietnam inches towards disposable plastic
Hanoi - Among the millennial and generation Z Vietnamese, the habit of bringing their own bags to stores and markets and avoiding single-use plastic items like straws, bottles and cutlery is gaining traction. Some cafés and restaurants have already begun offering straws made of metal, rice and grass. Supermarket chains like Saigon Co.op, the biggest in HCMC, Lotte Mart, and Big C, have started using banana leaves to wrap some of their products and are offering biodegradable shopping bags.Â
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Follow me on Instagram (@kenneats). Got news? Get in touch at kennethgohsz@gmail.com. Previous editions of The Potluck are served here.