BlackBook In The Know
Global Gourmand
On our culinary radar this quarter: the sweet smell of success in Paris; where to eat and be seen in southeast Asia; a fiery offering from Sweden; the best new cook books
2. H o n g Ko n g b i t e s
1. P i c o f t h e p a c When Anne-Sophie Pic opens a new restaurant, the culinary world takes notice. Named Best Female Chef in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2011, the Frenchwoman’s latest establishment, La Dame de Pic (ladamedepic.fr), was awarded its first Michelin star just five months after opening last autumn, making her the most starred female chef in the world. Situated minutes from the Louvre, La Dame de Pic invites guests to muse on the mysteries of culinary creation and the power of our senses. In recent years, Pic’s flavour associations have become ever more inspired, 48
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an evolution she attributes in part to her friendship with perfumer Philippe Bousseton. “The universe of perfume opened up a whole new world to me,” she says. Haute cuisine has often been overly focused on “technique and texture… For me, cuisine is emotion born of flavour, and technique should only be something that helps draw this out.” In Pic’s eyes, the process of creating a perfume is analogous to that of creating a fragrant sauce, and she recognises the power of olfactory memory. The aromas of her father’s kitchen after school, where crayfish
Dim sum at Duddell’s
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Photos Clockwise from top: Francois Goize, Denise Nestor (Illustration), © duddell’s
Art and fashion collide at Duddell’s (duddells.co), a two-storey space designed by London architect Ilse Crawford that boasts a salon and library in addition to a lush garden terrace. An award-winning mixologist serves up pre-prandials, while the restaurant specialises in Cantonese cuisine by Siu Hin Chi of Michelin-starred T’ang Court. Another culinary talent making a splash is Dominic South, below, formerly of London’s Hibiscus, who now heads up the team at Watermark (cafedecogroup.com) where his new menu places emphasis on fresh, simple Divia Harilela ingredients.
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An eye on history: chef Niklas Ekstedt, left; his lobster in its eponymous sauce
3 . T h e h e at o f t h e m o m e n t There’s new fire in the belly of Swedish cuisine and it’s been set by Niklas Ekstedt (ekstedt.nu). In a case of history turning full circle, Ekstedt is drawing on ancient Nordic traditions of openflame cooking, which gets equal billing with the locally sourced produce (think dishes like juniper-smoked pike-perch, sweetbreads in hay and oysters steamed in seaweed). He often cooks on a traditional cast-iron fire pot, which imparts its own umami flavour, placed deep in the flames resulting in a compelling blend of savoury and smoky. Ekstedt’s self-styled “historical experiment” – with its rustic-elegant interior, stone floors from Lapland and pear- and apple-crafted wood furniture – is proving such a blaze, that he’s considering taking the idea S U D I P IGOTT beyond Stockholm, with his sights set on London.
4. S i n g a p o r e s w i n g With a nod to the Russian word for “home” and connotations of a certain champagne house, Dom Lounge (domlounge.com.sg) marks a new breed of venue in Singapore. By day it’s a tearoom serving Russified cuisine and fine infusions; by night the opulent velvet drapes, banquettes and chandeliers – reminiscent of the Tsarist empire – segue into a sophisticated club, accessible by invitation or advanced booking only. GI L L IAN RH Y S ONE Florence Knight’s debut cookbook is full of uncomplicated but imaginative recipes and captivating images
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C e v i c h e Dishes from the homeland of Peruvian chef Martin Morales, including his twist on the nation’s favourite
MIGHT Y S P ICE E X P RESS
Speed is the key in John Gregory-Smith’s colourful take on global street food
D.O. M . Indigenous ingredients dissected by the Brazilian master chef Alex Atala of the acclaimed São Paulo eatery
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Photos Clockwise from top: Per-Anders Jorgensen (2), Arun Ramu, Aragorn; book covers: courtesy of the book publishers
simmered in pots and the pastry chef fed her choux à la crème, still linger with her today. To help draw us into her intimate world, Pic offers three fixed menus daily, each matched with a perfume developed in collaboration with Bousseton, which hints at dishes to come, like Gillardeau oysters, cauliflower crème and jasmine; Bresse chicken, razor clams, spinach and orange flowers; or Pic’s famous “Berlingots” – garden peas and basil in a lemon ginger emulsion with Sencha tea-infused pasta pyramids of smoked goat cheese. Perhaps not every aroma or flavour will please, but they all tell stories rooted in sincerity and memories, and inevitably create a desire to further explore the captivating cuisine of AnneSophie Pic. J e f f r e y T I v e r s o n