Your Guide to Savour 2013!

Heading to the Savour 2013 this weekend? Then you’re in for as awesome gastronomical delight!

Jessica and I were there last evening on the Savour Premier Pass and the 5 hours time we were there was well spent. Probably the best night in the past few weeks! In case you’re wondering how’s it like, here’s a detailed description: It’s fine dining minus the perks of sitting comfortably in a (often too cold) restaurant being served by (hopefully) well trained waiters and waitresses. But wait, here’s all the benefits!

1) Perks of not having to be restraint by black tie dress codes and that literally breath-taking black dress.
2) You don’t need to worry about table manners and which utensils to start first, plus all the watchful eyes around the table scrutinizing your every bite, cause there is simply not enough time for all these.
3) Run around, shout and gasp, make new friends and have tons of fun exploring food exploration.
4) Heck the 5-courses and 8 courses. It’s a FIFTY THREE 53 set course event. Just eat!

You can see that I am overly biased here – but don’t judge too fast till you see the menu below.

Savour 2013, located at the F1 Pit Building this year, covers 3 stories, with the first level covering the Gourmet Village and the 2nd & 3rd level the Gourmet Market. Shortly put, the PLACE IS HUGE. And depending on the type of ticket you’ve got, chances are you won’t have time to finish everything. In your goodie bag you will receive a Festival Guide and your Activity Schedule. The management didn’t provide the guides for nothing.

YOU NEED TO PLAN.

I hoped that we’ve realized this earlier, but without the guide it is really hard to plan beforehand. So here’s a gallery of snapshots of the guide that you will receive upon presenting your ticket (if what you’ve got is the premier pass) – I’ve already helped you filter out all the advertorials and things you don’t need to know. 😛

* Note that there is a mistake in the Festive Guide. Alvin Leung’s Cha Chan Tang (Bo Innovation) is $8, not S10.

 

And here’s the step by step guide:

1) Get your free Nespresso Coffee first!

Whether you’re at Savour2013 for lunch or dinner, a great cup of iced-latte would make a good beginning to the food trail – Cools you down, perk you up! You’ll need lots of energy to scourer the 3 levels of delicacies, so do a good start! There’s 2 booths at level 1, so if the booth at the entrance is having a long queue, go to the one at the end near the auditorium. We did that and my take is you don’t have time to queue up and there’s no queue at the end. Use the walk to familiarise yourself with the Gourmet Village settings.

 

 2) Sit and plan

With your Nespresso, take it easy and find a sit to plan your time. Frankly my camera shots of the Festival Guide does not do justice to the booklet. The pictures and better and clearer so please take a second look through! Circle those that you must try  and box those that you can consider if you are going for a second round.

3) Check the Prices and do your Math

You’ll get $30 credits (they come in multiples of $2, so you’ll get 15 $2 ) with the Premier pass but you can buy more from the ‘people in green’ if needed. Remember to check the prices of the dishes you are going for – you can only buy Savour credits in packs of $20 or $30. The last time you’ld want is to find yourself having $4 useless Savour credits at the end of the day (Dishes start from $6). Jessica and I did well with $2 leftover which wasn’t our fault! * Note that there is a mistake in the Festive Guide. Alvin Leung’s Cha Chan Tang (Bo Innovation) is $8, not S10. It was out last dish and that’s how we got that $2 leftover. -.-

 

4) Take lots of photos!

Queue up, get your food, and don’t be PaiSeh la….- take lots of pictures cause everyone’s doing the same too! It’s going to be the only thing that’s left from the food… so remember to take each and every one dish before you tuck in.

 

Dish 1: Bo Chicken Rice
Savour Dollars: $10
Ingenuity Rating: 4.5/5
Taste Rating: 4.5/5

The first dish was simply amazing. As a typical Singaporean, I love Chicken Rice to bits and as long as the chicken’s a plenty, it’s a dish that can never go wrong. Never once in my life did I expect to be ordering Chicken Rice, without the chicken. And here’s it, NO chicken. 3 times smaller than the average size I can get at 3 times less the price some-more.

But don’t get me wrong here. The chicken flavour in the rice is so fragrant and powerful, adding any meat into it would be an ‘extra’. Jessica suspects the rice used is the same as type used to make Risotto, thus it readily absorbs the flavour, dispersing it into your mouth with every spoon. The rice was perfectly cooked too – soft but still able to see and feel individual grains. Like Risotto, the secret is in the sauce and the Abalone Jelly completed the overall aesthetics.

Later post: Jessica messaged me in the afternoon to tell me that she had figured out what there isn’t any Chicken in the dish. The name of the dish had already said so. There’s ‘Bo’ ( Dialect for ‘don’t have’) Chicken in the Chicken Rice, so of course there aren’t any chicken! Jessica must have been pondering about this the whole night…

 

Dish 2: Hokkaido Scallop, Cod Brandade, Verjus, Scallion
Savour Dollars: $14
Ingenuity Rating: 2.5/5
Taste Rating: 3.5/5

With the different tasty and luxurious seafood infused into a single dish,  what’s left is only the Chef’s cooking skills to set it into perfection. The scallop was freshly picked with it’s top quickly roasted and it’s middle so soft and fresh, it slightly melts on your tongue. There were bite pieces of Cod Brandade that only made you think more of the scallop 😛 If you are a seafood lover, then go for this fusion. You’ll love the experience.

Dish 3: Lychee Frozen Martini King Crab
Savour Dollars: $8
Ingenuity Rating: 4.5/5
Taste Rating: 3.5/5

It took me and Jessica awhile to figure out how to eat this – Should the lightly Fried King Crab be savoured together, or separately from the Frozen Lychee Martini? In the end, we let the dish decide by itself. As we are 2 hungry girls, we tried splitting the ball of King Crab into half, but it went deep into the Frozen Lychee Martini instead and we ended up mixing it together. I am glad we did that, as the first word that came out of my mouth after the death of the dish was ‘ Ingenious!’ Who would have thought that Cold Lychee flavour would go with so well with the warm Crab meat (Douglas did…)? It’s a unusual pairing, top it up with the Cold and Warm sensation on your tongue at the same time, the dish deserves its score.

Dish 4 MUST TRY! : Fresh Crab Meat mixed with Lemon Mayonnaise, Avocado Puree, Sweet Corn Mousse & Wild Dill
Savour Dollars: $8
Ingenuity Rating: 5/5
Taste Rating: 5/5

I’ll pay to go in once again for this dish! If you realise, there’s no picture of this dish on the guide booklet, that’s because Jason Atherton didn’t manage to submit the images in time to make it for the print! But, that said, the queue for Pollen Street Social is always long – Is this convincing enough?

We got to know about this dish from another lady who was sharing the same table as us. It wasn’t on our circled list as there’s no picture, but she raved about it we thought it’s worth it to trust WOM. So we went, and the standing tables around the store was filled….!

First was the Lemon Myonnaise. It tasted refreshing and I initially thought that was about it, till someone (on the same table again) told us to go deeper into the cup and grab the green (avocado) part. And out came (below) >>>

Lots and lots of precious Crab Meat shreds hidden in between and boy, the meat went so perfectly with the fruits & corn flavor, it’s to die for! I love love love the creamy feel of the whole dish and even towards the end when the flavors were mixed, they blended well like a best-seller smoothie. Every scoop was full of crab meat, it’s a wonder how Jason Atherton packed all the flavors and so much crab meat into that little square cup….

Everything from the refreshing Lemon Mayonaise, the creamy delightful Avocado Puree, the nice and sweet corn bits moving apart to reveal the succulent fresh crab meat was perfectly matched, perfectly layered and perfectly portioned. It’s a MUST TRY.

 

In fact, although we didn’t get to try it, many were having the Slow Cooked Angus Ox Cheek braised in Burgundy, Horseradish & Potato Puree, Roasted Carrots & Bone Marrow Crumb. Ok, it’s really just one dish with a really long name. If you are there, please try this dish for me! Here’s a picture with Jason – One with looks and can cook: Jessica’s ideal boyfriend 😛

 

Enough raving and moving on…

 

Dish 5: Braised Baby Abalone with Chicken Glutinous Rice
Savour Dollars: $18
Ingenuity Rating: 2/5
Taste Rating: 2.5/5

I am not going to talk much about this dish here as it’s such a disappointment. If you think $18 is a good steal for a nice piece of Baby Abalone that taste like those from the can, go for it. It’s nice. But that’s about it.

If not, good, your Savour Credit can be better spent elsewhere.

Dish 6: Truffle Kampachi
Savour Dollars: $14
Ingenuity Rating: 4/5
Taste Rating: 3/5

Moon Kyung-Soo do have his own unique way of displaying his dishes! While most of the dishes were served in Rplas plates (made from compost -It’s helps saves the environment so I can’t help but promote it a little here!), his dish was served straight from where you open it, literally. This one’s from the can, and the next dish, the Sukiyaki Egg Custard, from the Egg itself (Read finish this portion first, you can scroll down to view the picture later.) So here’s another image just because the serving display is so special 🙂

I’ve never really realized the smell and taste of truffles until Jessica formally introduced it to me (she’s the foodie here >.<) . It took me afew deep whiffs to smell it’s strikingly unique smell. It’s not the dish’s fault, Jessica detected the smell when we were several stalls aways. I probably smell with my tongue only. And when the raw Yellowtail touches the tongue, I can see why it can be addictive.

I have never really tried other food types paired with truffles before, so I’m not at the best position to comment, but the overall taste and sensation is unique and comfortable. The Yellowtail went well with the truffles soya and the nicely decorated palette  leaves you feeling a little sad that the pretty little dish is now gone. In my stomach 😀

Dish 7: Japanese Steam Egg with Sukiyaki Foam
Savour Dollars: $8
Ingenuity Rating: 1/5
Taste Rating: 4/5

It’s basically a awesome tasting Chawanmushi. Not meaning to under-rate the dish, but other than the intricate cooking and serving method (in a fragile little eggshell), there’s no special fusion – Just your good old Chawanmushi specially concocted by your famous chef making it taste so awesome a Egg lover like me might want to go for more.

Try it if you are a Chawanmushi lover and don’t want to miss the possibly best tasting Chawanmushi on Earth. Otherwise, go for something else, like the next one below!

Dish 8: Chocolate Milk Tea, Banana Cafe Tart, Coffee Espurna
Savour Dollars: $8
Ingenuity Rating: 4/5
Taste Rating: 4.5/5

It’s no wonder why Douglas Tay’s on the first page of the the stalls feature! Because the first 2 dishes we tried were good, we decided to pick another one of his 5 Savour 2013 dishes for savoring. Boy am I glad I’ve got Jessica who choose this pretty little tasty thing with the last $8 Savour Dollars we’ve left from the first round. Frankly, they should use my picture here for their promotional collateral.

I’m calling this dish: Growing up.

The little colorful sweets on the warmed banana were really nice and made us happy little kids. Then we finished the sweets and grew up a little, deciding to go for a ‘healthier choice’ and began picking the banana. Then we became adults, well roasted by society, strong, crispy and full of favour (the biscotti). Not long later, we hit mid-life and needed some coffee to maintain the energy, good tasting one here to ‘perk-me-up’. At the end, after having lived life to the fullest, it’s time to relax and enjoy, sitting back and having a little bit of Chocolate Milk Tea (while having fun defying the doctor’s letter).

Try dipping the biscotti into the Coffee Espuma. It goes really well with the Espuma melting in your mouth as your teeth prepares to crack that crispy one.

 

Dish 9: Seared Scallop, Aerated Scallop and Dill Vichysoisse, Barley and Squid Link Crumble
Savour Dollars: $10
Ingenuity Rating: 3/5
Taste Rating: 3/5

Margot Janse made this dish and I am so proud of her. She’s the only female chef for the whole event, which means she must be really good at what she does. Maybe I had too high an expectation for this dish, it didn’t really impress me, but it was good tasting like how lightly roasted Scallops should – melting in the mouth alittle. The whole trouble is her ingredients are so special and unheard of – Dill Vichysoisse? Google couldn’t even recognize the name, giving me Dill Vichyssoise instead (sarcasm mildly intended) . Apparently it’s leek and potato.

In anyway, although I (really did) celebrate her victory with Margot Janse, perhaps you should try her Beetroot Sponge, Wild Rice and Macadamia Salad, Baobab Yogurt instead. It’s the same amount of savour dollars and I saw quite afew people enjoying that. Let me know how it is if you have tried it.

Dish 9: Cha Chan Tang
Savour Dollars: $10
Ingenuity Rating: 4/5
Taste Rating: 3/5

And finally, the one that stunned us, for the wrong reason.

Firstly, we should have came here first so that we can realize that this dish is $8 instead of $10 so that we have $12 to spend it on something (I have forgotten which dish that was) that Jess wanted to try. We didn’t, so we still have that depressing $2 Savour Dollar with us. Then, right after I had tasted the Kaya Marshmellow and was going to tell her that it tasted like sweets, Jessica dropped hers on the ground. We both petrified instantly. It was like a horror movie you wished you’ve never watched.

Reminder: Guard your food carefully and make sure it reaches your mouth safely.

Good thing this is a sweet and not a scallop or something more previous. Still, Jessica was really upset and here I am going again- It tastes just like sweet 🙂

The star of this 4 dessert dish is probably the “Ying Yang” Hot Milk Tea and Cold Coffee where the cup is first carefully divided into 2 by a sheet of plastic before pouring in the Hot Milk Tea on one side and the Cold Coffee on the other. Then, the sheet is carefully removed and the Milk Tea stays on its side with the Coffee staying on the other side (see how the liquid in the cup has 2 colors). I didn’t realize this  and foolishly dipped my spoon into the cup for a sip, thus what I got was a warm Ying Yang. But if you do try this, drink from the cup and you’ll get the special hot and cold sensation rushing into your mouth and down your throat.

Jess did just that and her verdict was: It’s all good 🙂

5) Make friends – With the Chefs!

Well, they designed and cooked your food so give them some credit!

 

There’s also lots of ridiculously good looking assistant Chefs, don’t forget to take them too!

 

5) Timing is everything 

Finally, here’s the last tip for Savour 2013. Timing. As we had the Thursday’s tickets that gave us only 6 hours in the venue, plus the yaya mistake that we were an hour late, we had only 5 hours to complete everything. it may seem like alot of time, but frankly, there isn’t. We had planned to run for some of the classes, but the food at Gourment Village was too good to leave. But neither of us regretted the decision.

With your weekend pass, you get more hours at the Gourmet Market and liited time at the Gourmet Village. It’s not going to be any better than Thursday as its the weekends and there’s bound to be disgusting queues. My take is that you should simply spend all the time you have in the Gourmet Village in the Village itself and finish tasting all the dishes that you know you’ld regret not trying. Then you start looking into your workshop schedules to see which are the classes you can go with the rest of the time. It makes no sense walking up 3 levels and coming down again to attend a class. The F1 Pit Building is a huge place and all the walking would take away the precious time that could mean 1 dish less to try.

Then, in between your selected class schedule time slots, visit the Gourmet Market here and there in pockets. You’ll probably need at most 2 hours to complete the whole Gourmet Market and even 1 hour if you proceed selectively. Example, find out which are the stalls that do not have a Shop in Singapore and pay special attention to them. For the rest, if they have a stall in SG, you can always patronize them after the event.

I hope that this guide will be helpful to any friends heading to Savour this weekend! With this, I’ll end off here. Have fun!

 

Tags: Event, Foodporn