Savour 2014 | Makan by the Bay | theMOOSE | makan travel 画画 * a Singapore food and travel blog

6th March 2014

I got the chance to visit Savour 2014 yesterday through an invitation. The annual gourmet event is held at the Promontory @ Marina Bay this year instead of the F1 Pit, making it more accessible via public transport and easily spottable by anyone visiting Marina Bay.

Here is a rundown of the items my friend and had at the event :

Stellar@1-Altitude, Singapore

1-Altitude Brain Freeze Glacee | 8 SD

A Pre-Meal Drink

It is a refreshing alcoholic drink perfect for the hot weather made with Belvedere vodka, Grand Marnier, pink guava and pineapple glacee drizzled with raspberry caramel. Surprisingly the alcohol flavour is quite mild (in a good way).

The Meat Lovers Platter Returns! | 36 SD

Main Course

I am glad Stellar brought back the grill to Savour 2014 this year. Instead of trying hard to impress with some complex experiment, Stellar did what they do best, grilling meats to perfection. Their Kobe Beef Burger (limited to 20 per session) were sold out, so we settled for the next best thing, a Meat Lovers Platter with Smoked Wagyu Ribeye, Kurobuta Pork Crackles, Braised Short Rib, Dijon Mash, Soy Caramel, Port Jus and Smokey Bearnaise. The braised short rib was amazingly tender. In short, this dish was one of the all-rounder main courses for the session, simple, perfected grilled meats and substantial for one person.

Chocolate Violette Earth with Strawberry Blossom Sorbet | 8 SD

Early Dessert

This is quite a balanced dessert. It is rich in chocolate content but balanced off with a light and fruit strawberry sorbet. However, it gets a little heavy towards the end so I think this is best shared after the main courses at Savour.

Mikuni also gives out free sake from time to time, perhaps it is to help enjoy the dishes even more.

Mikuni, Singapore

Kanpachi Truffle Soya | 16 SD

Salad Appetizer

I think this was a comeback from the previous Savour and understandably so. The dish is not only beautifully presented but the yellowtail sashimi used in this dish was succulent and has soaked up the savoury truffle-soya dressing.

72Hr Miso Braised Short Rib, Kyoto Onion, Fresh Wasabi | 10 SD

Heavy Appetizer

Having had the braised short rib at Stellar, I thought the texture of Mikuni’s 72Hr Miso Braised Short Rib could have been better. Flavour wise it was just so-so to me.

Chef Hendrik Yde of Kiin Kinn

Kiin Kiin, Denmark

Frozen Red Curry with Prawn and Coriander Salad | 12 SD

Salad Appetizer

One of the items I wanted to try after taking glance of the Savour menus, some thought it was a little on the heavy side but I thought the combination of spices and red curry ice cream went pretty well. There is nice assembly of textures, the creamy ice cream, the succulent and slightly springy prawns and the minced spices. It is one of my favourite dishes for the day.

Banana Cake with Coconut Jelly of Dark Sugar and Salt | 8 SD

Early Dessert

We almost gave this up for Bo Innovation’s Mao Tai but fortunately we settled on this. This plain-looking Banana Cake is rather delicious thanks to the clever combination of ingredients such as creamy coconut jelly at the bottom, a dense, rich and moist banana cake with juicy strips of coconut and a sweet salted-caramel sauce.

&SONS, Singapore

Home Cured Salami Platter, Sopressata Veneta, Salama Dolce & Salame Piccante

Appetizer

If you are fan of charcuterie, then this might be for you. I always find them too salty for my taste.

Linguine, Crab & Nduja

Entrée.

If you prefer to have a pasta dish, I thought this is pretty decent with generous chunks of crabmeat and nduja, a kind of spicy pork sausage from Italy.

Roast Cod, Salsa Rubra

Main Course.

One of the few fish main courses in the midst of the pork and beef craze, this is not bad, the texture was just right and loved the crispy skin as well as the salsa rubra, a Piedmont style tomato based marinade with a tinge of spiciness.

Labyrinth, Singapore

Singapore Chilli Crab & Man Tou – Chilli Crab Ice Cream, Crab Mousse, Mantou Sand | 16 SD

Main Course.

I am really looking forward to this Mod-sin version of the chilli crab. Unfortunately, it turned out of to be one of our least favourite main courses of the session. While the chilli crab sauce ice cream was intriguing, something is lacking in this dish for me.

Both the chef and his booth are very popular at the event.

Bo Innovation, Hong Kong

Unami – Black Truffle, Toro, Rice Noodle, Vermicelli, Dry Shrimp Powder | 18 SD

Main Course or Entrée

Returning once again to Savour, I am tempted to try Unami, remembering the really good Har Mei Lo Mein I had at Savour 2012. This was a pretty good but for some reason, it wasn’t as good as the Har Mei Lo Mein.

Mao Tai – Calamansi, Kaffir Lime, Lemon, Preserved Kumquat | 10 SD

Late Dessert

One of those lighter desserts available, Mao Tai is my favourite from Bo Innovation this year. It may not be as memorable as Cha Chaan Tang from the last Savour but the deconstruction here gives a similar experience, once again you could play around the various parts of the desserts for different tastes and textures and thumbs up for clever use of popcorn.

Saint Pierre/ Blue Lotus, Singapore

Nitrorita/ Virgin

Ending Dessert/Drink

It is a spectacle to see this being made at the booth itself with liquid nitrogen fumes pouring over the counter. The Nitrorita is basically a very fine, icy dessert made with lime. My friend and I thought this is the best dessert/drink to end the meal with.

The Gourmet Marketplace, is smaller with each subsequent Savour. Nonetheless, there are plenty of samplers from fresh juicy tomatoes to grilled steaks and veal is the special for this year.