The fact that @bjornfrantzen’s @restaurantzen.sgp, the restaurant I chose to celebrate with @huatkaliao, was bestowed with Three MICHELIN Stars the very same day, was a complete coincidence. Thanks to @mamayeowdevito who’d helped with the reservation weeks prior, we got to be among the first to dine at the third restaurant in Singapore with this shiny honour. It cost quite a pretty penny but I feel the menu ($480++ per pax) by Head Chef @tristinfarmer, Senior Sous Chef @toraikc and team, was worth every cent. Our evening began on the ground floor of the charming heritage building, with the warmest smile greeting us at the door. Once we were settled in, champagne was poured and Chef @hannahalbeeshi starting us off on five exquisite canapés (the last two were presented while we were getting to know Zén’s much-Instagrammed ingredients box): - Light and fresh king crab with trout roe tartlette. - An ultra refined rosti filled with creme fraiche and decked out in roe and pickled shallots. - Mango “mala” tartlette with sweet fruit, arima sansho pepper, Szechuan pepper oil, tomato jelly and mango flowers. - Fabulous warm bite of aged Saba on buckwheat blini. - Sushi of tiny balls of apple, unagi, foie gras and, surprise surprise, brioche in place of rice. We were then escorted to the second floor by @yeliciayeo. I decided to have the non-alcoholic pairing ($150++) for the upcoming courses as I’d heard very good things about it. BEST decision ever. Prior to the arrival of each dish, @harindra_1292 poured me a different sublime liquid masterminded by General Manager @aaronmjson who also oversees the beverage programme. Each concoction had been exactingly crafted, a process which took several steps and varying lengths of time. The two that resonated most with me were the silky liquid of ground toasted red rice with buckwheat, orange caramel and tamarind, as well as the final drink - a blend of purple carrots and smoked maple syrup that took almost a month to achieve fruition. Here’s the food they were designed for: - Crudo of aged buri, shiro kombu and Zén prestige caviar in fermented vinaigrette. - A smoky, sublime study of Japanese mollusks… ⬇️Continued in Comments⬇️

Blini or potato chip? #caviar

this private dining christened @kanves_sg. A play on the word “canvas”, its name symbolises what Chef Ethan Khoo (@jollyapricots) desires - a blank space to create, which he does with fervour. Onto it go an “extension of his personality”, expressed in ways where flavour and substance reign supreme, produced at a level of impeccability that if it wasn’t for the fact that he remained in plain sight throughout our dinner, I would’ve sworn he has a team squirreled away. Each course in Chef Ethan’s menu ($120 per pax) has a distinctly minimal aesthetic but there’s nothing simple about its preparation and flavours. Ingredients are selected and put together very thoughtfully in a refined way. To manage costs, he chooses to work with less obvious (read: expensive) type. I really like that. The tone at our dinner last Friday (thank you Uncle Hock Lye for inviting me along) was set from the get-go with a trio of snacks. I was stunned by the ballsiness of the first, a curried pumpkin purée on tofu mochi donuts; quite enjoyed the second - a potato and buckwheat blini with potato, pear, Manchego and kampot black pepper; and was gobsmacked by the third - a filo tartlet with juniper berries, salt-baked and ground up beetroot dressed in a beetroot reduction, smoked beef fat and hand-whipped horseradish cream. Together, they sang a new and exciting chorus to me. Next, a study in tomato. The fruit appeared in marinated semi-dehydrated form as well as a jelly after undergoing lacto-fermentation and clarification. Also in the bowl, raw amaebi (Japanese prawns) in a vinaigrette of koji, honey and almond oil, plus dehydrated mulberries and chrysanthemum petals to finish. The gorgeous creation of freshly-made-that-morning ricotta and petits pois that followed, was one of the standouts for me. As the cheese had been cold-smoked with applewood, it had a sexy smokiness which complemented the sweet baby peas exceedingly well. I loved how the pickled shallots and shiso oil further enlivened this dish. Praises rang around the table for the millet porridge seasoned with shio kombu and lemon juice, and topped with toasted buckwheat. ⬇️Continued in Comments⬇️