Celebrating the 19th World Gourmet Awards alongside the World Gourmet Summit, the event this year focuses on sustainability, efforts towards food wastage management, as well as the reduction of plastic usage. The idea of sustainability was also integrated in the opening reception that evening, most food served were bite sized and no plastic spoons and forks were provided. Though it felt a little inconvenient due to my lack of experience, overall, the night was interesting and a real eye opener. Let us move on the main characters, the food.
Arbora Fisherman’s Stew
First up, and my favourite for the evening, the Fisherman’s Stew from Arbora. The highlight of the stew is fresh cod fish which was chewy and blends perfectly with the savoury stew. There is also a piece of abalone which made the soup taste sweeter. The stew base tasted like minestrone especially with the cubed tomatoes, however texture of the stew was thicker and smoother. Different from the other dishes, stew has to be eaten with a spoon, hence this booth was the only booth to provide metal spoons. Fun fact, almost everyone carried the metal spoon from this booth around for the other food.
Blue Lotus Singapore Chilli Pomelo Crab Meat Tart.
The crust from Blue Lotus Singapore’s Chili Pomelo Crab Meat Tart is a good mixture of mealy and flaky, it was crispy on first bite but not crumbly. The base of the crust was also well soaked with the crab meat and chili sauce but it was not soggy. In addition to the perfect crust, the fillings was also very well chosen, it was filled with chili crab meat and little pods of pomelo which added freshness and sweetness to the bite.
Mezza9 Crab Cake with Remoulade Sauce, Dill and Lemon
Due to the air-conditioned environment, by the time we got to the crab cakes at Mezza9’s booth, it was not as warm as before. Surprisingly, the crab cakes still had enough crisp and moist. The crab cake is fragrant and chewy, topped with Remoulade Sauce, it also made the dish more appetizing by reducing the taste of the oil.
The Sampan Salmon Soba Noodles
The Sampan Kueh Dadar
The Salmon Soba Noodles was a good change in flavour for the night. The light and springy soba noodles coupled with yellow radish, cucumber and edamame was refreshing to my taste buds. Not to mention the fresh salmon which gave the boat its flavor. At the same counter, there is also the Kueh Dadar. Soaked in the fragrance of pandan the kueh was chewy and sweet, it was also filled with coconut bits and peanuts. In one bite, the flavours were bursting but not overly sweet.
Besides the mains, the cheese and cold cut counters are returning favourites. I had spent most of my time returning to these sections and each time, there was something new for me as both provided a vast variety of cheese and cold cuts. My favourite was the Smoked ham and the Black Forest ham from the cold cuts, as well as the award winning Original Blue Cheese by Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company.
Original Blue Cheese by Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company
For more information on the World Gourmet Awards and the Summit initiatives, kindly visit their website. http://www.worldgourmetsummit.com/wgs2019/main.php
