Kitchen Creatives

Kudos to the F&B industry geniuses. We salute your grit, creativity and passion.

The countdown to Christmas has already begun and once again, the year has zipped by, with not that much to show for it save for the pandemic and its ongoing yo-yoing list of restrictions. While life has seemed dismal for the most part, a constant silver lining has been the passion and perseverance of each member that makes up Singapore’s incredible F&B industry. Things have been very rough for restaurants and hawker centres alike this year, what with the no dine-in phases, then only two pax dineins, and finally allowing groups of five (T&Cs included). But despite the odds, industry players still found a way to keep their passion alive, be creative and make things work in their favour, however challenging the journey has been thus far.

For instance, it’s been a year of restrictive lockdowns, but Singapore’s recent Michelin rankings would have you believe otherwise. It’s been the country’s best year yet, going from a total of 44 stars last year to 49 this year, including three three-star restaurants now. Truly an amazing feat given the backdrop that they’ve had to make do with.

And it’s not just the heavyweights that have been upping their creative game. Everyone seems to have the creative genius streak, be it a restaurant, bar or even a home cook or baker. Nothing is off limits anymore, especially since our little red dot has made such incredible strides in making sure that no ingredient is off limits to Singapore now, however expensive or exotic it may be. Our snapshot on just a handful of gourmet grocers and specialty suppliers endorses that creative reality, complemented by the efforts Singapore is making to grow its own produce.

While chefs are constantly elevating their plating game, producing amazing works of art and unveiling creations that are just too pretty to dig into, creativity has also steadily been creeping into the decor and setting of restaurants. The Dandy Collection’s restaurants, for example, offer bold, vibrant and striking spaces to set the scene for truly memorable dining experiences, where the room and food tell a story and take diners on a journey in tandem. Its newest, Firangi Superstar, is on the front cover of this issue.

Whatever the final months of this year bring us, one thing is for sure – there’s no stopping the passionate, hard working pillars that make up Singapore’s F&B industry.

Knowledge