featured Archives - Gazing and Grazing

Bangkok’s Gaggan is Worth Trying Once

June 17th, 2018

Bangkok's Michelin two-starred Gaggan is rated by some as Asia's best restaurant so I had to go see whether it was worth that hype and especially since the restaurant will close in 2020. After getting some help in securing a reservation, I'm glad I came because it's a blend of food that's unlikely to be duplicated elsewhere. The cuisine is borderless - creative Indian with Thai, Japanese and French influences and generally beautifully presented in 25 small courses. While some of it can be...

Nouri – Salsa to Sambal in Singapore

January 8th, 2018

A meal at Nouri is like a trip around the world. Chef Ivan Brehm hails from Brazil and takes those influences as well as a focus on local ingredients to create his take on what I'd describe as creative french food with a good dose of international influences. This seems to be the trend these days but which is done well at Nouri with Ivan's own touches. A lot of pride is taken in using "locally" sourced produce especially a plethora of organic vegetables grown in Malaysia's Cameron...

Chicago’s Alinea – Come on an Empty Stomach

September 23rd, 2017

Come on a very empty stomach. Some top rated restaurants fail to live up to the hype but this is not the case for Alinea. It has three Michelin stars and was voted the country's outstanding restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2016. Admittedly I was half worried that I wasn't going to enjoy the food as much as I should, but the presentation, breadth of tastes from dish to dish and fine but not stuffy service really surprised me as to how good this place really is. It's almost...

I Tigli in Theoria in Como – Modern Italian in an Enchanting Space

March 28th, 2017

I Tigli in Theoria is a Michelin starred modern Italian restaurant with fantastic pastry in a beautiful courtyard building in central Como. This was our first meal in Como - a large seven course lunch at the chef's table with a view of the kitchen. Unfortunately, having just arrived after a 12-hour flight, it was difficult to fully enjoy what we were eating. Nonetheless, I'm glad I was able to squeeze in a visit and overall, I think it's well worth having a meal here. The tasting menu costs...

Odette – Divine Dining if Not For the Wine Pairing

June 13th, 2016

One of Singapore's more highly lauded fine dining restaurants since it opened in late 2015, Odette's food definitely deserves its accolades. In fact, it's likely to be one of those with Michelin stars when the inaugural list for Singapore is published in July. In short, the food is good but our experience was marred by a rather bizarre wine pairing that seemed to fight Chef Julien Royer's creations rather than to complement them (at least in my simple non-expert view - I've seen contrary...