Savour 2013 Singapore – Gourmet Village, Gourmet Market, Gourmet Auditorium

If you have been following me on Twitter, FB or my FB Page, you would have been spammed (sorry! :P) with updates and pictures of my activities at Savour 2013 in Singapore few days back.

Savour Singapore 2013 - day 1 (3)

savour 2013 singapore - rebecca saw blog

For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed trade shows, fairs, markets and such gourmet events. Needless to say, I found Savour 2013 fabulous and I certainly ate too much for my own good over the 3 days I was there!
On the surface it was a food-centric event but for me I thought Savour 2013 accomplished much more than that. For 4 days (11th – 14th April 2013), the event bought together both the makers of fabulous cuisine (the chefs) and the eaters (the diners/foodies) in a one place at one time.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (31)

I can’t think of any other event that provides the opportunity for one to taste signature dishes from some of the world’s top ranked restaurants by renowned chefs in prices below SGD20 per dish and all in one place.
It’s just so convenient for both the appetite and the wallet!

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (143)

More on the individual food pavilion and participating restaurants would be in another post since I sampled quite a few and would like to go into details of each dish. This post would be covering more on Savour 2013 in general.

For those of you who are not familiar with Savour, it is being held for the 2nd year in Singapore and based on the crowd turnout, Savour looks set to be an annual event for Singapore.
So if you missed out this year, read on and prepare your pockets and appetite for Savour 2014!

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (30)

Savour Singapore 2013 - day 1 (14)

I’m already in huge anticipation for Savour 2014. But for first timers; how was Savour 2013 like?

Based on my experience this year, the 3 main areas of Savour are:

1. Gourmet Village – this is where the food pavilions of all the participating restaurants and chefs are located  The best part of this area other than the fabulous food whipped up at each kitchen? The opportunity to speak and meet the chef/chefs of each restaurant!

Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (61)

Chef Julien Royer could be seen at his kitchen (Jaan) almost the entire time. In fact you might not even get so close and personal with the chefs if you’re dining at their restaurant.
Here at Savour they are at their kitchens and they hung around the Gourmet Village. Most of them are friendly and would oblige for questions or pictures. More often than note, they would came out from their kitchens to chit-chat with the customers/visitors.
It was fabulous really, and I very nearly managed to meet every single chef to say hi! 🙂

savour 2013 - singapore (2)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (198)

Next, how do you purchase all that fabulous food?
For starters, cash is not accepted and you would have to buy Savour dollars (coupons). Once you got them, proceed to the restaurant of your fancy and place your order for your chosen dish. It is self service so you would have to wait for it to be ready and then get it from the service staff. There are high tables at the front of each restaurant so just grab yourself one and tuck in!

Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (34)

Savour Singapore 2013 - day 1 (22)

Your Savour pass would have entitled you to a certain sum (exact amount depending on your type of Savour pass) anyhow but be prepared to top up as there are so many dishes to savour here and your initial “investment” would definitely be insufficient! 🙂

Savour Singapore 2013 - day 1 (17)

To top up, catch one of the staff that goes around with a credit card machine and conveniently charge your card for more Savour dollars or to pay in cash, just head to the nearest Savour ticket booth.

savour 2013 singapore-025

For a more comfortable dining experience, you can opt to dine in the fully air-con dining pavilion instead of standing and eating al-fresco style in front of the respective restaurants.

Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (14)

All around the Gourmet Village there are booths selling champagne, beers and spirits so eat, drink and be merry! 🙂

Savour Singapore 2013 - day 1 (9)

Savour Singapore 2013 - day 1 (8)

Savour Singapore 2013 - day 1 (6)

Savour Singapore 2013 - day 1 (5)

Savour Singapore 2013 - day 1 (4)

Caffeine high comes in the form of Nespresso coffee; which was free flow throughout the 4 days event. Nespresso stations can be found at the Gourmet Market as well and cheerful baristas are seen industriously brewing one cuppa after another.

savour 2013 - singapore (1)

The Gourmet Auditorium is another highlight within the Gourmet Village itself.

2. Gourmet Auditorium – this impressive specially built, all enclosed auditorium is professionally set up with ovens and all necessary kitchen equipment fit for a Michelin Star chef.
That is expected of course, since this is where the invited Master, Celebrity and Michelin Star chefs imparted their wisdom during their designated demo times. I monitored my timetable rather closely and tried to catch every chef in action. 🙂

BELOW: An example of the timetable that was in the Savour bag given upon entrance. This was for Saturday, 13th April 2013.
There are different chefs demos each day so the timetable for each day are different too.

Savour

Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (16)

This auditorium seats 350 and seats are on first-come-first seated basis. Large projector screens were set up to ensure visibility for all guests.

gourmet auditorium - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog

Anthony demetre - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog-001

Day 1 Thursday: Chef Anthony Demetre of Wild Honey/Arbutus – London. (He doesn’t have any restaurants in Singapore).

Anthony demetre - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (17)

Anthony demetre - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog

His dish: Mackerel Burger with Squids. I managed to sample some at the end of the demo and it was good!

Anthony demetre - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog-002

anthony demetre - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (28)

Day 1 Thursday: The dashing Chef Jason Atherton of Pollen (Singapore). He also owns Esquina and Keong Saik Snacks in Singapore.

jason atherton - Savour 2013, Singapore

I don’t quite remember what dish it was, as the highlight of the demo wasn’t really the dish but rather his charm and sarcastic humour.

jason atherton - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (62)

He got 2 teams of 2 guests to come up and attempt to replicate his dish. His session was one of the most entertaining cooking demo I have witnessed in a long, long time. I’m very interested to visit his restaurants now. 🙂

jason atherton - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (62)-001

Chef Anthony (Wild Honey, UK) and Chef Claude (Hibicus, UK) was appointed as the judges. A lot of prizes were given away during his session; champagne, dinners at Pollen, cookware, his cookbook and even a kiss on the cheek or 2. 😉

jason atherton - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (62)-003

jason atherton - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (62)-004

His dish: Sorry, I was laughing too hard throughout the session to remember much!

jason atherton - Savour 2013, Singapore - rebeccasawblog (62)-005

Day 2: Friday : Chef Sam Leong of Forest – Resort World Sentosa SG.

sam leong - Forest - savour 2013 singapore (2)

Chef Sam Leong did came over to Kuala Lumpur for a few evenings at Intercontinental Hotel KL. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to catch him then.
He’s a rather witty chef and his session was an enjoyable one too; with a lot of cooking tips and jokes punctuated in between.

sam leong - Forest - savour 2013 singapore (3)

His Dish: Black Pepper Crab – a sweetish version with added tomato ketchup. He said he cooked this dish for his first meeting with his girlfriend’s (now wife) parents and it got him a wife. LOL!

sam leong - Forest - savour 2013 singapore (4)

Day 2: Friday : Chef Gustav Tragardh, Sjomagasinet (Swedish cuisine).

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (76)

The gruff, endearing Chef Gustav has a quieter humour but his session was enjoyable nonetheless. He is a rather messy cook and tend to use his hands for everything. He actually reminds me of the “golden” generation of cooks where it’s alright for the stove to be messy and there’s isn’t a need for 10 spoons to be used just for preparing one dish. His approach was very down to earth and real.

gustav tragardh Sjomagasinet - savour 2013 - singapore (2)

He’s very liberal with the butter too. And for his dish, he made everything from scratch; including the dumplings, the fillings for the dumplings, the poached quail eggs and of course the cod; all within 45 minutes.

gustav tragardh Sjomagasinet - savour 2013 - singapore (3)

gustav tragardh Sjomagasinet - savour 2013 - singapore (5)

gustav tragardh Sjomagasinet - savour 2013 - singapore (6)

His dish: A Swedish dish of cod, potato dumpling and prawns with prawns butter. I managed to grab myself a plate and boy, it was delicious! 🙂

gustav tragardh Sjomagasinet - savour 2013 - singapore

gustav tragardh Sjomagasinet - savour 2013 - singapore (1)

See you soon Chef Gustav, hopefully in your home country! 🙂

gustav tragardh Sjomagasinet - savour 2013

Day 3: Saturday: I didn’t managed to sit in for any demo today as I was taking part in the Fiji Water Race and was busy stuffing my face at the Gourmet Village since it was my last day at Savour! Besides I had to leave by 5 pm to catch my flight.

Next, the Gourmet Market!

3. Gourmet Market – this is a fabulous foodie heaven. The Gourmet Market consisted of 2 levels of food and drinks/wines exhibitors where free tastings of salami, hundreds of cheese (I kid you not!), sausages, pate, cereals, vegetable/fruit/potato/bean chips, relishes and spreads, salmon, oysters, wagyu/angus/various other classes of steaks and pastries/cakes takes place. THE WHOLE DAY.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (2)

The key sections of the Gourmet Market are:

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (143)

 

Here’s an example of the timetable:

Savour1

As you can see each section has a different event throughout the day, some concurrently so there are more than enough interesting activities going for everyone!

Savour2

Level 2:
1. Jason’s Market – produce tasting and gourmet produce shopping can be found here (more of wet/fresh produce – meat, cheese, vegetables)
2. Savour Gourmet – more tasting and food (dry produce)
3. Savour Lifestyle

Level 3: 
1. Savour Wine
2. Savour Baking – baking workshops & cakes, chocolates, pastry heaven!

Here are some pictures section by section:
JASON’S MARKET:

Dairy queens – Say “cheese” to a selection of almost 100 varieties of cheeses bought in by Jason’s The Gourmet Grocer.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (125)

savour 2013 singapore - gourmet market (4)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (53)

output3

 

Like I have shown above, each section of Savour has their own demos, masterclass and tasting sessions. I joined one of the cheese masterclass in Jason Gourmet and stuffed myself with more cheese in addition to having an educational time.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (54)

We started with the mild buffalo followed by the Brie and then the gorgeously pungent Gorgonzola (which was pretty mild for this brand).

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (68)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (69)

 

But it was this orange mimolette that was my favourite.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (60)

It is sweet and rich but pleasant to eat with a good depth of flavour due to the aging process.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (71)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (62)

On the other hand the Parmigiano Reggiano is saltish and crumbly, imparting a more savoury finish. The Sainte Maure Goat Cheese is creamy and midly pungent, very agreeable for the Asian palate if you’re not entirely a fan of pungent cheese.

cheese by philip koo (1)

 

BELOW: My sampling portions – refillable of course. 🙂

output

There were a small section on organic produce and greens. These imported tomatoes are from France and each type gave different level of sweetness and textures. 

savour 2013 singapore - gourmet market (2)

Being a carnivore I was hooked on the meats section. The sausages, salami, ham, steaks on display were both amazing in quality and taste.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (119)

It was seriously eat-all-you-can. Tasting plates was being refilled generously, non-stop the whole day.

Savour 2013 Singapore-015

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (16)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (124)

How much cheese, ham, sausages and salami can YOU eat? 🙂

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (7)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (123)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (122)

Well, I ate quite a lot I can tell you that! There were so many types of salami and hams, all not available in Malaysia (not that I have seen them and I do shop at Jason’s – BSC, Village Grocer, Ben’s at Publika and Cold Storage quite a bit.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (117)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (112)

Caviar (I’m not kidding!) and foie gras tasting was available too.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (113)

Have you ever tried foie gras and gingerbread? You should! These two compliments each other really well. 🙂

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (114)

Savour 2013 Singapore-016

Seafood: Head here for oysters, scallops, prawns and salmon.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (5)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (6)

savour 2013 singapore - gourmet market (3)

Steaks. Select your cuts and have them grilled on the spot for you.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (121)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (19)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (18)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (17)

Everything for tasting is for sale too. Many visitors were seen lining up at the cashier with their selected produce.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (75)

Other gourmet produce includes jams, relishes, crackers, cereals and chips.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (10)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (9)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (105)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (4)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (3)

Oenophiles would be very pleased to be at Savour 2013 as there were a few areas dedicated to spirits and wines. One was at Jason’s Market.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (15)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (14)

Next – SAVOUR GOURMET: Check out pasta, coffee, olive oils, etc. 

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (20)

Nespresso – any way you like your coffee. Just say it and you can have it. Multiple rounds too if you wish.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (142)

This Soda Bar was one of the highlights here. They sell a machine that carbonates your drinks and it’s suitable for home use.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (21)

Just add water, run it though the machine and add the flavoring. Then voila, carbonated drinks made at home!

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (132)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (135)

Choose your poison – Fruity? For the kids? Cola flavoured? Ginger Ale?

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (136)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (130)

Fans of Italian olive oils, balsamic, spreads and relishes would relish (pun intended) this Savour Gourmet section.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (139)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (141)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (140)

At one end a row of specialty food “kitchens” allows Savour guests to have a meal or 2. Choose from Japanese to Italian to oysters.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (138)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (137)

Savour 2013 Singapore-017

Mini classes, live demos and cooking classes are held at the Gourmet Kitchen within Savour Gourmet. Do check your timetable (given in the goody bag upon entrance) for the list of the many classes held throughout the day.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (129)

Next, Savour Lifestyle. 

More for Oenophiles: The Wine Theater and Gourmet Lifestyle showcased the art of appreciating wines; from educational workshops to wine tasting and blending. Spirits and beers are not forgotten either.

savour 2013 singapore - gourmet market (5)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (160)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (159)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (158)

Savour 2013 Singapore-003

Not enough with pure wines, we have wine-inspired spreads too! I’m so in love with the Moscato and Pinot Noir jellies.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (52)

Unfortunately I was flying home with only hand carry luggage allowance so I can’t bring any of these back.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (51)

If that’s not enough alcohol for you (I’m sure it isn’t), head over to the Savour Wine. Here, more exclusive vintages are available for tasting. I believe at each booth you have to pay a certain amount (SGD15 or so) to taste every wine that is available for tasting.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (155)

I sampled premium fruit liqueurs too, as well as non-alcoholic sparklings. *hic!*

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (149)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (148)

But don’t just sample.
Do chat with the people behind the booth. Most (if not all) are friendly and expectantly very knowledgeable  I picked up very valuable bits of information about their wines. There’s so much to learn and the learning process is never-ending. 🙂

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (147)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (36)

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (35)

You can pick up equipment related to wines as well.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (156)

A bit wobbly after all that wines? Sit and chill at the lounge.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (33)

Workshops and live demonstrations are also held here. Just look for the Wine Theatre. 

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (34)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (161)

Last but not least is Savour Baking.

As its name implies, this is the place for pastry, breads, cakes, chocolate and all things sweet and indulgent.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (24)

My eyes nearly popped out when I saw Tiong Bahru Bakery. Hurray! 😀

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (29)

They were handling out samples of some of their Savour specials (only available during Savour 2013) as well as old time favourites like their famous croissants.

savour 2013 singapore - gourmet market (1)

I had the opportunity to sample one of Singapore’s top 10 durian desserts (or so they claimed) by the Big O.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (145)

It was lusciously pungent enough, but I must say some of our local bakers does it better.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (144)

The Windowsill Pies, a homegrown artisanal pie haven  founded by brothers Jonathan and Sean Gwee sells really innovative pies such as Banana Almond Cognac, Vodka Lime Coconut, Grasshopper, Chocolate Caramel Pudding and good old Apple and Pecan Pie.
Dig into bold, delicious fillings set in flaky pastry. I was told some of these pies has one shot of liqueur per slice. Unfortunately I can’t seem to find my picture of them. But check them out on http://www.windowsillpies.sg/.

Other sweet offerings are Hana Chocolate and Cake Over Heels. I had some Blueberry Cheesecake sampling from Cake Over Heels and they were really good.

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (189)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (188)

savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (154)

All things baking and live demo were held within this hall as well at the Baking Corner. There were macaron making, Sugar shaping and cupcake decoration classes; just to name a few.

savour 2013 - day 2 - singapore (22)

At the Baking Experience Corner, I sat through an interesting workshop by Michael Liu of Windowsills Pies about pastry and tea pairing. 3 types of tea from Gryphon Tea Company – Masala, Tarry Lapsang SooChong and Earl Grey were paired with Madeleine, macaron and konnyaku jelly.

Savour 2013 Singapore-010

tea workshop - savour 2013 - singapore - gourmet market (100)

And that’s it!
The Savour 2013. Next – each participating restaurants, their menu and the food I sampled. Stay tuned!

So what do YOU think? Would you head to Savour 2014? 🙂

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Sean Eat Drink KL

    looks like the chefs sure like their seafood! the mackerel burger with squid looks like a very tempting arrangement 😀

  2. Haley Chin

    Lovely post. I’m definitely going to note this down on my calendar. Hopefully I’ll be in Sg at the same time as the event next year!

Leave a Reply to Haley Chin Cancel reply

Related Posts

Buy Seafood Online

Get your favourite seafood delivered to you!  The coronavirus epidemic has been taking a toll in Malaysia. People start working from home, restaurant can only