GOURMET CHOICE AWARDS
Presenting Singapore's culinary best
BT-Citibank's Top 100 restaurants are picked by people who are well-travelled and well-heeled
By AUDREY PHOON
THE president of Far East Food Concepts, Chia Boon Pin, will be stocking up on his cholesterol-lowering medication, no thanks to a new dining guide that lists the creme de la creme of Singapore's restaurants as nominated by business leaders.
The slender blue book - The Business Times-Citibank Guide to the Top 100 Restaurants in Singapore - was launched on Wednesday night by BT and Citibank at a glitzy soiree at Theatreworks's 72-13 space in Mohamed Sultan Road.
Mr Chia, who in dining circles is known for being quite the gourmet, said: 'This book deserves an award. It has a very comprehensive range of good food. I'm spoilt for choice - need to stock up on more Lipitor.'
Wednesday's launch was attended by more than 250 chief executives, managing directors, senior executives and top restaurateurs, all of whom put aside their BlackBerrys and workwear for glasses of Moet & Chandon and more glamorous threads to celebrate the occasion.
The event, organised by society party planner Olga Iserlis, also marked the inaugural BT-Citibank Gourmet Choice Awards. These awards recognise the top 50 local restaurants in 10 cuisine categories as voted for by business leaders in a year-long process.
This year, established culinary institutions such as Nadaman, Hua Ting, Rang Mahal and Morton's of Chicago were listed among the top five in their respective categories, while newer restaurants such as The White Rabbit and Il Lido also received awards.
Cheryl Ho, spokesman for The Lo & Behold Group, which owns The White Rabbit, said: 'We are honoured to receive this accolade despite being one of the youngest establishments, and to be given serious credibility where it counts. The White Rabbit is the culmination of our team's hard work and we have put a lot of heart into creating an exciting, innovative dining experience.'
Les Amis Group emerged the night's biggest winner, with two restaurants - Au Jardin and Les Amis - scooping awards in the Fine Dining French/ Modern European category. Group spokesman Raymond Lim said that the double win is 'a validation of our team's commitment to quality - not just in food but in service, in our wine list, in a complete dining experience'.
The BT-Citibank Gourmet Choice Awards stand out from other culinary accolades because they are made 'by people who are well-travelled and have the dough - or big corporate accounts - to spend', said Knight Frank managing director Tan Tiong Cheng, who was at the event. 'It's really an exchange of ideas, so we all get to try out other reliable places.'
A taste of several of those places was enjoyed by guests on Wednesday - 10 of the award-winning establishments had refreshment booths on-site, where their chefs and bartenders whipped up a free flow of everything from lychee martinis to tasting portions of tempura and lobster bisque a la minute. Meanwhile, live performances and DJ sets kept the crowd on their feet.
The party atmosphere was especially felt by Rendezvous Restaurant's Seah King Ming, who was there with his chef Haji Abu Bakar to receive the top-five award for best Peranakan/Indonesian cuisine. Said the soft-spoken restaurateur: 'This is the first awards party anyone has ever thrown for us. I'm really touched.'
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