SINGAPORE STREET FOOD ANYONE? HEAD TO JW MARRIOTT AEROCITY'S K3

Singapore is the best place for street food owing to the Hawker centres being clean, cheap, and offering diverse and delectable food. Interestingly even Anthony Bourdain’s No reservations …a well-loved foodie show features Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice shop which by the way also has the longest queue At the Maxwell Hawker centre (read leading all the way around the corner) in Singapore. It is a wonderfully buzzing, multi-cultural society... Chinese, Indians, Malays and assorted expats all live alongside one another in this city-state. And needless to say, with such a mix of cultures, it is a foodie’s heaven. The variety on offer is mouth-watering. Certainly the Island republic’s reputation as a culinary paradise is well earned and merits more than one reflection of what makes good eating! So when I heard that K 3 at the JW Marriott has flown in Chef John Chye, all the way from Singapore Marriott Hotel, the husband and I simply had to go as we have some very fond memories of our many foodie trips to Singapore.

So in we went, looking like fish out of water and the first thing we ordered were two Traditional ‘slings’ as though this is something we do every day.  It was a good start and trust me it was as authentic as it can be! Later we even tried the French and the Italian take on it which were equally decadent. Coming to the food, the Kitchen dished up perennial Singapore favourites such as the famed Singapore Chilli Crab, 

which almost Singapore’s national dish, so I had to try some of these tasty crustaceans, fortunately it lived up to my expectations. The exact sauce recipe is a closely guarded secret, but I guess it consisted of garlic, ginger, fresh red chili, honey added to a rich tomato sauce, finished with chicken eggs. The Hainanese Chicken Rice is a winner out here the rice is flavourful and the slow steamed chicken along with chilli sauce complimented it rather well.

The Satay consists of chicken and lamb grilled over a charcoal fire. I relished the delectable and succulent meat with a tasty peanut dip; along with some fresh slices of cucumber and onion…I was in heaven for sure. All in all, I thought my meal was a magic experience for the senses, a moment of true happiness with dishes like the  Seafood Laksa, Ma Po Tofu, Soya Braised Duck with Tofu Skin, Ayam Masak Kicap (Chicken in Spicy Soy), Ikan Masak Assam (Fish with spiced tamarind gravy) among others.

BEST BAK KUT TEH I HAVE EVER TASTED....DECADENT

FAST FACTS

Chef John is the guest Chef at JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity during the Singapore Street Food Festival from 22nd August, 2014 – 31st August, 2014.

Guests who enroll for the Kris Flyer membership during the food festival will receive bonus 1000 Kris Flyer miles.

The Singapore Street Food Festival is available as part of the daily Lunch/Dinner and Sunday Brunch buffet at K3, priced at:

Lunch Buffet (Price- INR 1800++)

Dinner Buffet (Price- INR 2250++)

Sunday Brunch (Price- INR 2500++ | INR 3000++ | INR 4200++)

Timings: 12:30pm to 3:00 pm (lunch), 7:30pm to 11:00pm (dinner) and 12:00pm to 3:30pm (Sunday brunch)

For reservations call: +91 11 4521 2120

AKIRA BACK

Panning across two levels of the hotel, this signature restaurant specializes in Japanese cuisine with Korean essence and Stands out in its effort to merge visual arts with gourmet art …

LOWDOWN

This is an impressive establishment for entertaining. With chic design blended with an eight-metre tall sake wall which houses some of the finest sakes and wines in the sub-continent, the ambience is simply stunning. Akira Back imbues flavours from the ancient back alleys of Tokyo and metamorphoses them into a contemporary gastronomic experience. Replete with a robatayaki grill which originates from a centuries-old country style of cooking by Japanese fishermen, the restaurant distinguishes itself. One can also enjoy an evening of flavour and flair at the restaurant’s al fresco dining in the inner courtyard. For those who do not know, Chef Akira Back is a Korea native and former professional snowboarder who was raised in Aspen, Colorado, and brings his sense of adventure and boundless creativity at his namesake restaurant Akira Back, an innovative Japanese restaurant with Korean essence.

WHAT’S ON OFFER?

Specially designed for the restaurants, diners also get to watch chefs in action while they dip their meat in sauce. The cooking methods are true to thousands of years of oriental tradition, yet the flavours are quintessentially twenty first century – modern, subtle and thrilling.

Chef back has tailored traditional, regional spirit to the modern gourmet with the accomplishment of an enthusiastic chef in search of new experiences and has created dishes like Tuna Pizza, seared Foie gras, wasabi pepper tenderloin to name a few. Sashimi is the restaurant’s forte clearly; obviously not only the freshest sea-food will do, but also the best quality, served beautifully. The tasty morsels of ‘maguro’ (tuna) are delicately smooth and ‘shake’ (salmon) is divinely creamy in texture and taste. If you are a soup lover go for the Miso soup, it’s truly decadent. A speciality here is also the Sake steamed flounder; the soft flesh of the fish is steamed with a black bean yuzu soy sauce and is most tender. I was mesmerised by the style and plating of the dishes, influenced by the origin of the dish, each offering is carefully arranged on beautifully handcrafted dinner ware. For dessert try the yuzu tart its superlative. All in all, for top-notch food, service, view and ambience, Akira back is a restaurant to patronise.

CHECK IT OUT

Akira Back is at JW Marriott, Asset Area 4 - Hospitality District, Delhi Aerocity,

New Delhi - 110 037 

For Reservations: +91 (0)11 45212121

Meal for two: INR 4,000 without alcohol.

Timings: Lunch: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. & Dinner: 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

ABOUT CHEF AKIRA BACK

Chef Back’s love of travel and culinary exploration took him to Japan and throughout Europe where he worked under world leading celebrity chefs. When he returned to the US, then he was named the first Korean to be the Executive chef of Nobu Matsuhisa in Aspen. Following the famed Yellowtail by Akira Back at the Bellagio, Chef Akira is spreading his culinary wings with 3 new restaurants. Kumi by Akira Back at Mandalay Bay, Akira Back New Delhi JW Marriott Aerocity, and on early this year Akira Back Jakarta will be the new outpost for his culinary journey.

 published in tlf