Seed Writes....: Competition

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Gelato World Tour Unveils Top 16 Finalists from Asia Pacific Region

GELATO WORLD TOUR 2.0

Announces Top 16 Asia Pacific Flavours Vying for

“WORLD’S BEST GELATO” Title

• Finalists from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines,

Thailand, Vietnam, 3 from Australia and 6 from Singapore

• 20 to 22 March 2015, Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Singapore, 4 March 2015 – The much-anticipated second edition of Gelato World Tour (GWT) will start in Singapore on March 20, making it Asia’s first Gelato Capital of the World. For three consecutive days, this extraordinary event at the Marina Bay Sands will flag off the “Formula One of Gelato” and also celebrate fifty years of the Singapore Republic in the coolest way.

Gelato World Tour, the first international travelling competition in search of the best flavours in the world, is directed by the prestigious Carpigiani Gelato University and Sigep, the most important exhibition in the world for the artisan production of gelato, pastry, confectionery and bakery products held in Rimini, Italy. Its mission is to spread the culture of Italian-style gelato, a fresh, artisan food product throughout the world. The main partners are IFI, international leader in the manufacturing of display cases for gelaterias and PreGel, the world’s largest producer of ingredients for gelato, pastry and coffee shops, official licensee of EXPO Milano 2015. Prodea Group is the operating partner and Felicitas Global Pte Ltd is the event’s local partner in Singapore. In its first edition, GWT toured seven gelato capitals in the world, namely Rome, Valencia, Melbourne, Dubai, Austin, Berlin and Rimini.

Visitors to the event will be delighted by the amazing flavours freshly created on the spot and presented by new and seasoned gelato artisans from the Asia Pacific region as they pit themselves against each other in the quest to win the prestigious “World’s Best Gelato” title. The top 16 gelato flavours of the Asia Pacific region* were picked by the Selection Jury presided by Pang Kok Keong, Chef and founder of Sugar Daddy Group, Yeoh Wee Teck, columnist with The New Paper, and renowned Luciana Polliotti, journalist and curator of the historical Gelato Museum Carpigiani.

On 24 and 25 March 2015, the Carpigiani Gelato University will inaugurate a new Singapore programme in partnership with At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, by offering special open day sessions. There are 40 places available, free admission is upon request. To register please write to info@gelatouniversity.com. At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy will become the first hub of the Carpigiani Gelato University in the Asia-Pacific region.

As another first for the Singapore leg, the tour will host an exclusive “Gelato with a Heart” dinner. At this first ever event in Asia Pacific gelato will take centrestage from appetizer to dessert. Created by well-known Chef Christopher Christie of Marina Bay Sands and Pastry Chef Pang Kok Keong, in collaboration with the local Italian instructor of the Carpigiani Gelato University, the menu will feature combinations of hot and cold, sweet and savoury, unique fusions of the East and West masterpieces. The dinner will include an auction where proceeds will be donated to beneficiaries of the Singapore President's Challenge 2015. Only a few special early bird promotion seats remain available (reservations can be made by calling 6224 6788 or via email at smita@felicitasglobal.com ).

List of the Top 16 Flavours Vying for “WORLD’S BEST GELATO” Title

• Kochi Popz by Chronos Chan & Eunice Soon of Tom’s Palette, Singapore

• Caramel and Almond Crunch by Vanjimuthu Palaniswamy & Kavithamani Vanjimuthu of Boomerang, Coimbatore, India

• Coffee and Nuts with Sesame Brittle by Angsna Dhippayom of I - Kitchen Restaurant, Had Yai, Thailand

• Mango Ube Symphony by Zarah Zaragoza-Manikan of Bono Artisanal Gelato, Makati City, Manila, Philippines

• Roasted Walnut and Honey Crunch by David Lamprell, Michael & Brian O’Donnell of 48 Flavours, Adelaide, SA, Australia

• Burnt Butter with toffee almond brittle by Robbie Hill of Yamba Icecreamery, Yamba, NSW, Australia

• Chendol Merdeka by Marco Alfero of Alfero Artisan Gelato, Singapore

• Loving Date by Stefano Cadorin of +39 Gelato Bar, Singapore

• Singapore Sling by Charles Tan of FATCAT Ice Cream Bar, Singapore

• Croccante alla Fragola by Mirko Stortini of Gelato Italia, Hanoi, Vietnam

• Curcuma (or Temulawak) by Andre Soenjoto of de Boliva, Surabaya, Indonesia

• Good ‘Ol Days by Sharon Tay of Momolato, Singapore

• Beer with Ciambella by Harish Doneka of Pick Me Up Cafe, Singapore

• Vanilla of the East by Keewin & Seow Han Ong of Cielo Dolci, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

• Lemon Zest with Fig Marmalade & Dark Chocolate by Antonino Lo Iacono of Gelatony, Sydney, NSW, Australia

• From the Cradle to the Grave by Steve & Chrissie Powell of Vostrogusto Gelato, Wellington, New Zealand

Highlights of the 3-Day Event

The GWT Village is located at Exhibition Hall D, Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. Entry is FREE for all visitors. The programme will include (on a firstcome-first-served basis):

• Mini Courses for adults and children by the gelato chefs of Carpigiani Gelato University on “What is Gelato?”. Participants will also be the first to hear more details about the 4-week program that teaches participants on how they can become successful gelato entrepreneurs.

• How to open a gelato shop? Educational workshops by Academia IFI

• Tonda Challenge by IFI @ PreGel tent

• Discover the secrets of gelato “Always FrescoTM” with PreGel

• Live cooking demonstration by Chef Dave Pynt, Burnt Ends, Singapore

Visitors will be invited to vote for their favourite flavour from the top 16 finalists with a Gelato Ticket, which can be purchased at the INFO POINT located in the Gelato World Tour Village. Each ticket is priced at SGD12 for 8 tasting portions in cones of 40grams each Visitors can participate in the Taste & Win draw where they stand to win fantastic prizes. The votes of the visitors and GWT’s Technical Jury will determine the top three flavours to represent the Asia Pacific region at the Grand Finale of the Gelato World Tour 2.0 to be held in Rimini, Italy in 2017.

To follow the stages of Gelato World Tour: www.gelatoworldtour.com.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

The Best Ramen of 2015 emerged from the Ramen Champion Tasting Competition 2015

Ramen have been a very popular Japanese food in Singapore. Ramen Champion Singapore was started in July 2011 which bring in reputable ramen brands to Singapore. The 2015 Ramen Champion Tasting Competition event was held at Bugis+ which was to celebrate Ramen Champion’s evolution since its inception in 2011.

Besides the first outlet at Bugis+, there are two other outlets of Ramen Champion. One at Changi Airport T3 and the other one at Great World City. There are a total of 6 Ramen brands which include a new brand, Tonkotsu Ikkyu joining in 2015.

The new brand Tonkotsu Ikkyu was created by Ramen chef and producer of Ramen Champion Singapore, Chef Koji Tashiro. He is known as “Son of Ramen God”. He is the disciple of “Ramen God” Kazuo Yamagishi, the legendary Ramen chef credited for inventing the wildly popular Tsukemen or dipping noodles.

The event started with a Japanese traditional drums performance. You can feel the energy and excitement of the drummers during this short but high energy performance. This is followed by a sweet Japanese lady compere together with the Chef Koji Tashiro, translating every words of what Chef says.

The panel of judges were a mixed group from our local Singapore top chefs, chief editor of BITES etc. In the tasting competition, we were given a voting card which we will be submitting at the end of the tasting competition.

There are six brands and each dish out one Ramen dish. Here are the Ramen.

(1) Ramen Brand : Menya Ryu, Ramen : Sapporo Miso Special Ramen. The original flavour come from the capital of Ramen in Japan, Sapporo, Hokkaido. A minimum of 7 hours spent for making the broth. The Chef, Melvin Yeo uses 3 kinds of Miso which is just like the traditional miso ramen of Sapporo. My Opinion : It has a rich, tasty and thick soup. The meat is tender. The half boiled egg is soft and juicy. This is definitely one of my favourite Ramen.

(2) Ramen Brand : Buta God, Ramen : God Ramen. Buta God specialises in port ramen. Chef Mamoru Kana create a perfect combination of the slightly sweet Tonkotsu broth with sliced marinated pork belly and proached egg. My Opinion : You can feel the softness and yet the tasty sliced pork belly. The soup was really nice. This is my favourite and I voted on this Ramen.

(3) Ramen Brand : Riki, Ramen : RIKI Chashumen. The brand was established in Tokyo. Very popular with men in Japan. It’s broth boiled for more than 8 hours, achieving a perfect milky-white broth. Riki means Energy Boost. My Opinion : The soup is a bit saltish but it still tasty. The meat is well done. Still this is not my favourite ramen.

(4) Ramen Brand : Menban Yamagishi Kazuo, Ramen : Original Tsukemen This is the legendary ramen chef, Kazuo Yamagishi who created this wildly popular Tsukemen, or dipping noodles. My Opinion : This is a ramen that is very different from the rest. The noodles are dipped into the soup for every mouthful of noodles. Quite interesting. In fact, it is quite nice. Should give it a try.

(5) Ramen Brand : Shodai Koji, Ramen : Triple Chashu Ramen. Chef Koji Takano is trained in Hokkaido, Yokohama, Tokyo, Australia and Singapore. He is the disciple of Chef Koji Tashiro. The uniqueness of this dish is that you can enjoy three kinds of meats. It is based on Yokohama-style ramen. It combines the elements of new generation with the traditional ones. My Opinion : For a meat eater like me, I really appreciate this ramen with three different kind of meat. It seems rather generous with it’s ingredients.

(6) Ramen Brand : Tonkotsu Ikkyu, Ramen : Special Tonkotsu Ramen. The ramen is created by Chef Koji Tashiro, disciple of Ramen God Kazuo Yamagishi. Eric Tsang, a Hong Kong celebrity and producer of Ramen Champion Hong Kong have request the chef to create this Ramen. The topping of cha shu which is pork collar is cooked in the western sous vide style and that the soup base comes in four vibrant colours and flavours. Finally, this ramen emerge as the grand winner. My Opinion : In my opinion, the soup is salty. I would prefer something less salty. Overall presentation is good. The meat is tender.

It is an experience to witness and be part of a Japanese culture of eating ramen in a competition. With more of such competitions, I believe the level of creativity and quality of ramen will greatly be improved.