The Luxury Collection - Exclusive Epicurean Journeys 2015

For 3-Nights Only, 3 Acclaimed Chefs from The Luxury Collection Hotels in Paris, San Francisco and India will take diners on a captivating sojourn through cuisines from their legendary hotels and destinations.

The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. unveils Epicurean Journeys, a three-day gastronomic event that offers Singapore’s curious palates the chance to embark on indigenous culinary adventures curated by the award-winning chefs from three Luxury Collection Hotels in Paris, San Francisco and India.

Epicurean Journeys will take place from 4th to 6th June 2015 at MoCA Museum of Contemporary Arts (27A Loewen Road, Singapore 248839) presenting one-of-a-kind dining experiences individually crafted to reflect the rich culinary culture and local traditions indigenous to the three distinct destinations, priced at $248++ with wines. 

Book seats now at epicureanjourneys.sg. 

When: Thursday, 4th June 2015, 7.30pm
What: Epicurean Journeys: An Evening in Paris with Stéphanie Le Quellec

Details: Haute gastronomy stripped of any pretentiousness: an indelible mark of distinction forged by Stéphanie Le Quellec, the Executive Chef who led her restaurant, La Scène, Prince de Galles, Paris to its first Michelin-star. A passionate young chef whose signature style is one of measured precision and sophisticated simplicity, Le Quellec’s flavoursome Southern French compositions are hallmarked by the quality of exceptional produce of her meticulous choosing. 

On the night, diners will see 6-courses of her imaginative, harmonious and precise recipes, with signatures from La Scène like her Farm Egg, acidulated egg yolk, green asparagus and morel with yellow wine and Duck Foie Gras with shrimp and turnip, paired with an exquisite selection of French wines.

Menu: 6-Course Gastronomic Sojourn ($248++) with pairing by Sarment Wines

• SCAMPI - Lightly seared / garden cucumbers / toasted buckwheat 
• FARM EGG - Acidulated egg yolk / green asparagus / morel with yellow wine 
• DUCK FOIE GRAS - Gently poached / shrimp / turnip 
• LINE CAUGHT SEA BASS - Braised sweet spicy broth / colours and textures of cabbage 
• PRIME BLACK ANGUS BEEF - Seared tenderloin / black olive marmalade / bone marrow 
• GUANAJA DARK CHOCOLATE - Soft biscuit / coffee / anise 

When: Friday, 5th June 2015, 7.30pm
What: Epicurean Journeys: Exploring the Grand Cuisines of India with Manjit Gill

Details: Fascinating palates with an experience that goes beyond mere satisfaction of appetite to the realm of sensuality, highly acclaimed Chef Manjit Gill showcases an evocative presentation of aromas, flavours and textures that pays tribute to an appreciation of the finer things in life. For the first time in Singapore, Corporate Chef Manjit Gill from ITC Hotels Luxury Collection India brings diners the famed cuisines of Bukhara, among the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015, and Dum Pukht, ranking on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy List 2015. 

Epicurean Journeys presents a showcase of the ancient Indian culinary art of Tandoor (clay oven) cooking through Bukhara’s succulent prime meats marinated with the choicest of spices, and fine Indian dining represented by Dum Pukht’s signature slow roasting techniques in which food is tightly sealed and slowly cooked in its juices, creating unforgettable masterpieces bearing the emblematic imprint of India. The menu representing the Grand Cuisines of India is beautifully graced with accompanying wines, for a true, ethereal experience.

Menu: 9-Course Royal Feast ($248++) with pairing by Sarment Wines

• MURGH MALAI KEBAB - Creamy Kabab of Chicken Blended with Cream Cheese, Lemon Juice and Green Coriander, Grilled in a Moderate Clay Oven 
• MACCHI TIKKA - An Exotic Kabab of Fish Flavoured with Carom and Mildly Spiced with Yellow Chilli, Skewered and Roasted in a Clay Oven, Sprinkled with Lemon Juice and Kabab Masala 
• JUJHE LIMU - A Resplendent Chicken Breast, Cured In Yogurt and Lemon Marinade, Cooked on Dum with an Assortment of Vegetables Behind a Purdah of Puff Pastry 
• KOH E AWADH - Chefs’ Recipe for Qorma of Elegantly Exposed Lamb Shanks,
• Dum Cooked in their own Cardamom-Tinged Juices and Marrow, Finished with Saffron 
• GOBHI MUTTER KHUSKA - Fresh Cauliflower of the Season Tossed with Tender Peas in Light Spices 
• DAL BUKHARA - A Harmonious Combination of Black Lentils, Tomatoes, Ginger and Garlic Simmered Overnight on Slow Charcoal Fire and Finished with Cream, Served with a Dollop of Unsalted Butter
• DUMPUKTH BIRYANI - Basmati Rice Simmered With Lamb in Mace, Ittar And Kewra, Finished in a Sealed Handi SERVED WITH BURRANI Garlic Flavoured Yogurt 
• SEVIYON KA MUZZAFFAR - Whole-Wheat Vermicelli Cooked In Clarified Butter and Sugar and Flavoured with Saffron and Assorted Nuts 
• AMRIT MADHURA - Aged Dessert of Pressed Curd with Cardamom, Black Pepper and Saffron

Vegetarian Selection by Manjit Gill

• SABZ KHASTA - Vegetable Produce of the Season Spiced with Aromatic Masala Mix, Encased with Carom Short Dough of Whole Wheat Flour, Chargrilled to perfection in Tandoor 
• TANDOORI SALAD - Onions, Peppers, Tomatoes, Cottage Cheese and Pineapple Seasoned with a Mixture of Spice and Lemon juice. Grilled in a Clay Oven 
• PANEER IMLIDAAR - Stuffed Escalopes of Cottage Cheese in a Tangy Tamarind Sauce 
• DUMPUKHT BADIN JAAN - Slices of round brinjals marinated, shallow fired and topped with tomato concasse and garlic flavoured spiced yoghurt; Finished on Dum 
• GOBHI MUTTER KHUSKA - Fresh Cauliflower of the Season Tossed with Tender Peas in Light Spices 
• DAL BUKHARA - A Harmonious Combination of Black Lentils, Tomatoes, Ginger and Garlic Simmered Overnight on Slow Charcoal Fire and Finished with Cream, Served with a Dollop of Unsalted Butter 
• GUCCHI PULAO - Saffron Seasoned Basmati Rice Cooked With Morels Stuffed With Herbed Cheese And Finished In A Sealed Handi With Cardamom; SERVED WITH BURRANI Garlic Flavoured Yogurt 
• SEVIYON KA MUZZAFFAR - Whole-wheat Vermicelli Cooked In Clarified Butter and Sugar and Flavoured with Saffron and Assorted Nuts 
• AMRIT MADHURA - Aged Dessert of Pressed Curd with Cardamom, Black Pepper and Saffron

When: Saturday, 6th June 2015, 7.30pm
What: Epicurean Journeys: Uncovering the Fresh Tastes of California with Jesse Llapitan

Details: Fresh Californian cuisine enriched with farm fresh, local produce, and the best of San Francisco’s seasonal and artisan ingredients, is the signature style of Jesse Llapitan, Executive Chef of The Palace, San Francisco. As Chef for The Palace Hotel’s legendary dining room, The Garden Court, Llapitan creates iconic favourites – sometimes kept pure, other times given a contemporary twist and always balancing tradition and innovation to honour the incredible history of the world famous hotel.

Diners at the Epicurean Journeys can look forward to dishes like Artichoke Velouté, Black Angus Beef Short Ribs, and Ahi Tuna Tartare with the famous Green Goddess Dressing, invented at the Palace in 1923. This delicious menu pairs wonderfully with Californian wines.

Menu: 6-Course Enriching Discovery ($248++) with pairing by Sarment Wines

• ARTICHOKE VELOUTÉ - Foie Gras, Artichoke Chips 
• TUNA TARTARE - Avocado, Tomato, Wonton Crisps, The Palace Original Green Goddess Dressing 
• DUNGENESS CRAB & SPINACH TIMBALE - Smoked Salmon, Farro, Spring Vegetables 
• SEARED HAMACHI - Ponzu, Pea Purée, Fava Beans, Gingered Broken Rice, Oven Roasted Tomatoes 
• BLACK ANGUS BEEF SHORT RIBS - Black Garlic Butter, Saffron Couscous, Corn, Beef Consommé 
• CALIFORNIA FIG TART - Crushed Pistachios, Olive Oil Ice Cream

Bookings to the Epicurean Journeys by The Luxury Collection: A Pop-Up Chefs Dinner Series from 4th to 6th June 2015 at MoCA Museum of Contemporary Arts can be made at www.epicureanjourneys.sg, priced at $248++ each, with wines.

Photo Biography (L-R)

Executive Chef Jesse Llapitan, The Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco
About Llapitan - Growing up on a farm in Seattle, Llapitan was raised on fresh vegetables, organic free range meats and home-made dairy products. That farm to fork approach will always be Llapitan's inspiration. Today, as a professional chef working in California, Llapitan is constantly researching and sourcing the best of everything for our guests at the Palace Hotel. The menus are designed around fresh, local ingredients that create pure, uncomplicated, simply delicious food.

The San Francisco location provides easy access to the many farming areas in Sonoma, Napa, Sebastopol and Petaluma. Llapitan has the luxury of visiting these local farms and knowing the incredible experience of holding the goats that provide the milk to create the best cheese. He has enjoyed forging for mushrooms and hand picking vegetables from the field - it is truly inspiring. It doesn't get more hands on than that. Being part of that process is so exciting and Llapitan wants to share it with his guests and watching them take pleasure in the end result is a pure celebration for him as a chef.

At the Palace, Llapitan and his team are fortunate to create food for three unique venues. The Garden Court is a captivating and timeless beauty. GC Lounge is a chic, modern trendsetter, while the Pied Piper is like a classically handsome, welcoming friend. Three famed dining venues, each with their own distinctive flavor and personality.


Executive Chef Stéphanie Le Quellec, Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris 
About Stephanie - Considered one of the most promising signatures of French cuisine, Stéphanie Le Quellec grew up in a family that always considered good food to be one of the core values in the pleasures of eating. A passionate young woman, she forged her personality and style alongside the two most highly esteemed professionals in France: Philippe Legendre (George V) and then Philippe Jourdin (Terre Blanche). Her training was in the purest French tradition; this is now the key feature of her cooking, which is full of character and fuelled by passion, hard work, discipline and generosity. It is a nuanced cuisine oscillating between passion and grace.

Inspired by the flavoursome simplicity of Southern French cuisine, Stéphanie Le Quellec strips gastronomy of any pretentiousness. At the Prince de Galles hotel and under her direction, the gastronomic restaurant La Scène, her preferred bar Les Heures and her famous Patio all deliver a culinary experience that is focused on generosity and the quality of exceptional products. For the Prince de Galles, she composes her dishes with measured, precise and sophisticated simplicity: "I like to get to the heart of the matter. I want my cooking to be understandable. So that my compositions make sense, I devise menus that are short, effective, seasonal and fun."

Stéphanie Le Quellec embodies the gastronomic revival of this Maison de Luxe, which has always been esteemed for its discretion and elegance. "When faced with clearly fine flavours, you have to be able to have the good sense to step aside. Enjoying yourself is the only thing that counts." Le Quellec’s cuisine and recipes match the distinction of the Prince de Galles, the Luxury Collection Hotel in Paris where she operates as Executive Chef at the esteemed La Scène. The young Ms. Le Quellec recently earned the restaurant's first Michelin star, and shares in her eponymous cookbook her love for goodness, the pleasure of eating and how elegance is really about generosity.


Corporate Chef Manjit Gill, ITC Hotels Luxury Collection, India

About Manjit - As Corporate Chef of ITC’s hotels division, Manjit Gill is entrusted with the role of overseeing the entire culinary portfolio of the chain. His domain expertise is evident in the success of brands like Bukhara, Dum Pukht, K&K and Royal Vega, among others. He has been consistently acknowledged and recognised for his formidable work in propagating India’s culinary excellence on the global culinaryscape, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from Ministry of Tourism in January 2006. 

An active proponent of the ‘Slow Food’ movement, he is an avid researcher of ancient Indian gastronomy, applying the knowledge of the vedas to create award winning concepts at ITC Hotels. A highly acclaimed chef, with over four decades of excellence in the culinary profession, his mantra of ‘constant innovation’ is held in high esteem by his peers and the industry at large. As a dynamic leader and teacher, he continues to inspire not just the culinary team at ITC Hotels but young chefs from across the globe, during his interactions on various international platforms.

As the President of the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations he organised India’s First National Culinary Art Exhibition and Competition in January 1990. IFCA’s National Congress is now a bi-annual event attended and supported by Chefs from across the country. It was under his leadership as President IFCA, that India became a member and was awarded the coveted Diploma by the World Association of Chef’s Societies (WACS) in 2003.

His philosophy on food and life is evident in his beliefs...“In many respects my attitude on food and life are the same; both should enable an experience of Happiness, Serenity and Joyful living. My principles are based on my own professional experiences as well as my personal interactions with people of diverse cultures and regions. My kitchen is a mystical place; my temple. It is where the learnings of the past translate into the future.”


Exclusive BEHIND-THE-SCENES at Pop-Up Chefs Dinner Series (PREVIEW)

Online Directory
About Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris:

Please visit www.luxurycollection.com/princedegalles

About The Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco:
Please visit www.sfpalace.com

About ITC Hotels Luxury Collection, India:
Please visit www.itchotels.in

About The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts:

Please visit www.luxurycollection.com

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.: 

Please visit www.starwoodhotels.com

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