Yes, it’s food time. Special events can make food seem mundane – or EXTRA SPECIAL. The dinner that Preferred Hotel and Resorts hosted at THE FULLERTON HOTEL SINGAPORE last Wednesday, 7th September, fitted into the latter space. The menu, compiled by hotel Director of Culinary David Laval, was King prawn and tataki tuna; sous-vide cage-free egg with Jerusalem artichoke, mushroom and black truffle essence; Angus beef short rib with organic quinoa and Colombino oil; Cherry blossom of Morello cherries, Jivara crème, chocolate soil and raspberry gel. The pouring red was Côte de Beaune-Villages 2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils. As Preferred’s President, Michelle Woodley, and area boss Jonathan Newbury said after, they wanted it to be a fun occasion.
And coming up this Wednesday, 14th September, is an LVMH Champagne special at WILLARD INTER-CONTINENTAL in Washington DC (see image above). It’s a promotion fronted by hotel sommelier Mercedes Cowper and Strategic Group’s Christopher Houk and they’ll be pouring Veuve Clicquot Rosé, with Poached blackberry oyster; La Grande Dame with Butter-poached Maine lobster; Dom Pérignon with Slow-cooked veal and gnocchi, and Moët Imperial Rosé with Strawberry mascarpone tart. That is what Girlahead also calls a fun evening!
Food should be fun, at all times. Airline lounges can be boring and depressing, or elevating. The new Qatar lounge at Bangkok’s Suvamabhumi airport is superb. The lounge is spacious, light and bright and all-wall windows look over well-tended green parkland. Food is buffet, with all the fresh Thai salad things that foodies love and much much more. If the food is that good in the lounge what will they be serving up in the air? Well, the menu’s by one-time Bangkok #1, Ian Chittigai. It’s great that the meal starts with Monte Vibbiano oils to go with ‘artisanal’ bread (sorry, three different soft-flour colours baked in one patty tin do not equate to ‘artisanal’ in bread language. He didn’t exact design the mezze but his main course short rib with quinoa was superb.
Girlahead wishes he, or ANYone, could have designed the Qatar main lounge in Doha. Signage 1/10. Ambience 1/10. Ergonomics 1/10. Individual seats are too low, set in pairs with a metre between them. To reach sockets you need arms a metre long, There’s nowhere except the ground to put papers down. BUT they have got the food right. A first-class buffet upstairs is complemented by the soup, sandwiches made to order and open bar on the main level. THAT is imaginative.
Let’s listen to this week’s MARY GOSTELOW GIRLAHEAD PODCAST
