On the 22nd and 23rd of May, diners had their palettes tantalized over a course of three meals hosted by the exclusive hotel and restaurant group Relais & Chateaux in celebration of their 60th anniversary.

Established in France in 1954, the group’s mission is “to spread its unique art de vivre across the globe by selecting outstanding properties with a truly unique character”. Held within the much acclaimed Saint Pierre restaurant, the menu, created by three grand chefs namely 3 Michelin Starred Hideaki Matsuo, Asia’s Best Female Chef 2014 Lanshu Chen, and chef cum restaurant owner of Saint Pierre, Emmanuel Stroobant himself did not fail to deliver a memorable meal to its discerning diners.

It is no secret, that only from good ingredients combined with skillful technique and passion will great food be created. In exclusive food supply collaboration with Angliss, the three grand chefs were bestowed with a sizeable selection of fresh and delectable produce, befitting of their high standards and passion in preparation of their dishes. The masterfully prepared dishes, paired with the good company of 160 guests, created an anniversary dinner to be remembered by the gracious hosts – the Relais & Chateaux group.

2014 marks several firsts for Angliss.

A loyal supporter of FoodandHotel Asia since its inauguration, we leveraged on the platform this year to hold our inaugural Angliss Singapore Discovery 2014. It was a golden opportunity for us to introduce the new Angliss logo and corporate image formally to the trade, as we respond to the need to stay at the forefront of the vibrant food industry. The new Angliss logo is hand-drawn, expressing the company’s commitment to personalised service, approachability and innovation. The finishing touch to the logo is a golden seal bearing the Chinese character ‘安’. In addition to being the first word of the company’s Chinese name, the word also signifies peace of mind, an aspect which we pledge to bring to all our partners.

The Angliss Singapore Discovery 2-14 was a gourmet event filled with good food and long-standing partners. Through the event, we gathered numerous elite personalities of the food industry to mingle and share their passion for food. Guests covered a broad spectrum of the food industry and comprised partners from hotels, restaurants, catering companies and associations. We are grateful for the immensely strong support from everyone and target to establish this as a biennial affair.

During the event, Angliss formally presented our branch offices in Hong Kong, Macau and 12 cities in China, as well as our four affiliates in Singapore – Gourmet Partner, PastryGlobal, Miumi and FoodPride. Gourmet Partner is an Asian group of distributors who specialises in sourcing for and distributing fine food and gourmet products from four continents, with the emphasis on freshness and uniqueness. PastryGlobal works closely with principals to enhance their brand image and with customers to provide them with premium pastry ingredients. The specialised team at Miumi aims to proffer the highest quality of Japanese food products, such as Wagyu beef, Kurobuta pork and seafood. FoodPride provides customers with customised value-added, ready-to-serve food items ranging from sausages to meatballs and a host of others.

Angliss Singapore Discovery allowed Angliss to showcase our vast product offerings and to tell our customers the story behind many of our suppliers. Half of the 252sqm booth was occupied with a kitchen showroom housed in an enclosed chiller environment, with products artistically displayed in their original state decorated with side ingredients and condiments, serving as an inspiration to chefs prior to them embarking on their culinary creations. The photos of fresh food prominently displayed on the walls of the booth emphasised the same concept via a consistent look and feel. There were succulent oysters and delectable caviar from France, live lobsters from Canada, multi-coloured pasta from Italy, juicy slabs of beef from USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and so much more.

The other half of the booth was set up as an elegant restaurant to which major clients from Angliss, Gourmet Partner and Miumi were invited. Multi-award-winning Belgian Chef Emmanuel Stroobant presided over the restaurant with his customary flair and precision, serving inimitable dishes crafted with exceptional ingredients from Angliss, Gourmet Partner and Miumi. The restaurant, which was open throughout all four days of the event. Our invited guests included chefs and/or purchasers from RWS, Hotel Intercontinental, Fullerton, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Les Amis Group, Tunglok, Senso Group, Singapore Chef Association, Singapore Chinese Chef Society, Tanglin Club, Tower Club, and SATS, among others. Chef Jason Tsai, who is the Pastry R&D Director (Greater China) from the Angliss Technical Team was specially invited to help decorate the delightful range of ready-to-serve Sweet La Vie cheesecakes in variants of chocolate, mango, passion fruit, blueberry and raspberry. Chef Tsai has been feted at numerous cake and baking competitions world-wide, coming in first at many of them.

The second day of the event saw the entire booth cordoned off for a private cocktail reception for Angliss’ suppliers and our overseas colleagues in the Asian region. Our valued guests were served mouth-watering canapés, specially hand-crafted by Chef Emmanuel Stroobant, accompanied by free-flow champagne. Singers from a live band crooned popular songs, entertaining the crowd throughout the reception.

Throughout the four-day event, the Angliss booth received many visitors and enquiries. Angliss is thankful for the opportunity to spend time with our esteemed partners and to reiterate our commitment and service to them.

La belle France comes to Asia

Two Michelin Star Chef Olivier Bellin, who is also the owner of L’Auberge des Glazicks restaurant in Plomodiern, France was invited by Angliss to prepare two Chef’s Tables featuring ingredients from Angliss, Gourmet Partner Singapore and Gourmet Cuisine (Hong Kong). The Chef’s Tables – one in Hong Kong and the other in Singapore – were eagerly anticipated and Chef Bellin did not disappoint. The exquisite meals he served delighted everyone, leaving everyone hankering for more of Chef Bellin’s one-of-a-kind cuisine. We caught up with Chef Bellin in Singapore to find out more about this extraordinary chef.

Can you tell us more about your experience when preparing for the Chef’s Table in Hong Kong and Singapore?

The ingredients were excellent and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to create a menu with them. In fact, I was really glad and surprised to see such high-quality products so far away from my country.

The langoustine was simply beautiful and the oysters’ fine flesh provided just the right texture for the palate. I found the texture of the wagyu different from French beef but I have to say, the wagyu is extraordinary. It was unctuous – rich and superbly pleasurable to bite into. The wagyu was incredibly tender, and one could almost cut it like butter. Amazing! The caviar was subliminal and the taste lingered delightfully in the mouth. The delectable foie gras and lobster had wonderful texture and splendid full-bodied flavour.

I understand that both Chef’s Tables received marvellous feedback from the guests. Any plans to add these dishes to your restaurant’s menu?

Thank you for the compliments! I’m happy to hear that the guests enjoyed the meal. Some of the dishes which I served are on the menu but I was inspired by being in Asia and I customised them to excite the local palates. Instead of preparing merely an Asian version of my dishes, I blended the best of Brittany and Asia to come up with these dishes.

Have you sampled any local cuisine in Hong Kong and Singapore?

It has been a week of hard work and intense preparation, so I have not had the chance to visit as much as I would have liked. A friend brought me to Chinatown and I had some dim sum. I hope to visit Asia again and try more of the local food. Now that I’ve stepped foot in Asia, it’ll be hard to bid this fascinating continent farewell for long.

I would like to express my gratitude to Angliss for giving me this opportunity. I would not have achieved all this without the warm welcome and strong support from the Angliss teams in Hong Kong and Singapore.