TUGA Singapore The Site of Four Hands Gastronomic Journey with Chef Andre Magalhães!
Portugal has delights and a history that spans thousands of years. Thus, when it comes to introducing Portuguese food to local Singaporeans, it should be done with the guidance and assistance of an experienced native chef from Portugal.
With the invite of Chef André Magalhães of Taberna da Rua das Flores of Lisbon, Portugal, to Singapore’s very own TUGA Singapore, Chef Magalhães is working to showcase the best of what Portugal has to offer, including a four hands dinner between him and hosting establishment TUGA Singapore. With the help of Chef Tiago Martins, who happens to be Head Chef at TUGA Singapore, Chef Magalhães showed a little bit of his love for Portuguese cuisine and food. It’s a celebration of foraging the forests and the seashore for the best of ingredients. As an active member of the Slow Food Movement he is a huge supporter of rural life and sustainable food producing methods, which is easily reflected in the dishes he makes.
Highlights of the dinner includes mussel pie, made using herbs and mussels stuffed into a crusty pastry shaped like a teardrop sitting in a plate of crab bisque, which was flavourful and filled with flavours of the briny sea and herbaceous herbs. Another highlight of the dinner? Chef Magalhães’ take on the popular Portuguese fish stew, the caldeirada, using red snapper as the main star of the dish. It’s a flavourful fish with a firm, moist bite that goes well with the flavourful, creamy soup. The nights included
It was also an opportunity for the partners that run TUGA Singapore, Carlos Scouto and David Ferreira, to bring in some form of joy for diners. With the sounds of live Portuguese Fado, which is a genre of music that was listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage artefact sung by a quartet of Portuguese troubadours, the conversation flowed as easily as the wine did, and the magic of the night was evident through the night.
“The World Gourmet Summit is really proud of the dinners that we have become a part of, thanks to International Masterchefs like Chef Magalhães coming in to curate and show merely a slip of what is available overseas,” says Mr Elton Tan, Assistant General Manager at Peter Knipp Holdings, the organisers of the World Gourmet Summit. “With the relaxation of borders, we are seeing a slow steady return of tourists who are looking to go out and explore outside of their comfort zones, including trying new food. At the same time, more Singaporeans are more willing to spend money and enjoy special experiences now. At the World Gourmet Summit, we’re hoping that this is a good sign of better things to come.”
