The Peak’s first grill event dishes out barbecue nuggets for home entertaining.
The Peak’s first grill event dishes out barbecue nuggets for home entertaining.
01 Paesson Ong, Scott Fitzgerald & Chef Allan Albert Teoh
THE PEAK GRILL OUT 2019
On Oct 18, a masterclass in the art of grilling was held at the showroom of Kitchen Culture, one of Asia’s leading distributors of high-end, European kitchen equipment. The Peak’s readers, rising entrepreneurs, and the next generation of business leaders gathered for an evening of food, drinks, and flowing conversation.
There was no faffing about with charcoal and fire-starters though. Instead, it was an intimate indoor grill session, with professionals in the F&B industry sharing the finer points of meat selection and preparation, as well as whiskey appreciation.
Experts on the panel – chef Allan Albert Teoh, cheesecake maestro and culinary consultant, Paesson Ong of seafood-and-meat distributor Heinrich Food and spirits industry veteran Scott Fitzgerald – shared valuable tips on how to host the perfect grill party.
02 Jackson Aw & Ella Mesenas
03 Chin Nyap
04 Jennifer Chen
05 Rosanna Kuek & Cheryl Cheong
06 Toh Yah Li & Tian Pei Sze
From Ong came very practical advice: Prepare something you’re confident of and pick the right meat. Primary cuts like ribeye or tenderloin would be preferred, as these cook quickly. For those with a smoker or barbecue that make slow-cooking an option, secondary cuts like brisket and short rib can be good choices.
Choosing the right equipment is important too, as highlighted by Teoh. For those grilling indoors with an electric or gas grill, a downdraft hood like one from German brand Bora is great for keeping the kitchen grease-, smoke- and odour-free. Indeed, there was not a trace of any cooking smell even though lamb chops were being grilled at Kitchen Culture’s indoor set-up.
07 John Cheng, Ryan Yeo, Ow Yau Ping & Morgan Yeo
08 John Cheng, Phuay Li Ying, Casey Lai & Clarence Chan
09 Bjorn Low
10 Yilina Leong & Ryan Ong
11 Ameer Jumabhoy
Meanwhile, the single malt Westland Whiskey was the tipple of choice for the night. Made in the Pacific Northwest in the US, the whiskey is produced with barley grown in the same region, and features a mash bill of malt roasted to varying degrees. The whiskey comes in various expressions – including a sherry wood, and a peated variation, meaning there’s a Westland dram for every individual preference.
Although there were pairing suggestions for the night’s dishes – something robust and smoky like Westland Peated works wonderfully with grilled meat – brand ambassador Scott Fitzgerald had some words of wisdom: “People have different tastes – drink it however you want.”
PHOTOGRAPHY CHERYL RAHARJO
