Renew the surface of your wooden spoons by boiling them in water, and then sunning them.
Renew the surface of your wooden spoons by boiling them in water, and then sunning them.
Coffee Made Smart
Nespresso’s Prodigio, the first smartphone-connected coffee maker, lets you effortlessly prepare coffee and check the machine’s status! Using Bluetooth technology and the Nespresso mobile app, you can now connect your smartphone with the machine and make your coffee remotely, and be alerted when your machine is running low on capsules or when it’s time to descale! Nespresso Prodigo and Prodigo & Milk (comes with an Aeroccino 3 milk frother), $398 and $528, respectively, are at #01-14 Ion Orchard, tel: 6431-2084, www.nespresso.com.
Making Food Look Good
The Le Petit Kit of Food Styling is a food styling kit by French food stylist and cookbook author Elodie Bellegarde. It includes a piece of linen fabric, two teaspoons (one wooden and one vintage), and a wooden holder, among other things – which were carefully chosen by Elodie as a mix of simple, versatile and unique items which would complement the user’s food photography and style. Each kit is also individually numbered, so no two kits are alike! Check out Elodie’s online shop, named after her brand Beylongue & Fille, for tableware, tea, and candles, all curated to bring your appreciation of food to a new (visual) level. The Le Petit Kit of Food Styling is available at Strangelets at 7 Yong Siak Street, tel: 6222-1456, at Plain Vanilla at 1D Yong Siak Street, tel: 8363-7614, and from www.beylonguefille.com.
Spring Blooms
Enjoy spring with Cantonese restaurant Mitzo’s exclusive seasonal set menu, Ode to Spring. It features a sumptuous array of creative dishes, themed around edible flowers, such as chrysanthemum, zucchini flower, saffron, butterfly pea and roselle. A treat for both the eyes and the belly, if you love flowers! Try Ode to Spring, from $78, at Mitzo Restaurant & Bar, Level 4, Grand Park Orchard, tel: 6603-8855.
Tantalising Wrap
Crystal Jade’s new variety of rice dumplings are hand-wrapped with quality glutinous rice. Take your pick from four offerings, which include the black rice dumpling with baby abalone (pictured) and deluxe rice dumpling with conpoy. The dumplings, from $4.90 each, are available at all Crystal Jade restaurants and bakery outlets till June 9.
Eco Edginess
Part of the Dekton Tech collection is Trilium, the first eco-friendly range of ultra-compact surfaces by Spanish brand Cosentino. Perfect for industrial-chic spaces, it has an edgy worn metallic look, but with a fine texture that is exceptionally smooth. Trilium is made from recycled materials, and has a large-format size of 320cm by 144cm, and thicknesses of 0.8cm, 1.2cm and 2cm. Visit Dekton by Consentino at 34/35 Duxton Road, tel: 6713-9543.
Octaphilosophy: The Eight Elements of Restaurant Andre
World-renowned chef Andre Chiang has released a book containing 150 beautifully photographed dishes and its recipes, all of which have been served at the famed Restaurant Andre. These dishes illustrate both the technical precision of Asian gastronomy and chef Andre’s Octaphilosophy – a philosophy encompassing eight elements, including memory, salt, and texture, which he applies in his daily menus. Dutch architect Camiel Weijenberg — the man behind chef Andre’s restaurant, Raw — has designed 50 limited-edition book covers for Octaphilosophy, hand-carved from Taiwanese bamboo. Its eight distinct layers pay homage to the Taipei restaurant’s iconic wooden sculpture. Octaphilosophy: The Eight Elements of Restaurant Andre retails for $93.55 at Kinokuniya, #04-20/20B/20C Ngee Ann City, tel: 6737-5021.
