Hankering for travel to the Mediterranean with a touch of gourmet? Check out the World Gourmet Summit’s series of captivating four-hands champagne brunches at Riviera The Restaurant at One Fullerton. While it may not be in the Côte d'Azur, Riviera’s elegant-chic setting with panoramic floor-to-ceiling vistas of the Marina Bay waterfront is as close as you can get without an air ticket, with a local treat to boot.
The whimsy brunch presentation enthrals with colourful Peranakan ingredients, flavours and heritage rendered with the finesse of classical French cooking techniques — a collaboration between PasirPanjangBoy’s partners Tinoq Russell Goh and Dylan Chan and Riviera’s Executive Chef Rémy Carmignani and Executive Pastry Chef Nicolas Vergnole.
Gourmands will know that the PasirPanjangBoy’s hipster private dining concept in a two-room HDB flat in the gentrified Tiong Bahru estate is fully booked for two years in advance. The flamboyant make-up artist and stylist duo turned chefs are unmissable with their striking neon-pink hair, their culinary creation inspired by Tinoq’s memories of his childhood in a Pasir Panjang village nestled on the west coast of Singapore.
From the Riviera end, Chef Rémy comes with an impressive resume, upholding three-Michelin star standards in Chef Guy Savoy’s ventures in Paris, Singapore and Doha, and worked for five years in the 5-star La Mamounia palace-hotel in Marrakech, Morocco before roosting in Singapore in 2020. His deep appreciation for cuisine from across the Mediterranean stems from his Southern French grandmothers and his Italian grandfathers. Chipping in for this four-hands event is Pastry Chef Nicolas Vergnole, with a no-less illustrious background that boasts stints at three Michelin-star Odette and La Dame de Pic by Anne-Sophie Pic at the iconic Raffles Hotel Singapore.
Left - Small bites to eat; Right - Baba Ghanoush.
Our media tasting lived up to the chefs’ star billing. The “Small bites to eat” appetiser is a feast for the eyes — a kaleidoscope composed of Kueh Pie Tee, beautifully assembled Baba Ghanoush, Moroccan Tangia Marrakchia of lamb shoulder and the PasirPanjinag Boy’s signature Ngoh Hiang that’s moist and flavour-packed with minced pork, prawn and water chestnut.
The grains section features a jet-black Sotong Hitam Risotto cooked in sweet slow-roasted garlic and onion squid ink, the tasty al dente rice elevated by savoury strips of Iberico pork chorizo and a smoky piece of the grilled cephalopod.
Beef Rendang and Batbout bread
Next on the menu is the sharing mains of Assam Peda En Papillote and Beef Rendang: the former a Greek dorade fish marinated with spicy tamarind cooked in a parcel of ginger flower and laksa leaf, while the latter is made with beef shin slow-braised with a blend of 21 herbs and spices, presented in a Tajine and served with freshly baked Moroccan Batbout bread.
The lunch ended on a sweet note of Gula Melaka & Pandan Cheesecake, the intricate dessert sitting on a crunchy base of sable dough dressed with light coconut mousse accompanied by zesty dollops of pureed fresh pineapple infused with chamomile to refresh the palate.
The nuanced fusion menu delivers on its promise of robust flavours that are sophisticatedly executed and presented, making the harmonious blend of Southeast Asian and Mediterranean culinary traditions and styles an enjoyable experience. The choice of champagne to pair with the brunch cannot be better — the crisp bubbly cutting through the richness and strong undertones of the dishes.
This four-hands brunch is available every Saturday from 4 to 25 September at SGD98++ per person, with optional free-flow of champagne at SGD98++ per person.
Riviera The Restaurant is located at 1 Fullerton Road, #02-06, One Fullerton, Singapore 049213
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