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Raffles-Class Dining CHEF David Mollicone of Raffles Grill is someone who enjoys breaking the mould. This culinary maestro, in fact, spends much of his time scouring for rare produce from small towns in France. He believes in spontaneity and has passion for ingredients. "Based on experience, I have learnt to understand them well. With the knowledge and respect for these great products, I imagine that I take the 'identity' of a duck (for example), and then visualise how I can treat it as a product; how it may produce different results with different cooking procedures. "This is my strength - understanding the product. "A lot of my inspiration is garnered from being able to assemble great products with affection. And another driving force is the permanent desire to do better than before," said this perfectionist from the south of France. To experience Mollicone's award-winning cuisine, head to Raffles Grill from Nov 16 to 21, for a "prelude" to the Raffles Hotel Wine, Food and Arts Experience in February.
Joining him is guest pastry chef Norihiko Terai, of Tokyo's Restaurant Hotel de Mikuni and a World Pastry Cup winner. Meanwhile, top French wine-makers such as Michel Tardieu and Dominique Laurent will also be here for wine tasting masterclasses. A must-try in the a la carte menu is scampi in crispy brick pastry with a sauce as green as the rainforest (made by boiling vegetables quickly and blending with olive oil and dressing). "I want to try different ways of serving greens besides just using the leaves," said the chef. Another well-presented dish is steamed fillet of sole on herb salad, topped with diced zucchini, asparagus and celery with figs and a tangy lemon dressing. Worthy of praise, too, are the lamb medallions and sauteed frog legs with herbs, white coco beans and confit vegetables. The meat is pan-seared for seven minutes then slowly baked. Another unique event to look forward to is the exotic flavours dinner on Nov 19. Said Mollicone: "When we say exotic, we don't mean fusion flavours. Instead, I use (very) uncommon, deluxe French products. "The fine wines for the evening are complex. I'll match them by creating a menu equally complex, driving all the guests to ask what they've been experiencing with the flavours in their mouths." For Perfect Foie Gras At Home ONE of the items on Raffles Grill's a la carte menu is panseared duck liver. Chef David Mollicone took seven months to perfect the cooking method, which he now shares with Streats. "To cook foie gras to perfection, a thick cut should be used. Season it with some fleur de sel - sea salt - before panfrying, and slowly increase the temperature until a golden brown crust appears underneath. "When the foie gras starts to cook through the bottom, a small prickle of blood will ooze out. Let it sit a couple more seconds and remove." Raffles Grill is at Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road. Tel: 6431-6156 or 6331-1612. OPENING HOURS: Lunch: Noon to 2pm (Monday to Friday), Dinner: 7pm to 10pm (Monday to Saturday). |
Chef
Mollicone will showcase special menus, for example at the Vintage
Krug 1988 Champagne Brunch this Sunday.