The new Culina at COMO Dempsey: Grocery shopping never looked this good

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The new Culina at COMO Dempsey: Grocery shopping never looked this good

If you savour cooking, eating, entertaining and, well, generally living a life well-lived, then Culina at COMO Dempsey has your name written all over information technology.

05 May 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 04 Jul 2022 04:37PM)

Jewel Changi Airport might currently exist the isle'southward buzziest dining locale, but over in Dempsey Loma, a quiet storm has been brewing. In that location was the opening of lifestyle destination JAM at Siri House before this year; the introduction of pop-up natural vino bar Drunken Farmer at Open Subcontract Customs; and the relocation of fine dining Chinese restaurant Min Jiang from its former Rochester Park abode.

The commune'due south existent jewel, though, has to be Culina at COMO Dempsey, which has too relocated from Block eight to Block xv to be closer to its COMO cousins, COMO Cuisine, The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar, Ippoh Tempura Bar, Candlenut and Dover Street Market place Singapore (the COMO Group acquired Culina in 2012).

At fifteen,000 sq. ft., Culina's new home is two-and-a-one-half times bigger than its onetime digs, and the bistro now has space for 160 diners. Italian designer Paola Navone has given the cavernous, light-filled interior a casual chic, Parisian chophouse vibe. Indeed, on any given day – the gourmet emporium opened the aforementioned calendar week Gem did – yous could exist forgiven for believing that yous accept stumbled upon an outpost of Le Bon Marche.

That is to say, Culina makes a worthy rival to the Left Banking concern establishment (or at least, its nutrient hall, La Grande Epicerie). Trawling the aisles of its Market, you spy delicious cuts of beef from longtime suppliers Black Onyx and Westholme, likewise as new label Margaret River Fresh Angus Beef. Perchance you lot're in the mood for lamb? Well, there's New Zealand favourite Maori Lakes, purveyors of free-range, grass-fed critters.

The meat department proffers Australian beef and New Zealand lamb. (Photo: Culina)

Over in the seafood section, your gaze falls upon fist-sized oysters from Royal and Perle Blanche ("White Pearl"), air-flown from France. (In a tasting arranged for members of the media, the molluscs proved to be fresh, creamy, plump and not too briny, with the Perle Blanche variety being fleshier and creamier than the Royals).

From the Firm of Kaviari is a new product: Rope-hung and smoked Norwegian salmon. Smoked with beech wood, the fillets are vertically hung from a rope, a method that yields a tender texture.

As well new to Culina is a limited edition reddish prawn elixir from Rosso di Mazara, Bulletin in the Bottle. Contained in what looks like a flask of cognac, the elixir is obtained by freeze-drying the heads of Sicilian ruby prawns to extract an ultra-pure essence.

Having sampled a dish made with these crimson-coloured crustaceans at Zafferano (the flavor is sweet, milky and flossy; recollect amaebi, but more luscious), i tin simply imagine the impact the elixir would take in a stock or broth. Possibly when preparing prawn noodles or laksa, because why not?

In the fruit and veg aisle, uncommon produce such equally heirloom tomatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, round yellow zucchinis, Japanese muskmelons, white asparagus and ramps (wild garlic leaves) vie for your attending. We're told that we've just missed the flavour of Korean strawberries and matsutake mushrooms.

In its new digs, Culina is also diversifying to embrace more Asian produce and products. Unabridged shelves are devoted to Vietnamese fish sauces, Taiwanese soy sauces, and Korean marinades. Even the spirits offering is taking on an Asian persuasion: Sake is gradually existence introduced alongside Old- and New World wines.

With such a bounty at his fingertips, Australian-born chef Timothy de Souza – who spent a decade in COMO Hotels and Resorts kitchens in the Caribbean and the Maldives, and who nearly recently headed COMO Cuisine – found himself in culinary heaven.

"When you've got products this good, y'all try and honour them as all-time equally possible," he told CNA Luxury. "My cooking philosophy in general – and over the concluding xviii years – is that fresh produce is the cornerstone of all practiced food, no matter what.

"Now that I've got this space and this Marketplace to use, the next vi months are going to be interesting. Nosotros've had such a good post-obit at Cake 8, and now we want to try and bring something new to the table… while even so remaining loyal to the flavours that anybody knows.

"You'll see a lot more changes on our daily specials menu where we will exist highlighting the production, the producer, the seasonality of the vegetables etc. Right now we're using white asparagus – they're on our vegetable assiette. They have a short life span. In iii weeks they're going to exist gone. At the moment we're using ramps as well. Coming up nosotros've got truffle season. All I'm going to be doing is honouring those products simply. Not also much purees, non too much colour. The products speak for themselves, and [I want to allow] the flavours shine through on the plate."

The best role about having the Bistro next to the Market is that yous tin select your choice ingredients, and and then have de Souza and his team prepare them the style you like it. Just note the Bistro'south operation hours if yous're planning to do so in the month of May (only tiffin and dinner service available; all-day dining from June onwards).

CULINA Market place
Weekdays: 10am – 10pm
Weekends and Public Holidays: 9am – 10pm

CULINA Chophouse
May: Daily, 11am – 3pm; 6pm – 11pm (Last order: 10pm)
June onwards: Daily, 11am – 11pm (Final social club: 10pm)
Electronic mail: reservations [at] culina.com.sg ()

The new Culina at COMO Dempsey: Grocery shopping never looked this good

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