Gourmet tripping at Marina Bay Sands

MANILA, Philippines - How many times in a lifetime would you find three of your favorite chef’s restaurants beside each other all in one place with a bikini fashion show as a bonus? I guess maybe only once.

When Marina Bay Sands in Singapore announced its hotel/mall complex would feature some of the world’s best chefs’ restaurants in one roof, I was one of the first in our baranggay to rush to the opening of Marina Bay Sands Singapore last year. Alas! None of them have opened when I arrived. When I got the chance to visit Marina Bay Sands in Singapore 14 months later, I did the next best thing to meeting the chefs in person. I dined at their restaurants all in one night. This was possible because they were next to each other and I didn’t have lunch and dinner to prepare myself for the trifecta feast. The chefs I’m referring are Mario Batali, Daniel Boulud and Wolfgang Puck. 

I’ve been a Wolgang Puck fanatic ever since I visited his restaurant Spago on Sunset Blvd. in the mid-’80s. Back then, it was the restaurant to dine to rub elbows with the biggest stars in Hollywood with cuisine that shone brighter than the stars to match. Of the dozen or so times, I tried to book a table. I only succeeded twice. The landmark has moved since to Beverly Hills in the ’90s. In the same decade, my partners registered our business in Las Vegas because of the business boom. Being based in Las Vegas gave me the opportunity to dine probably almost weekly at Spago inside Caesar’s Palace Forum shops on the Las Vegas strip. I can honestly say I never had a bad meal. Wolfgang finally earned two Michelen stars for Spago Beverly Hills in 2007 which I think should have been given to him much earlier. Wolfgang, who is a celebrity in his own right, is one of the few chefs I’ve had the pleasure to meet in person a few times in Vegas. Cut is Wolfgang’s signature steakhouse that opened at Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas a few years ago and recently, at Marina Bay Sands humongous mall in Singapore. I’ve tried its namesake at the Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas two years ago and I would say the Marina Bay property speaks better of the Wolfgang legend. The wagyu tasting platter I tried at Cut Las Vegas was forgettable in comparison to the wagyu steak at Marina Bay Sands which left me at a loss of adjectives to describe the melt in your mouth experience. Cut Singapore is only open for dinner unfortunately.

That’s me with Wolgang Puck of Spago

Mario is a chef I got to know because of Television over a decade ago. I’ve watched Molto Mario, On the Road Again with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Eats Italy on Skycable almost religiously. Mario although of Italian descent was born in Seattle Washington. He learned his culinary skills in Spain, France and the US. He currently has 16 restaurants around the globe and counting. My first brush with a Batali restaurant was at his Italian-themed steakhouse Carnevino which translates as “Meat and Wine” at the Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas. The Carnevino menu features house-aged steaks seasoned with sea salt and rosemary which I should have tried instead of the Porcini with pasta. 

In Singapore, Mario Batali’s restaurant is Pizzeria Mozza which among the three restaurants at the Sands Marina mall is the most difficult to book a table. I felt fortunate that I always find Pinoys wherever I travel. The lady at reception of Mozza was Filipina and magically found us a table. I tried the Prosciutto de Parma Pizza with Rucolla and Mozzarella which was excellent. Cibo’s version comes almost close. Its menu also features specialty of the day. On Fridays, it serves Italian Lechon or Porchetta. Suckling Pig with Fennel Sausage. Its gelato tastes almost artisanal. Try the Olive Oil Gelato for a unique taste. 

Of the three chefs, I was excited most about David’s restaurant because I’ve heard so much about him and yet I have never tasted his cuisine. I asked my son Silvester who is Singapore-based and has dined there several times to walk me through the menu and recommend whatever is good. The first order was Foie Gras Terrine and Pan fried Foie Gras. The Foie Gras Terrine was so silky and the taste caused a flavor explosion in my mouth. It woke up my umami taste buds. I wanted more but I didn’t want to preempt the main course which was also one of the house specialties- — the DB Burger with Foie Gras and Black Truffles. The burger was so thick with a foie gras slab embedded in the center. Even the biggest mouth wouldn’t be able to bite the burger so I eliminated the bread and ate just the patty. What a great disappointment! The burger was bland and soggy and the foie gras tasteless. The black truffle shavings that embellished the burger didn’t help either. I had to finish it though because it was the most expensive entree in the menu at $105 and I didn’t want to waste my son’s hard earned money. My analysis of the problem was the beef patty was too thick and wasn’t cooked evenly.

Simultaneously happening as we dined at the three restaurants was a bikini fashion show across where the mostly male shoppers ogled at the skimpy-clad models who paraded for about an hour in the store’s display windows. How unique I thought. As I exited the mall, I noticed an artsy building standing in the Marina. Upon close inspection, I found out it was a Louis Vuitton Museum. I’m very positive LV fanatics from all of Asia will flock to the museum once it opens in October. I’ll be there to pay homage and so will Bong Quintana and Boy Abunda who are dyed in the wool LV lovers.