Heartthrob chef and fulltime Yorkshireman James Martin from BBC Lifestyle was in Singapore recently for a food and wine event that was less about food and wine and more of a battle of who out of the female ex-pat crowd fancied James the most.
James seemed to be used to the attention but even he appeared uneasy at audience questions that included 'James, will you marry me?' and 'James, can you fertislise my eggs please?' At least no one asked him to get out his meat and 2 veg...
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| StarHugs |
Although James' food was actually rather tasty, neither the home crowd of Singaporeans nor the expat contingent were eating anything. While the ex-pats were lustily necking back the wine, the Singaporean girls were busy watching their weight and staring open-mouthed at the sight of half-cut Brits launching themselves at James.
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| James - I wanted your plums... |
The food was matched with wines from Beringer, a company that obviously had a pretty good idea of the crowd they were catering to. Lashings of sparkling White Zin were gulped down by the waiting throng who were taken by the comforting flavours of what tasted like strawberry cordial with bubbles.
With the Asian-influenced risotto of crab and chili, Beringer's Ambassador had matched an oaky, smoky Beringer Founder's Estate Chardonnay, a marriage that was the most welcome of the evening. Notably, even the bawdiest of Brits tucked into the food and resisted the urge to blurt out any crab-related jokes.
The least adventurous of the food and wine pairings was the Beringer Founder's Estate Cabernet Sauvignon with Slow Roast Beef and Wild Mushroom with Smoked garlic pommes puree, which seemed more of a palate cleanser than a food match. While the updated Brit beef classic with it's Gallic twang showed flair, the wine lacked real personality with it's pedestrian blackcurrant flavours and smooth, yet bitter finish.
Ironically the dusted-strawberry sweetness of the sparkling zin was not misplaced as a match for the 3,000 calorie White Chocolate, Whisky and Croissant Butter Pudding with vanilla ice-cream and a second pudd, Caramelized Lemon Tart with Crème Fraiche. To his credit, James held back any compulsion to make an amusing reference to 'tarts' that might have ended the cash-cow that is his live food circuit – he knows which side his bread and butter pudding is buttered on...
However, he did manage to slip one in there - a joke of course - about Balsamic vinegar, likening it to an older women. Apparently, as it ages it 'gets more expensive and thicker'! Brilliant! The crowd seemed too inebriated or mesmerized by James' cheeky yorkshire brogue to care.
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| I made the effort - long trousers |
As the ladies stumbled off into the night I thought it a shame that it may have been a wasted opportunity to try James' food at it's best, and also to sample some higher-end Beringer wines that were in their portfolio. I'm sure I was the only one – everyone else seemed to be having a whale of a time regardless! The only dish they were interested in was James...
Check out the photos from Starhub right here:
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