


	Remember me on this computer
	Forgot your password?
	Register

MT news

The Moscow Times Moscow Guide – Winter 2008

Since the middle of autumn one of the most important topics of discussion, could only be … no, not the financial crisis… New Year! The winter issue of The Moscow Times Moscow Guide is entirely devoted to New Years celebrations. Seven great ideas for celebrating the “Night of Nights” will help readers finalise their plans and choose how and where to party, give fresh ideas and lots of practical advice.

And don’t forget – problems will come by themselves, but happiness and luck need an invitation. That why the more cheerful and light-hearted your celebration of the coming holiday is, the happier and more successful 2009 will be for you.

The Crisis: Signs of a Kremlin Fearful Of Unrest
Sociologist Yevgeny Gontmakher has painted a disturbing picture of what might emerge from the financial crisis, forecasting continued unemployment, huge protests and spreading violence.

Market Matters: Huge Grain Harvest No Boon for Farmers
This year Russia is enjoying the biggest grain harvest it has ever seen -- and farmers couldn't be more worried.



Thursday, January 08, 2009 Updated at 31 December 2008 22:36 Moscow Time.

The Moscow Times » Issue 3916 » Dining

Swissotel Krasnye Holmy

Ask the Chef

04 June 2008Henry Wong, a chef from the Kopi Tiam restaurant in Swissotel The Stamford Singapore, is a guest chef for Swissotel Krasnye Holmy's Singaporean Culinary Week, which runs from June 2 to 8 at Cafe Swiss.

Best dish
"I would say Hainanese chicken rice, traditionally done. Everything, including the sauce, is freshly made."

Most popular dish
"That would be the fish head curry, which is a dish where the fish head is semi-stewed in a thick curry sauce made of spice, fragrant fresh coconut cream and tamarind juice."

Favorite food
"I have many choices here, and it is hard for me to name one. All I am looking for is authenticity in the way the food is cooked."

Favorite (other) restaurant in Moscow
"I don't have a favorite, but by the end of the week I'm sure I will."

Favorite (other) restaurant worldwide
"It is a three-story Peruvian restaurant by the sea with an awesome view in Peru. The food there was sour and spicy, which is very close to what we have in Asia."

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten
"In Thailand, I had crocodile meat and snake blood."

Do you try to be authentic or adapt the cuisine to the local market?
"I try to be as authentic as possible, but there are times when I make a little modification to bring out the flavor of the food to make things interesting. Other times, I make modifications to the spice level. There are some customers who cannot handle it when the food is too spicy, so I will tone it down for their enjoyment."

Comment on the state of your local dining scene?
"The locals tend to have very high expectations of the quality of the food and want dishes to be served promptly. While competition is rife with so many eateries in Singapore, customers still go back to places that provide top-quality dishes.. Ambience is not the most important thing on diners' minds. Food quality is.

Most important or surprising thing you've learned as a chef or about food?
"I had the fortune to be trained under very good chefs who taught me the authentic method of cooking, how to manage a team and food costs, and how to be a good chef and effective leader. All these elements make up a good chef, and one is not more important than another. "

Contacts

Kopi Tiam, level 2, Swissotel The Stamford Singapore, 2 Stamford Road, Singapore, (+65) 6431-6156.

Cafe Swiss, Swissotel Krasnye Holmy Moscow, 52 Kosmodamianskaya Naberezhnaya, Bldg. 6, 221-5350, M. Paveletskaya.