Whether it’s food festivals or new restaurants, there’s always something to please the palate this month
Vietnamese On Battersea
Spicing up Battersea’s restaurant scene is Mrs Le’s Banh Mi and Grill, the fifth restaurant under the Le family banner that includes Mien Tay, which the late and savage food critic AA Gill wrote “may well be the best Vietnamese (restaurant) in London”. As its name suggests, this restaurant on Lavender Hill features a selection of familiar Vietnamese street favourites like banh mi made with homemade pâté and Vietnamese whipped butter, filled with grilled pork, beef and chicken. Hot off the grill is a wide selection of meat – pork ribs, spring chicken, and duck with mung bean paste are just some of what’s available – and seafood sourced from the Billingsgate Market; among the favourites are oysters with house-made cheese sauce and stuffed freshwater snails.
Balinese Brilliance
Some of Asia’s brightest culinary stars will converge at the Ubud Food Festival, a three-day festival on 13-15 April, when over 100 speakers will share their culinary insights, ideas and dishes based on this year’s theme of ‘Generasi Inovasi’ (Innovation Generation). The festival will feature a range of ticketed and free events, from cooking demonstrations, workshops and food tours, to markets, film screenings, live music and in-depth forum discussions with dozens of notable chefs from Indonesia, as well as Chef Rishi Naleendra from Cheek by Jowl in Singapore and Chef Jun Lee from Soigné in Seoul.
Taste Australia In Adelaide
There’s much ado about Adelaide during Tasting Australia, a food festival that showcases the best of South Australia’s food scene. Taking place on 13-22 April, the festival includes tantalising events such as Tasting Australia Airlines, a day-long programme that sees you travelling to vineyards and restaurants across South Australia on a 50-seat chartered plane; Glasshouse Kitchen, where star-studded chefs will present their award-winning dishes; and East End Cellars Masterclass, which will help you gain a deeper understanding of Australian wine, beer and spirits. Chefs joining the line-up include Christian Puglisi of Relæ in Copenhagen; Norbert Niederkofler of three-Michelin-starred St Hubertus in Italy; JP McMahon of Michelin-starred Aniar in Ireland; and Dan Hunter of Brae, Victoria.
Puttin’ On The Fritz
For a little taste of Paris on Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, head down to the newly opened Brasserie Fritz. Located on the ground floor of WOLO Hotel, the all-day brasserie includes a bakery where croissants, baguettes and pastries are made fresh every morning, while the main restaurant features a range of French-inspired meals like steak frites, duck confit and beef bourguignon, as well as a seafood bar where you can order an eight-course omakase meal personally prepared by chef de cuisine Steve Ariffin. If you fancy a drink or two, sidle up to the gorgeous bar, where you can order a light spritzer during the day, and a classic cocktail when the sun sets. Also recommended: the hot chocolate, which is made from single-origin cocoa from Malaysia, Tanzania, Ecuador and Brazil
A World of Gastronomy
This year's World Gourmet Summit takes place on 2-29 April in Singapore, and is aimed at introducing diners to some of the world's lesser-known but nonetheless, exciting cuisines. Themed 'The Discovery WGS', it will be presented by some of the most talented chefs from Asia, Eastern and Central Europe, and America such as Michelin Chef Patrizia Di Benedetto. There will be a series of ticketed tasting events, talks and masterclasses such as the WGS Discovery Brunch at Tamarind Hill, The Hungarian Tasting Table at La Brasserie in The Fullerton Bay Hotel and a Mexican Fiesta at El Mero Mero.
