Heading into the third week of Circuit Breaker, our home dining was starting to get a little, er, repetitive. Let’s just say spag bol and tacos were featuring heavily.
When we got a chance to trial the new Fairmont and Swissôtel Recipe Kits, we jumped at the chance. After checking out their weekly menu, my family ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara ($24 for 2), Nutella Pizza ($22) and Chicken Tikka Steak ($26)
The meals arrived at our home in pre-packaged white boxes, with all the ingredients ready to go. Seeing as it was Friday night, we decided to open a bottle of red and treat ourselves to an Italian feast.
Spaghetti Carbonara
The freshly made pasta took just a few minutes to become al dente in a pot of boiling salted water. To the cooked spaghetti we added fried bacon and a mix of cream, excellent grated Parmesan cheese, and eggs. Although we had forgotten to separate the yolks and the whites (whoops!) the carbonara turned out great – silky, creamy, cheesy and packed with authentic Italian flavours. It was a generous serve, and we ended up eating leftovers for the next two days!
Verdict: 5/5 mixing spoons
Nutella Pizza
For dessert, my daughter took control of the kitchen to make the Nutella Pizza. She had no trouble rolling out the pre-mixed dough herself and adding generous dollops of Nutella, plus a topping of marshmallows, fresh strawberries and rainbow sprinkles. Baked in a hot oven for eight minutes, it became a gooey, decadent treat with melted marshmallows, melted chocolate and sweet strawberries. There were no leftovers of this dish!
Verdict: 5/5 mixing spoons
Chicken Tikka Steak
This easy Indian meal simply required us to cut the tops off the air tight packs of marinated chicken steaks and cauliflower and throw into the oven for 20 minutes. A salad of cucumber, tomatoes and coriander came as a side dish and we steamed up some of our own rice. The meal looked and smelt fantastic, but we preferred the flavours of the Italian meals.
Verdict: 4/5 mixing spoons
Would we order again? Absolutely! These tasty and easy at home meals took the monotony out of our weekly dine in menu and gave us a fun cooking project to do as a family.
Check out this week’s Fairmont and Swissôtel Recipe Kits menu here
William Leonard brings a sustainable focus to the F&B industry
William is as passionate about the environment, as he is about offering authentic Mexican flavours. In 2019, the group achieved carbon neutrality after successfully offsetting 100% of its carbon emissions. Will also formed the first F&B Sustainability Council, as well as a partnership with GreenSteps Group, a reforestation start-up. William talked to ANZA about becoming one of Singapore’s leaders in food sustainability.
Tell us about the F&B Sustainability Council?
It’s a collective of small to medium sized passionate businesses, galvanised by the vision of a Singapore where sustainability will one day be just as important in the DNA of every business as turning a profit. We hold quarterly roundtables to share best practices, serve as a source of motivation for one another, but more importantly work on solving the most seemingly complex and difficult challenges our businesses face in being sustainable.
What are the goals for the group?
In the short-term, we are setting individual goals for our respective companies and will hold each other accountable to our own progress, as well as measure the cumulative impact we have as a council. All members have also committed to an assessment of their operational carbon footprint and we will determine how to offset and reduce it. In the long term, we aim to solve the challenge of processing food waste at the local level.
How has The Loco group been working on sustainability?
We were inspired to start on our sustainability journey by Green is the New Black (greenisthenewblack.com), a lifestyle media and events platform highlighting the most conscious brands, events, experiences and people around Asia. They provided us with a simple operations roadmap and a starting point. Initially we sought internal volunteers, and gathered the team together to identify who the champions were in our restaurants to drive the change initiatives. We galvanised a lot of support from our operations team in implementing changes, starting with easier ones, like switching out certain products we were buying. Then we looked deeper at products like food and paper to see if they were coming from an ethical source. I’d advise anyone starting out to focus on a few actionable items to score a few wins first, which motivates you to tackle more complicated stuff. We gather our sustainability champions together regularly to update each other on progress and keep moving forward.
300kg of fish a week comes from a sustainably farmed source
What have The Loco Group achieved?
By far the most difficult was doing an assessment of our restaurant operations carbon footprint, then offsetting it. We’re working on planting more trees, with a view to be carbon negative in the next four years. We have switched suppliers to ensure all our fish – approximately 300kg a week – comes from a sustainably farmed source, and all our chicken is ethically raised, free-roaming and organic-fed. We ensure all printing paper comes from an FSC-sustainable source, optimised processes to reduce 30,000 pieces of paper being printed each year, and there is no palm oil in our operations. We don’t import bottled still or sparkling mineral water and instead filter and carbonate water on site in each restaurant. We’ve reduced the use of 150,000 plastic straws a year and 40,000 kilograms a year in glass waste from going to landfill.
What are some of the initiatives at your individual restaurants?
One of our bar teams decided to have their denim aprons repaired by a local tailor rather than buying new ones. They also make stocks and products from left-over fruit husks and peels to be used in cocktails.
What are your future environmental goals?
We’re increasing the number of plant-based offerings on our menu to 45% this year, aiming to reduce the amount of cleaning chemicals in our operations by 30%, and increasing the number of zero waste ingredients to 50% of our bar and cocktail program. Where possible, we want to ensure all the electricity that powers our venues comes from a sustainable source and do an energy audit to reduce water and electricity usage. Hardest of all we want to find ways to compost or process the food waste leftover on plates, rather than it going in the bin.
How can restaurants be more responsible and sustainable?
It boils down to two things in my opinion: the things you consume and the things you throw away. By consume I mean; electricity, the water you use, food products you buy, packaged items you buy etc. By throw away I mean – everything that goes in the bin or down the drain. Start with these two areas and ask yourself if it’s the best possible way to do it. It’s an ongoing process to make the footprint you leave behind your business a little smaller each week, each month, and each year that you’re in operation.
Meatless meals are common at the Loco Group’s eateries
How can diners be more mindful?
Consumers are the most powerful link in the chain to make the world more sustainable. Where and how you chose to spend your dollar drives the economics of supply and demand. Demand more from businesses and back it up by spending on sustainable products or in businesses with sustainable practices.
Ask questions about the products you buy (like where they come from), and don’t over consume something you don’t need or don’t intend to fully utilise. Be forgiving – so much perfectly edible food is discarded because it doesn’t look the way we’re programmed to believe it should. Most food looks imperfect, or is blemished, but businesses are too scared to sell it, fearing customers won’t be prepared to pay for it. When this behaviour starts to change, this will make a huge impact.
What are some ways we can eat and drink green in Singapore?
Bring your own containers that you wash and reuse – don’t accept drinks or food in disposable plastic. Look at the origin of the products you buy to make sure they’re sustainable.
How do you personally live a green lifestyle?
Where practical and possible my wife and I do small things to be as green as we can. We take reusable bags when we go to the supermarket, and minimise energy and water consumption at home. We try to buy food that’s not in separate packaging (which is quite hard) and we recycle. We buy our clothes from brands we feel confident have ethical practices and we make our own cleaning sprays at home using baking soda.
Who is your favourite eco warrior?
I’m always inspired by Stephanie Dickson, founder of Green is the New Black. She’s got so much courage and passion to make sustainability ‘sexy’, which I feel is so critical to influencing consumer behaviour to be more conscious.
Finish this sentence…“We can save the planet if we all…”
…consciously choose to spend our dollars only on products and services that are sustainable.
Restaurant JAG 76 Duxton Road, 089535 restaurantjag.com
Love French food? Have a special occasion to celebrate? Award-winning Restaurant JAG is offering takeaway and delivery during the circuit breaker, including delicious dishes like roasted chicken, pan seared duck, lemon tart, cocktails, soup, salads, vegetables, quiche, and more. Their weekly menu is posted to their website under ‘takeaway and delivery’. Send an order to anant@restaurantjag.com (anytime), WhatsApp 96865440 (10am to 10pm daily) or call 31388477 (10am to 10pm daily) to place your orders.
OUR REVIEW:
Fine diner, Restaurant JAG on Duxton Road is the brainchild of owners Anant Tyagi and Michelin Star Chef Jérémy Gillon. Stepping inside the intimate 26-seater dining room for a mid-week lunch, we’re immediately in expert hands. Jérémy designs a three or five course tasting menu, using carefully-selected herbs indigenous to Savoie, (a mountain region in France where he’s from), seasonable ingredients, and playful takes on French flavours. We opt for five tastes, although we seem to be served twice that number!
Our journey starts with two beautifully presented canapés – potato and ortie, cauliflower and seaweed – and a creamy amuse bouche of coriander, pumpkin seed and pumpkin. Next is a flavourful mushroom ice-cream, with foie gras and mushroom meringue shavings. From the sea we enjoy seared octopus with garlic chips, parsley jus and a seaweed lace, and a tender Hokkaido scallop in squid ink tempura. Every bite is delicate and surprising. A spoonful of tart lemon and herb sorbet cleanses our palates at the mid-point. Here we pause, sip on fine wines from Savoie, and appreciate the rustic stone serving plates, perfectly weighted French knives and Japanese glassware, and the friendly, knowledgeable wait staff. We feel completely welcome in the small, elegant space.
Our mains are a cube of tender venison, served with parsnip powder and polenta, and beef with broccoli. You would think we wouldn’t be able to squeeze in dessert, but in fact, we devour both the pre-dessert – a pineapple sorbet and foam, and the finale – a truffle ice-cream with rich chocolate ganache and truffle shaving that’s rich and earthy. And when a trolley rolls our way with a selection of fine French cheeses, well, who are we to turn them away?
Verdict: No surprise Restaurant JAG has been lauded with awards and accolades – this is seriously inventive and exciting cuisine – bursting with balanced flavours and creativity. A sensory culinary treat that’s unforgettable and unique.
Where do you get tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms?
If you are concerned that you might have contracted COVID-19, (some of the more common symptoms are a prolonged fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, or breathing difficulty), you should seek medical attention at one of the designated Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs). Find your nearest PHPC by heading to www.phpc.gov.sg. If you are suspected of having COVID-19, you will be referred to a local public hospital for testing, and follow-up care treatment if the result comes back positive.
Normally, most insurance policies will outright exclude coverage for pandemics like COVID-19, but since the coronavirus is a new and unknown disease, many local and global insurers will treat it as a special condition that is not subjected to general exclusions.
That means insurers are likely to cover the following expenses, but up to the agreed limits of your active policy:
Expenses for diagnostic tests when authorised by a medical practitioner.
Expenses for inpatient hospital treatment, including admission into isolation wards and use of specialised equipment, like ventilators.
Outpatient treatment expenses for the virus and its symptoms, as approved by a medical practitioner.
I have international expat health insurance; do I still receive the same benefits?
If you have international expat health insurance, then you are also covered overseas. For example, if you live and work in Singapore, but your work requires you to travel to Bangkok, Thailand. If you are diagnosed with the virus when you are there, then you will most likely be covered at one of the agreed networks of healthcare providers. As the policy provides coverage overseas, your policy will work as if you are still in Singapore.
For those with such a plan, be sure to review the terms and conditions attached to your policy. You should be aware of the arrangements for international cover and whether extended benefits like medical evacuation are included. If you are unsure, always get an update with your insurer or broker.
Need more help and information?
Besides checking your policy’s terms and conditions, you can also contact Pacific Prime Singapore’s team of health insurance experts, who specialise in creating health insurance plans for individuals, families, and groups. For expats looking for international expertise, Pacific Prime Singapore has the right mix of knowledge and experience to help formulate a plan that meets your needs and budget.
To help prevent and curb the spread of COVID-19, you can download Pacific Prime’s free Coronavirus Avoidance Guide to help you stay safe amidst the pandemic.
Ingredients:
½ cup standard flour
¹⁄3 cup sugar
²⁄₃ cup finely chopped
coconut
¾ cup rolled oats
50g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
½ tsp baking soda
2 tbsp boiling water
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Mix together flour, sugar, coconut and rolled oats.
3. Melt butter and golden syrup. Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water and add to butter and golden syrup. Stir butter mixture into the dry ingredients.
4. Place level tablespoons of mixture onto cold greased trays and flatten with a fork. These don’t spread as they bake so you can place them close together.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes then place on a wire rack to cool.
Donations to migrant workers include masks, hand sanitiser, and other essentials.
It’s Raining Raincoats volunteers are working around the clock to deliver supplies to workers, including meals, care packages, snacks, peanut packets, biscuits, fruits and drinks, and data cards https://www.facebook.com/pg/itsrainingraincoats/about/
Migrant Worker’s Assistance Fund is gathering donations to help provide food, accommodation, and daily necessities for the community, as well as supporting displaced workers who are unable to recover their salary. https://www.giving.sg/mwaf/migrantswecare
Healthserve offers healthcare, counselling, casework, and social assistance to migrant workers. They’ve set up a COVID-19 information and resource centre and a ‘Solidarity Wall’ where people around the world are leaving messages of support and hope https://solidarity.healthserve.org.sg/. Donate online at https://www.healthserve.org.sg/donate-online
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) has set up a fundraising platform to top up the workers’ pre-paid SIM cards, as well as a WhatsApp helpline to provide migrant workers with casework assistance. https://www.giving.sg/twc2/topup
SDI Academy are currently distributing COVID-19 welfare packages to dorms, which include essentials like hand sanitiser, masks, rice, oil, biscuits, and instant noodles. https://www.sdi-academy.org/covid-19
James (right) and fellow ANZA Netball coachesANZA Flash and James, victorious at the Sport Ready League in 2019
How did you get into netball coaching?
I wanted both my daughters to participate in a club and a team sport on weekends. My wife heard about ANZA Netball from friends and in 2015 we signed them up. I was happy to volunteer to be involved. That was the start of my netball coaching career!
What experience did you have?
Absolutely none; I’d never seen a game! With the combination of “diving in with both feet” and access to coaching and umpiring courses, I quickly grasped the basics and sought lots of help from other experienced coaches. I also realised that any lack of experience could be made up with plenty of enthusiasm, especially coaching six-year-old’s!
What have you enjoyed the most about ANZA Netball?
I’ve really enjoyed watching the girls develop their skills from simple passing and catching, into a well drilled team with passion for the game. After a busy week travelling around the region for work, Saturday morning training/games are an opportunity for me to spend quality time with my daughters. I enjoy being part of their sporting lives. Over the last few years, especially in the 2009 year group, we’ve seen most of the girls returning year after year. This is a testament to their enjoyment of the game and the club. It bodes well for a successful future for ANZA Netball.
What changes have you seen?
Netball in Singapore has become more popular, with larger teams and more clubs playing, which is terrific for all the girls. The ANZA Netball committee has done a remarkable job bringing in professional coaches, many of whom used to be Singapore national team players, and developing multiple tournaments for all abilities. The outlook for ANZA Netball has never been better.
What would you say to other dads about coaching netball?
Jump in! I’ve not regretted one moment of spending the weekend time with my children, learning a new game, helping girls develop a new skill and making friendships with other coaches. ANZA Netball has a very warm and friendly atmosphere and is supportive of all fathers wanting to give it a go! I’ve also seen the difference it makes to my daughters’ enthusiasm when a parent is involved. I hope this article inspires more dads to coach!
COVID-19 has tested all of us – our moral courage, faith in others, and hygiene practices. I will never look at blowing a candle out on a birthday cake the same way again. This time has also tested our immune system, and not just in the most obvious ways.
Anxiety has been hard to avoid. Each day the world has been different. We look forward to a normal, even a ‘new’ planet. Along with anxiety are feelings of empathy for all those people who have lost jobs, homes and loved ones during this COVID-19 era. We are feeling, sometimes too much. These two completely different emotions – anxiety and empathy – activate almost exactly the same neural pathways in our brain? Our body’s response to both states is high alert, our adrenals shooting cortisol to our muscles, getting us ready to run from that sabre-toothed tiger. We start scanning our environment urgently and begin to find demons at every corner.
I have a mantra you might like to follow during any stressful period, particularly this current one. A mantra is a set of words, accompanied by actions, which keep us focussed on what is important, not urgent.
I honour my breath, and give thanks to my lungs
Breath holds us to life, and is one of the most powerful healing agents to which we have instant access. Start the day with 10 deep inhale/exhales, the exhale being a forceful sound (an open mouth). Practice diaphragmatic breathing, (the yogi breath), in and out through the nose all day. It brings the system back to a place of calm. Take a deep breath through the nose as often as you need to.
My body is my temple, my asanas are my prayers
There are three poses you can practice, that don’t require you to be pretzel-like. Do them every day.
uttanasana
1. Standing forward fold (uttanasana) A powerful, deliberate pose, meant to extend the spine, compress the vital organs, (wringing them out like a dishrag full of water), good for clearing the mind and developing perspective on life.
viparita karani
2. Legs up the wall (viparita karani) One of the oldest poses in yoga – known for its relaxation benefits, especially in the pelvic muscles. This pose also helps with restless legs, and metabolic syndrome.
ustrasana
3. Camel pose (ustrasana) This pose improves spinal flexibility and posture, and is brilliant for the digestive system.
Ho’oponopono – I love you, I am sorry, please forgive me, thank you
Pronounced ‘ho-oh-pono-pono’ this is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness. Saying ‘I’m sorry’ keeps you humble; ‘please forgive me’ acknowledges your imperfections; and ‘thank you’ expresses your gratitude to others. Words do change the way we feel and think, so find a mantra that keeps you positive, and say it several times a day – out loud and in silence.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Pema Chodron, to whom I have turned to again and again over many years. “Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen.”
Lee Carsley is the ANZA Yoga founding teacher, and Yoga Alliance CE trainer.
When not teaching yoga to students and other teachers, she also leads meditation workshops and bespoke yoga retreats. Watch the ANZA website for ANZA Wandering Yogi sessions by Zoom – coming soon! Watch the ANZA website anza.org.sg/groups/yoga
Be the light, show the light, and travel light.
Located in the picturesque Clare Valley, Sevenhill Cellars was settled by the Jesuit priests in 1851, making it the oldest winery in the Clare Valley, South Australia. The settlement includes the magnificent Anglo gothic St Aloysius Church, the Jesuit residence as well as the historic Winery complete with underground cellar. The buildings are surrounded by vineyards and a large lawn area, perfect for picnics and relaxation.
History:
The initial purpose of the cellars was to provide sacramental wine for religious use. In the 1930’s, they began producing table and fortified wines and now have a large range of both which can be sampled at the historic Cellar Door. Sevenhill has over 90 hectares of vines, growing 17 different grape varietals in all. Our most common varietals are Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling. Our oldest vines are of the Shiraz varietal and they are over 160 years old, planted by the original Jesuit settlers.
Awards and Accolades:
Our Cellar Door has just been awarded by Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine – Best Large Cellar Door in Clare Valley in the Australia’s Best Cellar Door Awards 2020. We are thrilled to be recognised in our region. We also won Cellar Door of the Year in October 2018 at the Langtons Clare Valley Wine Show. Our team continually strives to offer exceptional customer service and a memorable experience to every customer that visits Sevenhill.
The Jesuit Connection:
Owned by the Jesuit Society and a not-for-profit organisation, Sevenhill Cellars is a unique business in a retail environment. All our proceeds from our successful cellar door are donated back to the Jesuit Society to enable them to assist others in need. Funding goes towards projects both internationally and within Australia. Some projects are refugee assistance, livelihood training in international countries, homelessness, education, poverty reduction, natural disasters, medical care and empowerment projects.
With four Jesuits living here at Sevenhill, we are privy to seeing the work they do in our local community. They run the five local parishes in our region, The Sevenhill Spirituality Retreat Centre and provide religious guidance to the local Catholic School.
Why has Accor joined the fight against plastic?
Our hotels use more than 200 million single-use plastic* items every year. We are working to eliminate unnecessary plastic elements; to innovate so that all necessary plastics are designed to be safely reused, recycled, or composted; and to adopt a circular model so that all used items are kept in the economy and out of the environment.
What is the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative?
Accor was the first global hospitality group to engage with the UNEP Plastic Tourism programme and is a proud leading partner of the initiative. The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the UN Environmental Programme and supported by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, marks the fight against plastic waste and pollution. Governments and businesses, such as Accor, have ambitious targets to eliminate plastics wherever possible.
Michael Issenberg, Accor’s CEO Asia-Pacific
What has Accor already done to reduce plastics?
Accor committed to eliminating plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds by the end of 2019, and progressively replacing other disposable plastic (plastic bottles, laundry bags, glasses, individual packaging for amenities, accessories, etc) with eco-friendly products. I’m proud to say that 94% of our hotels globally have met this commitment.
We now want to go even further. We have a commitment to reduce single use plastics (takeaway containers, breakfast portions, coffee pods etc), with a target to achieve this by the of 2020. We also focus on local, sustainable produce to give our guests the healthiest and most environment-friendly dining options.
What are some plastic alternatives?
Any material that enables the product to be reused (at least 10 times) such as wood (including bamboo), glass, metal, and stainless steel. There are alternatives made from cardboard, paper or wood fiber but they must be certified to ensure they don’t contribute to deforestation. So, we are looking at things like stainless steel straws, bamboo key cards, beeswax food wrapping instead of plastic cling-film in kitchens, and much more.
What’s happening in Singapore and beyond?
In Singapore, Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford have launched their own aquaponics garden within their property rooftop which allows them to reduce food imports by farming fresh vegetables, fruits and fish to further reduce plastic packaging.
Fairmont is replacing the plastic water bottles at turndown service with a water glass and custom designed coaster, educating guests on the quality and safety of local tap water, as well as the important benefits of reducing plastic waste. We believe educating and involving our guests in the process is important to a successful transition.
What other areas are you working on?
Accor has committed to reducing food waste by 30 per cent before 2021, not just here in Singapore but globally at our 5000 hotels and resorts around the world. Our Plant for the Planet programme has reforested an area equivalent to 2,500 football pitches around the world with over seven million trees planted in more than 375 locations across 29 countries. Our next major area of focus is carbon-neutral buildings.
How can your guests help reduce waste?
Bring your own amenities during travel, especially for short trips. Re-use towels and bedding; turn off lights and air conditioning when you leave the room, and take shorter showers.
We are introducing Green Packages, which allow guests to discover and contribute to the hotel’s local sustainability projects. For example, at MGallery Chiang Mai guests can visit a local farm and learn about sustainable farming before enjoying a meal using freshly grown ingredients.
Finish this sentence… “We can save our planet if we all…”
… believe that even the smallest green actions count and if we realise the time for action is now.
* Single-use plastics are items that are used only once and then discarded, such as coffee stirrers, toothbrushes, cotton buds, plastic straws, and plastic drink bottles.
