How Cross Cultures Brought The Philippine Lechon To Singapore– With Pepita’s Kitchen and Horse’s Mouth
January 14, 2018
One of my 2017 highlights was bringing our Filipino cuisine– specifically, lechon (suckling pig) to Singapore, with my events platform, Cross Cultures, along with the Philippines’ Lechon Diva, Pepita’s Kitchen(headed by Dedet dela Fuente), and our partner in the Lion City, Horse’s Mouth(headed by Russell Yu) last November.
It was so awesome showcasing our Philippine lechon to Singapore with Cross Cultures by Cheryl Tiu and our partner The Horse’s Mouth!💕 PS my beaded scarf is by Tribe Dreamweavers in Lake Seibu, Mindanao– an underrepresented but culturally abundant region in the Philippines. Gorgeous, right?! 💙 (Photo credits: T Dining Singapore)
Cross Cultures has a two-fold-mission:to introduce the Philippines to cuisines from overseas; and to introduce our Filipino cuisine to the world— both founded on the vision that food is one of the most accessible ways of exchanging and learning about cultures, in order to build a more global community. This was our second overseas event, and our first one in Singapore— so it was all very exciting! (*For our Hong Kong event, also with Lechon Diva, click here.)
Ate Cristy of Pepita’s Kitchen piling on the Filipino chocnut on thekalesa.. one of the decors we had at the venueCrossing cultures right here! Japanese, Singaporean and Filipino chefs from Horse’s Mouth, Kaiseki Yoshiyuki and Pepita’s Kitchen prepping for the eventAssembly line of pica-pica ready! Crostini Topped with Balut Salpicao, Crab Gulong Gulong on Crispy Kiping, Chicharon, Adobo Flakes
We did 150 covers, closing down The Horse’s Mouth AND their sister Japanese restaurant,Kaiseki Yoshiyuki, f0r two nights! Apart from the six-course menu, guests enjoyed wines from Vintage Fine Wines(which paired great with our Filipino food btw!) and chocolates from Philippine-based Auro.
We have donated part of the proceeds to Project Wheelchair, which Dedet started to provide wheelchairs for those who cannot afford them in the Philippines– to give them the gift of mobility, a gift of hope.
I’m going to let the photos do the talking, but I wanted to thank everyone who came, supported and partnered with us for embracing and loving our Philippine cuisine and culture!!! xxx
Ready!!! With our official chocolate partner, Auro Chocolate from Davao, PhilippinesHorse’s Mouth cocktail bar on Orchard Road was packed on the brim for the two-night affair… we weren’t just sold out, we were overbooked!So overbooked that we had to close down adjacent sister restaurant fine dining Kaiseki Yoshiyuki as well! Yay!!Food personality Lennard Yeong (aka Lennardy), Dennis Hipolito, Cebu Pacific’s Smile Magazine EIC Tara Sering, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay Magazine EIC James OngNATA DE COCO SALAD: It might sound unorthodox when you hear the ingredients but this new dish from Pepita’s Kitchen won over a lot of diners! It’s greens, carrots, jicama, radish, pickled nata de coco, Boy Bawang (!!) and cashews, served on a mother of pearl plate. (Paired with 2015 Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley Chardonnay)HIPLOG: Shrimp Cooked in Salted Egg Yolk Sauce is one of Pepita’s Kitchen’s all-time most popular dishes (Paired with 2015 Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley Chardonnay)LUCKY YOU NOODLES: Noodles with Bicol Express Sauce, Mild Philippine Chillies Stewed in Coconut Milk with Pork (Paired with 2015 Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley Shiraz)Ice candy, a popular childhood Filipino snack, was turned into a palate cleanser! How clever right?! Guests enjoyed biting off the plastic with their teeth to enjoy the ginger and calamansi flavors. In photo: Joseph Haywood and Paco Alcor. (Photo credits: Vivian Pei)Russell bringing out the piece de resistance!Lechon action!A closer look!LECHON DE LECHE: Philippine Suckling Pig with Crab Fat Rice and Chorizo Stuffing with Philippine Chilli Labuyo Sauce (Paired with 2015 Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley Shiraz)Happy campers Vivian Pei, Simone Soledad, Joseph Haywood, Paco AlcorDedet and I with our dear friend Lesley Tan (who’s now director of comms at Shangri-La Hotel Singapore!), Bino Chua (also known as I wander) and Paolo of Random RepublikaPHILIPPINE DESSERTS: An assortment of 7 desserts from the Philippines Super Suman (included in The Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Best Desserts List), Buko Pandan, Polvoron, Choc Nut, Ube Jam, Pili Nuts, Bulacan Pastillas (Paired with 2016 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti DOCG)AURO CHOCOLATE YEMA: 64% Auro Dark Chocolate (from Davao, Philippines) and Cashews. This was SO good!With sisters-in-law Sae Takagi and Rebecca EuJean Coson is one of our Cross Cultures regulars in Manila, happy to see him here in Singapore with Jo 🙂Beauties Nikki Muller, Celina Tan, Dedet dela Fuente, Krissy JesudasonSingapore chefs represent! Russell and I with Woo Wei Leong (Masterchef Asia winner, who will be opening a restaurant in Singapore soon!), Drew Nocente (Salted and Hung), Chanks KS, Han Liguang (Labyrinth)What a thrill to have been able to bring our Filipino cuisine overseas.. to Singapore!✨🌟⭐️ Thank you so much to the Philippines’ lechon diva Pepita’s Kitchen and Singapore’s Horse’s Mouth and Kaiseki Yoshiyuki. 💞🙏💞🇵🇭🇸🇬 Likewise to our official chocolate partner, Auro (🇵🇭) and wine partner, Vintage Fine Wines Asia (🇸🇬).. and of course to ALL OF OUR GUESTS who came and joined us. We love you!!!
For more information on Cross Cultures, visit our Facebook page or Instagram page, or email is at crossculturesbycheryltiu@gmail.com
