Alicia Thian
Alicia Thian, executive director of wealth management with a global private bank, loves to eat, and she credits her father for her passionate affair with food.
“My dad threw regular garden parties that even Jay Gatsby would be jealous of,” says Alicia. “He used to engage Shangri-la Hotel to plan the themes, décor and food. There were canopied dining tables, tents overflowing with feast, open bar and live entertainment in the garden. I remembered one year we had giant ice sculptures too! My dad’s friends were mostly Northern Europeans, and I was exposed to German, Swiss and French cuisine at a very young age.”
Which probably explains why Alicia has a rather varied palate when it comes to food.
“I got my ‘adventurous eating genes’ from my dad as I ate almost everything as a child,” she says. “I remember eating goat’s eyes, grilled larvae with bamboo shoots and rabbit stew. Steak tartare was my favourite when I was in primary school. As an adult, I no longer crave for those dishes! Thank goodness.”
Can you tell us what are some of your favourite food?
Cold water seafood platter from Denmark or Brittany with just a squeeze of lemon juice , and Japanese Kaiseki. I also love Belon, Fine de Claire and Limfjord oysters too.
How often do you eat supper?
About two to three times a week as I am practising intermittent fasting now. As such, my suppers usually consists of various types of cheeses with nuts and strawberries. They go extremely well with wine too.
What was the best supper you ate?
Nordic cuisine is the most delicious food in the world. I have been drawn to Nordic food for many years. In Copenhagen, I frequent Geranium and Kadeau for their 17-course menu, and dinner ends around midnight. As such, the last few courses with creative bites of ants, lyme grass, beetroot, buckthorn, rhubarb or aromatic seeds are what I consider supper!
I have switched from French to Nordic food as the New Nordic cuisine seeks to emphasise the need for purity, simplicity and freshness, as well as using seasonal produce. There is no butter or cream and techniques such as smoking, fermenting are used. They also focus a lot on foraging and farm-to-table practices. Nordic chefs create simple but amazing flavourful bites.
Whenever I visit Arhaus, the cultural capital city of Europe, I will patronise Raadhuus Kafeen, a traditional restaurant established in 1924, and famous for their baked old cheese. The soft and gooey cheese is baked with seasonal herbs and spices, and accompanied with toasted rye bread and black-current fruits.
What are some of your favourite supper haunts in Singapore?
My number one go-to supper place is Spago at Marina Bay Sands for its grilled cheese sandwich. The gooey fontina and Gruyere cheese are nestled between the crispy toasted cranberry walnut bread, and the heavenly bites are amplified with the amazing views of Singapore’s skyline.
DB Bistro serves a decent selection of artisanal cheese that is available even on a late night. Depending on how hungry I am, I pick one, three or five cheeses along with quince and dried nuts. I also pick from Epoisses de Bourgogne, Savarin and Gouda from Normandy.
The congee at Ah Chiang’s meatball porridge at Tiong Bahru Road is made Cantonese style and has a creamy consistency. Each bowl is prepared only upon ordering, and I love a bowl of simmering hot fresh porridge.
What is one dish you can’t live without?
Pickled cucumber which are thinly sliced. The crunchy and refreshing briny cucumber can be served alongside any food or cuisine, and complements all meals all day long.
In Japan, it is known as Tsukemono, which is an essential part of Japanese diet, while in Sweden and Denmark, pickled cucumbers accompany meat dishes and is used on Danish hot dogs.
In Asia, we have acar, which is pickled carrot and cabbage, and it’s known to cut down the greasy feel of other dishes and to whet your appetite.
What did you have the last time you had supper?
I had a cheese platter with toasted nuts, cherries and rhubarb conserve accompanied with a glass of red St Julien Bordeaux wine. I always craft my cheese board with a mix of sweet and savoury elements, as well as a variety of textures. It must be accompanied with a smattering of fresh fruits — preferably blackberry, cherry or strawberry — roasted nuts and crackers.
