Andre Chiang was in Amsterdam this week at the invitation of chefs Alain Caron and Ferry van Houten with his intriguing Octaphilosophy....his Octa ... what?! Octaphilosophy - eight self-defined words describing the philosophy behind the special cooking style of this young (33), passionate - and very French - chef from Singapore. "The idea behind a creation is the main interest for me. It doesn't matter whether it's a sculpture, a painting or a plate of food. Every day, a wealth of fresh ingredients are delivered to the restaurant and they inspire me to create a complete 8-course menu....spontaneously .We do not work with recipes, rather with sketches that are pinned on the wall. "
Each dish in this daily - or even hourly - changing 8 course menu is inextricably linked to the 8 themes, based on Andre's philosophy that good food is an emotional experience encompassing the elements that Andre feels are the distillation of his art - Memory; Purity, Terroir, Uniqueness, South, Artisan, Salt and Texture. A squid ink risotto transformed into an Oriental cracker or a goose liver chawanmushi are amongst the interpretations on offer. He sculpts his culinary compositions around these fixed themes with his dedicated team. He believes in all modesty that perfection does not exist ..."we can only aspire."
In Asia, Andre Chiang is already a celebrated chef and thanks to his inclusion in the San Pellegrino list of World's 50 Best Restaurants he is enjoying growing fame in Europe. In our opinion, Andre is on the way towards the top. Would you also like to experience this? The Amsterdam restaurant Het Bosch will present an eight course Octaphilosphy dinner every Thursday this month (March)... saves the air fare or helps you decide to experience even more in Singapore.
www.restaurantandre.com
www.hetbosch.com
www.theworlds50best.com
