Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2021 i Tatler Singapore

TATLER HONG KONG Twenty years in the making, the ambitious M+ museum for art, architecture and design, and moving images finally opens its doors in Hong Kong. Museum director Suhanya Raffel takes us on an exclusive tour of the Herzog & de Meurondesigned campus. TATLER INDONESIA Calligraphy artist and painter Guo Peng goes deep into the art of traditional Chinese ink painting and discusses how each work he creates is imbued with the heritage of high artistry. TATLER MALAYSIA Korean-American actor Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, is marking milestones with his first all-English-language film as a featured superhero, the beefy Gilgamesh, in this month’s Marvel Cinematic Universe release of Eternals. TATLER PHILIPPINES Fashion designer Monique Lhuillier celebrates her 25th anniversary in business with the release of a Rizzoli…

WILLABELLE ONG, Founder of W&R Creative “I started my Tiktok account (@willabelleofficial) last year due to the lockdown, and recently achieved a milestone with more than half a million followers. Beyond the numbers, it’s truly gratifying to showcase a facet of my personality on this platform and have brands looking to collaborate on creative, even tongue-in-cheek, campaigns on Tiktok. Usually, I eagerly look forward to travelling overseas to reset my mind. Now, I’ve discovered that serenity can be found in our own backyard. Whether it’s enjoying breakfast amid the grandeur of The Raffles Hotel or reconnecting with nature amidst the lush greenery at Capella Singapore, these local getaways are similarly revitalising. This year, I’ve learnt to look past the design and fixate on the enduring history and functional considerations of…

BEN FATTO 95 Kneading New Opportunities Lee Yum Hwa, more famously known as Benfatto95, shares his journey from accountant to Singapore’s foremost pasta artisan For most of us, ordering pasta is a decision dictated by the accompanying sauce, whether we have a hankering for arrabiata or pesto. For Lee Yum Hwa, however, these embellishments merely overshadow the real star of the dish: the pasta itself. This is the guiding light of his private dining venture, Ben Fatto 95, a curated experience centred on the wide world of freshly made pastas. From tortellini to rigatoni, each dish is served elegantly simple, free from distracting pageantry. It’s nigh on impossible to secure a seat at Lee’s table—with a one-year waiting list—which becomes all the more impressive when you learn that the 39-year-old…

TIGHT KNIT It’s officially sweater weather. Take it up a notch by wrapping yourself in cosy knits from top to toe. SILVER LININGS When worn with white and beige, grey becomes anything but dreary. BOOT BOOST The humble boot gets a lift with the help of spongy, platform soles that offer height without sacrificing comfort. GONE SHOPPING Grocery shopping has never looked chicer with the help of these splashy designer tote bags. TALL ORDER If your long boots need an upgrade this season, consider one of these showstoppers, meant to steal the spotlight as you pound the pavement. THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT In splashes of neon and a hint of metallics, the look of the season seems to have been beamed directly from everyone’s favourite sci-fi movies onto the runways.…

Kim Jones is constantly zipping around. He’s just zipped in from holidaying with friends in Kenya—a destination he has frequented since he was a child and loves for its remoteness and abundance of animals—leaving him with freckles floating above a fresh tan. Throughout our conversation at the Dior Men headquarters in Paris, where he has served as artistic director since 2018, the British fashion designer zips from thoughts about Baby Yoda to ideas about elephants. Tomorrow, he will be zipping to Milan to work on his second womenswear show with Fendi, where he has also served as artistic director since September 2020—Fendi had a surprise, now-viral crossover with Versace—before zipping to the Dolomites for his birthday weekend. One gets the sense that Jones is not someone used to standing still.…

After spending a few years working in South Korea, Charlotte Cho and her husband returned to the United States and decided to launch Soko Glam, an online retail site that brings K-beauty products to America. Since the 2012 launch, Cho has racked up an impressive list of achievements. She’s earned her beautician licence, developed her own skincare brand, Then I Met You, and written two books discussing both skincare and her own experiences as an entrepreneur. Here, Cho talks South Korean beauty, motherhood and the concept of jeong. Tell me about your new book, The Little Book of Jeong While I was working and living in Seoul, there were two things that I had learnt which I adopted into my life. The first was Korean beauty, and the second was…

STOP AND START The semi-transparent enamelling that coats the elaborate dial of the new Cabaret Tourbillon Handwerkskunst really sets this timepiece apart. Limited to just 30 pieces worldwide, this ticker was inspired by the very first tourbillon watch that came with a stop seconds function. Presented by A Lange & Söhne in 2008, that watch allowed the wearer to stop the balance wheel inside the rotating cage and restart it again simply by pushing the crown. COLOUR WHEEL One of Franck Muller’s bestselling series, the Vanguard is easily recognised by the watchmaker’s distinctive Cintrée Curvex case, which is arched and often houses highly complex movements. The latest model to be added to Franck Muller’s Vanguard line, the pictured Skeleton Sapphire watch features a skeletonised dial that’s visible through sheets of…

SUSHI ICHIZUKE “For lovers of Japanese omakase, we have just opened Sushi Ichizuke and I dine there almost every week. The fish is flown in from Japan twice a week and our executive chef Ryoichi Nakatani does magic every night.” SINGAPORE CHOCOLATE “Because I live on Sentosa island, I regularly pick up a chocolate croissant from Singapore Chocolate, which is situated on Quayside Isle.” THE BEACH “I love Sentosa, it is the closest you can get to feeling like you are not in Singapore. I’ve taken up fishing; with my dog in tow, I take a boat out and I can fish just 100m from land. I also go to Tanjong Beach Club at least once a week with my dog, for the club vibes.” HERE KITTY KITTY “One of…

The wine world has a funny relationship with the idea of signature wines. On the one hand, regions or even countries seem to benefit heavily when able to carve out a clear niche (think Napa cabernet or New Zealand sauvignon blanc); but what at first seems like a blessing can sour on the vine when producers find themselves unable to escape that narrowly defined box. This is particularly pertinent when it applies to entire countries. Too often, a diverse portfolio of specific and sensitively made wines gets brutally overshadowed by the “signature” behemoth. Australia, for example, can struggle to raise awareness internationally of even its most deeply historical wine styles, because its name is inextricably linked with shiraz. A subset of Australian wines that seems to have got lost in…

The words “best of” often conjure up images of the most superlative luxury cars, jewellery, watches. But when the Tatler Singapore team started discussing the Best Of theme for this month, the conversation slowly moved into a debate unpacking the very definition of luxury. Over the past two years, luxury has taken on a unique meaning for each of us: to some, it is being able to hug a loved one who lives overseas. For many, it is staying healthy and keeping loved ones safe from the virus. Yet others are hankering after freedom—both physically and mentally. Luxury has come to represent the intangible moments that we perhaps previously took for granted—for instance, the liberating experience of a night out at a club, and the resulting oxytocin-release that gives us…

Born of a need to ride out the pandemic, Food Culture Singapore is the brainchild of John Cheng, the third-generation owner of sugar manufacturer Cheng Yew Heng, and director of Singapore’s first food incubator Innovate 360. He tells us more about it. How did Food Culture Singapore come about? Cheng Yew Heng’s products for the retail market, such as the Jewels Rock Sugar Sticks, are in travel retail, so we had to pivot when Covid-19 hit. But instead of creating an e-commerce platform selling only Jewels products, we decided to help the start-ups under Innovate 360, which are facing the same issues—and we started Food Culture Singapore last year, officially launching it on National Day this year. More than just an e-commerce platform, Food Culture Singapore is catered not only…

WINE O’CLOCK Our never-ending thirst for wines has inspired Andrew Walsh, the founder and CEO of F&B group Cure Concepts, to open Club Street Wine Room in the middle of a pandemic. “Our first wine bar concept provides a laidback and unpretentious foray into the world of wines, accompanied by high-quality food,” explains Walsh, who created a menu of modern European classics with head chef Ho Jun Yip. Head sommelier and operations director Amir Solay took charge of the beverage programme and brought in a variety of pours for every palate. There is a good selection of natural wines for everyday drinking, but adventurous tipplers may opt for the Sea Soul No. 4, a trendy wine that is aged underwater to aid fermentation and improve its flavours, or the Movia…

Cheryl Wee (@Weecheryl) Plagued by body image issues, Cheryl Wee started Cheryl W—a brand promoting positive wellness and weight management for women. She’s also a firm believer that the body requires cleansing from time to time. With products ranging from body scrubs to metabolic rate-boosting coffees alongside her own curated weight management services, she hopes to inspire a positive wellness lifestyle. To date, Cheryl W has been the recipient of many awards, including the Icon Spa Awards in 2019. Bella Koh (@Catslavery) When overwhelming pressure at work eventually led to gastric issues, Bella Koh recognised that she needed to make a change. She quit her job, slowed down, and focused on reinvigorating herself. This led to her starting Slow House—a health and wellness destination focused on conscious living. Slow House…

Tell us about Mumbai Noise. Mumbai Noise is an intensely personal fragrance for me. From almost the moment I was born, I would travel to India to spend time with my grandmother in Chembur, Mumbai. This fragrance is born from the vivid childhood memories that I have, the experience of sensory overload you feel as soon as you step off the plane. After she passed, it took me a long time to return, and when I did, it had radically changed yet felt inherently familiar. The scent, to me, really captures the overwhelming power of a place. What’s your to-go scent at the moment? Palermo will always be my goto. There is something about Sicilian bergamot that feels at once fresh and complex. I wear it every day. Out of…

Which is your favourite Bulgari watch for women? When it comes to our ladies’ watches, I’ve for sure been seduced by the evolution of our Serpenti Tubogas timepiece and its Spiga construction, which allows it be strapped onto the wrist with a wavy-patterned wraparound bracelet. What do you love about these watches? Because of the Spiga construction, we can set the diamond onto the whole body of the snake in a really impactful way. If I were looking for a gift for my wife, fiancée or daughter, the Serpenti Tubogas is perfect. What if you were looking for a timepiece for yourself? My professional background is in chronographs, so I’m really happy that our Octo Finissimo watches now come not only in titanium, but also in brushed and polished steel.…

Despite working in an industry that promotes consumption, Ronald Kamiyama, sommelier-partner of The Cicheti Group, embraces how F&B professionals can play a part in advocating for choices that have a sizeable impact on the planet. These areas include sustainable farming, reducing carbon footprint, food wastage and packaging, recycling, and more. He says, “We are in a position in the supply chain where we can not only give consumers a choice to contribute to these efforts, but our actions can also inform and inspire them to make better choices at home.” Over the past three years, Kamiyama has been leading the group’s sustainability efforts, from educating staff to making operational changes such as using biodegradable takeaway packaging and reducing food wastage in the kitchens. The group will factor in sustainability features…

FUTURE PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS IDentif.AI can possibly function as a supporting platform for pandemic responsiveness in the future. “The next time a new bug shows up, let’s not spend a year and a half studying combinations,” says Ho. Instead, once the virus is isolated, researchers could conduct tests based on a pool of existing drugs suggested by doctors, and the platform could help to provide suggestions on the most promising combinations to focus on within a matter of weeks.” COMBAT DRUG-RESISTANT BUGS There are bacterial and fungal species that are resistant to medicines—they are known to cause the deaths of people with compromised immune systems, such as transplant patients or children with leukaemia. “We are now designing combinations with existing drugs that are accessible and inexpensive, to go after these drug-resistant…

On June 20 2021, the Foo Fighters played the first full-capacity arena show in New York City since the start of the pandemic—a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. “It wasn’t bloody Justin Bieber or Billie Eilish, it was the Foos,” Gaggan Anand, the famed chef of his eponymous Bangkok restaurant, says excitedly over the phone. He was there that night, and fondly recalls watching a teary-eyed Dave Grohl open the concert with the band’s 2002 hit, Times Like These. “He sang, ‘It’s times like these you learn to live again. It’s times like these you give and give again,’ and that really captured the idea of life after Covid-19,” says Anand. “I’m an artist, and I haven’t been able to do what I want to do, what I need…

Exhausted yet elated and covered in dust, I sat in the back of a jeep en route back to my hotel as the rising sun began peeking through endless rows of palm trees. It was my first Wonderfruit experience, back in 2017, and I knew it wasn’t going to be my last. The four-day festival situated in the lush Thai jungle is conscious hedonism. Through art, music and food, it has managed to find that sweet spot of being serious about sustainability, while creating an environment where people don’t have to take themselves (or anything, really) too seriously. “My vision for Wonderfruit’s evolution is thinking about how we can create a sense of awe and wonder. How we can ignite that childlike curiosity,” says Wonderfruit founder Pranitan Phornprapha, better known…

It’s hard not to gape when one steps into modern Indian restaurant Firangi Superstar. Whimsical and OTT in the best kind of way, its lush interiors include opulent wood panelled walls adorned with old photos and antique rifles, a private room designed to resemble a vintage train carriage, and dining booths designed with arches inspired by Rajput architecture and Udaipur palaces. Welcome to a space that owners Rohit Roopchand and Michael Goodman conceived as a foreigner’s love letter to India. “The design concept is centred around a cinematic journey through India, inspired by the owners’ own experiences and memories, but also with a noticeable Wes Anderson inspiration, so the themes are very curated, transportive and fantastical,” says Piya Thamchariyawat, senior creative director and principal of EDG Design, which designed Firangi…

TOM HOOPS British photographer Tom Hoops has been shooting portraits and fashion for almost 20 years, and splits his time between the UK and Asia. He has exhibited internationally, and his client list includes The Washington Post, and British Vogue and Porter magazines. This month, he photographed Wonderfruit founder Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha (p.182). INGA BECKMANN Inga Beckmann photographs stories for publications including The Guardian and The Financial Times and for campaigns by clients such as Cathay Pacific, Shangri-La and Mercedes-Benz. For this issue, she shot Louise Wong and Bill Kong, the star and producer respectively of Anita, the upcoming Anita Mui biopic (p.168). DARREN GABRIEL LEOW A fashion and commercial photographer based in Singapore, Darren Gabriel Leow frequently contributes to Tatler Singapore and other lifestyle publications, as well as shoots…

ADAM TIE Author, and founder and resident poet at The Novel Encounter The premise is simple: give Adam Tie three words, tell him a backstory, or anything at all, and watch him work on his vintage Corona typewriter to customise a poem for you or a loved one, in five minutes flat. Tie, or “Mister Write” as he calls himself on social media, is on a mission to help you find the romance in customised typewritten poetry, or a good date with a mystery wrapped book, through The Novel Encounter. He started the online bookstore five years ago, introducing mystery wrapped books as the perfect gift, “just like a Kinder Surprise is with chocolate”. He explains, “I took my favourite books, wrapped them up and put a sentence on the…

It is a fairly normal Thursday afternoon as I sit at a table made of mushrooms, drinking cactus juice. My companion is Vijay Mudaliar, a tall, lean gentleman with empathic eyes, an angular visage and what I suspect is a permanent five o’clock shadow on a clean-shaven face. He has great teeth, by the way, and it isn’t difficult to make him break out into a wide smile. Mudaliar, the multi-award-winning mixologist who owns Native bar, seems very comfortable, not only with himself, but also in the surroundings he has created in his latest venture, Analogue. I’d love to chew the fat with him but it’s tricky in his new restaurant concept as there isn’t any. The menu is 100 per cent plant-based—both food and drinks—and before all you omnivores…

Prajit Nanu remembers his frustration when he tried to transfer money overseas to pay for a friend’s bachelor party some eight years ago. The process was so cumbersome and costly that he bypassed it and relied on a friend’s help. However, that motivated him to take the bull by the horns. “I saw a huge gap in the cost efficiencies of cross-border remittances and decided to create my own solution,” he says. So he began building his business from his apartment with a friend, Michael Bermingham, and in 2015, they launched Instarem. The start-up’s name is a portmanteau of “instant remittance”, as its goal was to make international money transfers easier. Business took off and its network spanned 55 countries, generating transactions worth up to US$4 billion annually. After four…

“My very first suit was a black double-breasted two-piece tailored for prom night when I was in Raffles Junior College in 1993. My classmates and I were thrilled to be dressed to the nines. I finally had the chance to dress like Richard Gere in the movie Pretty Woman. His immaculately cut two- and three-piece suits and tuxedos in the movie caught my attention, and I reckon that was when I realised that men’s fashion was more than just jeans and T-shirts, which was hitherto my daily attire. My go-to designers are Ermenegildo Zegna and Dolce & Gabbana. If I’m going for no-nonsense formal, Zegna is the obvious choice, especially its XXX Couture collection. Its master tailors painstakingly hand stitch each suit using only the finest fabrics, and the result…

SIMPLY LIVING WELL Ready to implement changes to create a more sustainable household? Simply Living Well by Julia Watkins, the creator of popular Instagram page @simply.living.well, is filled with thoughtful tips and recipes. There is advice on how to eliminate packaging, choose more sustainable household swaps and embark on at-home DIY projects to make essentials such as nut milk, kitchen bowl covers and herbal balms. SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY Set for release on November 16, Sustainable Beauty is by Justine Jenkins, a professional make-up artist with 23 years of experience under her belt. After making a switch to become more sustainable 10 years ago, Jenkins has since become a cruelty-free cosmetics pioneer, using solely ethical and sustainable beauty products on her clients. “Becoming more sustainable is a universal issue, and the reason…

Mushrooms can do it all. From adding earthy flavour to a risotto to being the secret ingredient behind Mylo, the new luxury vegan leather alternative, fungi have now found their way into skincare products and health supplements. They promise a long list of nutritional, medicinal and beautifying benefits that sound almost too good to be true—so how did the humble mushroom become the latest buzz ingredient in the wellness world? Using mushrooms in these spaces is a relatively new concept for Western cultures, but our ancestors here in the East have been reaping their benefits for centuries. During the Korean Goryeo Dynasty (918-1382BC), Wolfiporia extensa was listed as one of the medicinal ingredients sent to the Chinese Song Dynasty, while medicinal mushroom species from different regions of Korea were also…

SNAKE EYES Frédéric Boucheron, founder of French jewellery maison Boucheron, first thought up the Serpent Bohème collection in 1888 for his beloved wife, Gabrielle, as a symbol of protection. The romantic line endures to this day and, whether you prefer pendant earrings set with slivers of carnelian or standout rings carved out of solid gold, Serpent Bohème continues to be the perfect token of love for that special someone. DARE TO BLOOM It has been over 20 years since Victoire de Castellane arrived at Dior to create fine jewellery for the luxury fashion house and, this year, the artistic director has drawn inspiration from Christian Dior’s favourite flower, the rose. The resulting 116-piece high jewellery collection, titled Dior Rose, was unveiled in Chengdu during a gala dinner earlier this year,…

1 Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Tribute to the Great Explorers A series of three ten-piece limited editions, these miniature masterpieces pay tribute to Portuguese explorers Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral. Each watch comes with an intricate Grand Feu enamel dial that’s inspired by the Miller Atlas, a richly illustrated map that took about three years to make between 1519 and 1522. 2 Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque The world’s first four-faced watch, the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque can be yours for a bank-busting US$1.35 million. Jaeger-LeCoultre is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its Reverso collection this year, so this new world record couldn’t be more perfectly timed. 3 Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 Montblanc is usually inspired by hulking glaciers and…

LIM YEW AUN Tekka Market “I spent many mornings here during the early days of Cicheti, scouring the market for fresh seafood and vegetables. I like to choose the produce and build a rapport with the stall owners who have helped contribute to the success of Cicheti. Cicheti’s zuppa di pesce (seafood stew) uses fresh seafood from Tekka Market.” Verdoora “This local supplier makes its burrata and stracciatella, which allows us to source locally, rather than from Italy. During the Circuit Breaker period, there was a shortage of those cheeses, and local cheesemakers like Verdoora offered an alternative.” LILING ONG Rough Beauty “Everything this Singapore-based bath and body brand does is kept simple with a natural-focused philosophy, so as to reduce wastage. It uses sustainably sourced palm oil, and makes…

When Louise Wong got the call from Edko Film executive director Bill Kong that she had been chosen, out of thousands of candidates, to portray Canto-pop icon Anita Mui in her biopic, she bought a ticket to Thailand immediately. But it wasn’t to celebrate—she was overwhelmed. “My hands were shaking. I was very scared,” Wong says. “I stayed in the hotel for one week and spent the first two days crying. I didn’t know what to do.” That she looks the part is without question. The fashion model, who is the only Hongkonger to have won the Elite Model Look Asia Pacific regional contest, which she took part in in 2006, has since been a favourite among brands including Shanghai Tang, Louis Vuitton and Giorgio Armani. Her facial features—the sculpted…

While some travellers have their hearts set on revisiting favourite destinations, the desire to go somewhere completely new is driving the “trip stacking” trend—the practice of planning several trips in the same time period, in case something falls through—reported by The New York Times. Instead of booking a return to Italy or the Maldives, perhaps it’s time to add a less-trodden place to your trip stacking list. One destination on the rise is Romania, which is still largely overlooked when it comes to a European holiday. The country has long had a fan in Britain’s Prince Charles, who has owned a farmhouse in the remote Viscri village since 2006. “Romania gives travellers a sensation of travelling back in time,” says Raluca Spiac, managing partner of bespoke tour company Beyond Dracula.…