There are those with good taste and then there are the tastemakers. For the past recent years there seems to be no end to the blossoming of Town & Country. With each issue, the content gets more and more sophisticated without the underlying snobbery. The styling more refined and the aesthetic more European, with a certain casual elegance. While many opt for fancy balls and glamorous soirees, which most of us of course truly look forward to as the social events of the year. Yvette Fernandez and Alicia Sy have come up with a glorious antithesis to the usual society standard. Last week’s Fabulous Food Affair at the Raffles Fairmont Ballroom was exactly as it had been named: Fabulous.
The evening started with Harney & Sons and Moet-Hennessy cocktails. Earl Grey Hennessy Sour or perhaps a Dragon Pearl Jasmine Tea topped with bubbly? A tableau of gorgeous cheese and charcuterie reminiscent of a Renaissance still life.
The décor was breathtaking with a large wispy tree towering above the beautiful crowd. Round tables strewn about with equally bucolic centerpieces. Cocktail tables intermingled with lounge chairs and low sofas. The only entertainment was some of the most talented names in the food industry, personally serving tasting portions of indulgent dishes. Instead of the usual buffet line, their tables surrounded the tree rather ceremoniously. Each plate was handcrafted and served with a wine pairing. Whites and bubbles perfectly chilled, reds were just right.
Where else could one have had a nibble of Masseto’s Tippi Tambunting’s Taglioni with Bottarga then move on to an explosive blue cheese molecular bite from Chele Gonzalez of Vask; excite your taste buds with some of Bruce Rickett’s Asian fusion tamales; fill your comfort with a tender roast beef by J Gamboa and finish off with a rich, melted cheese and onion confection from Rob and Sunshine Pengson. Desserts were equally as spectacular with a beautiful spread by the Raffles-Fairmont team comprising of small whimsical bites: faux fruit caviar, luscious chocolate and colorful confections….
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The crowd was equally as elegant. No pushy long lines and plates piled high with desperation but a fluid movement between conversations, bites and delicate noshing. Guests were dressed chic without pomp. Their destinies unwritten, they moved freely about from chair to table to lounge and bar. Genuine laughter, warm hugs and slightly intoxicated chatter. There was never a feeling that things would run out, that the wine would stop pouring and the bubbles would stop fizzing. The last sad bite on the chafing dish didn’t exist, everything was fresh and abundant.
It was lavish yet understated. It was against the grain and utterly successful. While many try to outdo each other and formal events tend to be a tad stressful with questions like “Who will we be seated next to or what should I wear?†I personally showed up in black, dateless as my husband was at work, and had a marvelous time. Within seconds of arriving, I had a fresh cocktail in my hand, showered by a flurry of air-kisses and catching up with new, old, close, distant friends and colleagues. It was society without protocol. A party for the senses. A sincere enjoyment of good food, good wine and, above all, good people.