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2013-12-01
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For full review & more photos - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2013/11/food-photography-workshop-by-dr-leslie.htmlMy friend and I signed up for a Food & Makan Photography Workshop by famed food blogger Dr. Leslie Tay. The event was organized by Canon Imaging Academy, course fee was $55 (including a 3 Course Set Lunch valued at $38++ at Forest restaurant).We took a complimentary hotel shuttle and hopped off at the entrance of the Equarius Hotel. Forest 森 restaurant is located at the left side of the
My friend and I signed up for a Food & Makan Photography Workshop by famed food blogger Dr. Leslie Tay. The event was organized by Canon Imaging Academy, course fee was $55 (including a 3 Course Set Lunch valued at $38++ at Forest restaurant).
We took a complimentary hotel shuttle and hopped off at the entrance of the Equarius Hotel. Forest 森 restaurant is located at the left side of the hotel lobby. The forest themed restaurant has tall ceiling with wooden laminated pillars stretching out to the top like trees with 'branches' spreading across the entire ceiling. The decor and furnishings here is chic and contemporary with strong influences from the nature's flora and fauna, an extension of the nature-styled decor used throughout the Equarius Hotel. The restaurant has a spacious private dining room and also al fresco dining area set within the lush greenery.
This place features a 'Theatre Kitchen', an open concept kitchen with unobstructed view of the chefs working on their creations. I caught a glimpse of the Head Chef, Mike Tan, carefully crafting out the first dish of the set lunch with his culinary team.
Dr. Leslie shared with us on common challenges encountered when photographing food and some tips on getting better shots in different situations. Basic settings like lighting, composition, white balance and depth of field were discussed, and some simple food styling tricks to bring out the point of interest in a shot.It was already 4pm+ when we're done with the workshop and I was famished, so we quickly settled down to have our late lunch. Our 3 Course Set Lunch consists of an Appetizer, a Main course and a Dessert.
The Appetizer, Deep fried mushroom coated in wasabi mayo w/ avocado & tomato salad. A modern take on an oriental dish made with traditional ingredients but prepared in a western way. The contemporary styled plating is definitely pleasing to the eye, with 3 layers of distinct color stacked on top of each other.
This dish is not just pretty to look at, it tasted wonderful too...the crispy battered mushroom was very juicy and goes really well with the mixture of creamy avocado and savory mayo sauce. The thick cut tomato at the bottom was refreshingly sweet...a pure joy to eat!The main course, Wok-fried Japanese pearl rice w/ squid ink & XO sauce topped w/ Hokkaido scallop. This dish is an east-meet-west fusion dish, with Japanese ingredients prepared the Chinese way and infused with western flavor.
The plump and juicy scallop was huge in size. It was pan-seared perfectly with lightly charred edges but still retains its tender center. The fried rice was well executed with lotsa wok-hei, we could taste the sweetness from bits of fresh crabmeat inside it...delish!To end the meal on a sweet note, we had Chilled lemongrass jello w/ sweet Thai mango, young coconut & wolfberries. This is more like a Thai style dessert served with western fruits topping.
This dish will appeal to diners who like the taste of lemongrass, the jello has a pretty strong lemongrass aroma. Its soft and silky smooth and slipped into my throat effortlessly. The fresh fruits and tender young coconut compliments the jello perfectly. Thumbs up.We enjoyed our dining experience at Forest restaurant tremendously. The ambiance here is lovely, food and service quality is definitely top of the line. It is worthy of an occasional splurge. For price conscious diners, try their set lunches..they are great value for money!
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