If you are looking for a cool dessert spot to patronise after your lunch (or dinner) date, here’s the place to check out. Perched on the 62nd floor of One Raffles Place is Singapore’s highest gastronomic destination, Stellar @ 1-Altitude. And apart from the breathtaking views, the restaurant also does one of the most Instagrammable dessert art to indulge in. Not only are they super photogenic, these desserts taste delectable, which makes them the best way to complete any meal. We spoke to the restaurant’s group pastry chef (and the woman behind it all), Jasmin Chew, where she shares her favourite dessert spots and more.
On her graphic design and food background
Chef Jasmin Chew (CJC): “Growing up, I have always wanted to work in the F&B or art industry. Before I actually took up graphic design I was already full-timing just out of school at Shangri-la hotel and that really gave me my first dose of working in a kitchen. But I pursued graphic design in Melbourne and when I was there, I chanced upon Oriental tea house and they offered me a job (which I, of course, agreed to). I spent 7 years with the company and it was then when I when I realised I really love doing food and wanted to pursue it full-time. So I decided to come back to Singapore and just nose-dive into it.”
On combining art and desserts together
CJC: “I have actually been combining art and food throughout the years. Food and visuals are very much closely related. So when I started this career, I used a lot of my photography and graphic design skills to do up the medias for the other places I previously worked at. I was actually doing up posters for them while being their pastry chef at the same time. But this dessert art experience really took off when I came here to Stellar about five years ago. When I came on board, I felt like there was so much potential to hone my skills in dessert art here and slowly, it developed into this.”
Three of her favourite dessert arts she has ever made
CJC: “There’s the chocolate parfait, it comes with dry ice for a smokey effect. Another one I really love is called fire ball. There’s a hazelnut praline cake in the center and then it’s flamed up so the whole thing looks like a flaming ball. The last one has got to be the peach sorbet.”
On where she draws her inspiration from
CJC: “I would say I draw my inspiration from a variety of things, there’s a lot that would just catch my eye and inspire me. Mostly, however, it’s ingredient-based. In terms of food, there are all these seasonal fruits, so we play around with that. But sometimes there are other things that inspire me such as colours. When I see colours, I immediately put ingredients together. I visualise it in my mind and then I start thinking which flavours can go well together.”
On her favourite dessert places in the world
CJC: “It may come as a surprise to many but I actually love simple desserts and one of my favourites is Crispy Creme’s Original Glaze donut. I also do like Cheryl Koh’s tarts and in fact, if my friends came down to Singapore, I would actually bring them there to eat. The other comfort food I love would be Belgium waffles and the best one I had was in Melbourne. There’s no proper name, it’s just a pushcart nestled in one of the back alleys next to Flinders train station.”
What can we expect from you in 2018
CJC: “In 2018, I would like to focus more on taking my desserts to new heights. We have been discussing bringing in a 3D printer machine so that we can do different, unique desserts with crazier flavours.”
Check out the amazing desserts below.
