Scenic rooftop multi-concept lifestyle destination CÉ LA VI revamps its restaurant offerings with a refreshed modern Asian menu from new executive chef Maksym Chukanov.
Award-winning restaurant and lounge CÉ LA VI at Marina Bay Sands recently installed a new executive chef in Maksym Chukanov to overhaul its food offerings. Maksym Chukanov – previously head chef of Michelin-starred Cure – takes over the helm from Group Executive Chef Joey Sergentakis and brings his own interpretations of what modern Asian flavours can mean.
Like his predecessor, Chef Maksym draws culinary inspiration from all over Asia, tempered with modern European cooking sensibilities and using some of the best produce sourced from around the world.
A bonus – Chef Maksym’s dishes are not only created for gastronomic impact; most of them are also beautifully plated and are totally Instagram-worthy.
The starters on the new CÉ LA VI modern Asian menu are particularly noteworthy. There’s the beautifully-presented Silver Fern Farms Beef Tenderloin Tartare, the hand-chopped grass-fed New Zealand tenderloin coated in an unctuous dressing of dijon mustard, soy and smoked wagyu beef fat. And if you like your seafood, the Scottish Razor Clam takes on classic Cantonese spin with an XO sauce rendered from dried scallops, garlic and chilli.
Worth ordering too is the Genting Highlands Cherry Tomato. These little fruit pops have been marinated for even more flavour, and served with creamy whipped burrata and dressed in a seaweed-infused oil. For a taste of spring, the Spring Peas Chawanmushi is a lovely savoury custard scented with tomato water and topped with petit pois, mint, garden flowers.
Even more impressive are the myriad of vegetarian options. The Thai Baby Corn is baby corn dipped in a chipotle adobo and then rolled in crispy quinoa for a delightfully healthy bar snack, and likewise the Tempura Zucchini Flower, the battered blossoms absolutely moreish when dipped in the accompanying furikake aioli.
As for mains, the New Zealand Whole Lemon Sole came highly recommended. But this time we went for the meat options instead – the New Zealand Maimoa Young Lamb Chop tender and juicy and lacking any strong abhorrent gamey notes, while the Iberico Pork Schnitzel is a delicious tribute to his time in Austria. If you’re looking to splurge, the A4 Miyazaki Striploin is a must. Here Chef Maksym is cognisant enough to be restrained, and lets the quality of the beef do the talking. The result? Each perfectly seared slice is melt-in-your-mouth and bursting with juiciness.
We’re just a little disappointed that Benjamin Hasko had left; the master sommelier would have been well-placed to advise on the best wines to pair with Chef Maksym’s new modern Asian creations.
So instead we turned to the cocktails. The refreshing Guavarita, essentially a Margarita, takes on the flavours of ‘jambu asam’, that spicy sour plum powder accompanying sliced guava available from street carts peddling fruits one finds in most Southeast Asian cities. Then there’s the High ‘T’, a tea-infused whiskey sour, or for something stronger, the Rum-A-Laka, an Old Fashioned made with a blend of rum and whiskey that’s a nod to the traditional Malay ‘pisang salai’ banana snack with its notes of salted caramel, banana, and gula melaka.
CÉ LA VI may be better known as a rooftop party destination with one of the most fabulous views Singapore has to offer. But with its new modern Asian menu of beautiful dishes as presented by Chef Maksym, we reckon one day soon visitors may come as much for the food as they do the view.
Ce La Vi
Address 1 Bayfront Avenue, Level 57 Marina Bay Sands Tower 3, 018971 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 5.30pm to 1am on Mondays and Tuesdays; 5.30pm to 4am on Wednesdays and Fridays; 5.30pm to 3am on Thursdays; 12pm to 4am on Saturdays; 12pm to 1am on Sundays
Tel (65) 65082188
Web www.celavi.com/en/singapore/
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Instagram @celavisingapore
