For a quick and tasty bite, these places offer the best sandwiches around.

40 Hands
#01-12, 78 Yong Siak St., 6225-8545.

A Curious Tepee
#02-24 *SCAPE, 2 Orchard Link, 6820-1680.

The Book Café
#01-02 Seng Kee Building, 20 Martin Rd., 6887-5430.

Fou de Fafa
#01-05 Capital Tower, 168 Robinson Rd., 6327-9418.

Joe & Dough
#02-05 Hitachi Tower, 16 Collyer Quay, 6348-2115.

Onaka
44 Rochester Park, 6778-0246.

Oriole Espresso & Brew Bar
#01-23/23A, Republic Plaza, 9 Raffles Place, 6438-3843.

Simply Bread
#01-03 Guthrie House, 1 Fifth Ave., 6466-7767.

Smoke Shack
#01-33 Market Steet Car Park, 146 Market St., 6557-2214.

Simply Sandwich
#01-92 Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Blvd., 6336-6846.

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The folks: This small and very young family-owned enterprise is run by Cameron and Allister Ashmead, the sons of founders, Neil and Lorraine Ashmead, in Australia’s Barossa Valley.

The grape: Semillon grapes, commonly used to make white wines in France and Australia, are left to ripen on the vine and subject to botrytis cinera (noble rot) in the Griffi th region of the Riverina (central New South Wales). This intensifi es the fl avors and sugars in the fruit, resulting in a “sticky” wine. Other notable dessert wines that are produced in the same way include the holy grail of sweet wines, Sauternes, and Tokaji Aszú.

The look: A luscious golden hue that sits pretty in a glass, just begging to be sipped.

The smell: Your nose will be tickled by a honeyed sweetness that does well to conceal its 10.5 percent alcohol content, most inviting indeed.

The sip: Brace yourself for a luscious mouthfeel with notes of mango and apricot. The wine is sweet and concentrated enough to withstand pairings with dessert, but is not overly cloying thanks to its subtle end note of citrus.

The food: While we wouldn’t recommend drinking this on its own (unless you have a serious sweet tooth), we think it stands up especially well against an assortment of cheeses, particularly a blue cheese such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola. If you’d like to pair it with dessert, try a tangy lemon tart or apple crumble. The damage: $26 for 375ml.

The Beam Cellar, #01‑03/07 Mountbatten Square, 229 Mountbatten Rd., 6559‑1155.

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Nothing like an ice-cold treat at the end of the day. I-S picks out the best.

Daily Scoop
#01-78 Chip Bee Gardens, 43 Jalan Merah Saga, 6475-3128.

Frigidarium
#01-40 Market Street Car Park, 146 Market St., 9653-3140.

Gelato Art @ Sunset
#01-16 Blk. 105 Clementi St. 12, 9734-6243.

Ice Cream Chefs
#01-06 Ocean Park Building, 520 East Coast Rd., 6446-6355.

Ice Cream Gallery
#01- 20 Valley Point, 491 River Valley Rd., 6235-0870.

Island Creamery
#01-03 Serene Centre, 10 Jalan Serene, 6468-8859.

Scoop of Art
#01-03 Marine Parade Community Club, 278 Marine Parade Rd., 6345-6563.

Seventh Heaven
#01-24/25/26, 10 Raeburn Park, 6227-7787.

The Ice Cream Man
7 Haji Lane, 6398-0919.

Tom’s Palette
#01-25 Shaw Leisure Gallery, 100 Beach Rd., 6296-5239.

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The sudden death of Michelin-starred Catalan chef Santi Santamaria in Singapore sent shockwaves through the culinary world. Just hours before his death, we sat down with the culinary maestro and his daughter Regina for a tête-à-tête about unusual foods, molecular gastronomy and the importance of educating the young.

What do you think of Singapore and the local cuisine?
I’ve been to Singapore quite a few times now as a tourist and also for the World Gourmet Summit in 2000 and 2006. My first time was 20 years ago and I stayed at the Raffles Hotel. I really enjoyed that trip and have good memories of that. Singapore’s a city for people who love to eat, and it’s always a magnificent place to go. It’s also a city with a growing focus on gastronomy. There’s so much variety here, I really like it. But you do need to get used to the spices and the spicy element of local food. The other cuisines such as French, Chinese and Italian still manage to maintain a truly authentic flavor.

Have you ever eaten anything really unusual?
That’s a real cultural thing. Everything comes from nature, so on that level, I don’t really think natural ingredients are strange. I’ve had fried ants and grasshoppers, and the fact that they were crispy helped. What I think is really strange are all the chemical, synthetic products that people use.

What are some things that are important to you as a chef?
Where do I start? One important thing to me is to have better schools. I feel strongly that part of my vocation is the education of the new generation, to teach and share my knowledge with up and coming chefs. I’m very passionate about the young generation.

Something that I find most troubling is fast food. I’m big on slow food. Take your time to eat. Learn to cook. If you’re cooking, you think more about what you’re putting into your body because you have a much more direct relation with the food. That means thinking about what kind of products you’re buying. It’s such a pleasure to cook fresh, good quality products. Like the humble tomato. Just the beautiful, vibrant color of ripe tomatoes, the sweetness and flavor, the texture in your mouth: It’s magic.

Can you imagine walking into the supermarket and asking for 100g of cellulose, 50ml of lemon flavoring, four teaspoons of MSG? As a child who grew up near the mountains, I used to go on mushroom-picking excursions. I would grab a basket and just pick the freshest mushrooms till my basket was completely full.

You have a strong commitment to natural products. What do you think of molecular gastronomy and chefs such as Ferran Adrià who specialize in that style?
Everyone has the right to choose what they want to and each one of us is responsible for our work and what we do. I’ve tried Ferran Adrià’s food, I know his food, and I simply don’t enjoy it. For me, as a person, I would never want to build a Frankenstein (monster). But there’s a market for a lot of different people, cuisine styles and products. It just means there’s more of a choice for the customers. As long as they understand what you’re doing, I think that’s what counts.

Do you think of yourself as an artist?
I think chefs fancy themselves as artists. At the same time, when you’re working in the kitchen, you have to be very focused, attentive and disciplined. It’s the kind of business that is full of stress and tension, but at the end of the night when you’ve had a good service, you really can relax and let go. It can be difficult for the new generation of chefs to understand this and control their emotions. Everything we do in the kitchen has an immediate relation to the guest. You do it, they taste it. There are so many steps along the way where something can go wrong. Too much salt, it’s a disaster. Too long on the stove, another disaster. The list goes on. After being in the industry for 30 years, I think it’s normal to say to someone “better that you go home today.” Although I prefer to teach them than to just tell them to go. That having been said, patience also has a limit. If someone isn’t willing to learn, there’s not much you can do.


Chef Santi Santamaria passed away in Singapore on February 16, 2011.

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