During our behind-the-scenes tour of Martell, I’ve learned a lot about cognac, but really, there are so many things to know and three days are just not enough. That said, we managed to see a bit of everything, and one of the highlights was the visit to the Martell Cooperage where the barrels are made.

In order to have a better appreciation for cognac (or any liqueur for that matter) it is important for us to know of what goes in to producing it.

I’m sure everyone knows about the different types of Martell Cognac, but how many people can say that they know how the beverage actually comes about? While it’s definitely more fun to just drink cognac, I think it’s equally important to know about the origin.

I was a little overwhelmed when I stepped into the cooperage. There were so many things happening at the same time, and I was trying to take in everything. Luckily we had a staff who was there to explain the barrel-making process while we explored the area.

Before the visit to the cooperage, I thought that most of the work are done by machines and computers. So I was quite amazed to see that much of the barrel-making is still dependent on human labour.

There are some steps where they can use machines to cut the wood, but much of it is still done by hand and crafted with precision. As we walked through the different production stages, we saw many coopers busy at work, and trust me, it’s not an easy job.

From the selection of oak, to the preparation of the wood, and to the production; it takes a lot of time and labour just to make a barrel.

The visit to Martell Cooperage showed me that there are so much more to making a bottle of cognac. Here’s a toast to the unsung heroes working hard behind the scenes.

Note: I travelled to Cognac via Paris as a guest of Martell. No monetary benefits were received, only air tickets and hotel accommodations were sponsored.

Wow. Another year just passed by like that. This year was a big one, and I couldn’t have done it without you guys. Thank you for being here.

I ate a lot last year, and I managed to travel quite a bit as well. Like what I always say, travelling is just an excuse for me to eat more. So I’m not surprised that some of the best meals that I had last year were during my travels.

To be frank, it’s quite difficult to impress my jaded palate nowadays. You see, the problem of having too much good food is you will always have a benchmark to compare against, and this will lead you on a (never-ending) quest for something equally good, if not better – which is often quite impossible.

Thankfully, I’ve had several really good meals throughout the past 365 days, and I hope that I’ll be able to share with you more good food this time next year.

So for now, here are the 10 Best Meals that I had in 2011.

New Year Resolution in 2012: Eat more!

JAAN Restaurant in Singapore

Ever since Chef Andre Chiang left JAAN, the fine dining restaurant at Swissotel the Stamford – ranked #39 in S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010 – had struggled to fill his shoes. After eating there recently, I’m happy to say JAAN’s talented new Chef de Cuisine Julien Royer is the right person to lead them to greater heights.

The food was very, very good. It is one of the few meals I had in 2011 that made me sit up and take notice. JAAN is definitely one of the best restaurants in Singapore, and as long they stay on track, I’m sure it will not be long before they are back among the best restaurants in the world.

2 Stamford Road
70F Swissotel The Stamford, Singapore
Tel: +65 6431 5670
Mrt: City Hall Station

Café des Fédérations Bouchon in Lyon

When I was planning my Europe trip, Lyon wasn’t even in the picture. I wanted to visit some of the cities that I’ve always wanted to go – like Madrid, Venice, and Prague. After I figured that it is impossible to squeeze in all of them, I decided to keep it within the area, and Lyon – known as the food capital of France – immediately came to mind.

I’ve read a lot about the bouchons in Lyon; everyone raved that the best food in France could be found there. The Bouchon is a Lyonnais version of the classic French bistro. I’ll be writing a separate post on the food that we had, to cut the long story short, I had one of my best meals in 2011, if not my life, at Café des Fédérations.

8-10, rue Major Martin, Lyon
Tel: 04 78 28 26 00
Metro: Hotel de Ville

Bistro Soori in Singapore

Another really good meal that I had was at Bistro Soori. I wasn’t expecting much before going, and boy was I blown away by the food. It has a cosy and intimate setting, and some of the dishes – Pork Belly, Rack of Lamb, and Pandan Souffle – that we had were outstanding.

Sometimes, good things happen when you are least expecting them.

2 Teck Lim Road, Singapore
Tel: +65 6438 3802
Mrt: Outram Park Station

Zubuchon Lechon in Cebu

The lechon from Zubuchon is quite easily one of the best things that I’ve ever eaten. Utterly delicious.

One Mango Mall
General Maxilom Ave, Cebu City
+63 32 2395697

Prive Restaurant in Singapore

One of my favourite restaurants in Singapore is Prive at Keppel Bay. They serve good and unpretentious food. The meats that we had from the Josper Grill menu (prices range from $52 for Kurobuta Pork to $75 for the 280g Ribeye Cap) were fantastic. Definitely worth a try if you are in Singapore.

2 Keppel Bay Vista
GF Marina Keppel Bay, Singapore
Tel: +65 6776 0777
Mrt: Harbourfront Station

Cerveceria Catalana in Barcelona

Among the tapas places that we ate in Barcelona, Cerveceria Catalana stood out for serving good tapas at reasonable prices. It was one of the best meals that we had during the 5 days there. Just in case you are wondering, the jar of sangria you see in the picture doesn’t have anything to do with my choice. I’m completely sober as I write this.

236 Mallorca, Barcelona
Tel: 932 16 03 68
Metro: Passeig de Gràcia

Antoinette Patisserie in Singapore

Antoinette, without a doubt, is my favourite patisserie in Singapore. I lurveee Chef Pang’s creations and if I lived near the Lavender area, I could imagine myself dropping by the Parisian tea salon every other day. Try the Antoinette Chocolate Earl Grey Cake.

30 Penhas Road, Singapore
Tel: +65 6293 3121
Mrt: Lavender Station

Dinner at Martell’s Château de Chanteloup

I had many good meals during Martell’s Pure Gourmet tour, but the highlight was definitely the risotto that we had during one of the dinners. Paired with a glass of cognac, it was out-of-this-world-good. I can never see risotto in the same light again.

Naughty Nuri’s Warung in Bali

Naughty Nuri’s Warung is famous for its pork ribs, with many people calling it the place to go for the best pork ribs in Seminyak. It was so good that I polished off the whole rack by myself.

Jalan Batubelig 41 Kerobokan Kelod
Kuta Bali Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 847 6722

Pierre Herme in Paris

What do I need to say about Pierre Herme? It has always been my dream to visit the famous patisserie in Paris, and what a moment it was. After having the desserts from Pierre Herme, life will never be the same again.

I’ve always wanted to visit Europe, so I was really happy when I got the chance to go on a trip a few weeks ago. While I was excited about going to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and explore the patisseries, the highlight of my trip was definitely joining Martell on their Pure Gourmet Tour in the Cognac region.

Over the three days, we had an insider view of what goes on behind the scenes at Martell, and it was such an eye-opening experience as we witnessed first-hand the entire cognac-production process. Join me on this adventure to learn more about Martell and cognac!

When you mention Cognac in Singapore, most people will think of Martell, which is hardly surprising since they are the market leaders here. After going on this trip to learn more about cognac, I can assure you that there is a reason why Martell is so popular. From the distillation process, to the location of the vineyards, the way it grows the vines, the constant vigilance during the ageing phase, to the making of oak casks – Martell ensures every step is being done the right way so as to produce a bottle of good cognac.

I arrived in Paris one day before the trip to Cognac, and it gave me ample time to wander around Paris (more on that in another post).

The next morning, we hopped on the highspeed train to the Cognac region. We were feeling a little grumpy as we had to wake up for a 7am train, but when we arrived at Château de Chanteloup, the amazing view all but made up for it. I’m pretty sure I actually said “oh my God” aloud.

I had the pleasure of being in the company of David from David Lebovitz, Douglas from Intoxicating Prose, Qing from Neeu, Max from Cognac-Expert, Jamie from Life’s a Feast, Ren from Fabulicious Food, and Helene from The Lux Chronicles. All of us had so much fun (and cognac) during the stay in the Château.

This was the view that I woke up to every morning. It felt like heaven. I didn’t want to leave.

Our adventure started after lunch at Le Bistrot de Claude (35 Rue Grande 16100 COGNAC) – we were told it is one of the best restaurants in Cognac. We began with our behind-the-scenes tour at the Martell Distillery where we learned about the Martell-making process.

Throughout the trip, we were joined by Martell experts, so we had the opportunity to ask anything and everything we’ve ever wanted to know about Cognac. It’s really fascinating to speak with Jermey Oakes – Martell’s Brand Ambassador to China – and he shared with us lots of interesting stories about his experience working in the China market.

Stepping outside the distillery to visit the Martell vineyards.

Our tour continued with a visit to the Martell Cooperage where we witnessed the entire oak-making process. It was a lot of hard work, and it’s really quite something to learn that there are so many people working behind the scenes in order to produce good cognac.

Another highlight of the trip was visiting Martell’s headquarters. There, we were shown the original cellars and we had a tour of Martell’s Heritage Centre where we learned about the rich history of the cognac maker.

Tasting of Martell Cognac.

The real treat for us was in Paradise, or Martell’s Cellar, where they keep the oldest stock of cognac. We tasted the legendary L’Or de Jean Martell, and there’s only one word to describe the experience in Martell Paradise: wow!

And of course, everyone bought bottles of Martell cognac after the tour.

At Martell, it’s not just about the cognac. There’s also an emphasis to pair cognac with food. I was impressed by the fact that Martell actually has resident chefs working on their Pure Gourmet programme.

Developed by a team of culinary experts led by Chef Philippe Labbé, the idea behind “Pure Gourmet” was to develop a full menu involving ingredients which combine well with the particular characteristics of cognac.

We also got the chance to learn cooking from the chefs. Or rather, the chefs did all the work while we watched. We were treated to crêpes with orange sauce, and warm Madeleines straight from the oven, to go with glasses of cognac of course.

Throughout the trip, we had cognac every meal. It was crazy, but so much fun! Other than having lots of cognac, the kind folks at Martell also fed us very well. Life is good when you have delicious food and great cognac.

As I was taking the train back to Paris from Cognac, I kept thinking about our adventure over the past few days. We learned about the production of cognac, and the whole process is really mind-boggling. There is a level of quality control at every stage, and those guys at Martell really pay attention to every single detail.

We learned how to appreciate cognac with food; every cognac has its own personality and when you pair it with the right dish, it adds a different dimension. There is so much to learn, and so many different types of cognac to drink.

After going on this special trip, I will never look at a bottle of Martell Cognac in quite the same way again.

Note: I travelled to Cognac via Paris as a guest of Martell. No monetary benefits were received, only air tickets and hotel accommodations were sponsored.