The Gentleman Magazine Issue 9 | June 2018 | Page 44

Nouri, Singapore
The work of visionary chef Ivan Brehm, Singapore old town’s
trailblazing Nouri opened its doors in July 2017. With a name
alluding to the Latin for ‘nourishment’, the restaurant and bar
seeks to transcend our geographic boundaries by harnessing
the flavours, textures and cooking techniques which unite
seemingly disparate cuisines. On a mission to highlight the
cultural similarities which underpin the human experience,
chef-owner Brehm coined the term ‘crossroads cooking’ to
describe the blurring of food borders that Nouri is known for.
Born in Brazil, Brehm’s heritage embodies Nouri’s ethos:
possessing Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, Lebanese and
Syrian ancestry, he is attuned to the culinary ties that bind an
array of nations. Brehm exploits this universality via the likes
of his Silken cheese starter. On appearance, it resembles both
Italy’s panna cotta and Asia’s silken tofu, depending on the
diner’s culinary reference points. Nouri’s crossroads cooking
cuisine is further demonstrated by the and Vatapá dish. An
Afro- Brazilian fritter, turmeric and coconut sauce, bread and
salted prawn . Nouri’s take on a vatapá sauce highlights not
only the African influence that is prevalent in the North Eastern
part of Brazil but also the connection in taste, ingredient
and technique shared with their Asian counterparts, such as
Thailand with its green curry.
Prior to launching Nouri, Brehm worked at Heston
Blumenthal’s world-famous Bray flagship, The Fat Duck.
Brehm was development chef at the restaurant’s experimental
kitchen for four years, before becoming executive head chef at
Singapore’s Bacchanalia and earning it a Michelin star in 2016.
Nouri has allowed Brehm to pursue his passion for people,
which is also expressed in his restaurant’s interior design.
Walking the line between a home and a restaurant, it features
a large, marble chef ’s table which fosters connections between
chefs, servers and diners. Guests feel they have stepped into a
home kitchen, for an experience which reminds all who visit
of just how universal food is, and also, indeed, how similar we
all are.
Address:
Nouri, 72 Amoy Street, Singapore 069891
Opening hours:
Lunch: Tuesday to Friday 11:30 to 15:00 (last seating at 14:30)
Dinner: Monday to Saturday 18:00 to 24:00 (last seating at
22:30)
Restaurant and beverage manager at Nouri is Matthew Chan,
who curates a wine list which showcases boutique producers.
Organic, biodynamic and natural wines represent a substantial
share of the list, with complex rosé and orange wines often
paired with the food. Chan also oversees an extensive sake
list and Asian-inspired cocktails, which reflect the region’s
heritage.
44 | The Gentleman Magazine “Powered by
, Security in Motion”