You know how in Hell’s Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay is always yelling at the chefs for serving raw scallops and beef wellingtons? You’d think that after half a season, they’d at least be able to serve cooked food. Jeez, how difficult is it to cook?
We at DiscoverSG decided to try our hand at cooking, and barely a minute into pounding a mixture of chili, shallots and garlic, we understood: being a chef is tough.
Sure, we love cooking. It’s fun and–dare we say–worth the hard work. But as food enthusiasts looking to improve our culinary skills without having to spend a bomb, we know how impossible that task is. So imagine our excitement when we discovered culinary lessons that are not only taught by professional chefs, but are also absolutely free. Well, sort of.
Established in 2006, Palate Sensations Cooking School doesn’t just teach you recipes, they impart culinary techniques to make you a better cook. Whether you’re a food enthusiast or an amateur cook, the studio caters to anyone who’s interested in cooking.
Not gonna lie, but Palate Sensations’ open concept kitchen is amazeballs. Outfitted with sharp knives, pasta makers, and all sorts of other equipment, we’re telling you, the studio is essentially a culinary playground.
After donning our aprons, we were attached to Executive Chef Brenda Chew, previously a Pastry Chef at Jamie’s Italian Sydney, and Chef Instructor Loreta Valdez, who conducts classes for domestic helpers.
Working in pairs, some of us had fun kneading our own pasta dough for the Fresh Pasta with Vongole while the others meticulously chopped and pounded the ingredients for the Thai Green Curry paste.
With a printout of the detailed recipe and your very own chef instructor, we have to say it is nearly impossible for you to set anything on fire. Not only are the instructors professional and patient, their passion is sure to bring out your inner chef!
After an hour-long crash course in cooking, we had on our table the Fresh Pasta with Vongole, Thai Papaya Salad and Thai Green Chicken Curry.
For dessert, we whipped up a fresh batch of Panna Cotta with Seasonal Fresh Fruit Compote.
Were they delicious? Yes. Would we do it again? Definitely, especially when the classes can be covered by SkillsFuture Credit.
That’s right, with approximately thirty different SkillsFuture culinary classes, you get to enjoy these sessions on the parliament house! A two-day session at $250 per person that is claimable with your SkillsFuture Credit, get ready to learn to cook everything from pasta to pastries!
Besides giving us the recipe to take home, Brenda also said we could give her a ring should we encounter problems re-creating the dish. That alone is sweeter than our handmade desserts!
So if you’re a wannabe Masterchef looking for a place to start, we highly recommend heading to Palate Sensations for a taste of what its like being a professional chef in a very professional kitchen.
Now if you excuse us, we’ve got some Panna Cotta to re-create.
Palate Sensations Cooking School
Address: Chromos #01-03, 10 Biopolis Road, Singapore 138670
Contact no.: 6589 8843
Website
(Top Image Credit: Palate Sensations)
Also read, 10 Foods Invented By Singaporeans That Will Give You Massive #SGPride
