[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]here can be no reliable awards platform without a discerning and well-travelled panel. These are the gourmands who sat through countless tastings, incognito, just to identify the finest for The G Restaurant Awards 2017.
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HE NANCY LYNN MCDONALD Canada’s High Commissioner has lived in different corners of the world – from Switzerland to Hong Kong, and now Singapore. When not shaping trade policies, she likes exploring Singapore’s hawker food with her husband and two children. |
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HE JAMES SINCLAIR MANLEY Ambassador for the Republic of Chile to Singapore since 2014, HE Sinclair was previously ambassador to Indonesia from 2000 to 2006. He enjoys fine quality Chilean wines and reading works by his home country’s poet, Pablo Neruda. |
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HE ZENON KOSINIAK– KAMYSZ Ambassador for the Republic of Poland to Singapore since 2014, HE Kosiniak–Kamysz has held positions in Hungary, Germany, Slovakia and Canada. He enjoys spending his leisure hours birdwatching and savouring local delicacies. |
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SANDY CHNG A chef by training, Chng is now a sommelier with Singapore Airlines, a wine educator, and an adventurer by heart. He is certified by the Society of Wine Educators and the Court of Master Sommeliers, and accredited as a Certified Wine Course Educator from WSET UK. |
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DR BERNARD CHEONG Dr Cheong, a watch collector of international renown, is the only non-retailer or collector who is an official ambassador for Switzerland’s Foundation of Haute Horology. He recommends a combination of spirulina and six packets of Fybogel daily to balance the excesses of rich food. |
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DR CHNG CHAI KIAT Dr Chng is heading the Department of Dentistry at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. His love for skiing is second only to his passion for great food, whether it’s from a Michelinstar restaurant or a food-centre stall. The avid traveller also goes on Smile Asia mission trips. |
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NICOLA LEE A second-generation member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux Singapore, Lee is the Consul General of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne in Singapore. |
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PAUL LING A man of simple but discerning tastes, Ling’s heart is in wines and he has nearly 300 bottles in his collection, including his favourites – Amarones by the late Giuseppe Quintarelli. He believes dishes should be designed around wines, not vice versa. |
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EDWIN SOON Trained as an economist and an oenologist, Soon is an international wine consultant. Author of several books on wine, tea and food, he now also nurtures sommeliers. |
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MICHAEL TAY Tay is the founder of SingJazz, an international jazz festival, and director of the Foundation for the Arts and Social Enterprise. |
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KATHRYN YAP When not hunting down talent, Yap, named one of Businessweek’s top 50 headhunters in the world, hunts down good food. Her motto, inspired by her obsession with otoro and wagyu, is this: “Fat is flavour, so the more the merrier.” |
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LESLIE YEO Yeo is the principal director of Sterling Law Corporation. The lover of Japanese single malts occasionally hosts family and friends to an evening of food, wine and laughter, with the wide-ranging cuisine served spanning prawn dum biryani to Teochew-style chye poh neng (omelette with preserved vegetables). |
