Expat Living Singapore – July 2019

WINE & DINE

JULY 2019 97

Class: “Alfresco Dining”

Time, place and cost:Held at Expat Kitchen’s cooking

studio in Little India (9 Norris Road, #02-01), this three-

hour cooking class (10am to 1pm) costs $165 per person.

The more classes you book, the cheaper they get.

What’s cooking:The Alfresco Dining class

focuses on teaching six light and refreshing

dishes: a mushroom, caramelised onion

and feta quiche; roast balsamic tomato

almondine; chicken caesar salad; herb-

crusted salmon; spicy, roasted eggplant dip;

and Parmesan pita crisps.

What I liked:As with all classes at Expat

Kitchen, this focus class was kept at a cosy

size. I was joined by six other participants, who

were all English-speaking domestic helpers. After

washing our hands and putting on our aprons, we started

on the first recipe, the quiche.

Everyone gets their own file with the full recipes printed

and arranged according to sequence, which was super useful

during the lesson. Our trainer I-Lin constantly referred

to it, explaining the reasons behind each step. She was

clear, concise and easy to understand. As it was a small

group, we were able to get close to I-Lin whenever she was

Whether you’re a seasoned cook or kitchen

novice, cooking classes are a great way to

gain some skills while having fun. Here’s

one we tried recently!

6229 4221 | expat-kitchen.com

Get Cooking!PHOTOGRAPHY KEN TAN

demonstrating something. It was also easy

for her to delegate the work to each of us; the

whole process was based on teamwork, as we

had to create each dish together.

Although there was no break in between, the three

hours passed pretty quickly and the class was over before

I knew it! I-Lin’s jovial demeanour made the atmosphere

casual and relaxed, and the lesson was well-paced without

being rushed. As for the dishes, they were all easy to prepare

yet delicious. I even picked up a few tips and tricks about

basic cooking and presentation, such as the right way to

slice through grilled chicken.

My favourite dishes? The eggplant dip, which had an

addictive smoky flavour, thanks to the 40 minutes of

roasting, and the roast balsamic tomato almondine, which

was unbelievably simple to create! At the end of the class,

we enjoyed the fruits of our labour for lunch; it was the

perfect way to round off the session.

• Anthia Chng

UPCOMING CLASSES:

Expat Kitchen offers a wide range of classes for

everyone, regardless of kitchen skills or experience.

Expect everything from basic cooking classes to

master classes, and specific courses like baking and

Peranakan cuisine. The next Alfresco Dining class is

taking place on 17 July from 10am to 1pm.