Hello from ST Food, The Straits Times' food website, www.straitstimesfood.com.
In this new weekly column, find out what's happening on the site, with a list of exclusive online stories and videos to look out for.
Online this week is the lowdown on two new restaurants - lifestyle cluster Como Dempsey's latest restaurant addition, The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar (Block 17D Dempsey Road, tel: 1800-304-5588), by celebrity New York-based French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten; and ramen king Keisuke Takeda's soon-to-open outfit Teppanyaki Hamburg Nihonbashi Keisuke Bettei (72 Peck Seah Street, tel: 6908-4348, no reservations) in the Tanjong Pagar area.
Life editor Tan Hsueh Yun dined at The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar last Wednesday night and was wowed by the flounder ceviche with fermented green chilli and puffed rice, as well as chef Vongerichten's take on salmon sushi, where the fish sits on a crisp, fried rice cake with chipotle mayonnaise and is brushed with soya glaze.
She says the restaurant's intricate white wicker chairs are also a lovely sight.
Go online to drool over the tantalising dishes she tucked into.
That same night, I attended a pre-opening tasting at Teppanyaki Hamburg Nihonbashi Keisuke Bettei. The restaurant opens tomorrow at 11.30am.
It specialises in Japanese-style hamburger patties, which are made with house-minced US Prime beef shoulder, caramelised onions and egg, among other ingredients.
There are two patties to choose from: a plain one and one filled with a blend of parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.
Watch videos of sauce sizzling on the hot plate and molten cheese oozing out of the soft, chunky patty when it is cut with your chopsticks - no need for a fork and knife here.
On the topic of videos, ST Food has also released one on Hua Nam, the 49-year-old family-run dim sum eatery in Upper Thomson that will be closing at the end of this month. In the video, journalist Kenneth Goh talks to the restaurant's third- generation owner Sam Siew, who says he and his siblings are calling it a day because business has slowed and most of them are getting on in age.
ST Food launched last November and not only showcases ST's print stories, but also features articles from sister publications The Business Times and The New Paper, as well as stories from international publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and other newspapers in Asia.
•Follow Rebecca Lynne Tan on Twitter @STrebeccatan
