Marguerite, Singapore – A Temperance Programme that Mirrors Traditional Wine Pairing, Sans the Alcohol
Located in Singapore’s iconic Flower Dome, where nature serves as the restaurant’s primary inspiration, Marguerite offers a sophisticated non-alcoholic temperance option that mirrors the depth and complexity of a traditional wine pairing.
“For our temperance beverage pairings, we generally start with a dish and research the predominant flavour profiles of a wine we think would pair well. We identify a corresponding fruit that would match and craft a temperance beverage around this. We also look to ingredient pairings and what traditionally and historically go well together, taking into account the overall flavour profiles of a dish.” says Chef-Patron Michael Wilson. In the creation of these beverages, the most expensive ingredients prove to be labour and time, with some juices taking anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks to clarify and ferment.
Gala apples are caramelised and cooked with verjuice and celeriac, then clarified and infused with oak chips to create a lighter, non-alcoholic version of Chardonnay. This elegant pairing enhances the richness of aged Patagonian toothfish, geoduck and a fish and clam sauce split with dill oil. Sour cherry juice is hot infused with cacao nibs, smoked paprika, and black peppercorns before being clarified to resemble a spicy Cabernet. It pairs beautifully with Challans duck with lentils and duck confit-stuffed chou farci. Mimicking a crisp 0% Sauvignon Blanc, Granny Smith apple juice is infused with shiso, then clarified, infused with hay, and filtered. It creates the ideal match for chilled lettuce gazpacho with king crab and an amur caviar-studded Labneh veil. Each juice undergoes careful clarification, resulting in light, bright-tasting beverages that sit cleanly on the palate.
As these three Michelin-starred establishments continue to push the boundaries of culinary innovation, they demonstrate that non-alcoholic pairings are not just a trend, but a transformative and inclusive experience that enhances every dish and reflects the future of fine dining.
