“We are fortunate to be surrounded by a group of energetic young people who want to learn about a country that does not belong to them, but which has embraced the culture of our country as if it were their own. They quickly learn the details of our gastronomy, wines, our history, music and art, being now a kind of ambassadors for Portugal. Thus, in praising their employees, Carlos Macedo and Couto responded to the prestigious award Best New Restaurant of the Yearassigned to your Tuga Singapore, in Singapore, Malaysia, May 20, for World Gourmet Summit 2021, the most prestigious gastronomic event in Southeast Asia.
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Architect – restored by accident, never leaving the previous profession -, Carlos Macedo and Couto together with a Malaysian business lady Sue-Shan Kwek, restaurant owner Tuga Singaporewho just won this important award by reaching the final with four other entrants. Carlos Macedo and Koutu’s adventure began 40 years ago when he went to work in Macau. In 2012, he was invited to travel to Taiwan to work on a project where he fell in love. This passion paid off, he is married to Candy Lin and moved to another country, staying in Taipei.
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Before the restoration came “uncompromising” import of wines at the request of friends, who, however, through him knew and loved Portuguese nectar. “Selling Portuguese wine in Taiwan is not easy“, it says Carlos Macedo and Couto to Nice bed Nice table“So I thought that in order to sell this, I needed to do something related to food.” So it was, with cook friend who moved from Lisbon who opened in 2015 Sadness, in Taipei – a restaurant, or rather, “a kind of representation of Portugal with all the best that the country has,” as he prefers to describe.
“Singapore is a rich country. There is money here, people want good food and consume it. Thus, it is an ideal market to get to know the Portuguese brand, ”he explains. On the Tuga Singapore and unlike Sadness from Taiwan “I have no wine list. I have a thousand different Portuguese wines from different regions of the country. Associated with Tuga, there is small gourmet shop with the best Portuguese products, from olive oil to pine nuts, canned food, tea, all of Portugal’s homemade cheeses, cod, rice. All products are of high quality, ”he guarantees.
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The move to Singapore took place at the end of 2019 at the call of the local entrepreneur Sue-Shan Kwek, a frequent visitor Sadness in Taipei who wanted to use the same concept in their city. In May 2020 Tuga Singapore he was ready to open the doors. However, the conclusion meant that they still had a month to work. pick up finally in June to open the doors to new customers. The success was instant. “Obviously, this is a job that owes a lot to the team. We have a great chef in Taiwan, Nelson Santos, and another one here in Singapore, Thiago Martins. “
The space works like a basement. People eat in the middle of bottles of wine. “And it is the wines that serve as a kind of bait for those who come here,” explains Macedo and Koutu. Once in space, however, humans are attracted by smells to the serving of those who prepare meals there. And they end up experimenting.
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“We decided not to make gourmets, all our dishes are the purest traditional Portuguese cuisine,” says the owner. This is the case, for example, with Shellfish Bulhão Pato, Mussels Dona Rose, Garlic shrimps, Fried mushrooms, Fish from the garden, Pastel e Pataniskas cod in snacks. Typical soups such as Chicken soup or at Fish soup…
Among the fish dishes, you can find cod, prepared in a variety of ways, in the restaurant Lagareiro, in Brás, Prepared, With cream, in Gomes de Sá… But also Octopus à lagareiro, Robalo in the oven, Only, Hake fillet for Chef Thiago.”E Achorda from seafood…
On the other hand, the variety of offerings is just as generous, Pork Alentejo, Seeder for calves, lamb chops, roast lamb, Steak a few and “our rice, a very bad guy …”, as Carlos Macedo and Koutu describe. Finally, the famous desserts must not be missed. Cream with cream, O Cream-milk, Biscuit, Chocolate muss, O Sweet rice And How Drunk pears…
ABOUT Tuga Singapore has 100 seats, including an open area.
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