wolfgang-puck

[dropcap size=small]P[/dropcap]assengers in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 3 can look forward to new dining options next year.

The Kitchen By Wolfgang Puck, a casual restaurant by the renowned celebrity chef, will open by March. This will be followed by Australian coffee-shop chain Hudsons Coffee and British sandwich chain Pret A Manger. Both will open by June next year.
The new eateries are brought in by Emirates Leisure Retail (ELR), a subsidiary of the Dubai-based Emirates Group, which runs Emirates, the airline.

This marks the first collaboration between Changi Airport Group and ELR, a food and beverage company that operates more than 260 restaurants, cafes and bars in the United Arab Emirates and Australia. Brands in its portfolio include the Costa Coffee chain and Heineken Lounge.

Peter Reffell, group executive chef of ELR, which operates another outlet of The Kitchen By Wolfgang Puck in Dubai International Airport and The Bistro by Wolfgang Puck in Sydney Airport, says: “With outlets in Dubai and Sydney airports, there was a great opportunity to bridge the gap between the Middle East and Australia to open in Singapore, which is one of the world’s foremost airports and the gateway to Asia.” There are currently 15 food and beverage shops in the transit area in Terminal 3, which sees more than a million travellers passing through every month.

Making its debut in Asia is The Kitchen By Wolfgang Puck, which will be a 79-seat all-day dining restaurant serving global comfort food with Asian influences. Offerings will include smoked salmon and crème fraîche pizza; Wolfgang’s Herb-Roasted Half Chicken served with broccolini and citrus gremolata; and crispy calamari with pepperoncini aïoli and spicy marinara sauce.

Dishes that will be available only in the Singapore restaurant include Hot ‘N’ Sour Soup with chicken, mushrooms, egg and scallions; and Asian BBQ Chicken served with bell peppers, broccolini and Thai chillies. Prices have not been determined. The restaurant will have an open-concept kitchen fitted with a custom-built pizza oven. There are three Kitchen By Wolfgang Puck in the United States, which are not operated by ELR.

In Singapore, chef Puck also has Spago, an American fine-dining restaurant, and CUT by Wolfgang Puck, a steakhouse – both in Marina Bay Sands.

Also making its debut here is Hudsons Coffee, which has more than 60 stores across Australia. The 1,700 sq ft café here will offer drinks made with coffee blends roasted in Melbourne and its signature IceStorm drink, an espresso- or mocha-flavoured frappé, alongside sandwiches and pastries such as Australian vintage cheddar and tomato toastie, and Lamington cake.

Making a comeback here is British sandwich chain Pret A Manger, which opened in Robinson Road in late 2006 before shutting down about a year later. The chain has about 450 outlets in countries such as the UK, France and China. The outlet here will serve sandwiches and salads made daily in its on-site kitchen. Diners can expect popular items such as the wild crayfish and rocket sandwich; stone-baked baguette topped with tuna mayonnaise and cucumber; and butter brioche breakfast bacon and omelette roll. It will also serve organic tea, coffee, juices and cold drinks.

Other eateries that will open in transit areas in Changi Airport in the next six months include pizza and sandwich shop The World Is Flat by Tanuki Raw in Terminal 1 and LeNu Noodle Bar, which serves Taiwanese food; and Paradise Noodle & Congee Specialist, both in Terminal 3.

This story first appeared in The Straits Times.