Cooking Beats — Dancegiving

The Thanksgiving tradition began in 1621, after a group of religious separatists, now known as the Pilgrims, settled into Plymouth. The group had just survived their first brutal winter, and with the help of Native Americans, managed to gather their first corn harvest. The very first Thanksgiving feast was a celebration, and, as the name suggests, a representation of gratitude.

At Kilo, we celebrated the season with Cooking Beats — Dancegiving, and although the night bore a different name, it was very much for the same reason: of giving thanks for an incredible year at Kilo, and as a way to gather friends and family over a hearty, warm meal.

If you watched the (hilarious) invitation video here, you’d have found out that our executive chef Manel Valero was planning a menu that included ‘frash turki’, among other things. The menu of the night included traditional classic dishes but with a Kilo twist — think Kilo Fried Chicken & Escalivada with miso aubergine; Naughty Tom Yum ‘Cocido’ with stewed beans, lardo, and chorizo; Thai-style Roasted Turkey with a cranberry & ginger sauce, Vietnamese gravy, and nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauces).

Chef Manel was in his element throughout the night, serving out dish after dish as diners poured in and the conversation flowed.

“Dinner was very good. Everything was great,” one guest remarked. What was the group’s favourite dish? “The drinks actually! We’ve had quite a bit of this: Thyme is of the Essence.”

Other favourites for the night included the Pig Head Terrine, a playful twist on kuay chap, a Singaporean favourite. The dish is usually made up of flat, broad rice sheets in a soup made with dark soy sauce, and served with pig offal, braised duck meat, various kinds of beancurd, preserved salted vegetables, braised hard-boiled eggs and peanuts. At Kilo, however, the pig head terrine was served with strips of the same rice sheets, but also with szechuan vinegar and braised peanuts puree — a dish that might soon become a permanent item on the Kilo menu.

Guests also loved the Pumpkin & Thai Tea Pie with yuzu cheesecake and roasted chestnuts, as well as the Baked Sweet Potato with crab, bottarga, and apple.

As with all Cooking Beats nights, the evening didn’t end there — DJs Dave Code and Shellsuit brought the party to Kilo Lounge as we rounded off a night of good food, shared conversations, and the best company.

On behalf of the Kilo team, thank you to all who joined us at Dancegiving, and for being a part of our journey this year. We’ve got even bigger and more exciting things to come for 2016, and we can’t wait for you to be a part of the new year as well.

View more photos from the night here.