Some of you may be familiar with Tools of the Trade (ToTT) which is the largest kitchenware and tableware retail store in Asia. Their flagship store at Dunearn Road is a one-stop culinary haven for anyone who cooks, bakes or hosts regardless if you’re a home cook, professional chef or a restaurant owner. If you haven’t been there, it is definitely worth checking the place out.

And for those who find the main store a little troublesome to get to, you may wish to know that ToTT has just launched its second store at Suntec City for the convenience of office workers and shoppers.

Last week, I was invited to a cooking class with Chef Francois Mermilliod (former head chef of French restaurant, Absinthe) at ToTT’s cooking studio @ Suntec.

The 4,800 square feet outlet is obviously not as spacious as its main store but it still provides a curated selection of appliances, tableware, cookware, bakeware as well as condiments, recipe books, etc. Expect to find brands like Cuisinart, Jamie Oliver, Epicurean, Martellato, Nordic Ware and more.

In this outlet, there is also a 900 square feet open-concept cooking studio that is fully equipped with state-of-the-art kitchenware. The studio can accommodate 6-12 people and it offers an intimate and cosy setting where work stations are located close to the chef’s table.

I thought the 2-hour cooking class was pretty well executed. We were given recipes of the 3-course meal that we had to prepare. Chef Francois would first give us a demonstration at his table on the prep work to be done and then we were given ready-portioned ingredients to work with. Throughout the session, Chef Francois would come round our stations to check on our progress and offer some tips or tricks so that we could nail the recipes with ease.

John was making the lemon curd and I was preparing the snapper for the ceviche as well as piping the chilled lemon curd onto the sable breton while our chicken was braising in the red wine sauce.

Though the Chef was supposed to be the one teaching us how to cook his recipes, we also inadvertently became cooking instructors as shoppers of the store simply crowded around in front of our stations to watch us cook. Can be a little nerve-racking, lol.

This was what Chef Francois came up with.

And these were our end products which hopefully weren’t too shabby. We thought the presentation could do with a bit more finesse, lol.

Though we could pack the dishes to go, we just couldn’t wait to dig in while everything was hot and fresh. Yes, the good thing about this cooking studio is that it also doubles up as a dining area after the cooking class so we can sample our creations. Oh man, all 3 dishes were so good! I was just blown away by the Sable Breton because it was so buttery and crumbly and the lemon curd had so much zest in it. The potato mash was so smooth and creamy and the braised chicken was just tender and flavoursome. The ceviche was also fresh and refreshing and made a perfect palate cleanser.

Overall, we had fun and we were impressed by how easy it was to make those 3 tasty dishes. I will share the recipes when I remake the dishes again at home 😉

For a list of ToTT’s available cooking classes, check out the schedule on their website here.

ToTT @ Suntec
3 Temasek Blvd, #02-427
Singapore 038983
Tel: +65 6238 1578
Website: https://www.tottstore.com/
Opening hours: 11.00am to 9.30pm (Mon-Sun)

On a side note, foodies can look forward to the opening of Chef Francois Mermilliod’s new restaurant, Bar a Thym at Gemmill Lane next month 😉

PS: Thank you Melissa & Ivy for the invite.

Tags: baking classcooking classes in singaporecooking lessons singaporecooking school singaporecooking studio singaporekitchen store singaporekitchen supplies singaporekitchenware singaporetott storetotts singapore