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CULINARY SECRETS OF AN INSPIRED PALETTE

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Smiling man wearing glasses and Ice Cube t-shirt in black and white photo at indoor venue

Exclusive Interview with Vladimir Chistyakov, Brand chef & restaurateur, Himitsu

Questions:

We’ve heard that your journey started with a moment of inspiration – where did this happen and what was it about that experience that truly changed your perspective on food?
It all started in my hometown, in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. I grew up surrounded by honest, simple food, such as baked potatoes, pickled mushrooms or smoked fish. It wasn’t about luxury; rather the food symbolised care, emotion, and connection. Later, I realised that true gastronomy isn’t about complexity, it’s about truth, and the kind of flavour that brings you back to a memory and can capture you in nostalgia.

You’ve built restaurants that feel personal in story and style. How do you bring this style and individuality into the collective rhythm of a kitchen?

    A kitchen is a living organism. It breathes with rhythm, emotion, and trust. I try to build a culture where creativity doesn’t belong to one person. We talk, taste, argue, grow and learn together. When the team understands not only how to cook a dish, but why it exists, individuality naturally becomes part of the collective rhythm.

    What’s the wildest flavour pairing you’ve experimented with that actually worked?

    Birch smoke and blackcurrant. It happened by accident, where the aroma of burnt birch met the berry’s acidity and created an unexpected harmony. Sometimes nature whispers solutions before logic does.

    You’ve lived and worked across different cultures. What’s one culinary philosophy from Russia that continues to shape your approach?

    Respect for the product. In Russia, especially in Siberia, people have always cooked with what they had and it teaches care and gratitude for your ingredients and produce. When you treat nature’s gifts with appreciation and honour, the dish will always find its balance.

    Dubai’s culinary scene is buzzing with innovation, what excites you most about being a chef here right now?

    Freedom. In Dubai, you can experiment without boundaries. People are open, curious, and ready to experience food emotionally. For a chef, it’s the perfect place to grow — creatively and personally.

    Himitsu means “secret” in Japanese. What is the secret ingredient that becomes essential to creating unforgettable dining experiences?

    Attention. Not just to ingredients, but to people, sound, light, the mood of the evening and overall ambiance. The secret lies in harmony, when everything feels effortless, yet deeply intentional.

    Quick Questions:

    One word that best describes your cooking philosophy?

    Cooking philosophy: Honesty.

    First dish you made that made you think, “I’m a chef now”?

    The first dish that made me think, “I’m a chef now” was a Black Sea white fish — simply roasted, served with millet porridge and fermented root vegetables. Minimalism with character

    A secret ingredient for turning dishes into exquisite flavours?

    Secret ingredient for flavour: Time, patience that allows flavours to unfold.

    Your signature dish, and the story behind it?

    Meat smoked on birch bark with bone marrow sauce and pickled peppers. A dish that symbolises my background, my future and my creativity – fire, tradition, and character.

    The one technique you think every chef should master?

    Roasting: it teaches you timing, temperature, and intuition.

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    Hospitality

    TWG Tea Unveils the TWG Tea Gallery, Its Largest Flagship and First-Ever TWG Tea Museum at Singapore Changi Airport

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    TWG Tea, the finest luxury tea brand in the world, unveils its largest global flagship, TWG Tea Gallery, at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3, marking a significant milestone in the brand’s international growth. Welcoming travellers around the clock, the TWG Tea Gallery is strategically located within one of the world’s leading aviation hubs, underscoring TWG Tea’s continued investment in travel retail as a key pillar of its global expansion strategy. Spanning 2,700 square feet beneath a soaring 23-foot-high ceiling, the new flagship represents the brand’s most ambitious retail expression to date, setting a new benchmark for luxury tea in the global travel retail landscape.

    Envisioned as an immersive expression of TWG Tea’s craftsmanship and savoir-faire, this destination invites discerning travellers into a luminous world where rare harvests, exquisite blends and timeless rituals converge. Its landmark TWG Tea Museum showcases more than 170 antique tea wares and over 50 antique Russian samovars from the 17th to 20th centuries, personally curated by the brand over the past 15 years from around the world. TWG Tea Gallery also introduces a selection of exclusive creations, including the Grand Voyage Tea from the Grand Mode Tea Collection, the Singapore Surprise Gift Set, and specially created tea-infused macarons, ice cream and sorbet.

    Bringing together the Tea Boutique, curated tea accessories, bespoke gifting and a Takeaway experience, this flagship also introduces Singapore’s only Tea-Infused Ice Cream & Sorbet concept, designed for travellers on the go. An impressive tea wall displaying more than 1,200 tea tins anchors the space, transforming the space into a compelling new expression of TWG Tea for today’s global traveller.

    “The TWG Tea Gallery represents the most definitive expression of TWG Tea to date. More than a Tea Boutique, the flagship brings the past, present and future of tea into one immersive experience, celebrating the stories, traditions and artistry that have shaped tea over the centuries, brought to life through its landmark TWG Tea Museum. Singapore has remained central to TWG Tea since its founding, and we are honoured to present our largest global flagship at Changi Airport, an icon of aviation excellence and an extraordinary platform to bring the world of TWG Tea to travellers from around the world.”
    —Taha Bouqdib, President & CEO of V3 Gourmet and Co-Founder of TWG Tea

    “Changi Airport is proud to be home to TWG Tea’s largest flagship store in the world and its first-ever TWG Tea Museum. As one of Singapore’s most recognised brands, TWG Tea offers travellers a uniquely Singapore experience. Together with TWG Tea, we are delighted to introduce a collection of exclusives created specially for Changi Airport, including Singapore’s only tea-infused ice cream and sorbet concept. This new flagship transforms a retail visit into an immersive journey through the heritage, artistry and culture of tea, reflecting the innovation and hospitality that define both TWG Tea and Changi.”
    —
    Hung Jean, Managing Director of Airside Concessions at Changi Airport Group

    A Voyage Through Design

    This location within Changi Airport was chosen to house TWG Tea Museum to form a defining part of the flagship experience, showcasing more than 170 antique tea wares and decorative objects spanning cultures and eras. The collection offers a compelling window into the artistry and cultures that have shaped tea over the centuries, adding a rich traditional dimension to the contemporary travel retail experience.

    Among its highlights are Yixing clay teapots, traditionally marked by their makers and prized for their craftsmanship and provenance, alongside Chinese and Western tea wares tracing evolving traditions of form and decoration from the 18th century to the present day. Blue-and-white ceramics shaped by Chinese-Islamic artistic exchange sit alongside porcelain once prized in Europe as “white gold,” revealing the movement of ideas and aesthetics across cultures through the rituals of tea.

    The collection also includes more than 50 antique samovars from Russia, with notable 19th- and early-20th-century examples from the celebrated workshops of Tula and beyond. Works by makers such as the Batashev and Shemarin brothers bear distinctive hallmarks attesting to their provenance and craftsmanship, offering a further perspective on the decorative traditions surrounding tea.

    This dialogue between cultures continues in the flagship’s design, crowned by a hand-painted ceiling depicting a luminous world tea map. As its defining architectural feature, the composition traces the global journey of tea through intricate motifs and rich colour, extending the museum’s narrative of cultural exchange into the contemporary setting of Changi Airport Terminal 3.

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    Hospitality

    MI AMOR: ORILLA INTRODUCES A NEW WEEKLY LADIES’ NIGHT IN JVT

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    Orilla is turning Wednesday nights into an occasion with the launch of Mi Amor, a new weekly ladies’ night bringing together free-flowing drinks, live entertainment and an elevated late-night atmosphere at the restaurant’s rooftop setting in Jumeirah Village Triangle.

    Launching on Wednesday, 7 October from 7:00pm onwards, Mi Amor invites ladies to dress up, gather their favorite people and settle into an evening designed around good energy, flowing drinks and memorable moments.

    Set on the 27th floor of Hotel Local, Orilla provides the backdrop for the new weekly ritual, combining panoramic surroundings with the restaurant’s lively Latin-inspired atmosphere. For the launch evening, guests can expect free-flowing drinks for ladies, sensational entertainment throughout the night and a room dressed for the occasion.

    More than simply a midweek drinks offer, Mi Amor is designed as an opportunity to make Wednesday feel like the start of the weekend. From the first cocktail to the final song, the evening brings together music, entertainment and an upbeat social atmosphere for groups of friends looking to make the most of their night.

    The launch will set the tone for what guests can expect from Mi Amor as it becomes a regular fixture at Orilla — a night built around celebration, connection and a little indulgence.

    Mi Amor Ladies’ Night launches on Wednesday, 7 October, from 7:00pm onwards, with free-flowing drinks available for ladies and entertainment throughout the evening.

    Event Details

    • What: Mi Amor Ladies’ Night | When: Every Wednesday, launching 7 October 2026 | Time: From 7:00pm onwards | Where: Orilla, 27th Floor, Hotel Local, Jumeirah Village Triangle, Dubai | Ladies’ Offer: Free-flowing drinks | Entertainment: Throughout the evening | Reservations: +971 4 575 2986 / +971 55 104 7521 | Email: reservation@orillarestaurant.com
    • Limited tables are available. Guests are encouraged to reserve in advance and join Orilla for the first taste of Mi Amor. 
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    Hospitality

    From AMAYA to MYA: Dubai Mall Dining Destination Refines Its Global Identity

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    AMAYA is now MYA. As the brand expands its regional and international presence, a unified name gives every location one voice and every guest one clear promise. MYA supports consistency across its growing portfolio of destinations while preserving the energy, hospitality and attention to detail established in Dubai.

    The Dubai-born dining and lifestyle brand has refined its name as part of its continued growth: one concise name that can be recognized, remembered and expressed with equal confidence in every market. MYA is shorter by design, creating greater clarity across destinations, partnerships, communications and digital platforms.

    The refinement is precise. MYA carries forward the same founder and leadership, the same team, the same concept, the same culinary direction, the same standards and the same distinctive guest experience. Everything that earned the trust of AMAYA’s guests remains at the heart of MYA.

    “Strong brands grow through clarity, consistency and trust. MYA gives the name we have built a sharper global expression. Our people, standards and guest experience remain exactly the same. One name. One vision. One uncompromising standard, built in Dubai and continuing forward as MYA.”               

    –  Murat Tutuncu and Moe Ezzat  | Founders & CEO, MYA

    MYA’s purpose is clear – to give the established Dubai-born hospitality brand a shorter and more consistent name as it grows across destinations. The shorter name increases recognition, the unified name strengthens consistency, and the same standards give the brand the foundation to grow confidently across cultures and geographies.

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