Serving Up Italian Gastronomic Symphonies
Located in the quaint neighbourhood of Woodgrove, Rubato offers a unique blend of rustic yet modern Italian flavours, creating a classic and homely dining experience for its diners. The restaurant's name, interestingly, is derived from an age-old musical term "rubato". And what has it got to do with food, one may ask?
The word rubato literally means the quickening of a tempo, which describes my work ethic and the blistering pace which my restaurant and I work at to provide only the best to our customers,” shared the 35-year-old chef/owner Marcus Edwin Wu – his love for music is close to his heart as he plays the violin.
Source: singaporebeauty
Marcus is a culinary practitioner whose passion for food and his craft comes from his heritage. Born and raised in Singapore with Eurasian roots, Marcus's interest in the culinary world was cultivated by his mother of Portuguese descent at a young age.
“Since young, my mother had always cooked for my family traditional Italian dishes like pizza napoletana, tagliatelle al ragù (traditional variation of bolognaise) and rigatoni alla carbonara (traditional variation of carbonara), every week without fail.”
“At the age of five, curiosity got the best of me, and I asked my mother to teach me how to make these dishes from scratch,” recounted Marcus with a smile. Inspired by the charm of Italian cooking, the diverse food culture and flair of Bel Paese (phrase for Italy), he embarked on an arduous journey to refine his skills In Italy, where he learnt more and upgraded himself with many talented chefs who specialised in premium Italian cuisine.
Source: singaporebeauty
“Leaving Singapore to such a faraway country to pursue my passion wasn’t easy as I had to leave my friends and family. It resulted in homesickness at times,” he shared emotionally.
“But my dreams had a calling of their known, which told me I had to persevere and do what I have to do to reach my goal,” adding that he’s had to make sacrifices along the way.
“As an avid violinist, I love playing the instrument so much and had always sought solace in it. But because of my pursuit of success, I had to give it up for a very long time throughout my stint overseas due to the lack of time and energy,” he shared openly.
He added, “I have also lost many friends who were unhappy about me pushing them away and neglecting time with them in exchange for my career.” Even when in Italy, he had to endure long hours of culinary training and often felt demoralised as his mentors were very stringent and often scolded him even for the slightest of mistakes.
Source: thatravellinggourmet
A vivid incident from back then still plays in his mind even today. “I had an exercise to brunoise (technique for cutting ingredients) a zucchini into uniform pieces. When the head chef checked my work, he found a piece to be off by a mere estimate of half a centimetre and I got screamed at for that,” recounted Marcus as he let out a laugh.
“But truth be told, the sacrifices made were worth it and I’ve never regretted my choice because hey, eventually I’ve made it,” he said with a gleaming smile.
In 2009, Marcus started Rubato. From the outset, Marcus envisioned it as more than just a restaurant. He saw it as a refined sanctuary where guests could reap the fruits of his journey and experience some of the finest and most authentic Italian cuisine that the establishment has to offer.
Each dish is meticulously crafted, balancing flavours and textures to create a harmonious blend of flavours on the taste buds. One of the crowd favourites would be “a gift from the angels'' –chilled angel hair pasta complemented with Hokkaido scallops – freshly caught Hokkaido bafun uni, Japanese seaweed and tossed in premium grade Italian white truffle oil.
The other stand out, on the other hand, is Rubato’s mighty tomahawk, which is a prime Australian black Angus onyx tomahawk steak, known for its succulent, bold and robust beefy flavours. It is grilled over charcoal and flambéd at the table upon order to further enhance the dish with an inviting smokiness.
To ensure quality, Marcus goes the extra mile to obtain fresh, premium authentic produce for the creations served at Rubato by partnering with a curated combination of both trusted local and international suppliers.
Looking forward, Marcus started an expansion of his operations with a second establishment. “As I thought that Rubato had been doing quite well, the decision to expand my business came naturally. Thus Black Bear BBQ & Smokehouse was started,” shared Marcus.
The smokehouse offers a heartier theme of dining in contrast to the fine concept of rubato, with a myriad of charcoal and wood smoked meats being the star of the establishment alongside other fuss free western fare offered. “Other than it just being a business, Black Bear BBQ & Smokehouse is a medium for me to share my love for smoked meats with my customers.”
“Over here, they can indulge in a good old smoked lamb t-bone or tomahawk steak all the way to a more unconventional smoked Maine lobster, all cooked low and slow with royal oak
hardwood charcoal and apple wood,” shared Marcus enthusiastically. Despite these endeavours, Marcus remains grounded in his belief that the true essence of his restaurants lies in their ability to create memorable experiences for their guests.
Source: flickr
His advice to entrepreneurs of the future generation? “Remember, no matter how hard everything may seem with life throwing you curveballs at every edge, believe that you can do it and always have that hunger for what you want to achieve in life.
“When you believe you can do it, push through and the insatiable drive will get you there eventually.”
