Aromacookery and I chanced upon this shop called Vom Fass up on the fourth level of ION Orchard. We were intrigued by the glass balloons and casks, so we sauntered in for a look. Oh my, it was very hard to leave after that. This place is an epicurean treasure trove of gourmet oils, fruit vinegars, liquers and wines!
"Vom Fass" means "from the cask". It's a German-based franchise brought in by Stefan and Phyllis Kromat who are very friendly and enthusiastic. The concept here is for people to sample and select the artisanal products they like, and have it freshly decanted into bottles of varying sizes.
Here you have extremely luscious-tasting vinegars - among them forest raspberry, apple matured in oaken barrels, pomegranate balsam, mango balsam, and even beer vinegar! Also on hand are varying qualities of Aceto Balsamico di Moderna.
The specialty oils include argan oil, pistachio oil, flax oil, Styrian pumpkin seed oil (great substitute for sesame oil), avocado oil, grape seed oil, wild rose oil and cedar nut oil (which apparently clears eczema in 20 minutes flat). Many of these are rich in Omega oils and vitamins. I loved how the oils smelled so pure.
The oils and vinegars taste exquisite on their own but when you pair them together, you have a whole new experience! The permutations are mind-boggling.
There's also truffle oil (white truffles from Alba), high quality olive oils and even cep oil.
The brightly coloured liquers, cocktails are very eye-catching. If you like grappa, they have several kinds here.
Right on the top shelf is Absinthe! The powerful drink that drove artists and literati to great heights of inspiration and/or madness. Once banned, now available again! Take it mixed with water or champagne. Whether truly hallucinogenic or not, at 55% vol, it sure is a potent drink!
I almost wanted to take home this whole row of cream liquers - Whiskey Cream, Tiramisu, Vanilla Dream and Latte. Imagine how wonderful these would be poured over ice cream or into coffee. Phyllis let us try Vanilla Dream mixed with Styrian Pumpkin Seed oil. Sounds odd? It's an amazing trip for your tastebuds!
In the barrels, they have whiskies, brandies, rum and sherries (Irish single malt, Cognac, Scotch, Armagnac, etc).
They are very helpful with recipes and suggestions on how to use the products. You can find out more recipes online at the U.S. website. The staff here truly know their stuff.
I love their bottles. They have plain ones too, from 100ml onwards.
They also have wonderfully quirky and fun bottles that make great gifts or party favours. Am still thinking about which oils and vinegars to buy (must bring family here to see what they like). Admittedly, these specialty products are not cheap but good quality never is.
VOM FASS
ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn #04-25
Singapore 238801
Phone: 6509-8409/8284-4343
oh this! i went in there yesterday haha. wanted to buy some bottles for my homemade vanilla extract but one bottle is like $12, so ex!! the human body shaped one reminds me of jean paul gaultier's parfum bottle :D everything is so ex in there, if not i'd rather like to own everything haha
ReplyDeleteWhat a find! Just reading the post makes me want to head down there right now. I'm a big fan of dips for bread and love it when the shop owners encourage experimenting. Vanilla and pumpkin seed oil, who would have thought!
ReplyDeleteCan you mix and match? What fun (with oils)! :)
ReplyDeleteEvan: which bottle did you look at? They have 100ml bottles for just S$1.80 (if I heard them correctly). Yeah, the torso-shaped bottle is very JPG!
ReplyDeleteAudrey: Oh, I think you will like the shop then! The concept works. You really have to taste the stuff to fully appreciate it.
LFB: I'm not sure, I didn't ask, but I'm sure they'll accommodate special requests. Fun with oils! lol now, now...
i think is 300ml or 500ml, not sure. anyway the prices for the bottles are not stated there, the salesperson actually had to refer to the booklet!
ReplyDeletewhen i saw the range of oil offered, 'facial and body care' instantly came to my mind. great to know there's such a store available in Singapore now :)
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so interesting! And I like those cute bottles :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, they pasted so many "PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH" tags. Definitely for good reason though. I'll probably freak out if I break all those cool bottles!
ReplyDeleteEvan: oh ok. But hey, since you shop at ThreeSixty, these bottles should not be an issue for you! Your vanilla extract deserves it, no?
ReplyDeleteAdel: you are absolutely right! These oils can be used for as beauty aids too. Almond oil very good for dry skin, I hear.
Selba: yeah, me too.
Myfoodsirens: hahaha, yeah, I noticed the many warning prohibitions - looks almost frantic! Many customers must have had itchy hands!
Great post, we are going there tonight!! Have been looking everywhere for pumpkin seed oil and finally we've found it! :)
ReplyDeletethe chinese sales girl was very helpful and great with my little kid. good that you have sales staff like that. love the liquers.
ReplyDeleteThat's great. Yes, the staff are quite nice there.
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