ECLECTIC FLAIR
The first thing guests will notice as they step into Isabelle Miaja’s steel and wood kitchen in her semi-detached house in Lorong Kismis is her double glass-panelled industrial-sized refrigerator. It’s a well-stocked larder and the managing director of Miaja Design Group (MDG) is taking stock of the ingredients needed for today’s lunch.
A pot sits on the stove (for the chorizo sausages to be added in later for a stew), and above the stove, a shelf holds well-used cooking tomes that run the gamut from classics like Escoffier to modern volumes like The Dean & Deluca Cookbook and Gordon Ramsey’s World Kitchen. At a corner of the kitchen, her helper is counting out a stack of side plates from Isabelle’s sizable collection of cutlery from various brands like Rosenthal.
Between her and her partner Martin van der Reijden’s busy schedules, the duo obviously takes time out to prepare a good meal. And presentation is everything to this interior designer who is half Spanish and half French. “Colours, plates and table settings are an absolute must to enjoy a nice meal” she says, “Growing up, my dad would be furious if the table was not being properly set and now I find it ironic that I can end up being quite a pain to my kids and help because I too, insist on a good-looking table.”
Excerpts from June issue of epicure
