See Anthony Bourdain's knife, art on show in Singapore

If you’re a Bourdain fan, or just fancy a meal with a little bit of culinary history, then The English House by Marco Pierre White is the place to dine.

From March 31, the late Anthony Bourdain’s custom steel and meteorite knife, and other personal belongings, will be on permanent display in the restaurant. Bourdain and White were friends.

Apart from the knife – which commanded over US$230,000 (S$312,000) at a 2019 auction – art and cultural artefacts accumulated by the American chef, food writer and TV host are also on show.

They include works by artists Ralph Steadman and Brad Phillips, a Nkisi Nkondi (African wood and metal ritual figure) gifted to the chef by the chief of the Mbole tribe along the Congo River, and a chrome duck press that featured in Bourdain’s Paris episode of The Layover.

Bourdain’s experiences led him to amass a truly impressive collection of art – one that represented his eclectic taste and appreciation for other cultures, says The English House chef Gabriel Fratini. “Oftentimes, art collections like this are rarely accessible to the public, where they can be fully appreciated,” he adds.

Beyond Bourdain memorabilia, the restaurant houses a range of vintage collectibles, such as a 1910 carving trolley once owned by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, and black-and-white portraits of The Beatles, Amy Winehouse and Sean Connery, shot by British photographer Terry O’Neill.

All The English House’s earnings from April 1 to 8 will go toward supporting the Red Cross Singapore’s efforts to provide humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

This article was first published in The Peak.