Restaurant Sela + WIN a $500 Dinner by a Celebrity Chef

I was invited to a #foodiemigup session at Restaurant Sela organised by social media network Migme (follow me at @jaznotabi) and we were treated to a meal comprising of 2 appetisers, 2 main courses and 2 desserts from the restaurant’s new menu by Celebrity Chef Benson Tong! This event was exclusive to Migme bloggers and we had a great time! ^_^

The restaurant has a simple and elegant, yet cozy setting.

Interestingly, the food menu spans two pages but the alcoholic list spans 3+ pages!! The offerings on the new menu are a marriage between Modern European and Asian cuisines.

Food menu:
   

Beverage menu:
  
  

Before the meal was served, there was a bottle of liquor sitting on the table and labelled with the words “HONEY & PEPPER”. I’ve never seen this before and it turned out to be a bottle of Ukrainian Vodka (40% alcohol) and we were asked to drink it. @alvinology jokingly said that @littlemisshoney will definitely drink it cos her name is Honey! LOL!

I’m not a fan of hard liquor but I did give it a try! (and no, I didn’t do any shots)

Gosh…the first whiff of the vodka was already intoxicating! When you take a small sip, you can taste the sweetness of honey, as well as a spiciness from the pepper! Its aftertaste leaves a tingling sensation on your tongue. Hmm…potent stuff!!

Enough talk about the liquor, let’s move on to the food! ^_^

Procuitto Ham & Melon ($16)
Wild Rocket, Compressed Rock Melon, Pickled Beetroot, Balsamic Gel

We started the meal with this appetiser (note that the spelling is as stated in the menu and not my typo) – The ham was lovely and not too salty and sat atop an extremely sweet and delicious piece of rock melon (you can taste the ripeness of the fruit). Chef Benson divulged that the secret to making the rock melon sweeter is to compress it! Slices of beetroot can also be found at the side – I normally don’t like beetroot and this tasted different. The chef said that in order to cater to the Asian palate, the beetroot is baked, then soaked in red wine vinegar and honey to remove its earthy tasty. Wow…it seems a lot of thought went into making this dish and I learnt some new foodie tips today! ^_^

Pan Seared US Scallop ($16)
Forbidden Rice, Red Radish, Yellow Frisee, Salted Egg Cream

This dish appears to have some exotic sounding ingredients but the “Forbidden Rice” is actually black glutinous rice (think of pulut hitam). The salted egg cream found on top of the scallops was quite light in flavour and this was to cater to non-Asians who may find eating salted eggs an acquired taste. As salted egg yolks are typically quite powdery, it is mixed with cream to give a different texture and flavour. @dessertingbeauty and I felt that it tasted a little like crab roe when eaten with the scallop! :p

Miso Chilean Seabass ($32)
Confit Shimeji, Crispy Leek, Wilted Arugula, Lemon Dashi Broth

The fish is marinated for 3 days, resulting in this beautifully flavoured dish! I usually don’t fancy seabass but this version somehow reminded me of eating cod and I was surprised that I actually liked it!

Kakuni Style Pork Cheek ($20)
Arugula, Charred Corn Kennel, Braised Leek, Roasted Parsnip, Granny Smith Sauce

This was extremely tender and flavourful and tasted almost like beef, but it was unmistakably pork! Cooking takes 6 hours and the meat is braised at 150 degrees in a combi oven and kept in its own juices to retain its flavours. Yummy!

Semolina Cake ($12)
Passion Fruit Curd, Torched Meringue, Vanilla Ice Cream, Passion Fruit Coulis

The texture of the cake was a little grainy, as expected from semolina, but it paired well with the flavours from the other ingredients.

Dehydrated Pineapple Pavlova ($10)
Charred Pineapple, Vanilla Ice Cream, Thyme, Paprika, Salted Caramel

I shared this dessert with @dessertingbeauty and another blogger and we divided it into 3 parts (sorry, no “after” pictures as it was quite messy!). The pavlova was a nice crunchy meringue and I liked the dehydrated chewy pieces of pineapple, which not only had a nice colour, but also had some sweetness like the pineapple jam found on pineapple tarts! The ice cream was made from their in-house recipe using vanilla bean extract and it was smooth and creamy. What gave this dessert an additional kick was the paprika powder! I couldn’t taste it initially but the aftertaste suddenly hits you with a tinge of spiciness!

Apart from the restaurant’s standard menu, a 3-Course Executive Lunch is available on weekdays at $15.90+ (menu changes every 2 weeks).

A Singapore-Style Brunch menu is also available but only on Saturdays.

More about Chef Benson Tong…
Chef Benson is quite well-known in the industry and he is a celebrity chef who revamps restaurants, provides consultancy services to restaurants and is also a private chef. He has cooked for many famous people (who cannot be named) and we heard that one of his clients residing in Singapore is one of the co-founders of a well-known social media network!

**CONTEST**
Chef Benson is running a contest for one lucky person to win a private chef meal in your own home (worth $500)! All you have to do is to dine at Restaurant Sela, post a picture of your meal on Instagram, hashtag #selarestaurant and tag @restaurant_sela and @jaznotabi in your photo. Hurry…this contest ends on 31st August 2015! Good luck!!

Well, it isn’t often that you get to meet a celebrity chef, so I took the opportunity to take a picture with Chef Benson before I called it a night. ^_^

Thanks to Restaurant Sela, @alvinology and @malcolmpeng for hosting us! Looking forward to more #foodiemigup sessions in the future! ^_^

Restaurant SELA
32 Seah Street, Singapore 188388.

Phone: (65) 6337 6358

Email: enquiry@restaurantsela.com.sg

Nearest MRT: City Hall

Newton Roast

**UPDATE**
Newton Roast is currently taking a break from business.
Newton Roast moved out of Newton Circus on 27th July 2014. They will be re-opening on 8th January 2015 at 13 Teck Chye Terrace (junction of Boundary Road and Upper Serangoon Road) and operating jointly with their partner ZRJ Pte Ltd, which also offers Sichuan style BBQ & steamboat. Their online ordering system is back in operation and you can also phone 62806700 for enquiries.

WARNING:
THIS POST IS FOR MEAT LOVERS (PORK) AND MAY INDUCE HYPERSALIVATION…
LOL!…

Newton Roast had its official launch on 24th May 2014 (although operations had started since 1st May) and I was invited to a food tasting session. It’s located at Newton Food Centre and is one of the newer generation of stalls serving not-the-usual type of hawker fare.

Let’s take a closer look at what they have to offer…

KO German Pork Knuckles:

Roasted 6-Pack Pork Belly:

Hmm…the roasts look good and the prices seem quite reasonable for both.

You can expect the roasted meats to meet a certain standard as they are prepared by culinary chefs with over 15 years of experience in top restaurants.

The meats are roasted in their state-of-the-art combi oven. I’ve always liked food which is grilled or roasted in the oven as this is a healthier method of cooking over frying.

With a tagline of “Fresh onDemand”, the stall’s objective is for customers to enjoy the food as fresh as it gets when you arrive at the stall! You can pre-order your favourite roasts online via their bespoke ordering system and select what time you will be there to pick them up (either to dine there or takeaway). Fresh from the oven – sounds good!!

Now for the taste test….

Their 6 Pack Pork Belly takes an hour to be cooked and goes through high heat until it is lean and crispy, plus it has abs that some people may be envious of! Haha…

The meat is lightly seasoned and tender, with a lovely crispy crackling. I just love the crunch with each bite and if you look carefully at the next picture, you can see that most of the fat in the meat has already melted away! In case you’re wondering – I’m not usually a fan of roasted pork belly but this is really good!!

Their KO German Pork Knuckle takes about 2 hours to roast and it also looks to have a similar crispy crackling like the pork belly, but somehow I found the one on the pork belly to be crunchier.

The meat on this particular pork knuckle was tender and the seasoning seemed to be less salty than the pork belly. I felt the pork knuckle here is comparable to the one served at a relatively well-known German bar which is located near my place of work.

You can order bigger portions if you have a larger group to feed! ^_^

A variety of sauces were also served alongside the roasted meats. There was mustard, sambal chilli and their own homemade brown sauce (which in my opinion tasted like the gravy that is poured over mashed potatoes). My personal preference is the brown sauce and the mustard as they helped to enhance the flavour of the meat.

The pork knuckle had an additional accompaniment of sauerkraut, which is made in-house but I didn’t try it as I’m not a fan of fermented cabbage (and yes, I don’t like kimchi either). However, I heard that some other people who tried the sauerkraut loved it.

The next picture has a beautiful roast in the foreground and I somehow can’t stop looking at this photo! The meat used for this roast is also pork belly but a different method was used to score the meat. This yet-to-be-named roast will soon be on the menu at Newton Roast and I’m looking forward to it!

According to Mr Casey Ong, one of the partners of the stall, the meats are lightly seasoned as he wants diners to enjoy the natural flavour of the meat, which goes well with alcohol too!

We did try the pairing of the roasted meats with beer, red wine and an elderflower & lime cider and I have to say that I totally agree with Casey! My preference is to have the pork belly accompanied with cider as I can savour the succulent tender morsels and their crispy crackling together with the fruitiness of the cider.

Unfortunately, only beer is sold at Newton Food Centre but if you want to enjoy your roasts with other alcoholic beverages, just BYO and there are no corkage fees.

Placing an order for the roasts is easy – just head to their website and select the date/time which you wish to pick up your order. An SMS will be sent to your phone and you will need to click on the link to confirm that you had indeed placed the order. Only then will your order be completed and the chefs will be notified.

Reservations close 2 hours before collection time, so be sure to place your orders early. The stall caters to about 70%-80% of reservations and you can still walk-in without pre-ordering your roasts but it is subjected to availability.

After you have made your reservation on their website, the chefs are able to view the orders and ensure that they have prepared enough food to meet the orders, so that they will be fresh out of the oven when you arrive.

For those of you who prefer to do takeaway, let me leave you with a glimpse of the reheating instructions…

I must say that the people at Newton Roast certainly have a sense of humour! 😉

Address:
Newton Roast
#01-51, Newton Circus Food Centre,
500 Clemenceau Avenue, Singapore 229495.

Getting There by MRT:
Newton station exit B, walk towards Newton Circus and cross the overhead bridge to get to the food centre.

Garden Grill at SGCC

A group of us were holding a farewell luncheon for a friend and as it was a Sunday, plus there were 23 of us, someone who’s a member of the Serangoon Gardens Country Club suggested going there as probably it would be less crowded than going to a restaurant at one of the shopping malls. Hence, reservations were made at the Garden Grill.

Interior of the restaurant:

Menu (click on the photo to view it in .PDF form):

Lunch is only a 3-course affair and I would have preferred if they have a 4-course option but that’s only available at dinnertime. Anyway, read on to see what I tried…

Nage de pétoncles crevettes et grill
Nage of Prawn, Grilled Scallop with Parsley Coulis and Mesclun Greens
It was a tough decision between this and the carrot soup but as we could only choose 3 courses, the scallop won hands down over the carrot! LOL…
Two little prawns and a tiny scallop were placed on a pretty scallop shell, which sat atop some diced carrots and celery in a consomme of sorts. The green stuff at the sides of the plate tasted like a shallot sauce.

Bouf Bourguignon
Classic Beef Stew from Burgundy served with Fork Crushed Potato
Yummy! The pieces of beef were very tender and the gravy was extremely flavourful! It also came with a few slices of carrot, a floret of broccoli and cauliflower, plus a lump of mashed potato. I must say that the gravy complemented all the ingredients on the plate and I didn’t leave a single drop of it behind!  ( ^ ^ )

Noisettes chocolat Feuillantine
Hazelnut Chocolate Feuilletine with Raspberry Coulis
Ohh…this was SO GOOD! This dessert comprised of a layer of dark chocolate at the top, followed by probably milk chocolate with a crunchy wafer-like base that tasted of hazelnuts. The mango and raspberry sauces gave a different dimension to the flavours when you dip the chocolate in them. In case you’re wondering – the layers of chocolate were thick and extremely rich, so chocoholics will definitely love this!

Gousse de vanille ice créma sandwich aux cerises pochées au vin de porto
Vanilla Pod Ice Cream Sandwich with Poached Cherries in Port Wine
A friend seated next to me ordered this and I couldn’t help taking a picture even though I didn’t try it. I saw some friends struggling to cut the “sandwich” (made with two pieces of puff pastry) into bite-sized mouthfuls, but I was told it was good!

Verdict:  Quality food at value for money prices!!

Address:
Garden Grill
Serangoon Gardens Country Club
22 Kensington Park Road
Singapore 557271.

Phone: +65 6398 5313

Operating Hours:
Daily
Lunch: 12:00pm to 3:00pm
Dinner: 6:45pm to 10:00pm
Last order 30 minutes before closing.

Dress Code:
Monday – Friday & Eve of Public Holiday: Smart attire
Men: Long pants, jeans, shirt or t-shirt with collar or Mandarin collar with sleeves, and proper shoes
Women: Dresses, pants, skirts, jeans, blouses or t-shirts with proper shoes or covered sandals

Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday: Casual attire (sandals, slippers and sweaty workout attire are not permitted)
Men: Shorts, bermudas, jeans, collarless t-shirts with sleeves
Women: Blouses, t-shirts, shorts, bermudas, jeans

WA and DQ Martini Room

WA and DQ Martini Room – the name sounds like a watering hole so I didn’t expect that one half of it is actually a restaurant! This place is actually divided into WA Dining Lounge, which serves Asian fusion and Western food dishes; and DQ Martini Room, which is an outdoor martini bar.

I’m usually on the lookout for new places to try and spotted a deal on Groupon which sounded interesting and that was what led me to this place…

Our set meal comprised of two starters, a soup, a main course and a dessert. I didn’t get a chance to look at their menu so the names of the dishes below are according to what was stated on the Groupon deal.

Starter:  Scallop, Grape Pearls
What are grape pearls??  I found that these were actually the flesh from green grapes which had been scooped out in pearl-sized balls. The pan seared scallop was quite a plump morsel and the sauce and some spicy powder went well with it.

Starter:  Foie-gras, White Balsamico Raspberry
This was just a bite-size piece which comprised of 2 tiny pieces of foie gras atop a piece of puff pastry (at first I thought it was a cracker). The raspberry sauce wasn’t sour at all and made a nice accompaniment to the dish. There was also some powdery stuff next to the foie gras and I couldn’t make out whether it was crumbled pistachio as we were eating under dim lighting.

Soup:  Truffle Mushroom Martini
The soup was served in a martini glass and topped with some truffle oil, but its consistency was rather watery and you can’t even feel any mushroom bits in it even though you can taste the mushroom flavour. I prefer a thicker soup so this was a let down for me.

Main:  Confit de Canard
The duck had a crispy skin, was easy to slice and the meat closest to the skin was moist but some other parts were a little dry. It came with something like a sweet vinaigrette sauce and there were green grapes and chick peas buried under, with cherry tomatoes on the side. There was a well-balance of flavours and the grapes and tomatoes provided some moisture to the otherwise dry duck. Upon closer inspection of the grapes, you can see that they had a round hole in the centre which the chick peas could fit into – I then realised that the grapes pearls we had earlier in our starter were actually scooped out from these grapes which they served with this dish – talk about recycling!

  

Dessert:  Poached Strawberries and Chocolate Soil
Chocolate soil didn’t sound appetizing at all and I found it to be a powder which was grainy and crunchy – it felt like one was eating sand! LOL… don’t get me wrong – it tasted good and the strawberry was nice too.

  

Verdict:  I was satisfied with the quality of the food (except for the soup) and it was value for money considering that the original price of the set cost $69 but I had paid $34.50 (excluding GST and service charge) due to the Groupon deal.

From 1st March 2014, the restaurant will also serve Japanese food on top of their current menu offerings.

Address:
WA Dining Lounge
207 River Valley Road
#01-61 UE Square River Wing
Singapore 238275.

Phone:  +65 9231 5536

Opening Hours:  Mon – Sat 17:00 – 02:00

Getting There by MRT:  15min walk from Clarke Quay station

PoTeaTo

PoTeaTo is a cafe located in Tiong Bahru and as its name suggests, the specialties here are potato inspired dishes and tea.

   

I decided to drop by for dinner to check out their offerings.

Menu:

When you are ready to place your order, head over to the counter with your order and make your payment at the same time. The food will be served to your table.

Here’s what we tried…

Iced Peach & Lychee ($5.60) and Iced Mocha ($5.60) – The Peach & Lychee tea was quite refreshing and had pieces of lychee in it.

Left: Potato & Leek Soup ($4.80)                                   Right: Cream of Potato ($5.20)

 

My hubby had the Potato & Leek soup and he loved it but I don’t like leek so I went with the Cream of Potato and was pleasantly surprised to find corn, bacon bits and grated cheese in it as well. Both soups come with a slice of toast and I must say that these hot soups are quite satisfying.

Fish and Chips, served with shoestring and sweet potato fries ($15) – The fish wasn’t particularly outstanding but the sweet potato fries (i.e. the orange coloured ones) were exceptionally good!! I love sweet potato and will definitely order these fries as a separate order on my next visit!

Herb Grilled Chicken with Potato Salad ($16) – Looks healthy with 2 types of salads and in my opinion, this tasted much better than the fish!

Verdict: Overall quite satisfying cafe fare and the sweet potato fries are a MUST TRY!

Address:
PoTeaTo
78 Yong Siak Street, #01-18
Singapore 163078.

Phone: +65 62212488

Email: eat@poteato.sg

Opening Hours:
Tue – Fri: 12pm – 10:30pm
Sat: 10am – 10:30pm
Sun: 10am – 9pm

Note:
Brunch is served from 10am – 2:30pm (Sat, Sun & Public Holidays)
Lunch is available from 12pm -2:30pm (Tues – Fri)
Hi-Tea is served from 2:30pm to 6pm (Tues – Sun)
Dinner is served from 6pm (Tues – Sun)
Kids’ Meals are served from 6pm onwards (Tues – Sun).
Desserts are available from 2:30pm onwards (Tues – Sun)

Getting There by MRT: 10min walk from Tiong Bahru station

Next Door Deli

Next Door Deli is a neighbourhood eatery and is opened by the same owner of Pine Garden’s Cakes which is located next door.

You’ll need to place your order at the cashier and one of these gadgets will be passed to you. Collect your food when the buzzer goes off.

They serve both local and western fare at reasonable prices and it appears their chicken wings are rather popular with most customers – you can choose between the fried version or barbequed ones.

Here’s what we’ve tried at this place…

Soup of the Day – On the day I was there, this was a Tomato Soup. Not bad, the soup was of a good consistency and you can see bits of tomato in it.

On another day, it was Mushroom Soup – This was good too! It was extremely flavourful and I could taste and see that a substantial amount of mushrooms went into making this soup.

Wok-Fried Laksa – This is a modern dry version of laksa which still retains the flavours of the dish and even has strips of taupok in it! It also comes with a fish cake and one crispy chicken wing, which was quite nice. I thought the laksa was very aromatic and flavourful and will definitely order it again.

Boneless Chicken Curry Rice – The curry was aromatic, flavourful and had a familiar home-cooked feel to it. Yummy!

Ribeye Steak – My hubby ordered this and seemed quite happy with it. I didn’t try it so I can’t tell you how it tasted.

Chocolate Lava Cake with vanilla ice-cream – The lava cake didn’t have any chocolate oozing out of it when I cut into it. It was more like a block of chocolate cake. The taste of the chocolate was quite nice for a chocolate cake but if you are expecting a lava cake then you’re in for a disappointment. Perhaps they should rename this dish.

Chinese New Year Specials

Golden Prosperity – The name of the dish sounds auspicious and it is actually dory fish nuggets created to represent an abundance of golden ingots. This is served with tangy orange-lemon sauce and roasted Japanese sweet potatoes on the side. The citrus sauce gives a refreshing zesty feel to the dish. Overall quite nice but I thought the sweet potato slices were a little dry. Available from 24 Jan to 14 Feb 2014.

Seasonal Fortune Yu Sheng – Available from 24 Jan to 14 Feb 2014, it’s a delightful raw fish salad with a nice combination of sauces which were not too sweet or too sour and just the way I like it. The one in this photo is the small portion for 2-3 pax ($9.80). They have a larger portion for 4-8 pax which costs $18.

This eatery has an interesting promotion every Friday, which is called “Boss-Not-Around FRIDAY“. It is actually a game of chance (or what the locals will call tikam tikam) and after you have placed your order at the cashier, you are asked to pick a ticket to see what sure-win prize you will receive. Guess who successfully picked up the 20% discount? ^_^

Address:
Next Door Deli
Blk 529, Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, #01-2369,
Singapore 560529.

Phone: 64586180

Email: contactus@nddeli.com

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 11.30am to 10.00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10.00am to 10.00pm
Breakfast available on Saturdays & Sundays from 10.00am till 11.30am

Slappy Cakes at Resorts World Sentosa

I was walking around Resorts World at Sentosa and stumbled upon this place!

Slappy Cakes opened at the resort on 20th December 2013. Originating from Portand, Oregon, USA, this eatery is known for its “Make Your Own” pancake concept, where diners choose their own batter and ingredients, then make them into pancakes of whatever size and shapes they like, on built-in griddles at their tables. All-day American breakfast sets are also served here.

Pancake Menu:

Sauces, a coconut milk syrup and a mixture of corn & maple syrups are available at the table. If you prefer having pure maple syrup or honey on your pancakes, check out the “Toppings” section on the menu.

It’s not everyday that you can have fun with your food – unleash your creative side by making your own pancakes!

Here’s a look at the griddle…

 

We weren’t sure if ordering two servings of pancake batter would be too much for the two of us so we started off by ordering one serving of buttermilk pancake batter ($8.50), with pork sausage ($3) and roasted mushrooms ($2).

How do you cook the pancakes? Squeeze some pancake batter onto the griddle and add any of the additional ingredients that you have ordered to go with it. When the batter starts to bubble, it’s about time to flip it over. If you prefer your pancakes to be a little browner, then let it sit there for a while before flipping.

Here were some of our creations (don’t laugh!)…

   

 

Even the little boy who was seated at the next table, was so intrigued by our strange pancake shapes that he kept standing up and looking over at what we had cooking on our griddle. My hubby and I were chuckling throughout the entire meal!

Eventually, we felt that one serving wasn’t enough, so we added on an order of peanut butter pancake batter ($8.50), with bananas ($1.50) and crispy bacon ($2). However, I was too busy playing…erm, I meant to say cooking…that I forgot to snap a picture so this is the only one I have of it:

**UPDATE** 22nd February 2014 **
We decided to try our hand at pancakes again with certain designs in mind, so this time we ordered Buttermilk and Chocolate batter, with toasted almonds, strawberries, honey ham and roasted mushrooms for toppings.

  

These were some of the pancakes that I made this time around…

 

A little kid passing my table stopped excitedly and said “Hello Kitty!”. Err…well…he was right although my pancake wasn’t quite of the correct proportion (i.e. a more “prosperous” looking kitty) but at least it seemed to be recognisable! LOL…

 

I must say that the results of my second attempt at freehand pancake making looked much better than those that I had made during my first visit. What do you think? :p

If you don’t feel like having pancakes, you can try their all day breakfast instead (which is already cooked for you so you don’t have to use the griddle).

All-Day Breakfast Menu:

Mushroom Scramble ($15) – The potato was interesting as it had a dry, slightly crisp outer layer with its inside still soft but still solid potato. The scrambled eggs had a nice buttery fragrance and the bread had a lovely sweet taste. There were 2 types of mushrooms in this, which was similar to the roasted mushrooms which you can order from the pancake menu.

Drinks…

Slappy Lemonade ($4.30) – This drink was quite nice and refreshing, with a citrusy fragrance that wasn’t too sour.

Lemon Sorbetti ($4) – Hot teas are served in a teapot and it can fill about 2-3 cups.

The food is quite nice and cooking your own pancakes can be fun for the family! Parents can keep their kids entertained and it provides a good opportunity to bond with them. It’s great for outings with friends too! Those who don’t have kids can still have fun and unleash the big kid in you…I mean unleash your creative side. 😉

Address:
Slappy Cakes
Resorts World Sentosa
26 Sentosa Gateway, #01-29, (next to Universal Studios)
Sentosa Island,
Singapore 098269.

Tel No.: +65 67950779

Opening Hours: Daily 8am to 9:30pm (last order at 9pm)

If you don’t want to go to Sentosa, they have another outlet located at The Grandstand at 200 Turf Club Road.

Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora

Located inside S.E.A. Aquarium, the world’s largest aquarium, Ocean restaurant has a great view of the aquarium’s Open Ocean habitat, which diners can enjoy whilst having their meal.

This restaurant was opened by Celebrity chef Cat Cora in February 2013.

It is highly recommended that you make a reservation as seating is limited. We made our reservation only the day before, so we didn’t get a table next to the Open Ocean glass panel. According to the maitre d’, they allocate the tables with the best views based on when the reservation was made (i.e. the first callers get the priority). Lesson learnt – best to make your reservations as early as possible to get a good table!

We managed to take some “selfies” before the rest of the tables were occupied.

Cutlery is arranged neatly on racks at the table.

This was the lunch menu when we were there.

Iced Chocolate – It was a nice drink with a satisfying amount of chocolatey goodness.

42°C Sous Vide Salmon – The salmon was fresh and was served with several sauces as accompaniment.

Fried Pork Seafood Roulade – This tasted like chinese ngor hiang (wu xiang), except that it was a high-class version which was topped with truffle cream. It also contained lots of waterchestnut bits inside, which made it crunchy.

Braised ‘Boneless’ Wagyu Short Rib – The meat was very tender and there was also a crunchy layer of caramelized oat meal that gave a nice contrast to the texture and flavour of this dish. Really good!!

Miso Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly – My hubby ordered this and he absolutely loved it!

Vacherin – If you like strawberries, you’d probably enjoy this combination of strawberry flavoured meringue pieces, strawberry sorbet and ice-cream. The sourness of the sorbet was a contrast to the sweetness of other items.

Chocolate Passion – Die-hard chocoholics will know how to appreciate the 68% cocoa ice cream, which went really well with the banana stew and the other ingredients.

Verdict:  The food is excellent and the waiting staff are attentive and wait patiently if you are taking pictures, so that they don’t interrupt you or get in the way of your photos. The downside during lunch is that it can be quite noisy as the place is filled with families who visit the aquarium, so there may be some screaming kids and a few who will be running around…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

During Christmas 2013, Santa Claus made a brief appearance to the delight of many diners. Almost everyone vacated their tables and went to the glass panels to get a photo of him! LOL…I was too busy photographing Santa and didn’t take a picture showing the other diners crowding around the panels.

One last look before we left the restaurant – this diner from one of the back tables was so enthralled with the marine life that he walked right up to the glass panel and stood there for ages, oblivious to the fact that the other people were trying to take pictures.

Address:
Ocean Restaurant
S.E.A. Aquarium, next to the Open Ocean exhibit.
Resorts World at Sentosa,
8 Sentosa Gateway,
Sentosa Island,
Singapore 098269.

If you’re not visiting the aquarium, the restaurant has another entrance which is accessible via the West Zone Carpark, B1M. Look for the signs in the carpark leading to Equarius Hotel.

Operating Hours:
Lunch: 11.30am – 2.30pm (last order at 2.15pm)
Snack: 2.30pm – 5.30pm (last order at 5.15pm)
Dinner: 5.30pm – 10.30pm (last order at 10.00pm)

Phone:  +65 6577 6688

Email:  dining@rwsentosa.com

LightSeeker Menu at OSIA

OSIA is one of the celebrity chef restaurants at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), helmed by famous Australian Celebrity Chef Scott Webster with Chef de Cuisine Douglas Tay.

The open-kitchen concept is a prominent feature in the restaurant and this enhances the culinary experience for diners, as they have the pleasure of watching the chefs at work.

As part of the tie-in with RWS’ latest in-house musical LightSeeker, there is a special 4-course LightSeeker Menu available as a pre-theatre dinner:

Some interesting flatbreads were served prior to the start of the meal and they had toppings like Macadamia Pesto and Truffle with Kalamata Olive Sauce. Butter and a garlic “toothpaste” tube dip were served on the side as an accompaniment to the bread. I especially loved the Macadamia Pesto flatbread as it was extremely fragrant and had a nutty bite to it. The one with Truffle was also nice but I felt it was a tad salty.

Polenta Crumbed Foie Gras, with Rhubarb, Beet and Riberry – I’ve always loved the foie gras at Osia as they do it really well with a slightly crisp crust and yet is silky smooth inside.

Emulsion of Field Mushroom, with Kalamata Olive Croutons – The soup appears foamy but is extremely flavourful and I would gladly take another serving if offered. ^_^

Lamb Rump, with Garam Masala Black Dhal and Cucumer Apple Yoghurt – My hubby ordered this as his main course and I tried a slice of the lamb, which was extremely tender.

Air Dried Wagyu Beef Brisket Risotto, with Planed Parmesan – This was my main course and at first glance, it doesn’t look impressive but the risotto is rich and creamy and the thin strips of wagyu complemented the flavours of this dish. There were generous shavings of parmesan but it didn’t overpower the dish. Definitely a satisfying main course!

Valrhona Hot Chocolate Soup, with Sesame Crisp and Black Peppered Ice Cream – This is Osia’s signature dessert which was created by Chef Scott during his days in London. I still can’t get over the idea of ice cream containing black pepper as the key flavour and I don’t really fancy the ice cream on its own, but I have to agree that it does go well with the chocolate soup and the sesame crisp.

Breaking the thin chocolatey crust of the dessert reveals the thick melted chocolate inside. A chocoholic’s delight!!

An extremely satisfying meal but do start your dinner at least 1.5 hours before the show to give yourself ample time to enjoy the food and not having to keep looking at your watch and rush through the meal in order to make it to the show on time.

Thanks to RWS for the invite to this Pre-Theatre Dinner! ^_^

Location:
OSIA Restaurant & Bar
World Square, Resorts World at Sentosa, Singapore.

Operating Hours:
Lunch: 12pm – 3pm (Thu – Tue)
Dinner: 6pm – 10.30pm (Thu – Tue)
Closed on Wed

Telephone:
Direct: +65 6577 6560
Main: +65 6577 8888

Email: osia@rwsentosa.com

GRUB at Bishan Park

I had heard of this place and wanted to try it for some time but wasn’t sure of its exact location as Bishan Park is quite big and occupies two plots of land totalling 62 hectares in size.

On a whim, I finally went to hunt it down.

 

At the entrance there is a sign informing customers not to queue. If you happen to arrive during their peak hours and the place is full, what you’ll need to do is to key your contact details into their iPad located at the entrance (you’ll need to specify additional details like number of persons, whether outdoor seating is ok, any preference for table sharing, etc.) and they will contact you once a table is available. However, if the image on the iPad states “Sorry, we are full for today”, then this means you’ll just have to come back another time.

  

We arrived there at about 7:25pm (on a Saturday) and were told that the waiting time for a table for two would be 45min (30min if you don’t mind outdoor seating and are willing to share a table). Having selected all the available options, we managed to get our table about 35min later.

On another weekend, we went there for brunch and arrived at about 11am, but it was 1 hour before we got our table!!

In case you are wondering… the food is indeed worth the wait!

I kinda like the display at the counter in the air-conditioned area of the restaurant. When most of the tables have already been occupied, diners will be asked whether they would mind sitting at this counter.

DINNER

Mentaiko Fries – mentaiko aioli, nori seaweed
This seems to be fries with a Japanese-inspired twist. The mentaiko sauce was a little salty but went well with the strips of seaweed and the perfectly cooked fries. Looking around at the other tables, this dish seems to be quite popular with other customers too! Extra sauce is given on the side, just in case you need more for your fries. We wiped it all clean!

Chili Con Carne – beef mince, sour cream, corn chips
Yummy, yummy, yummy! Loved the plain smoky flavoured corn chips and especially the dip which had minced beef in a tomato based sauce, garnished with some sour cream and chimichurri. It reminded me of a rich and flavourful spaghetti bolognaise sauce.

Pan-seared King Salmon – risotto, cashew chimichurri
The risotto had a buttery herb fragrance and I guess the brown bits were the cashew but I couldn’t really make it out as there were a lot of flavours in the sauce. The salmon had a crisp layer at the top.

Slow Roasted Pork Belly – mango sauce, mash, cherry tomatoes salsa
When this arrived at our table, my hubby said “hey, that’s siu yuk“! Well, technically it is…
The pork belly had a top layer of nice crispy crackling and the meat wasn’t too dry but it was a bit difficult to slice due to the crackling. The mash was quite light and fluffy and surprisingly the mango sauce complemented it well!

Pork Steak Burger – with sweet apple and cashew chimichurri
Fries are served on the side and this is probably one of the best pork burgers that I’ve had in Singapore!

GRUB Cheeseburger – 100% freshly minced beef patty, Monterey Jack cheese
This nice juicy beef burger dripping with melted cheese kept the Hubs happy. ^_^

Chocolate Pots – dark chocolate pudding, spicy cashew praline crumble
The pudding was smooth but bitter, as was expected of dark chocolate. However, it tasted sweeter when eaten with the crumble. Initially we thought the crumbly bits were golden brown sugar as it looked like it and was sweet although it also had specks of chilli in it. Those who like a spicier kick can chew on the fresh chilli I suppose (but we didn’t try).

Churros – dark chocolate, tangy creme anglaise
Mmm…these churros were lip-smackingly good! They were not as hard as the churro sticks that we used to buy when we visited the U.S.A. The version here is like a sugared and spiced western version of you tiao, crisp on the outside, yet soft on the inside. Two dips came along with this – The creme anglaise had a hint of lemon in it which made it quite a refreshing dip, except that the custard was a bit runny and kept dripping off the churros and onto the table. It would have been perfect if its consistency was a little thicker. The dark chocolate on the other hand was perfect.

Affogato – expresso, french vanilla ice cream
Coffee addicts will probably love this (just like my hubby did) although at first glance it doesn’t look that pleasing to the eye. Sorry, I’m more of a tea person so I don’t know how to appreciate this dessert, but I must say that the expresso in the dessert did have a robust flavour.

BRUNCH

GRUB Breakfast Set – with a coffee/tea/homemade or canned drink
– grilled focaccia, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, side salad
– choice of chicken cheese or garlic thyme pork sausage
It sounded like a lot of food but actually everything is served on one plate and it was a satisfying breakfast!

Beef & Guinness Pie – with mash and side salad
Errmmm…this is so NOT what we expected for a pie! At least, not how we thought it would look like! It’s actually a crispy puff pie base, topped with all the ingredients which typically make up the pie filling, plus mash potato and parmesan cheese. Surprisingly, it was actually quite good and my other half loved it!

 

Verdict:  We loved the quality of the food and the flavours!! Just note that you’ll need to arrive early at the restaurant to avoid the long waiting times, otherwise you’ll just have to go for a walk around the park until you get your table.

Address:
GRUB
510, Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 (Pond Gardens – formally known as Bishan Park 1)
Singapore 569983
Tel: +65 64595743  (Reservations are not accepted)

Opening Hours
Tue – Fri  5:30pm – 10:30pm
Sat, Sun and PH   9:00am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 10:30pm
Kitchen closes at 2pm and 9:45pm.

Closed on Mondays and the last Tuesday of every month.

Getting There:
Driving:
Travel along CTE towards SLE and take exit Ang Mo Kio Ave 1. Continue for about 2km and turn left at Marymount Rd. Keep right for 450m and turn right to Sin Ming Ave. Travel along Sin Ming Ave for 800m and turn into first car park on the right (opposite Blk 408). Grub is right across the bridge.

Public Transport:
From Bishan MRT Station (North-South Line NS17 & Circle Line CC15), take bus no. 52 or 410W (NOT 410G). After passing The Salvation Army on your right, alight at the 3rd bus stop [no. 53341].