Archive for the ‘1.1 Hotel Restaurants’ Category

Anti:Dote Afternoon Tea at Fairmont Singapore

March 1st, 2015 365days2play

Every year, I face each impending birthday with mixed feelings. Certainly, birthdays can be joyful occasions, as they are one of the few occasions where people can indulge and celebrate, without feeling too guilty about it (not that I feel very guilty about indulging at any time of the year). But it’s the gloom of being yet another year older that I can’t seem to shake off. Does everyone feel that way too?

Anyway, as with all my birthday celebrations, I like to make it a prolonged event. Just like there are 12 days of Christmas and 15 days of Chinese New Year, why should a birthday be but a day long! I’ve ingrained this into the Partner’s mind, and made the corresponding input in his calendar as well. Smile

This year, I took leave on Friday so as to spend a quiet time over afternoon tea with the Partner. Being a food blogger, I gave him strict instructions for my birthday venue. It had to be an afternoon tea English style (as opposed to local or Peranakan), and the venue had to have a nice ambience. Most importantly, it had to be some place that I had never tried before. And given that I have tried a good many, it was a pretty tough task actually. But I am quite glad to say that the Partner did well by choosing Anti:Dote Bar at Fairmont Hotel Singapore.

AntiDote Afternoon Tea (20)

Anti:Dote Bar is situated at Fairmont Hotel’s lobby area, facing the driveway. At first glance, the place strikes you as being more bar and business than a place where ladies of leisure would dine at. In fact, the description on Fairmont’s website states it to be a stylish and modern cocktail bar serving drinks crafted with premium spirits and house made bitters, liqueurs and sodas. Wouldn’t strike you as a place to have good food, but we were pleasantly surprised. In fact, I also perused the dinner menu and I must say it looks promising. I do intend to return to check that out.

AntiDote Afternoon Tea (11)

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[Chinese New Year 2015] Sheraton Towers Li Bai Restaurant

February 1st, 2015 365days2play

Chinese New Year 2015 reviews

Li Bai Restaurant has always been ranked as one the highly recommended Chinese restaurants in Singapore be it for corporate dining or celebratory occasions. This year, they have tried to impress again with their array of exquisite dishes for Chinese New Year. Aside from familiar favourites such as Buddha Jumps over the Wall with 2-head abalone, or Salmon Lo Hei platter, there’s the new stewed “Eight Treasures” duck with 5-head Abalone that is not to be missed.

I had the pleasure of partaking in a tasting menu, sampling several dishes from the Li Bai Chinese New Year set menus. As with all Chinese New Year meals, the Yu Sheng platter is much anticipated, and a great way to break the ice! In recent years big name restaurants have been trying to outdo each other with bigger, more outlandish and more exquisite yu sheng!

Sheraton CNY 2015 - Lobster Yu Sheng Lo Hei Platter (2)

This here was the salmon yu sheng lo hei platter topped with additional lobster. You can even opt to add crispy salmon fish skin or shredded abalone.

Sheraton CNY 2015 - Lobster Yu Sheng Lo Hei Platter (4)

A very appealing and eye-catching display, wouldn’t you agree?

Sheraton CNY 2015 - Lobster Yu Sheng Lo Hei Platter (5)

Lou ah!!!! Huat Ah!!! Who’s who of the food blogging world tossing the yusheng for all they are worth!

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Brasserie Les Saveurs Restaurant Week Lunch 2014

November 12th, 2014 365days2play

Because I love St Regis Hotel so much, I decided to dine at TWO St Regis restaurants for Restaurant Week. Yes, TWO in the span of one week, or shall I say 5 days? But of course, this can only happen without robbing the bank, during Restaurant Week. If you haven’t heard of Restaurant Week, you should watch out for the next one in March 2015! And make sure you arm yourself with that American Express Platinum Credit Card to snag the early bird seats.

I must say I forgot to peruse the menu in my haste to secure my reservation for Brasserie Les Saveurs and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a buffet rather than the usual 3 course set meal. For $40++ for a lunch buffet at St Regis Hotel, is that a steal or what? It even comes with coffee or tea, something which most other Restaurant Week restaurants do not serve. The drink itself may be nothing to shout about, but I’ve always felt it necessary to end a nice meal with a hot cuppa, just to slow things down, enjoy the ambience and round off any remaining conversation.

Brasserie Les Saveurs Restaurant Week Lunch (4)

This was what greeted us at the front entrance, the strategically placed dessert buffet counter. A strategic move, and well played if I may say so.

Brasserie Les Saveurs Restaurant Week Lunch (8)

Brasserie Les Saveurs Restaurant Week Lunch (9)

Whenever I go for buffets, I find myself going for multiple rounds at the cold cuts and salad sections rather than the main courses. Love all those tasty smoked meats and the refreshing zesty prawn or sashimi salads.

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Yan Ting Restaurant St Regis 宴庭

November 8th, 2014 365days2play

My office is located just outside the Orchard area, which makes it sound like it’s in an excellent location. It is indeed but 5 minutes for those blessed with cars, but without one, it takes 1/2 hour to get to Orchard! So when my parents were in town and available to pick me for lunch, I had to select a restaurant befitting of the occasion. It wasn’t a difficult choice, given that it was Restaurant Week. Took the opportunity to check out Yan Ting, which is in one of my favourite hotels, the St Regis Singapore.

Yan Ting owes its inspiration to the Ming Dynasty, when authentic Chinese culinary art flourished. The words 宴 (Yan) 庭 (Ting) translates as an Imperial courtyard for a lavish banquet, where royalty and influential diners meet for a feast befitting their importance and stature.

Yan Ting St Regis (3)

I think Chinese restaurants can sometimes have decors that are a bit garish, if you know what I mean. I love Yanting’s elegant and refined look using pastel colours, with black rimmed chairs to accentuate the place. Can’t help but keep an eye on what makes for a pleasing look, now that I’m redecorating my house.

Yan Ting St Regis - Trio of Appetisers

Trio of Appetisers – Steamed pork and shrimp dumpling with black truffles, crispy beancurd roulette with shrimps and seaweed, steamed crystal shrimp dumpling with bamboo pith

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Hairy Crab season at Li Bai

October 20th, 2014 365days2play

After having been to so many restaurants in the last few years, I thought I’ve seen it all. Foie gras, Wagyu beef, caviar, sea urchin aka uni, been there done that. But last week’s meal at Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant simply blew my mind away.

I’m talking about the steamed hairy crabs I had at Li Bai. Believe it or not, it was actually my first time sampling this delicious delicacy. I’ve had crabs numerous times in my lifetime, so it didn’t occur to me to need to seek out these hairy crabs, which I had assumed all along were just merely crabs with a slightly different flavour.

Li Bai Sheraton - Traditionally Steamed Hairy Crab (2)

Traditionally Steamed Hairy Crab $60 per piece

The flesh of the hairy crab is not that different from the usual crabs we get in Singapore, albeit sweeter in taste. But the piece de la resistance, the crème de la crème if you will (pun intended), is the hairy crab roe. Alas, I do not have a picture of the glistening golden roe, because for once I was too busy savouring its sublimely rich taste to remember to capture a picture of it.

This hairy crab roe is unlike any other crab roe I have ever tasted. It tasted saltier than usual, almost like a salted egg yolk. But unlike the one dimensional salted egg yolk which is mainly just salty, the hairy crab roe brought about a savouriness that made it taste 100 times more magical than a salted egg yolk, or other crab roes for that matter.

I wanted to utter something to my neighbouring diner, but I’d noticed that the private room we were in was enveloped in a hushed silence the minute the crabs were served, with only the clicking of spoons to crab being heard. Forget about etiquette, it was every man and his crab for himself.

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