A Japanese Restaurant for… Desserts?

Kazu Sumi-Yaki is not my regular go-to place for my fix of Kushiyaki.  That honour is reserved for Nanbantei, which, over the years, has not been able to upkeep the high quality of their food.  In spite of that, we return to it, time and again, complaining each time about how the food prepared and presented to us are no longer like what they were a decade ago.  I guess we really thrive on familiarity.

And so, the topic of Kushiyaki came up during the last dinner gathering with the gals.  Someone in the group commented that she could not turn up for the dinner at Nanbantei eons ago, and she had heard only good things about the food.  She suggested going back to Nanbantei, but we thought we should just try another place that serves the same fare.  After some discussion on FB, we decided on Kazu.

It wasn’t a very pleasant experience trying to reach someone at the restaurant for a reservation.  I must have tried at least 5 times, all at different times of the day, weekdays and weekends before someone finally picked up my call.  We cannot walk in with a party of 7, that’s for sure.  I was so elated when I eventually got to talk with someone I was willing to forgive and forget.  Till the actual day…

Kazu Sumi-Yaki is clearly a restaurant that favours regulars they recognise.  I was largely ignored when I attempted to gain a staff’s attention at the door but they were happily admitting regulars who obviously did not make any reservations, giving me the ‘Wait’ sign with their hands.  Rude, by any standard, but once again I am willing to forgive and forget if they serve good food.  I am that food-driven.

We had to wait for almost 20 minutes past our reservation time slot before we were shown to our table.  And then it took more time to ask for their menus.  Chaotic, chaotic.  I get it that they are a small and establishment restaurant with a regular pool of patrons but shouldn’t you treat every patron that enters the door as a potential regular?

I did most of the ordering because I guess I’m most familiar with Kushiyaki.

{clockwise from top left: whelk, enoki maki, wagyu sticks, asparagus maki}

{clockwise from top left: tebasaki, corn, tomato maki, tsukune}

And order I did.  It wasn’t a difficult task because like I’ve mentioned, I thrive on familiarity – I just ordered what I would normally order at Nanbantei.  It was not intentional, but by ordering the same stuff, I could do a direct comparison of the food from these 2 restaurants.  Some hits and misses from Kazu Sumi-Yaki: most of the maki barely made it mostly because the chef was too ‘light’ with the salt it was barely discernible.  Wagyu sticks were very nice, but tebasaki too charred.  All in all, nothing mind-blowing, and totally forgettable.  The foie gras we had was delectable, but unfortunately I forgot to do a shot before I popped it into my mouth.

Now, the very expensive sweet potato was also very impressionable, in part for the very wrong reason that it costs S$22.  Each.  We decided on just ordering one, to be shared amongst the 6 of us who were present.  And we had to wait 20 minutes for it.  To be fair, the sweet potato was really worth waiting for.

{tiramisu, tempura awayuki, yaki crepe, yaki awayuki}

The saving grace for the day came unexpectedly in the form of desserts.  I told my dinner company that I remember the desserts being good.  And since we couldn’t decide, we ordered 4 of the 5 desserts on their menu to share.  I can only say that the desserts were mind-blowingly great!  And not too cloyingly sweet.  If there is any reason for me to return, it’s for the desserts.

I’m sorry Kazu Sumi-Yaki, but this is about the last time I will ever visit you.  And I’m putting this down on record in case I forget in the future.  Despite the great dessert, the food just doesn’t hold its own appeal.  Didn’t help that throughout the night, we struggled to gain the attention of the waitresses for the simplest of tasks – more green tea, the menu etc.  And then they became too enthusiastic when we were the last 3 tables left occupied late in the night, hovering in the background.  Yes, I’m still upset with them for clearing the bamboo container with all the sticks we discarded way too soon.  I wanted to take a picture of that!

Kazu Sumi-Yaki Restaurant
5 Koek Road
#04-05 Cuppage Plaza
Singapore 228796
Tel: +65-6734-2492
Opening Hours:
1800-2200hrs

112/250

The Rustic Life

Once in a while, we meet up with the parents for dinner over the weekend, with no prior planning.  We have a few default favourite eateries to return to, but that weekend we ran out of options.  Turned out my dad was in the mood to return to the rustic countryside lifestyle.  Kind of.  We headed over to Marina Country Club for dinner.

We had been there several times prior, having traditional chinese seafood cuisine, Singaporean-style.  And this one other time, I returned with the hubby to try out the barbeque buffet.  Let’s just say it wasn’t very memorable and we subsequently did not recommend that restaurant to our parents.

That night, we headed straight for the few restaurants by the dockside.  And settled for the first restaurant that we always walked by without taking a second look.  This restaurant called Channel Sam serves seafood, western style.  We didn’t find the menu very interesting, and therefore went straight to the counter and started pointing off the fresh seafood.  We figured it was a faster and more effective way to order.  Secretly I was disappointed because they didn’t have all the chinese-styled seafood dishes I was more used to.  I think my parents were disappointed too, but since we have already sat down at a table, we were too embarrassed to leave.

Granted, it was a nice place with a view.  We were also blessed with good weather and a balmy breeze.  Because we were there early, we didn’t have to wait very long for our food to arrive although I have to admit, I was expecting very much.

The food was basically nothing much to shout about, especially the presentation, but they didn’t taste too bad either.  It helped that the seafood was very fresh.  Alright, the food was quite good.  I was just… crabby because I didn’t get to eat my crabs, pun unintended.

We enjoyed ourselves that evening, especially my dad, who could leave the table several times to take a smoke.  I even wondered if he chose this place because of the open-air concept (meant that he could easily take a smoke nearby).  I chided him but he was clearly not afraid of me.  That night at home, I texted the little sis (who had something on and did not join us for dinner earlier) about how heavily he was smoking.  Figured she could do something about it since dad is apparently very afraid of her.  I didn’t hear from her after I texted her, and I forgot all about it.

Turns out she gave him hell that night for chain smoking.  I learnt about it from my mum a couple of weeks later.  Some of you might think that we are coming down too hard on an old man for his decades-long smoking habit, but you don’t know he had a health scare a couple of years back.  He was so shaken he promised us to quit smoking.  Never happened.  For a hypochondriac like he is, I don’t understand why he just won’t quit.  Especially when all of us around him show our displeasure so openly.

Much that I loved patronising the restaurants at Marina Country Club, I don’t think I will be returning with the parents any time soon.  While many parts of Singapore have clear demarcated areas where smoking is allowed or diallowed, they didn’t have such restrictions at the country club.  The last thing I want to do is to encourage dad to smoke.  So from now own, we shall only dine at eateries that do not allow smoking.  He smokes a lot lesser like that because it’s too troublesome to walk out of the building in the midst of a meal just to smoke.  That’s the least I could do to ensure that he lives longer.  I actually worry about who will rein him in; the little sis will be getting married next year, which means that no one at home can control him and his smoking habit.  I truly worry.

106/250

THE Korean Restaurant in Singapore

I have, on several occasions, lamented about the plight of Korean Cuisine lovers in Singapore – one just doesn’t seem to find decent Korean fare.  But fret not, fellow countrymen, for I think I have found the restaurant that I am willing to return to time after time.  And the restaurant that has won me over permanently?  Hyang-To-Gol Korean Restaurant located on the 2nd Level at Amara Hotel.

I cannot not talk about a bunch of folks I just got to know 3 months back when I talk about this restaurant, because they were the reason why I was even there in the first place.  The 4 other ladies and 1 gentleman I dined with that evening were the very same folks I sat with at the same table for 10 weeks during my Korean Language Class.  We made a pact to dine together during our semestral break of 2 weeks but couldn’t decide on the location (although we were set on Korean Cuisine).  Finally, N recommended Hyang-To-Gol in our WhatsApp conversation.  Since the restaurant allowed reservations (while the other restaurant the other classmates suggested do not), we concurred to give it a try.

You might be shocked at the plethora of dishes on our table if this is the first time you are exposed to Korean Cuisine.  It looks scary, but if you look closely, a lot of the dishes are what the Koreans call 반찬 (‘Banchan’), which are essentially small portions of side dishes.  And each of us had 3 dishes of sauces.  That resulted in the crazily filled table, so filled that the waitresses even had problems looking for space to lay down the dishes we ordered.  In spite of what you might believe, we didn’t order very much food.  In fact, the 5 ladies in the company finished up all the food because the only gentleman with us is currently suffering from an ailment that affects his appetite adversely.  Poor W, get well soon!

Clearly, the ladies eat like I do – little bits of everything.  I was happy to dine with them because if the hubby were dining with me, the table would be filled with meat dishes and ddukbokki (떡볶이), my favourite Korean snack food.  That crazy evening I got to eat some meat, seafood pancake (해물파전), Kimchi stew (김치찌개), mixed rice served in hot stone bowl (돌솥 비빔밥) and of course my ddukbokki (떡볶이).  The meats, in my opinion, were not very tasty but I’m not about to make a sweeping statement based solely on the 3 meat dishes we ordered.  I don’t usually deal with the ordering when with the hubby, so I will only make another conclusion about the meats after another visit with him.  But everything else tasted great, so tasty that they were comparable to what I have had in Korea itself.  Well I have eaten better-tasting ddukbokki and seafood pancake in Seoul, but the Kimchi stew and Bibimbap were really, really tasty.  You have to try these 2 dishes if you ever drop by, especially the Kimchi stew.

I always maintain that, to really learn if the restaurant is serving authentic cuisine, look around at the other patrons.  At Hyang-To-Gol, majority of the patrons are native Koreans.  Hey, if the native Koreans think that the restaurant serves up pretty good authentic Korean Cuisine, I am apt to believe them.

Although the 6 of us are rather close-knitted in class, we found out more about one another over dinner that evening.  It’s always easier to bond when a group has a common interest – in this case, our love for the Korean Language.  To be exact, we all love different aspects of the Korean culture – W, T and I are into K-Pop; W, T, M, N and I are into K-Dramas, and all of us are into Korean Cuisine!  With the exception of C, we are all picking up the language for self-interest.  C has business dealings with Koreans, so she’s strictly speaking picking up the language for work but we are trying to convert her.

This meal cost slightly over S$250.  Because W just took a biteful of the ddukbokki and half a spoonful of rice, we decided that it is not fair to make him pay.  Among the 5 of us, we split the bill.  You could definitely do the sums.  This restuarant is really reasonably priced.

Consuming too much barbecued food is purported to cause cancer so I do consume with this fact in mind.  The problem lies with the hubby and I being totally spoilt by the good food in Japan and Korea.  It’s very frustrating that we frequently cannot find food of the same quality in Singapore.  I cannot begin to even describe how elated I am to be headed for Seoul in 2 weeks’.

Did I mention I really love this bunch of new friends I made?  Hopefully we will all attain proficiency in the language together.  여러분,  열심히  공부세요!

Hyang-To-Gol Korean Restaurant
165 Tanjong Pagar Road
2F The Amara
Singapore 088539
Tel: +65-6220-7160
Opening Hours:
1130-1500hrs; 1800-2230hrs

99/250

Yan Ting, Revisited

Two weekends back, I revisited Yan Ting at St. Regis with a good friend, who was having their dim sum for the first time.  This is probably my 4th or 5th visit, but the very first time I took their Weekend Brunch Buffet.  It doesn’t come cheap, at S$98++ per pax, which is the reason why my family always opt to order from the ala carte menu whenever we visited.  But with The Astor Card, I had one complimentary brunch, and the other paying guest gets a reduction of 25% off the price.  Quite a steal, in my opinion.

It was the first time I was at Yan Ting during the first seating (at 11.30am), and I was surprised to find the restaurant rather empty, save for just a couple of occupied tables.  But we got one of the cozy tables for two by the side of the restaurant.  Loved the privacy of the table and the quiet ambience, but hated the fact that I forgot my camera.  Again.  So I have to rely on my iPhone’s camera.  My memory’s not as good as it used to be, that’s a reality I have to face up to.

I must have mentioned it before that Yan Ting’s collection of steamed Dim Sum items is not comprehensive, but sufficient to satisfy my appetite.  We ordered the usual fare that everyone must have at a Dim Sum restaurant, and some.  There were some hits and misses, but it was fun dining with E.  She introduced me to Liu Sha Bao, which is a bun filled with liquid salted egg yolk.  Lovely!  And for the first time, I didn’t over-order.  Realised that this is my family’s unique trait because my dad likes variety at his meals.

I had the most wonderful time chatting with E.  Found out a little bit more about Scandinavia from her since she visited Denmark once on a business trip (I have started my intial planning for our visit to Scandinavia in 2014 to see the Aurora Borealis), and realised that I really know very little about Northern Europe.  Even simple things like their staple diet, and how friendly they are towards tourists… I had to find out from scratch.  At least I found out that they really like fish and seafood.  In view of the hubby’s distaste for fish, I reckon we would have to bring our portable cooker and instant noodles for our trip.  More about my plans in a future post.

Today is the birthday of E.  Happy Birthday, E!  I hope all your dreams come true!

98/250

Addicted to All-Day Breakfast

After the last visit to Wild Honey, I returned, several days later, with another friend XX.  You might have guessed that moderation has never been my forte.

Similarly, the both of us ordered the English and European breakfasts.  Only that because we really actually couldn’t decide which we liked better, XX and I ended up exchanging items on our plates.  I don’t really fancy bacon or broad beans, so those went to XX.  She also took some of my potatoes and a slice of the brioche because honestly, the English breakfast is a very huge portion.

Because it was a weekday and the crowd mostly cleared out after lunch hour, the staff at the restaurant did not make us keep to the 90-minute table occupancy rule.  As it was a slow day with nothing to do, XX and I decided to indulge in desserts as well.  She ordered the lemon tart while I ordered the kugelhof.  Both quite delish, but be forewarned that the kugelhof is extremely dry – I downed quite a bit of iced water to quench the thirst.

I walked out a happy patron, once again.  In spite of that, guess I will not be visiting Wild Honey in the near future because after both visits, I suffered terrible bouts of tummy ache.  The first occasion was not too bad because I was already on my way home when I first felt the pains, but the second visit was bad because I spent quite some time in the shopping mall’s restroom.  I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with Wild Honey’s food, because on both occasions nothing happened to my lunching partners.  More likely, something in the food doesn’t sit well with my system – I have an extremely sensitive digestive system.  Couple that with irritable bowels… I think you get the drift.  Could be eggs in general.  In any case, it’s bothering me enough to elicit a possible food allergy test soon.

92/250

My Insatiable Appetite for Brioche

Pronounced as ‘bree-oshe’, brioche is, according to Wikipedia… ‘a highly enriched French pastry whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb.  It is “light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and eggs”.  It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust, frequently accentuated by an egg wash applied after proofing.’

I am in love with brioche.  Full stop.  I don’t know when this amorous disposition began, and I don’t even remember when was the first time I tasted brioche.  Truth be told, there are few things I love as passionately as brioche, except perhaps a good croissant.  Yea, I could never say no to either.

And so, I was in one of my moods craving for brioche last Friday night and I tweeted about visiting Wild Honey by the weekend for my fix of good ol’ brioche.  I woke up on the Saturday morning, totally bewildered when the hubby told me to get someone else to go to Wild Honey with me.  Mornings… not a good time to catch me.  I did eventually recall my craving for brioche.  And I could totally understand why the hubby was not interested.  Did I ever mention that he does not take eggs of any kind, in any form?

Fortunately for me, I have foodie friends.  A quick text to a good friend resulted in a confirmed bruch date to Wild Honey the following morning.  Woohoo!

Although Wild Honey first landed on the friendly shores of Singapore a couple of years back, I never tried it.  I don’t like queuing to enter a restaurant, and back then when they only had one outlet at Mandarin Gallery, they didn’t take reservations.  Only walk-in entertained.  And honestly, the queue was no joke.

Now, this new outlet at Scotts Square is different!  It’s a lot more spacious and takes reservations!  I could see myself visiting many, more times.

I couldn’t decide between the English and European breakfast, but decided to order the European when E decided on the English.  On top of that, I ordered some sausage on the side.  Finally, 3 months after eating sausages almost every single day while touring Germany, I am ready to face sausages squarely again.  European is actually Wild Honey’s version of Eggs Benedict, and I have to say that their version is really dope!  I totally fell in love with brioche all over again after my first bite.  And the experience just got better with every mouthful.  Delicious doesn’t even begin to describe my breakfast last Sunday morning.

I want to visit again.  Really soon!  But I can’t decide what I should take the next time… European again, or English?  Or one of those with waffles or pancakes?  Arghh… I need to return soon!

Wild Honey @ Scotts Square
6 Scotts Square
#03-01
Singapore 228209
Tel: +65-6636-1816
Opening Hours:
0900-2200hrs (Mon-Sun)

82/250

The Preferred Soya Beancurd

The verdict is out: Both the hubby and I prefer the soya beancurd from 51 Soya Beancurd.

If you do not hail from this part of the world, you might not be aware that a certain ‘version’ of soya beancurd has taken over Singapore by storm.  This new version, unlike the traditional version I am used to, is a lot softer and silkier to taste.  And there are two main players selling this version of soya beancurd.

One afternoon, the hubby decided to drop by Old Airport Road to buy some soya beancurd.  How we eventually ended up with  5 bowls of each version in my refrigerator is anyone’s guess.  But yea… we could make a direct comparison in this way.  After allowing the soya beancurd to sit and chill in the refrigerator for a while, I took 2 bowls out and tasted them.

Despite consuming the LAO BAN Soya Beancurd first (based on the assumption that food is less tasty when one is less hungry), I found 51 Soya Beancurd’s version more pleasing to my palate.  The difference is rather slight, to be honest, but the winning edge 51 Soya Beancurd has over LAO BAN Soya Beancurd lies in the softer texture.  Which is queer, because when I googled, most people preferred LAO BAN Soya Beancurd because they found it more flavourful and soft.

I can’t explain why this is so, except that everyone has different taste.  Perhaps letting the soya beancurds sit in the refrigerator for a bit affected the texture.  Who knows.

So, during dinner last Sunday, we were telling the parents about this test that we did and our preferred version.  To this, the mum said we should not consume too much because it makes our ‘legs go soft’.  Quite literally, apparently, but I know it sounds weird – might make more sense if you translate it into Chinese.  I was puzzled why she would say such things, and wanted to ascertain if it was just urban legend because I really love my soy products.  Dad nodded in agreement and asked us if we knew how soya milk coagulate to give us soya beancurd.  The hubby and I obviously didn’t know a thing.

The daddy revealed something alarming – that they used 石膏 as a coagulant.  OK you can’t blame me for being alarmed, because as far as my Chinese goes, 石膏 is wall plaster and I cannot imagine consuming that.  So I googled for more information on the spot, and learnt that the english name is gypsum powder, which is essentially calcium sulphate.  Not poisonous, does not make your legs go soft, and you need to consume a rather large amount to be concerned about consuming it.  Take a look at what Dr Leslie Tay wrote on his blog, it’s quite informative.

In summary, I don’t mind either version of soya beancurd but since the hubby says 51 Soya Beancurd hardly has a queue, I’m all for consuming their version from now on.

81/250

Buko Nero

I learnt of this place some years back but have never had the opportunity to visit, one main reason being the fact that I am rather a spontaneous foodie but with Buko Nero, one needs to nail that reservation at least a month in advance.  I always made it a point to remember to make that elusive reservation, yet somehow never got down to doing it.  Doesn’t help that you hardly see any pictures of the restaurant on the internet.  Restaurant policy, apparently: no photography allowed. Well, at least my companions could eat in peace for once.

Buko Nero is a small, cozy and nondescript restaurant along Tanjong Pagar Road.  In fact it is situated so near another of my favourite Italian restaurants in Singapore – Pasta Brava – that I must have passed by it many times in the last decade.  Yet we never noticed it; it is that nondescript.

Incidentally, the hubby just visited the restaurant – his first time too – a week ahead of my dinner date with my girlfriends.  And he came home raving about the 5-course meal he had.  Considering how fussy he is, and how stingy he usually is with compliments, I was pleasantly surprised that he enjoyed his night out with his colleagues.  Needless to say, expectations were running a little high.

This is a restaurant where I call the experience ‘slow-food dining’ because there is effectively only one chef at work (probably explaining why the restaurant remains small through the years, what with just about 22 seats).  Not a place to dine at if you are feeling extremely hungry.  But, it’s a great place if you wish to catch up with some good friends over good food because at the restaurant, you need not talk at the top of your voices to carry a conversation.

Our company of 6 mostly arrived ahead of our 7.30pm appointment with the exception of 1. Of the 6, 2 actually walked past the restaurant without knowing they had done so.  So if you are going to make your way there, make sure to keep a very close lookout or you might just miss it.

As some of us were famished, we ordered two starters – the Tau-Kwa Tower and Tomato and Mozzarella Crostino topped with Parma Ham – and both dishes simply wowed us over.  When the last of our party arrived, Tracy came over to introduce the specials of the day, and also elaborated a little about the set menu.  Eventually, 4 of us settled for the set menu (with 2 of us exchanging the pasta main for the ravioli) with the remaining 2 deciding to order from the ala carte menu.  This was how my 5-course dinner looked like:

1. Momotaro and Songino Salad with Citrus Dressing and Toasted Pinenuts
2. Japanese Pumpkin, Basic and Crabmeat Soup
3. Ravioli stuffed with Cod Belly
4. Plum and Calamansi Sherbet
5. Classic Tiramisu

All hits. Asolutely no misses during the meal.  It’s been quite a while since I walked away feeling so elated and satisfied after a meal.

Since I couldn’t take any pictures, I came home and took a shot of the namecard.  I’m not a fussy eater much, but I have to say that Buko Nero is unequivocally one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever come across.  No, scratch that.  It is one of the best restaurants I’ve ever come across.  That says a lot, considering how much good food my family consumes at classy restaurants and how we have actually tasted authentic Italian cuisine in the charming country itself.

Don’t take my word for it; go taste it for yourself.  Just remember, it’s usually a one-month wait so be patient.

Buko Nero
126 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088534
Tel: +65-6324-6225
Opening Hours:
Tue-Thu 1830-2130hrs
Fri-Sat 1200-1400hrs; 1830-2130hrs
Closed on Sundays & Mondays

79/250

Our Favourite Duck Dish

I’m not a fan of duck meat.  A little like how I feel about chicken breast meat, except maybe worse.  Duck meat is… dense and has a ‘raw’ taste to it.  Don’t be mistaken; I have tasted Teochew-style braised duck prepared by a competent cook in the form of my Aunt (in fact I grew up with this dish), but it didn’t make me like it any better.  I only reserve the internal ‘duck meat quota’ for very special occasions.  Suffice it to say that I only consume it sparingly, once every quarter or so.

There are exceptions I make.  And one of them is the roast duck from a coffee shop at Queen Street (opposite Iluma’s backdoor).  I was first introduced to this roasted meat stall by my ex-colleagues when they brought me over for lunch one day.  The queue is perpetually long (at least ten people in the queue, more during meal times) and if you don’t go early enough, the best soup (salted vegetable duck soup) might run out.  That was what happened when the hubby and I went over for a late lunch the other day.  We had to settle for the other soups (which are not so nice, in my opinion).

We went a little overboard and ordered a portion for 3 persons the other day.  Together with the meat platter, the two plates of rice and two soups cost us S$23.  It’s affordable, of course, considering this is a coffee shop and not some posh restaurant.  Apart from the duck meat cuts, you could also order char siew pork and fatty pork.  I definitely don’t like the other two types of meats so we didn’t order any.

This coffee shop also serves some fantastic rojak and a famous scissors-cut curry mixed rice.  All worth trying too.  And if you like bubble tea, you could even walk over to Iluma for some KOI bubble tea.

All of these were within walking distance from my ex-workplace.  I guess I do miss working after all.

3838 Eating Place
52 Queen Street
Singapore 188539

67/250

Shang Palace Family Dinner

It’s March again, and when this month comes along, my family has 2 birthdays to celebrate – my dad and the hubby’s.  This year my family has a new addition in the form of little sis’ partner.  In an attempt to find a good but relatively affordable restaurant for dinner, I turned to the options available during Singapore Restaurant Week.  I’ll just give a brief overview if you’re unfamiliar with how this Restaurant Week works.  It happens once, or twice a year when a list of top restaurants offer quality cuisine at an affordable fixed price.  For March 2012, most establishments offer a 3-course surprise menu at $35++.  For some top-of-the-range restaurants, their surprise menus come fixed at S$50++ for lunch, and S$55++ for dinner.  Reservations to these restaurants are very much sought after and the available slots can be filled out in less than an hour.  This I kid you not.

At the stroke of midnight on the day when reservations were opened, I, together with probably hundreds other AMEX card holders, went online and started clicking away.  I made a total of 3 reservations – a lunch at a French bistro, a birthday dinner at a restaurant perched on the 62nd floor of a building in the business district and a family dinner at a Chinese restaurant situated within a 5-star hotel.  Subsequently due to various reasons, only one meal came to fruition.  But I was allowed to cancel my reservations, as long as I did it at least 24 hours afore.  Thank goodness for that allowance.

My family were in general looking forward to being surprised (for we didn’t know what was going to be served).  Conversely, I headed to the restaurant with more trepidation than excitement because I imagined the worst case scenario – none of the 5-course meal appealed to my hubby (and his finicky palate).  Fortunately everything worked out fine eventually, and we didn’t feel the need to order additional dishes from the ala carte menu.

The moment we sat down at the table we were showed to, we saw the Dinner Menu that was displayed at the lazy susan.  Because I was too distracted with my shawl and DSLR, I failed to study the menu properly.  Instead I asked the waitress if that was the menu we were expecting, much to the annoyance of the hubby.  Well well… someone was suffering from a lack of sleep and was feeling extremely pricky.

The 5 courses were served timely; we didn’t feel there were any long waits in-between.  And the service was superb, if not a little too warm for my comfort.  In the specific order, we were served Sliced Peking Duck Skin with Mango and Crisp Bean Curd Skin, Double Boiled Peark Chicken Soup with Sea Whelk and Morel, Sauteed Prawn with Bean Curd and Spicy Sauce, Stir-Fried Mee Sua with Crab Meat and Black Pepper Sauce, and Chilled Jelly with Assorted Fruits.

My favourite course must be the sauteed prawns and the chilled jelly.  I find these 2 dishes different from the usual, and very refreshing!  Especially the dessert which I really enjoyed!

After dessert, it was time to cut the cake.  For the birthday boys, I bought the Black Forest Cake from Pine Garden’s Cake, a local confectionery I grew up with.  I don’t particualy enjoy Black Forest Cake but it was little sis’ pick of the lot I shortlisted, and because I was split I decided to go with her choice.  I have definitely tasted better, but for that price it was a very good cake.

I’ve always had a soft spot for this hotel because my school prom was held there many years back.  If not for the fact that someone I didn’t care for much held his wedding at this particular hotel, I would have held my wedding banquet there.  But no loss, if you ask me, because we settled for a much nice hotel, in my opinion.

Simply can’t wait for the next run of Restaurant Week because I really want to revisit Au Jardin!  The last time we visited on my birthday, the meal came up to close to S$700 for both of us.  That was a rare splurge we vowed not to repeat so the only chance I could return to that fantastic French restaurant is through a Restaurant Week promotion, I guess.  I know I’m probably doing myself (and the others in the know) a great disservice by blogging about this well-kept secret but hey, good things are meant to be shared, right?  Furthermore, I know for a fact that not many locals read my blog (or for that matter, not many people) so I think the secret is still quite safe.

Shang Palace (Shangri-La Hotel Singapore)
22 Orange Grove Road
Singapore 258350
Tel: +65-6213-4473
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 1130-1430hrs (weekdays) / 1030-1500hrs (weekends & public holidays)
Dinner: 1830-2230hrs

65/250