Gourmet High Tea at Pan Pacific Orchard

I don’t like buffets for two good solid reasons.

1. Eat-all-you-can generally = subpar quality imo.

2. I have absolutely no portion control.

But… Sometimes, I kind of miss buffets. Usually only for like, five seconds? Haha.

I miss the visual feast for the eyes, miss the joy of stuffing myself silly, miss the thrill of going back for seconds (and thirds and fourths) without worrying about the impact on the wallet.

So the Gourmet High Tea Buffet in the Lobby Lounge of Pan Pacific Orchard turns out to be a nice surprise. It’s clearly quality over quantity, the spread is limited to one long table, and I counted less than twenty items in total. Well done!

Before I forget, I must mention the fantastic music playlist which comprises of mostly classic oldies, some 90s, basically my type of songs! “Wonderful Tonight”, “Superwoman”, “(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You”, lalala…

P.S. What are kids listening to these days?!

Priced at $28++ on weekdays and $38++ on weekends (inclusive of a selection of TWG teas), the high tea buffet is available daily from 2-5pm.

It’s a way of life (at least, in Singapore) that everything is more expensive on weekends. So to justify the $10++ price hike, the weekend spread is boosted with more substantial eats like Chef Andy Oh’s famous char kway teow, Swiss cottage melting raclette and Spanish-bred Iberian-cured ham.

The menu changes daily so I won’t bother listing all the what’s what here. Remember, what you see may not be what you get!

That said, I hope the smoked salmon mousse and crab rillettes in orange blossom basket become permanent guests on the menu cuz I love them!

And there’s also sea urchin with mango salsa, Thai-style wagyu beef papaya salad and cute mini bite-sized egg mayo on charcoal buns!

I don’t think the chestnut tarts, cappuccino layer cakes and vanilla supreme are worth the precious calories. Skip. The dark chocolate fudge cakes are another story altogether, heh.

The Global Hotel Alliance-Awarded Famous Peddlers char kway teow, prepared à la minute, is one of the popular three Plates of Pleasures on weekends. The other two are spicy prawn noodle broth and Penang assam laksa, which is listed on “CNN World Yummiest Food”!

Since I’m not a fan of local food, I’m not a reliable judge of whether it’s really that yummy or award-worthy. Shall leave that up to you!

My thanks to Abigail from Pan Pacific for the invite!

Pan Pacific Orchard
10 Claymore Road
6831 6685

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Esquina

15 mins before Esquina (co-founded by Michelin-starred Jason Atherton of London’s Pollen Street Social and Singapore’s Pollen) opened its door, Emma from Dancing Elephant and I were already 3rd in line, even after making a point to reach early. The staff ushered us into the narrow restaurant promptly at noon and we took our seats along the bar counter, all ready to catch the chefs in action!

If you haven’t heard by now, Esquina does an extremely value for money set lunch on weekdays. 3 courses for $39+, menu apparently changes daily (or is that weekly?), and most of them are variations of sorts from the ala carte menu.

Almost every table ordered the salt and pepper squid so of course that had me hankering for a taste of it too. On hindsight, I wouldn’t do it again, since the squid paella and squid ink aioli that came with our mains of seabass had somewhat similar flavours. Talk about squid overdose, haha.

While I wouldn’t call this the best lunch/meal/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, I thought the food was well-executed and of good quality, especially the fresh seabass. I reckon Esquina is worth another visit, maybe for ala carte next. And yes, I’ll even put up with those awfully uncomfortable bar stools =x

roast ox tongue, cumin cous cous, harissa dressing

grilled romaine salad, anchovy, black olive, manchego

salt & pepper squid, black ink aioli ($20+)

seabass, squid paella, squid ink aioli

frozen yogurt, pumpkin cous cous cake, moroccan spiced apricot

Esquina
16 Jiak Chuan Lane
6222 1616

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Windowsill in the Woods

A meal in the woods can be pretty sinful.

For brunch, take your pick from the artery-clogging menu. Yes, almost everything is deep-fried! Such as the classic New Orleans po’ boy sandwich stuffed with battered shrimps. Or the crispy potato latkes (think of these as mini rosti). Or the fluffy bacon pancakes, paired with a small scoop of creamy egg salad.

Skip the chowder, we found it too thin and bland, kind of like an anorexic soup.

But at Windowsill in the Woods, the beautiful and pricey pies are really what you should go for. I wish we could try ALL the pies, but three were all we could manage without puking. These pies are very very good; my favourite is the strawberry lemon tart (for now), a tart tart that’s so refreshing! Morello cherry and The Sam Willows are two extremes of a spectrum; the former is your traditional pie covered with sugared shortcrust (safe and boring) and the latter has a curious combination of pear, rosemary, peanut butter and hazelnuts (weird and works). Sam Willows is actually something I’d never pick in a million years and I’m glad the girls did. Cuz it made me realize that sometimes, being adventurous pays off!

Clockwise from bottom right:

Bacon Pancakes and Egg Salad ($15);

Shrimp Po’Boy ($15);

Latkes and Dip ($11); and

Corn, Leek and Clam Chowder ($14).

Clockwise from bottom:

Morello Cherry Pie ($8);

The Sam Willlows Pie ($7.50); and

Strawberry Lemon Slice ($7)

Windowsill in the Woods
78 Horne Road
9004 7827

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Once a Year at Drips

One year later, I’m back at Drips Bakery Cafe with the same dear friend I was with my first time there.

One year later, their tarts are still easily one of the best you can find in Singapore.

Seasonal Mixed Berries Tart ($8)

Cinnamon Pear Tart ($7.50)

Drips Bakery Cafe
#01-05, 82 Tiong Poh Road
6222 0400

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Arbite

Sometimes, less is more, and nothing much needs to be said (such a convenient excuse for me to be lazy, I know). Such as Arbite, a cozy little cafe that’s already well-known enough without me extolling its virtues.

Smoked Salmon Smorgasbord ($13.90+)
smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, capers on foccacia, served with side salad

Eggs Benedict ($11.90+)
poached eggs, honey baked ham smoked salmon, citrus hollandaise on brioche, served with greens

Arbite
66A Serangoon Garden Way
6287 0430

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Platypus Kitchen (Bugis Junction)

Platypus Test Kitchen welcomes a new member to the Platypus group of restaurants — Platypus Kitchen at Bugis Junction, replacing the gloomy V8 Cafe that’s been around since my school days.

The expanded menu has a great selection of appetisers, hand-made pastas, gourmet risottos, main courses, and a range of beer cocktails and carafes of speciality drinks. Unless you have something against pasta, I’d be very very surprised if you find nothing carb-worthy catching your fancy here.

If I have to formulate my own 3-course dinner, I’d go for the generously stuffed crab cakes, interesting spicy diablo tagliolini and for a thirst quencher, any of the refreshing beer cocktails. When I was there during the soft launch, there’s no sweets on offer yet so the default dessert was a rich and thick Italian hot chocolate.

Well-priced bistro fare, good location, fresh produce, seasonal ingredients.. I have a feeling that Platypus Kitchen is going to be a hit!

Pomegranate Beer ($9.90++)
larger beer with a dash of grenadine, garnished with pomegranate arils and lemon slices (2.9% ABV)

Smith’s Ale ($9.90++)
larger beer infused with green apples and lemons, garnished with fresh apples, lemon and passion fruit (2.9% ABV)

Wild Mushroom Soup ($3.90++), Roasted Pumpkin Soup ($3.90++)

Risotto Balls ($8.90++)
mozzarella-stuffed balls of risotto, breaded in panko, deep fried and served over rich pumpkin puree

Crab Cakes ($12.90++)
potato fritters stuffed with large chunks of crab claw meat, deep fried and served with lemon

Garlic Shrimp ($8.50++)
prawns sautéed in olive oil and garlic, finished with fresh parsley

Black & White, Scallop & Crab ($17.50++)
interwoven egg and squid-ink tagliolini with crabs and scallops in white wine consomme

Spicy ‘Diablo’ Crab & Prawn ($18.50++)
egg tagliolini with prawns and crab claw tossed in a spicy egg sauce

Shaved Truffle Risotto ($17.90++, additional $3.50++ for truffle overload)
shaved summer truffles and parmigiano-reggiano over garlic-butter risotto

Seafood Bouillabaisse ($21.90++)
seafood medley of grilled prawns, bay scallops, clams, mussels, squid, and chunks of salmon in tomato garlic seafood broth, served with bread

Italian Hot Chocolate ($8.80++)
full cream milk, cream, 54% dark chocolate

My thanks to Nicholas for the invitation, and sincere apologies for the tardy post!

Platypus Kitchen
#03-29, Bugis Junction
200 Victoria Street
6333 4434

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Toastoo-ed Again at &Made

Like I mentioned, &Made by Bruno Menard is a handy backup when the first (or second and third) dining option is not meant to be. The day after CNY, Aoki was sadly closed, Tatsuya was not serving the usual bento sets, argh. So it’s to hyped-down &Made across the street for a quick hassle-free lunch fix.

This time, Toastoo Florentine ($15++) from the breakfast menu (still available during lunch) was better than “normal”, probably because it’s very me — buckwheat crepe, spinach, smoked salmon, sunny side up.

Pretty much a safe winning combi, imo.

&Made by Bruno Menard
#01-04/05/06, Pacific Plaza
9 Scotts Road
6238 5549

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Bye Bye, MoTT!

Dear Mayor of Tiny Town,

I’m sorry to hear that you will cease operations with effect from tomorrow. Thank goodness I dropped by for lunch this afternoon with a group of colleagues.. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known the sad truth, and I wouldn’t have the chance to taste your waffles one last time.

Your perfect-imo waffles are life-changing, turning a waffle-hating girl into the current waffle-loving me. Because of you, I’m consuming extra calories at ice cream parlours, as freshly baked crispy waffles topped with homemade artisanal ice cream are my weakness now.

Your waffles will be sorely missed.

*green tea red bean waffle*

The Mayor of Tiny Town
61 Cantonment Road
6222 7089

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Maccha House

The price is right, the quality is good, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying twist-and-turn of green tea soft serve elsewhere in town!

Welcome to the Maccha House.

Maccha Soft Cream Latte ($5.49+)

Green Tea Soft Serve Ice Cream ($2.49+)

Maccha House
#B1-40, Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
6636 5830

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Azur @ Crowne Plaza Hotel

Happy Chinese New Year’s Eve to everyone!!!

I had my first lo hei of 2013 at Azur, a buffet restaurant in Changi Airport Crowne Plaza Hotel. There’s about 20 of us at the media tasting session so chef prepared this huge snakey yu sheng with all the trimmings symbolizing auspiciousness, wealth and abundance.

Have fun tossing and making a mess tonight, and the next 15 days to come!

Top left, clockwise:

Braised Sea Cucumber with Baby Abalone;

Trio of CNY Pastries: Orange Mousse, Lychee Osmanthus Jello, Tempura Nian Gao;

Treasures of the Ocean Seafood Soup with Fish Maw, Crabmeat, Dried Scallops; and

Three Treasures Yu Sheng ($68+)
hokkigai surf clams, wakame seaweed, tamago, pickled mango and papaya, black fungus, ginseng yuzu dressing, sliced abalone (additional $48+), swordfish belly (additional $28+), and fresh norwegian salmon (additional $18+).

Confit Salmon, Darjeeling Beurre Blanc (butter-based emulsified sauce)

Wok Fried Sea Prawns infused with Milk and Margarine, Mixed Berries

Prices:

Chinese New Year Eve Dinner (9 February 2013)
$88.00++

Chinese New Year Day 1 & 2 Brunch/Dinner (10 – 11 February 2013)
$58.00++/$78.00++

Chinese New Year Weekday Lunch/Dinner (12 – 15, 18 – 22 February 2013)
$48.00++/$58.00++

For more information and the CNY menus at Azur, click here.

Special thanks to Carrie and Belina for inviting and hosting such a big group of us for dinner!

Azur
2F Crowne Plaza Hotel
75 Airport Boulevard
6823 5354

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