Posted on Sat, 18 Jun 2011

Foodie Notebook Singapore

Updates anyone? Here’s a quick bite on what’s happening around town foodwise….

White Tips. White asparagus grow up never seeing the sun, ‘cos their farmers have this annoying habit of piling soiling over them everytime these desperate tips shoot beyond the soil line in the hope to catch a tan. That’s why they are pale, and more expensive (on account of the constant soil piling by the farmer), but people say they are less stringy and sweeter. Novus over at the Singapore Museum has rolled out a menu to celebrate these white peaks from now until end June. In brief, there’s a 3-course lunch menu ($68++), a 6-course dinner degustation ($128++ wineless/add $88++ for wine pairing) and a la carte menu featuring close to 20 white asparagus creations including a dessert! Highlights: White Asparagus Prosciutto and Berkshire Pork meets White Asparagus and Iberico Ham ($46 and featured in the set lunch), White Asparagus Risotto ($32), Fresh Strawberries and White Asparagus ($18, comprising elderflower-scented white asparagus with wild strawberry sorbet), White Asparagus Field with marinated white asparagus, polonaise soil and quail eggs (S$21, above), and Ocean Trout & White Asparagus featuring crisp ocean trout skin white asparagus risotto and green asparagus ($38). And because Chef Stephan Zoisl likes a little molecular magic in his food, you can be sure it will be something pretty unique!

National Museum of Singapore
93 Stamford Road #01-02
Tel: 6336 8770

Name Game. Talk about a novel idea! Greenhouse, at Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore, is offering 35% off weekday buffet lunches from 20 June to 16 September to adults during the week that the first alphabet of their surname is featured. Huh? To understand it, you need this little chart below…See the light now?

Week	Alphabet
20 to 24 June	A & B
27 June to 1 July	C & D
4 to 8 July	E & F
11 to 15 July	G & H
18 to 22 July	I & J
25 to 29 July	K & L
1 to 5 August	M & N
8 to 12 August	O & P
15 to 19 August	Q & R
22 to 26 August	S & T
29 August to 2 September	U & V
5 to 9 September	W & X
12 to 16 September	Y & Z

The hotel provides this example: “E.g. Ms Tan Betty and her guests will enjoy this dining privilege from 22 to 26 August.” So I guess that means the person who’s surname becomes relevant for the week makes the reservation and everyone enjoys the perk. Limited to 10 adults per party. Reservations essential. Print out the confirmation which the hotel will send you and present it with your photo ID to enjoy this. Weekday buffet lunch there is priced at S$52 (before discount) for grown ups and $26 for kids 6-12 years old.

7 Raffles Avenue
Tel: 6434 5288
Email: rc.sinrz.restaurantreservations@ritzcarlton.com

Chinese & Champers. Want brunch but don’t want the ‘same-ole-same-ole’? How about haute Chinese with bubbly? Devotees of Chef Chan Kwok can spend Sundays at Hua Ting, the award winning Chinese restaurant in Orchard Hotel, feasting up on unlimited servings from the a la carte menu with free-flow of Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne, wine, draught beer, juices and fizzies. At $148 with alky and $88 without, you have one serving only of soup and shark’s fin (there’s a choice you can pick from) and unlimited servings of everything else on the menu including dim sum like Baked Chicken and Mango Tarts, Pan-Fried Cod Fish Bun, Deep-Fried Scallop Pastry with Onion and Garlic, Baked Pork Ribs with Lemon Grass, and the spectrum of cooked dishes like Braised Fillet of Venison with Mushrooms, Pan-Fried Kurobuta Pork, Stewed Fish Head and Belly with Bitter Gourd, etc, etc. This mouthwatering menu floats our boat. Best to bring a large group with big appetites.

Tel: 6739 6666.

French Flair. Don’t forget the hearty, authentic French food you can get at Brasserie WOLF, the casual bistro by the Singapore river. A classy place with a touch of Paris on its walls – vintage lamps, maple wooden flooring, memorabilia and quirky French icons – its food is classic and unpretentious, and cooked by new chef Claudio Sandri. We had a tasting there not long ago, and enjoyed the goats cheese salad in a crisp crust ($16) with mesclun salad and sundried tomatoes (very sweet and refreshing), and the home made foie gras terrine which came with crusty bread and a particularly yummy apple chutney. The duck leg confit ($32) had a good flavour, but a little dry, the lamb shank ($29) was good and the barramundi fillet ($36) with asparagus and jalapeno salsa was particularly was nice. Other signatures include beef bourguignon ($39) and traditional bouillabaisse soup ($16). Portions are rather large, so ladies can actually share. The food there is not amazingly mind blowing, but good and enjoyable. You’ll be happy with dining there. Good to know: 26 wines by the glass; two course set lunch at $31, and a la carte Sunday brunch! Plus one of the most wholesome kids menus in town including pan fried fish of the day with mash potatoes ($16), crepes with prawns and cheese or ham and asparagus ($11), chicken Viennoise with fries ($11.50). Not a nugget in sight, thankfully!

80 Mohamed Sultan Road
#01-13 The Pier at Robertson
Tel: (65) 6735 3476
brasserie@esmirada.com

Holistic Indian. Pen this in for future use. From 1 to 10 July 2011, Carousel, at Royal Plaza on Scotts, will be rolling out holistic Indian cuisine by Guest Chef Yogesh Arora. Health and calmness is the key words here, and artificial colours or flavour enhancers are banned from his menu. Expect to feast up on Nagduna Chicken Tikka (boneless chicken marinated with yogurt), Jhinga Ajwaini (prawns cooked with thymol, onions and black pepper); Khumb Triveni (combination of button mushrooms, shitake mushrooms and portabello mushrooms with broccoli, basil, spring onions and spices), homemade chutneys and loads more. Lunch and dinner from $46++ and $62++ respectively.