The food options in the Far East (and by that i mean Changi/Loyang) have been growing, much to my delight. It's amazing how The Coastal Settlement is forever packed considering the ulu location but well the food is pretty ahmazing. So so, they have opened a sister restaurant just across the road (yea you heard it from me). Jubilee Coffee House and Bar serves local and western food in a charming restored bungalow, complete with its little garden. 

As compared to The Coastal Settlement (who also does a mean Mee Goreng), the emphasis is more local flavors with snacks like Battered Otah Sticks ($13). Local delights such as Chicken Satay ($12), Chwee Kueh ($5), Fried Carrot Cake ($10) and even Chicken Porridge ($10), are available. Prices seem to be high for local dishes, well that's the impression until we were served our mains.

Since Christmas and New Year are so close to each other and you're probably worrying about both meals, here's highlighting the Christmas and New Year's Eve Dinner Menu at Salt Grill and Sky Bar Singapore. 

Start dinner off with a G.H Mumm Champagne ($98++/bottle; $55++/half bottle).

The Amuse Bouche of Coconut broth with Sydney spice. Just like i remembered it to be, this kaffir lime coconut broth is so very Thai. Mod-Aus is highly influenced by Asian flavors imo. For the second seating for the NYE dinner, an oyster tasting plate is available too. 

The entree options are as follows.

Seared foie gras, pine nut crust, scallops, peach, brioche (only for NYE). It was a huge chunk of seared foie gras which could be better seared to complement the creamy texture. The pine nut crust didn't come through and i was missing the nuttiness. The plum was a nice alternative to the usual berries though.

Star Anise Pork Belly, with seared scallops, cauliflower puree, pickled cucumber. This dish is available on both menus. This is what a kong ba (braised pork belly) would taste like but the pork was on the dry side sadly. We had no issues with the beautifully seared scallops and the amazingly creamy cauliflower purée (will pick this over mash anytime).

The Tuna Tataki (only for NYE) may not look very appetizing with the yellow saffron coloring but the texture of the puffed rice with stringy smoked enoki and sweet onion worked pretty well. The tuna could be less well done though.  

The cigar of whipped goats cheese was enjoyable since i love cheeses but some people did not like the sharp tartness. I thought the dish could do with sweeter elements than the beetroot hummus and fresh figs (which weren't very sweet). For Christmas, you could also opt for the signature Tea Smoked Quail as your starter.

On to the hearty mains. For Christmas, how can we not have festive favorites such as Turkey Breast and Honey Roasted Ham right? Sides include fries/mash potato, fine beans confit shallot or pear, blue cheese, walnut and rocket salad (this is my personal fav).

The Portuguese baby chicken was our favorite main from the NYE menu. The flavors reminded me of the home cooked Turkish meals that i had on my travels with the spice rub of paprika and mint. Pair the crispy tender chicken with the thick saffron sauce and you have a winning combination. Lovely roasted vegetables and spiced chorizo added helped to lift the dish through the differing textures and flavors.

I also enjoyed the Sydney spiced barramundi with thai styled char sui mushrooms and bok choy. I've taken a liking to the firm fish with a light sweetness. 

We were a little confused by the Cape grim strip loin with caramelized endive, eggplant purée and salsa verde. The meat was decent but the sauce tasted of Japanese curry with some minty residue.   

While i liked the initial fresh notes of the pan fried potato gnocchi due to the medley of corn, asparagus, zucchini and truffle verjuice dressing, it was overpowered by the oily gnocchi. The potato pillows, while fluffy, were too big and doughy and I felt myself slipping into a food coma after 2 bites.

For desserts end with one of the 4 desserts. My personal favorite of the NYE menu was the Chocolate tart. 

This tart was a hybrid of a regular chocolate tart and molten lava cake. Think powdery and gooey filling with a crunchy buttery base. Icing on the cake were the praline ice cream and brûlée banana. Good news is that it's available on both Christmas and NYE dinner! I much preferred this over the other desserts. 

Raspberry cheese cake was meh. The cheese was too gelatinous in my opinion. 

The Mango and Coconut bomb Alaska had a rather dry sponge which was like a traditional kueh bolu imo. Too sweet for my liking as well.

Cheese lovers could go for the very substantial cheese selection with quince paste lavoch. The Pouligny Saint Pierre was a delightful crumbly goats milk cheese. For Christmas, there's also the traditional Christmas Pudding or Raspberry Panna Cotta.

Overall, sufficient selection of items for a decent festive meal to end/start the year. Plus the view is amazing. You'll probably be able to catch the fireworks (i'm assuming there would be some). 

3 Course Christmas Dinner Menu ($100/pax)
24 and 25 Dec 2014
3 Course New Year's Eve Dinner Menu
31 Dec 2014
First seating: 6pm - 8pm ($125/pax)
Second seating, 8.30pm. Last order at 12am. ($148/pax)

Salt Grill and Sky Bar
55th and 56th floors, ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 6592 5118

My search for brunch in Orchard Road ended on a high as i headed to Salt Grill and Sky Bar for their latest brunch offerings. I've previously dined at Chef Luke Mangan's exclusive and intimate restaurant perched on the 55th story of Ion Orchard (read review here) and it was ahhmazing. I'm so glad that they've now added brunch to their selection.

The restaurant's look has been updated and it features an exclusive dining area and a brand new bar. Of course, the unobstructed views of Orchard Road, to Marina Bay Sands and beyond add a romantic touch to the dining experience.

On to brunch. a small selection of brunch platters are offered. There are only 4 but that pretty much covers all the brunch permutations available (other than waffles). Each brunch set is about $40 and comes with a main (which is a platter in itself), 2 sides (from a selection of 8), freshly squeezed juices, and a choice of coffee or tea. It may sound like it's quite pricy but i guarantee that it can easily feed 2 person or 3 if you order the right combination.

Now my favorite platter would be the French Toast with eggs done any way, bacon, spinach, and mixed mushroom. The french toast was amazing. I liked that the bread absolutely soaked up all that egg mixture. It was almost like eating egg! The mixed mushrooms were fried with garlic and had a smokey and earthy taste which was irresistible. The bacon could be a little more crispy though. We had the scrambled eggs which were sufficiently creamy and firm but could be a little more runny.

I would recommend pairing this with the rocket and pear salad with blue cheese and caramelised walnuts. Love that stinky and savory blue cheese and that candied walnuts were way too addictive. Since there are already mushrooms in this platter, the next best side would be the avocado (i'm biased) or if you need more carbs, the house made crumpets aren't too bad as well. Eat them fast while they are crispy and still porous and dense, they don't do too well cold. These crumpets would not be out of place at tea with some clotted cream, butter and maple syrup/preserves. I sure hope they serve this at tea. It's almost a savory pancake with a crispy shell.

The Full Aussie Breakfast is quite similar to the French Toast platter so i guess you wouldn't want to waste your calories on plain toast would you? We had this with the Wagyu sausage which i thought was a little too hard and dry. I was expecting a fat and juicy link of meat.

The Eggs Benedict was a little different from the usual as it uses the house made crumpets instead of a regular muffin or brioche. Salmon gravlax (prepared with salt, pepper and dill), poached eggs, house made crumpets, spinach and hollandaise. The hollandaise wasn't too heavy and had a light tinge of acidity. Overall a decent but not fantastic eggs Ben. This was a much smaller platter compared to the above 2. I did not like the homemade baked beans as well as they were bland too.

I didn't quite like the Buttermilk Pancakes because the buttermilk flavor didn't come through. the blandness worked well with the maple syrup ice cream (which was smoky sweet) and the brûlée bananas though but i wished they were fluffier. I found myself pairing the crumpets with the condiments of this dish instead. 

Salt Grill and Sky Bar is certainly a nice spot to enjoy a romantic brunch or tea.  I will be back for the french toast and crumpets!

Salt Grill and Sky Bar
55th and 56th floors, ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 6592 5118

Brunch available on Weekends and PH: 11am - 2pm

Edge at Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore has introduced A Long Long Lunch, a new four-hour massive buffet that brings you from lunch to afternoon tea in 1 sitting. As i stepped into the brightly lit restaurant on Saturday, i wondered how many of the diners can actually last the whole 4h. Well, apparently a lot of them. As for me, i gave myself a 1.5h limit so that i could make it to my next yoga class. 

The emphasis at the A Long Long Lunch is more on well-known hawker favorites and features many local favorites such as Homemade Laksa, Bak Kut Teh, Nasi Lemak, Fried Carrot Cake and Satay.

I was impressed with the Prawn noodle broth (apparently Penang style) which was rich and savory with garlic, spice and crustacean. The prawns were huge (sorry they took a dive) and crunchy. Yums! The Penang kway teow was sadly dry and nowhere as good as the ones i had in Penang. 

Grab a few sticks of satay that are grilled on the spot. This was smoky and flavorful. The style is more chinese and they even have pineapple puree to go with the lighter peanut sauce. The Nasi Lemak was also very fragrant and the grains were perfectly fluffy.

The popiah was also a favorite at our table. The garlic chili really packs a punch.

I also loved the homemade Dim Sum which you can grab at the counter. It's made fresh as well and is as tasty as the ones offered at Hai Tien Lo (read review here)! The roast duck was tasty too!

International cuisines are available as well and you shouldn't miss the Italian section.

The freshly made thin crust pizzas were amazing and certainly comparable to the pizza specialty stores in Singapore.

Great quiches with a good filling to puff ratio. The creamy lamb bolognese was good on its own but even better in the layered puff pastry. Grab a fried salmon croquette from the western section too!

Other cuisines include Japanese, Thai, Indian etc. There's even a Thai deep fried banana station where you can get fresh pisangs!

The desserts selection was extensive in the local department. 

Kaya Toast, Portuguese Egg Tarts (yums!), Ice Kachang, Mango Pomelo Short Cake and a selection of Durian-based desserts. I'm not much of a fan though because the durian puffs filling was more pudding than durian puree. The Durian Pengat was also rather diluted and lack in flavors. Durian fudge cake and Mango Pomelo Short cake were just so so.

If anything, i'd save my space for all the Kueh Lapis. It's dense and fragrant and certainly calories packed but it's worth every bite.

Made to order waffles are also available and i had it with the creamy vanila ice cream. Of course i added a ton of other spreads like peanut butter, nutella and some berries. 

Wash it all down with some sweeeeet teh terik or some sugar cane or fruit juice if you fancy.

Got a little distracted with the set up for the Sunday Champagne Brunch at Edge. That would be truly decadent!

A Long Long Lunch is available at Edge from 12 - 4pm every Saturday and costs $50nett per adult, inclusive of unlimited local beverage, coffee and tea; $25nett per child (below 12 years old) inclusive of unlimited local beverages.

Edge 

Level 3, Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel 

7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039595
Tel: +65 6826 8240

I like to dine with the world under my feet and if you do too, then scoot over to the newly refreshed Salt Grill & Sky Bar at ION Orchard which provides a magnificent landscape of the Orchard Road skyline with their full glass floor-to-ceiling windows that span two storeys high. Swanky it is, Salt grill & Sky Bar serves up some Modern Australian cuisine by celebrity chef-restaurateur Luke Mangan and is known for its one-of-a-kind experience that begins even before guests enter the restaurant. Special concierge reception, private lift, exclusive dining area... it's hard not to feel special here.

I recently checked out their new space and also sampled the spring menu created by Executive Chef Mathew Leighton, who is the youngest Executive Chef in the group. But first, a tipple at the brand new bar. 

Crafted cocktails are a must here. On the left, the Salt Cooler is practically a health drink made from antioxidents (lotsa berries) with lemonade and cranberry juice. Well i preferred something stronger so it was The Australian by Luke Mangan ($18), a lightly spiced ginger based cognac-gin concoction.

Next, some canapes.The Tempura oyster, wakame salad, wasabi dressing. This is also available at Salt Tapas Bar (read review here) but it tasted better than i remembered. The juicy Lamb loin, mushroom duxelles in puff pastry were too addictive to stop at one. 

Modern Australian cuisine is an intersection of influences from cuisines around the world and i could taste that rightaway in the Amuse Bouche, Coconut broth with Sydney spice. Flavor-wise, it tasted very much like Thai Green Curry without the spice.

We then proceeded with our wine and dine event and our dishes were paired with drinks from the Award Winning New World Wine List of the Year 2013 by the World Gourmet Summit. There is also the signature range of eponymous 'Luke Mangan' wines which are produced in one of Australia’s leading wine estates - TarraWarra Estate in Yarra Valley, which Chef Mangan was personally involved in the selection of the grapes and the blending of the wines.

Wine with 1st and 2nd course. NV Clover Hill Tasmanian Cuvee Pipers River TAS, $19 per glass, $99 per bottle.

Something light and refreshing to start, the Sashimi of Kingfish with a sweet puree of ginger and eschalot and crumbles of goats feta ($33). 

Spring vegetables were served next with the mild goats curd, ginger bread crumbs and dried black olives ($31). These are probably sous vide to seal in the freshness of spring.

Wine with 3rd and 4th course. 2011 Yabby Lake Chardonnay Mornington VIC, $140 per bottle. 

I love my eggs and the 'Glass' Sydney crab omelette ($33) totally won me over with the precious sheets of runny egg in the center, enoki mushroom and herb salad in miso mustard broth. A generous serving of sweet crab meat was wrapped in the golden parcel. This is certainly a light dish that is refreshing with a basil taste (again, this is almost Thai food). 

Signature starters include the Tea smoked quail ($31), an original creation in which the bird is smoked with a combination of earl grey tea and rice, and nicely paired with almond cream, prunes, truffled grains (i believe there is quinoa), grilled shallot, sorrel. There are so many dimensions and flavors to this dish and i was slowly savoring each component. I haven't had prunes in a dish for sometime and it went well with the smokey tender quail.

For mains, we had the Sirloin Rangers Valley, New South Wales, 300 days grain fed Wagyu ($74). Moroccan spice, sauté spinach, eggplant puree, red wine sauce  Wasabi, whole grain mustard. Fantastic aubergine spiced purée. Pick your cut from the meat board before having it grilled to your preference (only medium rare for me).

Paired with 2010 Luke Mangan Shiraz by TarraWarra Estate Yarra Valley VIC, $25 per glass, $125 per bottle.

Other mains include Lamb loin cutlet ($69) enveloped in foie gras mustard crust and served with spiced parsnip puree, almonds and dates; Whole baby snapper ($53) with bacon and Prawn a la meuniere. 

Dessert was pleasantly surprising with Luke’s liquorice parfait ($18). I don't quite like licorice but i was amazed at how interesting the flavor and texture worked together especially with lime. You gotta try it for yourself.

NV Buller Fine Old Muscat Rutherglen VIC, $18 per glass, $160 per bottle. This was like liquid honey.

Salt Grill & Sky Bar also does an affordable but impressive 2 - 3 course set lunch menu on weekdays (12 - 2pm) that is from from $45 onwards. Definitely perfect for corporate diners seeking to impress clients. Degustation Menus are also available daily for lunch and dinner (4/6 course from $98 onwards). Wine pairing is also available.

With the Celebrity Chef Luke Mangan. He's such a humorous and entertaining chef.

Poster boy Executive Chef Mathew Leighton.

I enjoyed every dish that we sampled for the media tasting. Everything worked and that is so hard to come by these days. I'm becoming such a jaded food writer! Certainly would be back to have brunch and tea!

Salt Grill & Sky Bar by Luke Mangan

55th and 56th floors, ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 6592 5118

Daily: 11am - 11pm

Daily Afternoon Tea: 2 - 6pm
Brunch (weekends and PH): 11am - 2pm