Ms Skinnyfat

A Food & Travel Blog from Singapore

2019 is Singapore's bicentennial so expect a lot of multi-ethnic, historic promotions coming your way this year. Here's one if you would like a taste of all our signature hawker food. Over at Goodwood Park Hotel, their Coffee Lounge is presenting a 5-Course Singapore Commemoration Local Degustation Menu ($40/pax) until 30 Apr 2019. 
The local dishes on the menu are prepared with traditional recipes, To start, bite into the juicy Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, skewers of grilled chicken that were brought over as kebabs by the Arab traders, and later adapted to the Asian palate. 2 satays were certainly insufficient for the amount of peanut sauce though. The sauce could be a bit spicier too. 
Singapore Rojak, or what i call an Singapore salad, consists of turnip, pineapple, cucumber, Tau Pok, fried you tiao, Kang Kong, bean sprouts and ground peanut, dressed with a tangy sweet black prawn paste. More fried you tiao (dough fritters) would be preferred. 
Pace yourself for the two full-sized mains, a Hainanese Chicken Rice, and Laksa. The smooth chicken is the result of poaching in chicken stock for an hour, and steeping in ice water to stop the cooking process for that firm succulent meat. I also enjoyed the bowl of fluffy rice that is lightly flavored but fragrant. Of course, chili is a huge part of this dish and Coffee Lounge's housemade garlic chilli sauce is made with big chilli (sometimes chilli padi to achieve desired spiciness), garlic paste, white vinegar, lime juice and sugar. 
As for the Laksa, which has Peranakan roots, Coffee Lounge’s Laksa Singapura is full of prawns, fish cake, shredded chicken, fried beancurd and hard-boiled egg, swimming in a smooth coconut prawn gravy. The slippery rice noodles are cut into shorter lengths to be eaten the traditional way with a spoon. 
As though there wasn't enough carbs, dessert is Bubur Pulut Hitam, a black glutinous rice porridge enriched with coconut milk. Honestly i couldn't get through this even though it's pretty decent. Honestly i've not had a horrible Pulut Hitam before.  

A better dessert option would be Goodwood Park Hotel's signature, the Durian Mousse Cake. For the bicentennial, a special D24 Singapore Commemoration Cake ($88nett) will be available on 15 March 2019 in conjunction with the Hotel’s annual Durian Fiesta. Featuring four flavours – gula melaka, coffee, pandan and durian mousse, the 1-kilogram cake is adorned with a mosaic of white chocolate squares imprinted with eight historical scenes of Singapore and Goodwood Park Hotel’s illustrious past. These cakes are limited to only 200 and orders need to be made 5 days in advance. 

What would you like to see, experience, or eat this Singapore Bicentennial?

22 Scotts Road, Singapore 228221 
Tel: +65 6737 7411
TLDR version of 2019 Chinese New Year reunion meals reviews. Decided it's quite impossible to feature each at length (i tried and died) so here's a summary of what i tried and liked at each of the restaurants. Will update this as there are more lo heis to come!

Yàn- National Gallery
Our first feature is Yàn, and Chef Lai Chi Sum has curated a selection of auspicious set menus and hearty Pen Cai to celebrate the Year of the Pig. With six set menus, ranging from $128 to $278 per person, and a bounteous Pen Cai, there is something for everyone. 
Yu Sheng ($138) at Yàn is of the Shun De style and features a mountain of crispy fried vermicelli is topped with gold leaves, and a medley of vegetables, sesame seeds, crispy youtiao, as well as slices of fresh salmon or yellow tail. This year, the special addition is bak kwa (bbq pork jerky).

The Signature Roast Crispy Suckling Pig ($288/whole pig) has been and will always be one of my must-order at Yàn. Eaten three ways- firstly the crispy skin on a thin steamed bun with hoisin sauce, spring onions and cucumber; secondly the carved shoulder meat; and lastly the oven-baked fillet with lemongrass.
Braised ‘Mee Pok’ with Fresh Mushroom and XO Sauce. We had the latter and it was absolutely heavenly. The thin noodles were crunchy and smooth at the same time. 

Jade at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore has the ultimate decadent Lunar New Year feast From 21st January to 19th February 2019, Jade’s Executive Chef Leong Chee Yeng has curated an eight-course Grand Fullerton Golden Feast, 富丽豪华金猪宴. 
If you're looking to impress, the Golden Feast is priced at a whopping $2388 (for 10pax) and features ingredients such as lobster, suckling piglet, caviar and bird’s nest, alongside traditional Chinese New Year staples. The star of the show is the Gold Rush Yu Sheng featuring lobster, Australian abalone and Norwegian salmon and champagne jelly with gold flakes. The jelly maybe seem a little OTT but it actually provides a cool texture to the dish. Of the delicacies, i thought the abalone contributed to the overall texture and flavor of the tossed salad. Overall, it's quite a balanced yusheng with notes of citrus from the honey pineapple dressing, which wasn't too cloying.
A nod to the Year of the prosperous Pig is the Triple Bliss Braised and Roasted Pork Belly with Steamed Mantou Bun and Crispy Suckling Piglet Skin topped with a generous dollop of caviar. Jade has found the golden ratio for the bun- the thin slice of braised pork belly packed so much flavor in it and the pickled vegetables was a lovely contrast to the rich sauce. The piglet skin was also super crispy but it was not hard, nor oily. As decadent as it may sound, the caviar worked perfectly with the thin crisp with a layer of gelatin under it.
My favorite was the fragrant Wok-fried Glutinous Rice with Chinese Sausages. The five-grain rice is well flavored as it had been cooked with stock repeatedly and fried for that smoky wok-hei. My favorite part is definitely the lup cheong because it provides a light sweetness to each bite. Oh and the crispy puffed rice helps to make the dish less heavy somehow and i finished every grain in my bowl.
For a slightly different reunion meal that is star studded, Shisen Hanten at Mandarin Orchard is the highest Michelin-rated Chinese restaurant in Singapore featuring Sichuan-Japanese fare. This year, there are seven auspiciously-themed set menus— from the eight-course Prosperity menu at $538 for four persons, to the Splendour menu that features Braised Four-head Australian Abalone among its courses, at $2,588 for 10 persons. 

*One of my favorite lohei for 2019* is the oldie but goodie Salmon and Fried Fish Skin Yusheng with a traditional sweet plum sauce here.
Shisen Hanten's signature Foie Gras Chawanmushi with Crab Roe Soup is a must here and will be available on their a la carte menu and also on their CNY menu. The foie gras is blended into the egg pudding and we enjoyed the silky sweet pudding with chunks of crab and roe. 
I could really use a Sichuan-Japanese Wok-fried East Spotted Grouper with Shishito Pepper. It smelled like spicy sichuan fish except that it's not. We could taste the Sichuan flavors in this (the tingling numbness of the peppercorns and pickled chili) but the soup was sweet and fresh. 
Our favorite dish was the Double-boiled Hashima with Yam Paste served in Young Coconut. Hot coconut is damn shiok. Super tender and when warmed, you can smell and taste the fragrance more. Wished there was more of the silky yam paste!
Min Jiang- Goodwood Park and One-North
From Min Jiang, dine in their lovely restaurants at Goodwood Park and One-North, or take home their dishes and have it in the comfort of your home. At One-North, do take home their Double-boiled Whole Chicken Stuffed with Bird’s Nest and Duck Foie Gras Dumplings ($308.15 nett, good for 6 pax). Each portion only consists of 1 chicken but you can not go wrong with a double portion of the chicken and the soup! I'm thankful for all the chicken which died for the super rich and creamy superior stock. 
I also highly recommend the Braised Pork Belly with Pan-fried Lotus Root Pork Patties and Sea Treasures in Claypot ($298++ dine in/$318.85 nett for six persons, includes claypot). The pork belly has been braised and steamed and it’s so tender and well flavored. I also really love the pork patties with crunchy strips of lotus root in them. 
From Min Jiang Goodwood Park, you could takeaway their Prosperity Duo of Deep-fried Pork Knuckle and Slow-baked Honey Butter Pork Ribs ($147.65 nett, good for 6 pax). I was amazed at how the crispy pork knuckle was still juicy! The Aussie pork knuckle is first brined, then steam-based, roasted, and finally deep-fried. The flavors were amazing and i really enjoyed the mixture of pickled pineapple and cabbage that came with it.

Of course, you cannot miss the durian desserts at Goodwood Park Hotel and their Trio of ‘Nian Gao’ ($32/42/52++) has just that- Chilled durian ‘nian gao’ roll, Deep-fried cempedak ‘nian gao', Pan-fried yam and pumpkin ‘nian gao’. My favorite was the nian gao roll made of gula melaka and glutinous rice and rice flour, and rolled with a mix of D24 durian puree and kaya, then coated in desiccated coconut. Sadly, you can only have this at the restaurant.
Other worthy takeaways include Min Jiang's special Ba Kwa ($88/kg) and their Homemade Salted Egg Yolk Lotus Root Chips ($36.80)

Another place that i'll be ordering from this CNY is Chef Pang (of Antoinette) Pang’s Hakka Delicacies 小彭客家菜, his brand-new concept which serves delicious, authentic Hakka cuisine for take-out only. I cannot stop thinking of his Hakka Abacus Seeds 客家算盘子 ($8/250g, $30/1kg), which is made from premium yam from Thailand and individually shaped by hand. They are then boiled and sauteed with other ingredients such as premium dried shrimps, dried cuttlefish, leek, garlic, black fungus, dried mushroom, Chinese celery and fresh minced pork that are sourced daily. The yam gnocchis are then garnished with home-fried shallots, fresh spring onion and coriander. T$8 (approx. 250g), and $30 (approx. 1kg).
Other items on offer include a Hakka Mee Tai Mak, mugwort kuehs, leek kuehs, and also yam cake. There's a 10% surcharge for CNY and they are available everyday of CNY except for the first 2 days. Place your order via WhatsApp and pick them up at Antoinette. 
Antoinette
Of course, a variety of bakes and sweets are available also at Chef Pang's Antoinette. His variety of cookies were really tasty. My favorites by order- Ondeh ondeh, curry cheese, hae bee hiam (it packs a punch), and kopi susu. Other special bakes include a Hong Bao ($10/25), a red dragonfruit soft bun filled with 年糕 mochi - made with black sugar and fried shallots, pork floss, lightly candied yam and sweet potato, and cubed salted egg. I liked how the pork floss breaks the sweetness of the other ingredients. The large bun requires a 3 day pre-order if you're interested. 
My preference for sweets is Antoinette's Abundantly Cake ($38) aka 财源滚滚 cake is a favorite of mine. I'd say it's like a bubble tea cake, with the salty cream cheese and black and golden tapioca bubbles on it. Ignore all that decoration and you get a really delicious and light purple sweet potato chiffon cake with a salty cream cheese frosting. It's certainly not as sweet as bubble tea!

Man Fu Yuan- InterContinental Singapore 
I've never ever been disappointed by Man Fu Yuan's dishes and i don't think i'll ever be. Their yu sheng is one of the better ones- we had the Prosperity Yu Sheng ($138, good for 10pax) with Hokkaido scallops, salmon, crispy pork skin, with a refreshing apple sauce. Another of my must-orders include the Man Fu Yuan Abundance Treasure Pot ($398, good for 5pax), which is packed with fresh seafood, trotters, and cured sausages!

Their highlight this year has got to be the Roasted Pork Belly Roulade with Minced Seafood ($368/4kg). The skin was amazingly crip and i absolutely adored the fresh and succulent minced prawn paste which has the lovely sesame oil fragrance.
If you're going for one of the reunion set menus, keep a lookout for the X.O Chilli Sauce Lobster Egg Noodles and Herbal Chicken in Lotus Leaf, which were among my favorites.
Among the above items available for takeaway, you may also want to consider ordering Man Fu Yuan's Steamed Yam Cake with Roasted Duck Meat ($48/1kg) which has a lovely smokiness to it. 
Madame Fan- JW Marriott
A less traditional setting for CNY dining is the super cool Madame Fan at JW Marriott. For the New year, festive menus are priced from $78/pax. Madame Fan's Prosperity Yu Sheng ($88/128) is my top favorite yusheng this year due to its savory yuzu soy dressing. Crispy rice noodles and silverfish, crunchy purple cabbage, acidic green mango are among the items to provide that crunch in each bite. 
Other recommendations include the signature Double Boiled Four Treasure Soup, Silky tofu topped with springy South African abalone in a superior broth gravy, and also the Charcoal-grilled Wagyu with Foie Gras coated with pepper sauce that is soooo buttery (and a bit oily la).
It's been a while since i explored the Farrer Park area since i moved out of the North Eastern part of Singapore. Well Park Hotel Farrer Park was constructed while i was busy exploring other parts of Singapore (mostly the East) and in it i found Blue Jasmine, a Thai restaurant currently helmed by a petite female Thai chef!
Classic Thai dishes are served here but regional specialties are also dished out here and i got to eat my favorite Esarn (Northeastern Thai cuisine) dishes!

Start with the Cha-Om Fried Egg ($12), which is served rolled up at Blue Jasmine. The rolls of thin acacia leaves omelette is fragrant on its own but if you feel like it needs more kick, the classic Thai dip named Nam Prik Kapi based on fermented shrimp paste and fiery birds’ eye chillies will pack that punch you want. I loved this dish! 
We're used to Tom Yum and that's available at Blue Jasmine too. However, do give Sea Bass Poh Tek ($30), an Esarn style hot and spicy traditional soup, a try. The flavour profile sounds similar to Tom Yum and could, in fact, be considered a type of Tom Yum but Poh Tek is made with a different proportion of spices and ingredients, with the addition of deep-fried sea bass, offering a different dining experience to the classic. Sweetness and a lovely spice. Love the refreshing aromatics. Firm fried fish with a light batter that isn’t too soggy either.

Do not miss the Roast Chicken Esarn Style ($16), which is a double roasted chicken for that extra crispiness. Despite being cooked twice, it is super juicy. The marinate is made of an Esarn paste of galangal, lemongrass, coriander, garlic, turmeric, fish sauce and palm sugar, and is well absorbed by the chicken overnight. Accompanying the chicken is a spicy dipping sauce made with roasted glutinous rice with fried kaffir. The overall flavor is like that of a satay with moderate sweetness. 
Holy Basil KAPRAO (Squid, $24) is made for basil lovers. The fragrance permeates through every bite. It's classic Thai stir-fry and you can choose to have the succulent squid, or even kampong chicken and beef ribeye. 
Afternoon Tea, my long-lost love. How i've missed you. Is it me or has this idyllic event fallen out of favor? Whatever the case, InterContinental Singapore's new Afternoon Tea: Checkmate will make you fall in love again. From now to 31 January 2019, the Lobby Lounge at the hotel will showcase Pastry Chef Ben Goh's collaboration with world-renowned premium chocolate manufacturer Valrhona’s Master Pastry Chef Brice Konan- Ferrand's chess-inspired chocolate-based desserts, alongside some savory bites.
The set is priced at $88 for two persons, inclusive of a fine selection of loose-leaf teas and coffee. You can indulge with a half-bottle Taittinger Brut Champagne (375ml), along with everything else at $138/set.

I'm a traditionalist when it comes to tea and was surprised that we were served sweets first as Chef Ben wanted to focus on the sweets in the afternoon tea set. However, you can always request for a change in order of presentation, or to have both served at the same time (which i recommend). 

3 of the chess desserts are created by Chef Ben- The King, Pawn, and Bishop, while Chef Brice created the Queen, Rook, and Knight.
We meat lovers can always count on Opus Bar & Grill to satisfy our carnivorous cravings. This season, the restaurant has introduced new premium butcher’s cuts that are perfect for sharing. 
The new Premium Butcher's cuts showcase a variety of textures and flavors with 4 types of meat cuts on one platter. The platter is meant for two people but i really think that it's good for 4. Plus, it's only priced at $128, which i feel is a steal for the amount and quality of meats served. 
The platter includes 500 - 600g Rangers Valley Angus OP rib which has been dry-aged in-house between 18 to 36 days, which to me, is the highlight of this platter. There's also a 150g Margaret River wagyu flank steak cooked on open fire, best paired with the homemade smoked chili glaze. I loved the texture of the grain-fed beef short ribs (400 - 500g) with a marble score of three, however, even though it was braised with aromatic spices, the meat didn't have much flavor. All was saved by the barbeque sauce though. There are also sausages which have been grilled over Jarrah Wood for additional smokiness, however, they were kinda dry imo. 
Other sharing plates are worthy of your choice as well. I'd go for the Wagyu Sirloin with Boston lobster sharing platter ($138). While the lobster is on the smaller side, i loved the smoky umami flavors, plus the meat was super sweet and flavorful. The Wagyu Sirloin cut here was executed flawlessly as well. Other than meats, Opus serves Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)’s Chain of Custody certified seafood which are sustainably caught- the live Boston Lobster being one of them.


Not to be missed is also the new kelong local green mussels steamed in lemongrass fumes. There's a hint of Thai green curry in this with an aromatic perfume. 
If you just want your steak and want it bloody, I highly recommend the 1 to 1.2kg whiskey-aged U.S. California Tomahawk steak which is 365 days grain-fed ($153).  
A touch of flamed bourbon provided a light sweetness to the juicy steak before service. If you're not in the sharing mood, there are also prime grade cuts steaks from U.S. Greater Omaha, priced from $58.

As usual, there's a special wine package with two hours of select free-flow wines from Sunday to Thursday, or 50 percent off wine by the bottle on Friday and Saturday. 

Opus Bar & Grill 
581 Orchard Road, Singapore 238883 
Lobby Level, Hilton Singapore 
Tel: +65 6730 3390
Grill Daily: 6.30 – 10.30pm
Bar Daily: 10am – 12am 
Etiquette-free Chinese fine dining, that's what Madame Fan at JW Marriott NCO Club provides, and boy was it refreshing. You probably wouldn't associate the lush plush and dark cozy setting, which includes a DJ spinning music in the middle of the restaurant, with fine Chinese food. It's like a speakeasy, a hidden unspoken secret, and that's what makes the experience even more exhilarating.
We started with dimsum for our dinner starters because you can definitely have dimsum for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper.
While i would want Madame Fan to take all my money (which they likely would) for their delicious Scallop Shumai ($16), i'm not sure if the price tag is entirely worth it? I mean, i could get really tasty siew mai elsewhere, at double the portion for the same price. The Sri Lankan Mud Crab Wanton ($16) doesn't get my vote for a different reason as i could hardly find any crab in this one. The cheaper vegetarian dimsum were provided more ROI because they were very tasty. The Sichuan Vegetable Dumpling ($6) had a lovely mala flavor to it but maintained a light sweetness; and the Chinese Chives dumpling ($8) didn't have a horrible overpowering chives flavor either. 
The Double-Boiled Four Treasure Soup ($28/each) did well in soothing my shock from. The smooth and creamy soup with a lovely coconut fragrance will filled with chunks of seafood- sea cucumber, fish maw, dried Hokkaido scallop, and crab meat. Dig around the coconut and you'll be rewarded with tender sweet flesh which complements the savory broth.

By the time we got to the Aromatic Duck ($38 for half a duck), the dimsum fiasco had been completely erased from my memory. Sheesh that aroma was haunting. Each bite of the thin chewy crepe roll was filled with flavorful meat! I would love a bigger duck because that skin.. OH THAT SKIN. Making a mental note to order this as a main dish for myself next time.
Other decent-restaurant-standard dishes include the comforting Home Style Crispy Pork Stir-Fry ($16/portion) with salty black bean, bitter melon, preserved cabbage and yu tofu; and Steamed Soon Hock with Ipoh Soy Sauce and Spring Onion ($14/portion) 
What was a standout, which currently isn't available on the menu, is the Handcut Taiwan Noodle with Wind Dried Pork and La La clams. It appeared to be very bland-looking and i'm not a fan or carb heavy dishes, but one bite and i was sold by the thin and smooth noodles! ! The texture is a cross between hor fun and mee pok and flavored by a smoky sweet seafood-meat stock, likely from the addition of the lup cheong (which is a favorite of mine as well).
Save space for desserts. The Mojito Lemon Tart with Mandarin Sorbet ($14) is a must-have. It's one of the best lemon tarts in Singapore really. Expect a refreshing tartness in the lemon curd on a buttery crust. Who said a Chinese meal has to end with Chinese desserts?
Madame Fan is located in The NCO Club, a three-story entertainment lifestyle destination which also hosts hosts Fish Pool (a champagne, caviar and oyster bar in an esteemed collaboration with Louis Roederer);
Stags' Room (a wine reserve and lounge in partnership with Stags’ Leap estate and Penfolds); Cool Cats (a live music venue) and The Britannia Room (a unique events space).
The NCO Club
32 Beach Road, Singapore 189764
Tel: +65 6818 1921
Daily: 12 - 3pm; 6-11pm