Glorious New Creations To Usher In The Year Of The Rat At Goodwood Park Hotel

For the Year of the Rat, Min Jiang at both Goodwood Park and Dempsey have assembled a line-up of new creations as well as new sweet and savoury delights for the festive celebrations.

Joyful Abundance Yusheng

Available for both dine-in and takeaway at Min Jiang Goodwood Park Hotel is the Joyful Abundance Yusheng ($168++ dine-in/ $179.75 takeaway). The platter is adorned with an intricate illustration of a pair of children jovially playing. The delectable yusheng comprises of baby abalones, raw salmon, cheesy deep-fried chee cheong fan strips, romaine lettuce, wild arugula, yellow frisee, red radishes, white radishes, pickled melon strips, red shiso, fresh pomelo, crushed peanuts, white sesame seeds and pine nuts. All these are held together by the light, yet refreshing dressing made from calamansi juice, plum sauce and strawberry jam.

Pot of Gold

For those planning to celebrate Lunar New Year in the comfort of their home, one can impress their guests with the Pot of Gold ($243.95). This is good for 8 persons. The slices of slow-braised pork belly alternated with sliced creamy pumpkin for a delightful mouthful. This is paired with premium 6-head Australian abalones and broccoli.

Five Fortune Takeaway Platter

Great for sharing is the Min Jiang at Dempsey Five Fortune Takeaway Platter ($104.85) which is suitable for 6 persons. The five tantalising appetisers are Deep-fried Prawns with Crispy Milk, Sliced Smoked Duck with Plum Sauce, Pan-fried U.S. Kurobuta Pork Strip with Melted Onions, Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Garlic and Shallot and Marinated Jellyfish.

Fortune Delight Crispy Silver Hill Duck with Glutinous Rice

Another delectable takeaway at Min Jiang Dempsey is the Fortune Delight Crispy Silver Hill Duck with Glutinous Rice ($211.85). It is suitable for 8 persons. The duck is deep-fried to crispy and served on top a bed of fragrant glutinous rice.

Longevity Noodles with Baby Abalones and Roasted Iberico Pork Loin

A unique alternative to the usual traditional Chinese New Year fare is the Longevity Noodles with Baby Abalones and Roasted Iberico Pork Loin. The East-meets-West dish uses capellini tossed in an umami-laden combination of soya sauce, shallot oil and chopped dried kombu. This is then topped with braised baby abalones and chopped chives. Crowning the pasta is succulent roasted Iberico pork loin,

Fortune Koi Fish 'Nian Gao' with Red Bean Paste

During Chinese New Year, restaurants will create dishes of fishes as they symbolise a surplus of prosperity, which is auspicious in Chinese's tradition. At Min Jiang, customers can complete the reunion meals on a sweet note with the Fortune Koi Fish 'Nian Gao' with Red Bean Paste ($9.80++ for 2pc dine-in/ $39.40 takeaway box of 8pc) and Duo of Prosperity Fish ($118).

Fortune Koi Fish 'Nian Gao' with Red Bean Paste comes in a box of 8 pieces. These petite koi fish Nian Gao are filled with delectably smooth red bean paste.

Mango with Pomelo & Sago Pudding and Durian Pudding

As for the Duo of Prosperity Fish, it's actually Mango with Pomelo & Sago Pudding and Durian Pudding. A befitting sweet finale, brimming with tropical fruit flavours.

Spring Blossom Cake 

Beautifully decorated and ideal for gifting is two new cakes at Goodwood Park. The Spring Blossom Cake ($108) which encapsulates the vibrancy of Spring is a moist butter cake layered with French-style buttercream. The stunning showstopper is donned in a brilliant red fondant, studded with delicate cherry blossoms and atop, three beautifully handcrafted, lifelike peonies.

Prosperity Marble Cake 

Another resplendent offering is the decadent Prosperity Marble Cake ($68). The beautiful cake is a rich chocolate cake slathered with a rich dark chocolate ganache. It is decorated with a novel icing print with the "福" character and pair of auspicious carps symbolise good fortune, luck and abundance.

Gula Melaka Festive Cookies

A new addition is the Gula Melaka Cookies ($28.80 per box of 7pc). It is a harmonious melange of nuttiness from the ground cashew nuts and caramelised notes of the gula melaka. It also comes with pretty icing in seven different symbolic designs.

The Lunar New Year Treats and Abundant Feasting Specials will be available for takeaway from The Deli and Min Jiang (Goodwood Park Hotel) as well as Min Jiang at Dempsey. Guests can contact Min Jiang 岷江川菜馆 at (65) 6730 1704 / email: min_jiang@goodwoodparkhotel.com, Min Jiang at Dempsey 岷江在登布西山at (65) 6774 0122/ email: mjdempsey@goodwoodparkhotel.com, and The Deli at (65) 6730 1786 / email: deli@goodwoodparkhotel.com for takeaway orders. Alternatively, guests may also visit http://festivepromotions.goodwoodparkhotel.com for online orders. Availability for all Lunar New Year specials is from 7 January to 8 February 2020. Advance order of five days is required for takeaways, and the last order is 3 February 2020, 12pm.

FatFuku @ Upper East Coast Road - Private Dining By Singapore-based Food Writer, Annette Tan

Private dining has been one of the latest trends in Singapore. After my visit to Lucky House Cantonese Private Kitchen, together with a couple of foodies, we made a booking at FatFuku which we waited for about a month for our reservation. For $95 per pax, you get about 7/8 dishes.

Keropok with Green Chilli Ikar

While we wait for the rest of the group to turn up, Annette from FatFuku offer us some Keropok with Green Chilli Ikar to snack on.

Devil Curry Pie 4/5

I have to say I was not expected to be served the Devil Curry Pie as it is an Eurasian dish and not a Peranakan dish. Nevertheless, the recipe comes with generous filling (chicken, sausages, mushrooms and carrots) in a buttery pastry.

FatFuku Mee Siam 4.2/5

The signature dish at FatFuku which almost everyone is talking about has to be her Dry Mee Siam. As we have the full view of the kitchen, I can see her pan fried the mee siam to get that crispiness. It is then topped with prawns and quail eggs. I like the idea that she has more of the tangy sauce at the side, allowing the mee siam to remain crispy while those that prefer to have it more saucy can help themselves to it.

Pork Belly Buah Keluak 4.5/5

We all went wow when the Pork Belly Buah Keluak is served. On top of the fragrant buah keluak fried rice is huge pieces of wobbly and tender pork belly cooked in buah keluak. I usually have ayam buah keluak and it usually turned out rather dry. This is a good change from the usual.

Ayam Tempra 4.5/5

A simple and hearty Peranakan dish cooked to perfection is the Ayam Tempra. Besides the tender chicken, the highlight foris the braised onions with their sweetness complementing the poultry.

Beef Cheek Rendang 5/5

This is probably the best Beef Cheek Rendang I have ever eaten. The aroma of the rempah and the melted in the mouth beef cheek, just come together like a beautiful note in a song, that just keeping sounding over and over in my head.

Nanka Lemak 4/5

Do you know that the whole jackfruit can be eaten? Using unripe jackfruit, this is made into the Nanka Lemak. The texture of the nanka is quite similar to artichoke. The whole experience is like have a bowl of vegetable curry.

Kueh Bingka Ubi 4.8/5

Not to be missed is the Kueh Bingka Ubi. a favourite nyonya tea time treat. The baked tapioca cake so soft and delicious. We even asked for second serving.

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream 4.5/5

Wrapping up the dinner, Annette made us some Dulce de Leche Ice Cream and Cookies. She even offered us coffee and tea.

Cookies 4.5/5

Reservation at FatFuku takes about a month. If I am not wrong, Annette is not doing this full time, she only hosts dinner up to 3 times a week. Annette is a well known food writers and she is still contributing to many publications as well as conducting cooking classes. If you ever getting a seating at her private dining, you will be assure that you will be in for a tummy good time.


FatFuku
451 Upper East Coast Road
Singapore 466499
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Website
Nearest MRT: Bedok (EW Line)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Bedok MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Bus Stop at Bedok MRT station (Stop ID 84039). Take bus number 137. Alight 6 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

The Summerhouse @ Seletar Airport - A New Garden Dome Dining Concept

In a blink of an eye, The Summerhouse has opened for a year at seletar airport with its integrated multi dining concept which houses the Dining Room, Wildseed Cafe and Wildseed Garden Bar. A new addition to the Summerhouse is the air conditioned Garden Dome in the edible garden which has also blossomed after a year.

There are a total of three domes at the Summerhouse with individual theme - Bohemian, Scandinavian and Lounge. Each dome can accommodate up to a 8 diners. An ideal magical concept for private party or romantic dinner. I heard that it is extremely popular during Valentine's Day and even for marriage proposal. The dome has to be pre-book with Wildseed Garden Bar with a minimum spending of $300.

Chia Seed Cracker 3.8/5

The Chia Seed Cracker ($14) at first glance looks like thin crispy bak kwa. It is actually made from boiling a mixture of brown rice, chia seeds and sesame seeds, mashed, spread into a thin layer and baked for another 40 minutes to achieve the crispiness. It is paired with Australian avocado, ikura, truffle pecorino, chive and an sous vide egg yolk.

Moroccan Eggplant 4/5

Grilled Rye Bread 4.5/5

Next we had the Moroccan Eggplant ($14) which comes with mild goat cheese, leek ash, coriander oil, croutons. Don't worry if you don't like eggplant, as it don't get that mushy texture here. The stewed eggplant has been marinated with parsley, coriander, smoked parprika, preserved lemon, chilli padi, salt, vinegar and garlic. I felt that it goes very well with the Grilled Rye Bread ($5) which has been toasted and spread with buttermilk on top.

Live Prawn San Choy Bau 4/5

As it was Chinese New Year period during my visit, I also tried some of the Chinese New Year items such as the Live Prawn San Choy Bau ($8 each). The succulent prawn is grilled and glazed with butter, served in a lettuce leaf filled with avocado, pomegrante, pine nuts, coriander, crispy noodles and a citrus dressing. I enjoyed the combination of texture and flavours. However I thought it would be more practical to remove the shell of the prawn's tail.

Farmer's Yusheng 3/5

In conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration, the Summerhouse has introduced its own version of yusheng - Farmer's Yusheng ($68/$88/$108). The colourful plate of resembles the garden, consisting of fermented carrot, butterhead lettuce, pickled beetroot, mushroom soil, mixed nuts, kohlrabbi, seaweed, citrus cured salmon, smoked sea bass, sesame seeds, pok chui, edible flowers, and dressed in passionfruit hollandaise sauce together with sesame and chive oil. It is a unique take of the traditional yusheng. While it is pretty, taste wise can be acquire for some.

Smoked Butter Poached Red Snapper Fillet 4.8/5

One of my favourite dishes is the Smoked Butter Poached Red Snapper ($42). The snapper fillet is first sous vide and torched before removing the skin. The result is moist and juicy. This is dressed in a seaweed beurre blanc which brought the dish to life.

Charcoal Grilled Slipper Lobster 4.2/5

A very pretty dish on the menu is the Charcoal Grilled Slipper Lobster ($16 each). The slipper lobster is first sous vide and then grilled in an Inka oven. At table side, the chef will torch a variety of handpicked herbs from edible garden to infuse the slipper lobster with the aromatics. Personally I am not a big fan of chicory or I would have given it a higher rating.

Pickled and Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder 3.5/5

The Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder ($34) is slow braised in red wine for 12 hours. I could taste the richness through the long hours of cooking but the texture can be more tender. The highlight for me is actually the accompany Kumquat Chutney which helps to cut through the rich flavour.

Smoked Potato Puree 4.5/5

One can complete the mains with sides such as Smoked Potato Puree ($14) and Green and Purple Sweet Potato Leaves ($14). The potato is smoked with apple wood chips first before mixing it with housemade butter. Besides the airy and smooth texture, the highlight is the beef stock that is added into the potato puree. The marriage elevated the whole flavour to the next level.

Green and Purple Sweet Potato Leaves 3/5

I have never come across any restaurant using sweet potato leaves as a salad dish. The Summerhouse is the first for me. In my opinion, the Green and Purple Sweet Potato Leaves ($14) lacks crunch and flavour to be served as a salad dish. The saving grace is the creme fraiche which has been blended with anchovy paste and bacon bits, giving the pile of leaves the needed zest and bite.

Wood-fired Free Range French Poulet 4.5/5

I am glad to be reunited with An Xi Chicken again in the Wood-fired Free Range French Poulet ($28) at The Summerhouse. Having used the chicken for Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 event back then, I know how different the chicken tastes compare to the normal broiler. An Xi chicken has a sweeter natural taste. It is already good on its own, with the wood-fire giving it a coat of aroma on top of the sweetness.

Balinese Chocolate Ice Cream 4.5/5

The Balinese Chocolate Ice Cream ($14) consists of a freshly baked chocolate cookie at the base with vanilla custard and a scoop of chocolate ice cream made using Baliness cocoa. This is dusted with hazelnut praline powder. Simple but messy, the play of the warm cookie with the cold ice cream works wonderfully together.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


The Summerhouse
Seletar Airport
3 Park Lane
Singapore 798387
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Punggol (NE Line), Yishun (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Dining Room
Sat, Sun & PH: 12pm - 3pm
Wed-Sun, Eve of PH & PH: 6pm - 10pm

Wildseed Cafe
Daily: 9am - 5pm

Wildseed Bar
Sun-Thu: 5pm - 11pm
Fri-Sat, Eve of PH: 5pm - 1am

Direction: 
1) Alight at Punggol MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to Punggol Bus Interchange (Stop ID 65009). Take bus number 117. Alight 6 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 30 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Yishun MRT station. Take Exit C or E. Walk to Yishun Bus Interchange (Stop ID 59009). Take bus number 103. Alight 16 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 45 minutes. [Map]

Audace Bar & Restaurant @ Wanderlust Hotel Singapore – Modern French Bistro Fare With A Contemporary Twist

Opened in May 2017, Audace Bar & Restaurant also short for "Audacity" is a whole new concept built on the idea of bistronomy (bistro fare with a contemporary twist). It is helmed by Chef Jeremy Gillon hailing from Le Montana in the French Alps where he was executive chef of a trio of restaurants and led French restaurant L'Epicurien to receive its first ever Michelin star in 2015. So, what makes Audace "audacious"? Its audacious demeanor begins with its locale in Little India, within the quirky Wanderlust Hotel. Rather than serving up audaciously bizarre concoctions on the menu that one may expect, the restaurant presents an ever-changing sensational offerings of French bistro fare with contemporary touches, working food alchemy magic with a combination of imported and Tekka market-sourced ingredients, as well as infusing components with wild herbs thoughtfully foraged from the French Alps. Here, Audace offers a more relaxed, casual and approachable fare to curate an unforgettable dining experience different from the traditional mould of Michelin star fine dining.

Open throughout the day from Tuesday to Sunday, Audace provides a continental breakfast spread and an afternoon tea selection of sweet treats. On Sundays, it offers a communal brunch, consisting of 6 Appetisers, 5 Main Courses, 5 Side dishes and 5 Desserts placed in the centre of your table for sharing. We tried the 16-dish Sunday Brunch menu rolled out by Audace. Do note that dishes on the menu are subject to changes due to the seasonality of the ingredients used.

Arugula Salad, Parmesan, Lemon And Olive Oil Dressing 3.8/5

For the appetisers, we had the Arugula Salad with Parmesan, Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing. The argula salad boasts a crunchy texture while its accompaniments, an abundance of parmesan pieces atop and olive oil dressing bring a lift to its taste.

Shark Rillette 4/5

The Shark Rillette comes in a small bowl and an accompanying side of crusted bread. Creamy with a slight crunchiness in between bites, the shark rillette may be a tad too salty when eaten on its own. It acts as a spread on the bread provided to prevent it from being too overpowering.

Asparagus Salad Chorizo Iberico 4/5

The Asparagus Salad Chorizo Iberico features two stalks of asparagus with a nice crunchiness and subtle sweetness, while the thin slices of fresh chorizos add a rich savouriness in accompaniment, resulting in an appetiser that is refreshing and light on the palate.

Focaccia With Cooked Ham & Mascarpone Black Pepper 4/5

For a more carb-loaded appetiser, the Focaccia with Cooked Ham & Mascarpone Black Pepper features small pieces of mildly salted cooked ham garnished with mascarpone black pepper sitting atop slices of focaccia bread, which is essentially flat oven-baked Italian bread with a crisp texture.

Salmon Gravlax Beetroot 4.2/5

The Salmon Gravlax Beetroot comes in slices of fresh smoked salmon. Paired well with the thinly sliced beetroot and puree on the side for a refreshing combination.

Duck Terrine & Pickles 3.8/5

The Duck Terrine & Pickles is slightly heavier on the palate and stronger in taste with its tender duck terrine meat, which imparts a mild saltiness and paired with sourish pickles that has a harder tart texture to complement the soft duck terrine.

Grilled White Tuna, Origan 4.2/5

Moving on to the mains, we had the Grilled White Tuna, Origan. The white tuna had a perfect grilled crisp skin which reveals the meat within with a softness and tenderness that just melts in the mouth. It sits on a bed of Origan mash which complements the tuna well with a subtle herb fragrance.

Red Snapper with Kafir & Orange Paste Dressing 4.2/5

The Red Snapper with Kafir & Orange Paste Dressing left an impression with its tender meat that breaks easily in the mouth, with accompaniments of kafir and orange pasta dressing which adds a citrusy note to the dish.

Braised Pork Belly 4/5

The Braised Pork Belly features a perfectly crisp skin with an almost half-half ratio of fats-meat within. It results in a sublime slice of pork perfect for pork belly lovers who perhaps prefer a greater proportion of fats in their braised pork belly meat. The crunchiness of the accompanying chestnut slices and crispy crackers add a texture to the dish though the flavours in the combination are too fleeting to leave much of an impact.

Smoked Breast Duck 4.2/5

The Smoked Breast Duck is presented in neat slices of duck breast meat. Tender, juicy with a slight smokiness in its taste, the chestnut mash smeared on the side is a nice touch to the duck breast meat.

Skewer Flank Beef 4.2/5

The Skewer Flank Beef comes in glistening cubes of beef stacked neatly on a skewer, with some bits slightly tougher but the rest of it is enjoyable with a smoky taste, almost to the point of being tender yet retaining a resilient bite.

Creamy Polenta 4/5

The Creamy Polenta served as a side dish – creamy textured and buttery tasting, is a perfect complement to the mains served.

Orange Cream Tartelette & Candied Berce, Macaron Speculoos Cookies 4/5

The Orange Cream Tartelette comes in dollops of smooth orange cream with a mildly sourish taste, Speculoos Macarons stuffed with a subtly sweet speculoos cream, and Cookies that boast a nice crunchiness and chocolatey flavour. Overall, a platter of desserts that features a contrast in textures and flavours that keep the palate from getting bored.

Dark Chocolate Mousse With Salted Caramel 4.2/5

The Dark Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel features a smooth creamy chocolate mousse with a dark and intense flavour, subtle saltiness with the salted caramel, and served with roasted pecans for an additional crunch and nutty undertone.

Calamansi Sorbet 3.8/5

The last desserts dish we had is the Calamansi Sorbet, which features a refreshingly light and smooth calamansi sorbet, though its sourness is further augmented by the bed of pomelo flesh below. The candied berce and orange slices give a crunchy contrast to the smoothness of the sorbet, yet add a citusy note with just a subtle sweetness to the otherwise overwhelmingly sour dish.

Audace tries to push boundaries and challenge the norm with continuous pursuit of innovative dishes. The food overall fares quite excellently with never ending elements of surprise when the menu changes very week.

Words and photos by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


[CLOSED]
Audace Bar & Restaurant
Wanderlust Hotel
2 Dickson Road
Singapore 209494
Tel: +65 62981188
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Jalan Besar (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sat: 1130am - 2pm, 2pm - 6pm, 630pm - 12midnight
Sun: 1130am - 4pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Jalan Besar MRT Station. Take Exit A. Cross the road. Walk to Dickson Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]