Melt Cafe @ Mandarin Oriental Singapore - Explore The Flavours of India

Melt Cafe at Mandarin Oriental Singapore will be drawing your attention to a special showcase of Indian cuisine by Indian Specialty Chef Santosh Kumar from 16 to 31 May 2016. And not just the food itself, I was welcomed by a beautiful lady dressed in Sari, with Indian music to waltz me in.

Mutton Biryani 4/5

What caught my eyes at the Indian cuisine section was their Mutton Biryani. Like a King indeed, the mutton biryani is cooked with a whole lamb, which has been roasted for hours. Apart from the tender mutton, I love the aromatic spiced basmasti rice, punctuated with sweetness lent from raisins, dried apricot etc. There was also a lot of textures to it, thanks to the crunchy carrots and green peas.

Tandoori Jhinga King Prawns 3.8/5

A few notable items which I particularly like. The Tandoori Jhinga King Prawns marinated with spices and carom seeds is definitely one of them, something different from the usual tandoori fish or chicken. Fresh and succulent, the spices and carom seeds really whetted my appetite.

Lamb Foie Gras 3.8/5

Lamb paired with Foie Gras is not something that I would expect, given that both ingredients inherited a rather strong and acquired flavour. However, perhaps given the right proportion, this petite item turned out to be quite palate pleasing, rather than giving me a flavour assault. The patty was moist, and not gamey. The marriage of these two is almost like that of beef patty and bacon.

Potato Stuffed with Cottage Cheese and Vegetable 3.8/5

One of my favourite snacks of the evening was this unassuming looking Potato Stuffed with Cottage Cheese and Vegetable. The potato was roasted to the right tenderness, and I really like the comforting sweetness of the stuffing.

Vegetable Curries and Flat Bread, Yogurt and Chutney 3.5/5

There is a range of vegetable curries, which you can pair with an assortment of naan flat breads with flavours such as garlic, butter, olive and cheese. To mellow the fiery and creamy curries, you may want to visit their special 'Indian snack bar' for some homemade chutneys and yogurt.

Rasmalai Cottage Cheese Balls in Cream, Dumpling with Light Syrup, Apricot Pudding

To complete the entire Indian dining experience, there are 3 Indian flavoured desserts. They are Rasmalai Cottage Cheese Balls in Cream, Dumpling with Light Syrup, Apricot Pudding. My favourite is the apricot pudding. It was sweet and sour, and aromatic with cardamom.

Sushi and Sashimi 3.5/5

Herbal Prawn 3/5

Other international cuisines are available - Japanese, Asian, cold sections and desserts.

Cheese and Accompaniments 3.8/5

Apart from the Indian cuisine, another highlight for me is their cheese platter and crepes station.

Crepes with Ice Cream 4.5/5

The crepes was soft and fluffy, and was delicious even on its own. No matter how filled you are, their ice creams are a must-try. Their chocolate ice cream was rich, velvety and edged with bitterness, while the strawberry sorbet was tangy and refreshing. Their yogurt ice cream is also not-to-be missed.

 Explore The Flavours of India is available for lunch and dinner at Melt Cafe from 16 to 31 May 2016,

Lunch
Mon-Sat: $62
Sun Brunch:
$98 (inclusive of free flow of juices and soft drinks)
$158 (inclusive of free flow of champagne, wines, beer, juices and soft drinks)

Dinner
Sun-Wed: $78
Thu-Sat: $88 (inclusive of barbecue selections)


Melt Cafe
Mandarin Oriental Singapore
5 Raffles Avenue
Singapore 039797
Tel: +65 68853500
Facebook
Website
Nearest: Promenade (CC Line), Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Breakfast: 630am - 1030am
Lunch: 12pm - 230pm
Brunch: 12pm - 3pm (Sun)
Dinner: 630pm - 930pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Promenade MRT station. Take Exit A. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit B. Take the Marina Square Link to Marina Square. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes.[Map]

Tiffin Room @ Raffles Hotel Singapore

Christmas is coming, and each hotelier has its own way of celebrating this joyous occasion with its guests. If you would like to experience a cross cultural Christmas experience, dining at Tiffin Room at our iconic Raffles hotel this year may be a good option. For this festive month of December, Chef de Cuisine Kuldeep Negi has created a special buffet menu for lunch and dinner featuring some of the restaurant’s North Indian signatures.

Red Snapper 3.5/5, Spinach 3.5/5, Butter Chicken 3/5, Murgh Dum Biryani 4/5

Seldom that I will head straight to the mains instead of the starters, but I was magnetised by the array of curries and the golden bryani rice. I started off with a bit of each – fish curry, meat, greens, rice and yogurt. The Basmati Rice says a lot about quality. Perfectly cooked, each grain was close, yet separated from one another at the same time. Perhaps it is the rose water that it has been cooked it, it embedded a fragrance which elevates the overall taste of the basmati rice. The Red Snapper curry was milder than I imagined it would be, and relatively light on the palette. That discarded my worry of leaving this place ‘heavier’ than I should be. I particularly like the Spinach. It wasn’t oily, compared to what I have tried elsewhere. Despite being mashed, it still tasted ‘green’!.

There is also a vegetarian section, which is just as tasty as its counterpart. Apart from the Spinach, you should also try the Dal Makhani, a curry made with Black Lentils Cooked Overnight with Tomatoes, Butter and Cream. I saw quite a few going back for a few more servings.

Palak Ki Tikki 4/5

From their vegetarian section, don't miss out their deep-fried Spinach Patties. It has a very enjoyable chewy texture and robust flavour.

Roasted Stuffed Christmas Turkey 3.8/5

A Christmas spread wont be completed without live carving stations. Tonight the stars were the Roasted Stuffed Christmas Turkey and Glazed Christmas Ham. The turkey meat was juicy and tender. Its stuffing was served at the side. I had my fair share of roasted butternut and brussels sprouts, which were great accompaniments to the meat.

Keema Mattar 3.8/5

In between we had 2 Pass Around Dishes. I quite like the sweetness in the minced Lamb Curry, and eating it with the piping hot naan was comforting.

Khumb-e-Malai 3.8/5

The Grilled Mushroom filled with Cheese, Onion, Garlic and Cream Cheese was very juicy, something that I didn’t expect coming from Indian cuisine.

Tummy half filled, I visited the cold section. That was when I spotted an array of colourful chutneys. I have always love Indian Chutneys. Sweet and tangy, they complement savoury dishes really well. I tried a couple of them as I went for my second round of mains. I so regretted not taking them in my first round!

Bread and Butter Pudding with Brandy 4/5 

For desserts, I was quite impressed with its western desserts. I love its mini Bread and Butter Pudding with Brandy. The brandy sauce was so yummy that I almost drown my pudding in it. I adores its homemade Rum and Raisin ice cream. It was infused with cardamom, and hence it has a more complex flavour. It tastes as delicious as it smells.

Wines from India is also available if you would like to make it a real complete experience. Simple spread but the flavours are robust and intense enough to satiate my appetite. With its antiquated and charming surrounding, it does set everyone in the mood for Christmas!

North Indian Curry Buffet Lunch & Dinner with Live Festive Carving Station
Date: 1 December to 24 December 2015
Price
Lunch: $65++ per Adult, $35++ per Child
Dinner: $75++ per Adult, $40++ per Child

Photograph and written by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.


Tiffin Room
Raffles Hotel Singapore
1 Beach Road
Singapore 189673
Tel: +65 64121190
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line), Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Lunch: 12pm - 2pm
Dinner: 7pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit A. Cut through Raffles City Shopping Centre. Walk to Bras Basah Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit F. Walk to Beach Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Copper Chimney @ Syed Alwi Road (Little India)

Many of you may not be foreign to Copper Chimney which has been around for 10 years at Syed Alwi Road, Little India. The restaurant recently has gotten a fresh new interior and revamped its menu offering Chinese Indian and North Indian cuisine under the new leadership of CEO Vikram Natarajan, who took over the reins two and a half years ago.

Salt and Pepper Babycorn (Dry) 4.2/5

Dinner at Copper Chimney started with some light bites. The first dish, Salt and Pepper Babycorn, Dry ($9) already got me excited and looking forward to find out more about Chinese Indian or Chindian cuisine. The babycorn is lightly battered, fried to a crunchy bite. It is then stir fried in garlic, peppers, and soya sauce. The taste is very similar to XO sauce. This is an addictive dish.

Chilli Paneer (Dry) 4/5

When the Chilli Paneer, Dry ($10.50) was served, the first instant that came to our mind is chai tow kway. The cottage cheese cubes coated with the chilli sauce is another delectable bite which I can find a familiar taste to Chinese cooking.

Malai Chicken Tikka 4.2/5

Next we had the Malai Chicken Tikka ($12) which impressed us with the well marinated and tender inner fillet of the poultry. The owner shared with us the importance of the marination and the used of hung yogurt, garlic and ginger etc for the flavourful chicken.

Szechwan Fried Rice 3.5/5

Szechwan Noodles 3/5

The owner shared with us that he has grown up with Chindian cuisine and the popularity of it, usually in the form of street food vendors have spread to even metro cities like Mumbai. Copper Chimney probably is the only India restaurant in Singapore offering Chindian cuisine. We tried the Szechwan Fried Rice ($11) and Szechwan Noodles ($11) on the menu. Yes it is spelled as Szechwan not Szechuan. I definitely can taste the similarity of the dishes to Chinese cuisine. However compared to Chinese cuisine I think it is still lacking that wok hei aroma. The spicy level can also up a notch since the dishes are named after the state in China known for its hot and spicy dishes. Nevertheless, both are still hearty dishes, especially using basmati rice's long grain for fried rice.

Gobi Manchurian (Wet) 4/5

Gobi Manchurian, Wet ($9) is another Chindian dish that adopts the Chinese cooking technique and seasonings. The lightly battered cauliflower is fried to a crunchy bite. We went for the wet version as the Indians like to eat the rice with the gravy. There is also the dry version if you want to try.

Veg Jaipuri 4.2/5

I simply adore this rich and creamy Vegetable Jaipri ($10) with an array of vegetables. This vegetarian dish is so addictive that I kept going back for more.

Mutton Roqanjosh 4/5

Butter Chicken 4.5/5

The next two dishes, Mutton Roqanjosh ($12) and Butter Chicken ($11.50) are best to eat with some Rumali and Naan. The mutton is cooked to a nice beautiful fork tender while the spices infused gravy is just too good not to wipe them clean with the Rumali and Naan. The butter chicken was also outstanding. It was not overly sweet. The smooth and creamy gravy with the tender chicken has a perfect match made in heaven..

Lychee Kulfi 4.8/5

If you have the chance to visit Copper Chimney, I would recommend you to have the Lychee Kulfi ($7). The frozen dairy dessert infused with Lychee, tasted just like ice cream, is so refreshing. They have other flavours such as Pistachio and Rose too.

Sizzling Brownie & Ice Cream 3/5

The Sizzling Brownie and Ice Cream ($7.50) definitely caught a lot of attention when the chocolate syrup is poured over the brownie filling the whole restaurant with the beautiful chocolate aroma. The restaurant even got a few orders from the other guests after seeing what we had.

Overall I find the Northern Indian food at Copper Chimney is outstanding. The Chindian cuisine adds an interesting offering to the menu. I personally felt some of the Chindian dishes need bit more fine tuningto win the palate of the Chinese.

Copper Chimney

100 Syed Alwi Road

Singapore 207676

Tel: +65 62948891

Facebook

Website

Nearest MRT: Farrer Park (NE Line)

Opening Hours:

Sun-Thur: 1130am - 12midnight

Fri-Sat: 1130am - 1am

Direction: 

1) Alight at Farrer Park MRT station. Take Exit H. Walk to the traffic junction of Kitchener Road, Rangoon Road and Serangoon Road. Cross the road and walk down Serangoon Road towards Mustafa. Turn left onto Syed Alwi Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Food Panda Delivery - Indian Curry House

Food delivery has gotten even easier and convenient with the Food Panda App that is easily available on the smart phone. The Food Panda Home Delivery App can be easily download from the Apple App Store, Google Play and Windows Store

It was a raining day and we were too lazy to cook. Hence I went to the Food Panda App for rescue. Upon launching the application and keying in the postal code of our place, the application listed down the restaurants that are opened for delivery. After browsing through the restaurants list, I decided to try some Northern Indian cuisine from Indian Curry House. It will be perfect for the cold raining weather.

Navigation of the restaurant's menu is easy with photos and description of the dishes. After adding the food order, the basket will display a summary detail of the items, total amount as well as the expected delivery time.

Last but not least, proceed to checkout to make payment with a choice of Cash On Delivery or Online Payment.

I wasn't expecting a panda greeting me when I received my delivery. It came in a very cute delivery plastic bag with my food neatly packed and secured. The greatest part is my food arrived warm.

Check out the spread of food I have ordered from Indian Curry House. The Chicken Biryani, Butter Chicken, Baingan Bharta are packed in plastic containers while the Butter Naan is wrapped in aluminium foil.

Butter Naan

Butter Chicken, Baingan Bharta

The warm Butter Naan was really good and fluffy. The naan goes excellently with the Butter Chicken and Baingan Bharta packed with aromatic spices.

Not seen in the picture is the chicken pieces and a hard boiled egg underneath the pile of fluffy basmati rice. This is definitely one delicious Northern Indian feast. The Food Panda App has made home food delivery is a one simple and seamlessly easy.


Food Panda 
Website: https://www.foodpanda.sg/
Download at Apple App Store, Google Play and Windows Store

Indian Curry House
Sixth Avenue Centre
805 Bukit Timah Road
#01-03
Singapore 279883
Tel: +65 64636289
Website: http://www.indiancurryhouse.com.sg

Fix Cafe @ HomeTeamNS - JOM Clubhouse

The folks behind Grub at Bishan Park has opened Fix Cafe at HomeTeamNS - JOM Clubhouse. The open concept cafe comes with a workshop look with furniture made from stained wooden plank,  paint buckets and metal pipes. The halal cafe offers a selection of starters, mains and pastries that will delight your taste buds.

3 Cheese Penne Gratin 4/5

As there was quite a big group of us, we managed to try quite a variety of items offered at Fix Cafe. Starting with the 3 Cheese Penne Gratin ($10), we thought this was well executed and balanced. The cheese was not overpowering but instead complemented the penne.

Crispy Soy Chicken Drumlets 3.8/5

The Crispy Soy Chicken Drumlets ($7) will be a delightful snack bite with it's flavourful marination on top of the crumby skin.

Chicken Tikka and Achar Naanwich 3/5

Beef & Kimchi Naanwich 3/5

Giving the tradition naan a new refreshing spin is the Chicken Tikka & Achar Naanwich ($10) and Beef & Kimchi Naanwich ($10). I really like the concept and how well the unique combinations of flavours worked together in harmony. Unfortunately the dish was lacked down by the lackluster naan. If the cafe has the space and equipment to freshly made these naan, I am sure it will get a high score of approval from my humble palate.

Brunch FIX 3.5/5

If you are the all day breakfast person, then the Brunch FIX ($12) would be a welcoming dish for you. On the plate, there are toasted brioche, scrambled eggs, turkey ham, sauteed mushroom and greens. The scrambled eggs were a bit runny for me but I am not too fussy about it. However the highlight on the plate has to be the toasted brioche. The bread was extremely soft and fluffy. It is too good to be missed.

Latte 4/5

Actually this is quite new to me, I have never known there is such thing as Halal coffee beans until my visit to Fix Cafe. The Latte ($4.5) was pretty good with a nice aroma and not too acidic.

Donuts 3.5/5

If you not too hungry and just want a small bite, the mini Donuts ($7) with a choice of Salted Egg or Lemon Custard dip is quite interesting. I thought the salted egg dip was a bit of gimmick lacking in the salted egg flavour I was expecting. The lemon custard dip will be a better choice.

Twice Baked Sourcream Cheesecake 3.8/5

Cacao Barry Chocolate Truffle Cake 4/5

Strawberry Pistachio Rose Tart 4/5

Passionfruit, Mango & Coconut Chiffon Cake 4.5/5

I am not sure it is a good thing or not but the cakes and pastries at Fix Cafe fares better than the mains and starters. Among the various cakes and pastries I tried, my favourite has to be the Butterscotch Arabica Choux and Passionfruit, Mango & Coconut Chiffon Cake. Starting with the Passionfruit, Mango & Coconut Chiffon Cake ($7) which is a light and soft. Cut through the different layers of chiffon cake to have a bit of everything. It was like magical with all the different subtle flavours coming together delighting every sense of the taste buds.

Butterscotch Arabica Choux 4.5/5

For those that prefers something richer and more robust, the Butterscotch Arabica Choux ($6) is not to be missed. Cut right through the choux to reveal the surprise salted caramel filling inside. This is da bomb if you are into sweet pastry.

Although the location can be a bit out of the way, the cafe seems to have found the winning formuale attracting crowds from around the island. I have seen been back to Fix cafe on several occasions and the cafe has been packed. The folks from Grub has also recently opened another outlet, Grub Noodle Bar which is also receiving great reviews from many foodies.


Fix Cafe
HomeTeamNS - JOM Clubhouse
31 Ah Hood Road
Singapore 329979
Tel: +65 62561484
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FIXsg
Website: http://fix-cafe.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Toa Payoh (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 930am - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Toa Payoh MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to HDB Hub. Continue walking to Orange Tee building. Cross the road at the overhead bridge further down the road. Turn right at Toa Payoh Swimming Complex. Cut across the park and take across the expressway using the overhead bridge. Cross the canal and walk to destination. Journey time about 20 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Toa Payoh MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Toa Payoh Bus Interchange (Stop ID 52009). Take bus number 139. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Toa Payoh MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to bus stop at Toa Payoh MRT station along Toa Payoh Lorong 2 (Stop ID 52189). Take bus 56, 105 or 153. Alight 1 stop later. Cross the canal. Cut through the cluster of HDB flats and carpark towards block 103 onto Ah Hood Road. Continue walking until the end of Ah Hood Road. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]