Showing posts with label Risotto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Risotto. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

LUCE by Davide Giacomelli @ Intercontinental Singapore - Celebrate the Magic of A Grandeur Christmas with Celebratory Sunday Champagne Brunch

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This Christmas, step into a world of opulence and grandeur at InterContinental Singapore, where the spirit of the season comes to life through a splendid array of festive offerings. LUCE by Davide Giacomelli has introduced a lavish Celebratory Sunday Champagne Brunch for the Christmas season. Commencing from the 19th of November, this brunch extravaganza unfolds every Sunday and the first Saturday of the month, promising a feast of opulence and culinary excellence. Revel in diverse offerings, including standout features like Snow Crab Legs, Traditional Roasted U.S. Tom Turkey, Saffron Risotto served in a Parmesan Cheese Wheel, and the delectable Christmas Fruit Spiced Plum Pudding.

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Commence your buffet adventure with the striking showcase of seafood on ice, presenting a diverse array of the freshest catches. Indulge in delights like yabbies, tiger prawns, snow crab legs, mussels, whelks, USA oysters, and Boston lobsters to set the tone for a luxurious dining experience. Take advantage of the finest sashimi and handmade sushi, adding an international flair to your brunch. Also, diners can delight in gourmet soups and salads, initiating the merriment on a delicious note.

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Relish in small bites of exquisite flavours such as the smoked salmon poke bowl, Asian-style spicy ahi tuna tartar, Gamberi in Salsa Rosa, Egg Mimosa with tuna mayonnaise, coconut chia seed pudding, and Greek Style Quinoa Salad.

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The smoked salmon poke bowl offers a delightful mix of seasoned wakame, edamame beans, pickled cucumber, red radish, and baby cos lettuce, creating a harmonious blend of textures and tastes. The Asian-style spicy ahi tuna tartar brings a zingy and spicy twist, while Gamberi in Salsa Rosa introduces succulent prawns in a tantalizing pink sauce. For a touch of elegance, savour the Egg Mimosa with tuna mayonnaise. Sweeten your palate with the coconut chia seed pudding, and revel in the healthful and flavourful Greek-style quinoa salad. Each bite is a celebration of diverse and well-crafted flavours, adding a layer of sophistication to your dining experience.

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Witness culinary artistry firsthand as chefs man a dedicated station crafting the exquisite Saffron Risotto in a Parmesan Cheese Wheel. The creamy and velvety saffron-infused risotto, cooked to perfection, takes on a luxurious quality. As the risotto is prepared within the Parmesan Cheese wheel, it absorbs the essence of the aged Parmesan, resulting in a flavourful and indulgent experience.

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Additionally, savour the flavours of the Signature Intercontinental Laksa Noodle, which offers a burst of rich and aromatic flavours. The robust and spicy laksa broth, harmoniously blended with coconut milk, creates a luscious base for the dish.

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The Christmas roasts at LUCE by Davide Giacomelli feature a trio of delectable options: Australian Angus Beef, Traditional Roasted U.S. Turkey, and Slow Charred Lamb Shoulder with mustard and rosemary. The Australian Angus Beef stands out for its superb tenderness and rich flavour. The meat is complemented by a red wine jus that adds depth and enhances the overall savoury experience.

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Indulge in the wood-fired pizza offerings at LUCE by Davide Giacomelli, featuring enticing options like Pinsa Margherita, Amatriciana Pinsa, Cotto e Funghi, and Formagii e Uva. The Pinsa Margherita showcases the classic combination of fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil. At the same time, the Amatriciana Pinsa may feature flavours reminiscent of the traditional pasta dish with tomato, guanciale, and pecorino romano. Cotto e Funghi combines cooked ham and mushrooms for a savoury delight, and Formagii e Uva presents a blend of cheeses with the sweet addition of grapes. These wood-fired pizzas promise a symphony of flavours, offering a delightful journey for your taste buds.

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Choose from a delectable selection of familiar Asian delights, such as the Honey-glazed Pork Char Siew, which features a delightful combination of sweet and savoury flavours. The succulent pork, coated in a glossy honey glaze, offers a perfect balance of tenderness and caramelized richness.

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For something more substantial, go for the X.O. Sauce Fried Rice with tiger prawns or Penne All' Arrabiata with homemade tomato sauce and parmesan cheese.

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Conclude your dining experience on a sweet note with a delectable array of desserts at the buffet. Indulge in an assortment of delights, including assorted macarons, pralines, exotic coconut cake, Heritage Chestnut Cake, Oreo Cheesecake, Luce-Misu, Crunchy Chocolate Choux Puff, Winter Berries, and Sesame Golden Ball filled with salted egg custard. Savour Christmas treats like Christmas Fruit Spiced Plum Pudding, Christmas Stollen, and Christmas Fruit Cake for a festive touch.

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Enhance the sweetness with a visit to the Dark Chocolate fountain, accompanied by tempting condiments such as strawberries, rock melon, marshmallows, dried fruits, pretzels, Oreos, and peanut M&Ms.

Photos and words 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.


LUCE by Davide Giacomelli
InterContinental Singapore
Level 1
80 Middle Road
Singapore 188966
Tel: +65 68251008
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Bugis (EW Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Wed-Sun: 12pm - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm
(Closed on Mon-Tue)

Direction:
1) Alight at Bugis MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Friday, October 6, 2023

SIRI House @ Dempsey Hill @ Bubbles & BBQ Experience amidst The Lush Greenery of Dempsey Hill

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Nestled amidst the lush greenery of Dempsey Hill, Siri House presents an enchanting open-air dining escapade known as Bubbles & BBQ. Tailored for groups of 12 or more, this opulent garden soiree showcases a live BBQ station brimming with contemporary Asian BBQ delicacies. To elevate the experience, guests have the option to bedeck their tables with exquisite tropical adornments courtesy of Estilo & Co. These include hanging, table, and buffet floral centrepieces that infuse a touch of nature's elegance. And for a bit of effervescence, a champagne bar cart awaits, where patrons can concoct their own bubbly elixirs using fresh fruit, citrus, herbs, and liqueurs.


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Siri House’s Bubbles & BBQ Private Dining Experience unfolds in three captivating packages:

1. Standard Package: Priced at $128++ or $148++ per person, this package entitles you to savour the live BBQ station's offerings, relish the buffet spread, and dine amidst a basic table setup.

2. Tropical Chic Package: For $208++ or $228++ per person, this package embraces the live BBQ station, the sumptuous buffet, and the enchantment of a stunning tropical table setup bedecked with captivating floral centrepieces by Estilo & Co.

3. Champagne Trolley Add-on: Available for $108++ per person, this add-on enriches your experience with 2 hours of free-flowing Champagne accompanied by delightful accompaniments.


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Apple Coleslaw 4.5/5

Diving into the delectable spread, We commenced with the Apple Coleslaw, a delightful blend of red and white cabbage, mesclun, green apple, raisins, cashews, and house-pickled carrots. The addition of house-pickled carrots provides a tantalizing textural contrast.

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Arugula Beet Salad 4/5

Another vibrant salad, the Arugula Beet Salad, combines arugula, pickled beetroot, pomelo, feta, and pistachios, elevated by a zesty dressing comprising yuzu kosho, yuzu juice, lime juice, and olive oil.

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Nori Potatoes 4.8/5

The Nori Potatoes are a delightful treat, featuring cut potatoes blanched and deep-fried, then elevated with a dash of nori seaweed butter. The result? Fluffy and utterly addictive potato bites.

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Nuoc Cham Street Corn 4/5

Grilled yellow Corn is impeccably dressed in Siri House's rendition of Nuoc Cham, featuring minced grilled spring onions, shallots, ginger, garlic, coriander, fish sauce, and lime juice, all perfectly punctuated with a drizzle of hot oil. This dish delivers sweet corn with a delightful hint of spiciness.

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Mushroom Risotto 4.5/5

Japanese rice takes on a whole new dimension in the Mushroom Risotto, infused with a blend of burnt onion dashi and burnt mushroom puree. The dish is beautifully seasoned with the essence of burnt nori, creating a comforting and flavorful rice experience.

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Green Curry Baked Mussels 4.2/5

The Mussels are bathed in a flavorful paste crafted from green chilli, coriander, lemongrass, holy basil, coconut milk, and coconut cream, with a rich finish of garlic butter. It's a Thai-inspired delight that marries beautifully with the plump mussels.

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Sambal Grilled Barramundi 5/5

The Barramundi takes centre stage, adorned with a fiery sambal paste crafted from red chilli, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, and dried shrimp. Slow-cooked and nestled in banana leaves before grilling, it's a triumph of flavours. The sambal sauce deserves special mention—it's so good that it could easily outshine our local sambal stingray.


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Duroc Pork Collar 4.2/5

The succulent Pork Collar is marinated in a tantalising blend of hoisin, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, shallots, coriander, chilli, cardamom, and brown sugar, then sous-vide cooked and expertly grilled. The result is a hint of smokiness with the perfect ratio of lean and fats.

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Petite Tender 4.2/5

The Petite Tender Steak takes a journey through sous-vide cooking in olive oil, garlic, shallots, thyme, and tarragon before grilling. The finishing touch comes in the form of a housemade kombu aioli, where garlic aioli is artfully blended with charred onion puree, kombu, and lemon juice. This pairing elevates the tender beef to a mouthwatering

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Tarts 4/5

To conclude your culinary voyage, indulge in two delightful Tarts. The first is crowned with chocolate ganache and adorned with seasonal fruits, while the second is generously filled with housemade passionfruit curd, leaving a sweet and tangy impression.

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The enchanting experience is open for bookings for groups of 12 or more, from Tuesdays to Sundays, between 11:30 am and 8:00 pm. To make a reservation, you can email reservations.sg@sirihouse.com or book online via www.sirihouse.com/private-dining. A minimum of 7 days' advance notice is required to confirm date availability, and menu pre-orders are necessary 5 days ahead.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Siri House
Dempsey Hill
8D Dempsey Road
#01-02
Singapore 249672
Tel: +65 96670533
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Website
Nearest MRT: Napier (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sat: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm
Sun: 1130am - 4pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Napier MRT station. Take Exit 2. Walk to bus stop opposite Singapore Botanic Gardens (Stop ID 13011). Take bus number 7, 75, 77, 105, 106, 123 or 174. Alight 2 stops later. Walk up to Dempsey Hill. Walk right to the back of the cluster. Walk to destination. Journey time 12 minutes. [Map]


Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Joie @ Orchard Central - Restaurant with Modern Meatless Cuisine in Orchard Central’s Rooftop Garden

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Tucked on the 12th floor of Orchard Central is Joie, a restaurant that prides itself on bringing diners a modern meatless menu with Japanese-European elements. It shares the top floor with one other restaurant and the mall's rooftop garden, with views overlooking the bustling Orchard Road.

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Joie offers a 4 or 5-Course set for lunch and a 6-Course for dinner. The prices are as follows:

4-Course Lunch
$38++ on Mondays to Fridays, except Eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays

5 Course Lunch
$50++ Daily

6-Course Dinner
$78++ on Mondays to Thursdays
$88++ on Friday to Sunday, Eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays

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For this visit, we had two sets of the 6-Course Dinner and hence could sample more dishes as indicated individually below. Beverages are not included, but Joie offers quite a comprehensive list of alcoholic drinks and a more straightforward non-alcoholic list containing mocktails, coffee, tea and soft drinks.

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Complimentary Snack - Spaghetti Sticks

We were first served with a complimentary crunchy snack of Spaghetti Sticks in two flavours, spiced and non-spiced.

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Palate Cleanser - Passionfruit Sorbet

After that, we were treated to Passionfruit Sorbet, which was intended to cleanse our palates before beginning the course properly. However, it could have been less icy and a lot less sweet to provide a lighter and more refreshing start.

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Starter - Chef’s Selection of Assorted Platter 3/5

However, we were uncertain if it was intentional, but the capsicum kebab was made with a mix of vegetables in their raw form, and the raspberry sphere was overly sweet with a flat burst of flavour.

However, we were uncertain if it was intentional, but the capsicum kebab seemed to be just made with a mix of vegetables in their raw form, and the raspberry sphere was overly sweet with a flat burst of flavour.

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Side Dish - Bailing Mushroom on Paper Hot Pot 2.8/5

Our first side dish was the Bailing Mushroom on Paper Hot Pot. We appreciated the chunky yet soft-texted mushrooms here, but the accompanying soup was overly sweet, making it challenging to savour fully. A more balanced base would have enhanced the overall enjoyment.

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Side Dish - Gratinated Champignon with Mozzarella 2.8/5

For our second side dish, we had the Gratinated Champignon with Mozzarella. I looked forward to it when I saw the copious amount of cheese and golden-brown crust, but I was disappointed with the meagre portion of button mushrooms. The bread meant to pair with the Belgian endives was, unfortunately, a bit stale.

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Cold Dish - Tuna Cold Steak 1/5

We ordered the Tuna Cold Steak as our first cold dish, which had marinated watermelon with dill mustard dressing and a topping of pine nuts. The texture of the 'steak' was soft, but flavour-wise, it was cloyingly sweet.

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Cold Dish - Vegetable Sashimi On Ice with Oyster-Leaf Shooter Glass 2/5

We've had vegetarian sashimi a couple of times before this and were excited to try Joie's carefully plated rendition - Vegetable Sashimi On Ice with Oyster-Leaf Shooter Glass.

Instead of the usual konjac for the sashimi, they've ventured to use other elements, such as coconut, huai shan and aloe vera. The platter featured 'salmon, octopus, jellyfish and abalone', arranged from left to right. It was served with soy sauce and an oyster-leaf shooter glass. Unfortunately, like the previous dishes, most of these items leaned towards the sweeter side. We would have preferred a better balance with more savoury elements.

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Soup - Japanese Kunbu Broth with Hand Carved Tofu 1/5

Our first choice of soup was the Japanese Kunbu Broth with Hand Carved Tofu. We understand from the menu that it was meant to be a double-boiled Japanese seaweed consomme, but what we had was regrettably bland.

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Soup - Infusion of Cepes & Truffle 3/5

The Infusion of Cepes & Truffle was a better bowl. The mushroom soup here had delightful bits of mushroom and carried a mild truffle fragrance.

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Main - Truffle Risotto 2.8/5

There are 5 mains to choose from for the dinner course. The Truffle Risotto with a croquette on top, mascarpone cream, greens, and black truffle didn't quite meet our expectations. The risotto had a thick porridge-like texture, lacking the desirable al dente bite. Additionally, we would have appreciated the croquette more if it had been served hotter and crunchier to provide better textural contrast.

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Main - Grilled Summer Mushroom Steak on "Pu Ye" Hot Stone 3/5

Our second main, the Grilled Summer Mushroom Steak on "Pu Ye" Hot Stone, fared better. Beyond the visual presentation, the "Pu Ye" hot stone was intended to keep the dish hot. The mushroom steak here highlights a well-grilled monkey head mushroom with a mild smokiness. While the deep-fried spaghetti was too oily, I would have liked more of the truffle mashed potato as it was smooth and carried a good amount of flavour.

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Dessert - Yoghurt Pudding 2.5/5

The Yogurt Pudding dessert had a watery texture, lacked the expected tangy yoghurt notes and leaned towards the sweeter side.

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Dessert - Homemade Cheesecake with Oreo 2.8/5

Our last dessert was their Homemade Cheesecake with Oreo. It was average, with a decent amount of cheese flavour.

Unfortunately, our visit to Joie fell short of expectations. While we valued the warm service, the food quality needed to align with what we anticipated from a casual fine dining establishment. Many dishes lacked flavour or erred on the side of excessive sweetness. We hope this was an isolated occurrence and hope to experience better in the future.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Joie
Orchard Central
#12-01
181 Orchard Road
Singapore 238896
Tel: +65 9663 0901
Facebook
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Website
Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit C or D. Walk to Orchard Central. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]