Christmas Celebration By InterContinental Hotels Group

An event which I look forward to each year is the Christmas feast hosted by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) which brings together the different culinary teams of the group, under one roof to showcase the various offerings for the festive seasons. This year, the event is held at Holiday Inn Atrium's ballroom, together with their other sister properties, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Holiday Inn Orchard City Centre, Indigo Katong and InterContinental Singapore

An unusual take of the traditional roasted turkey is Holiday Inn Orchard City Centre's twist to Christmas with the Holiday Szechuan Turkey ($107, good for 8-10 pax). The turkey is infused with classic Szechuan flavours of chilli oil, Szechuan peppercorns and vinegar. What I enjoyed most is the accompanying aromatic chilli sauce that complements the turkey meat excellently.

Baba Chew from Indigo Hotel, was the spark for this year event with their Perankan inspired creations. The Crackling Pork Belly "Panggang" ($78) is first sous vide and then marinated in satay sauce. It is then barbecued to a crunchy top of crackling skin while retaining the flavour and tenderness of the meat. It is served with pickles and mustard vegetables.

If you are not much into fusion, there are the Traditional Roasted Turkey with chestnut stuffing, brussel sprouts, vichy carrots and salt roasted potatoes from InterContinental Singapore. A new creation is the Maple Orange Roasted Tom Turkey with baked potatoes, seasonal vegetables and mushroom stuffing. Complete the Christmas feast on a sweet note with the Snow Fairy Yule Log Cake which comprises of durian mousseline, gula melaka sponge and white chocolate pearls.

For a sweet Christmas treats, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport offers the signature Choco-log of Joy Yule Log Cake ($68), a decadent Manjari chocolate cake roll filled with luscious honey chestnut and blueberry cream, A new creation this year is the Merry Berry Cheese-mas Yule Log Cake ($68) that features a soft and moist Manjari chocolate sponge cake layered with luscious raspberry cream cheese frosting, complete with crunchy strawberry pearls, almond flakes and seasonal embellishments.

Christmas delights continues with the Chocolate and Banana Yule Log Cake and the new Tropicana Yule Log Cake. The Tropicana Yule Log Cake is made from mango yogurt mousse and mango passion fruit confit, with mascarpone lemongrass cream and crunchy feuilletine.

Do check out the individual hotel's website to find out more about their festive and takeaways promotions.

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport
Website
Reservation: +65 68235367 or email lobbylounge.cpca@ihg.com
Shop online: bit.ly/cpchangi-online-store

Holiday Inn Atrium
Website
Reservation: +65 67330188

Holiday Inn Orchard City Centre
Website
Reservation: +65 67338333 or email fnb.hisinorchard@igh.com

Indigo Katong
Website
Reservation: +65 67232025 or email hello@babachews.com.sg

InterContinental Singapore
Website
Reservation: +65 68251224 or email sinhb-festive@ihg.com
Shop online: https://intercontinentalshoppe.sg

B Burger @ Orchard Cathay Cineleisure - The Local Version Of Shake Shack?

Gourmet burgers in a quick service restaurant format, The Benjamin Barker Group newest burger joint – B Burger at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard is set to go satisfy your burger craving with its juicy, handmade patties, alongside with pretty sinful desserts. Inspired by American burger joints such as Shake Shack and In-N-Out, B Burger carries similar laid-back vibe with American rock music playing in the background. My favourite feature of this colourful place is the Scrabble-like menu board, that allows you to play the labels around.

Baller Burger 3.8/5

Though infused with a Japanese twist, the burgers here are inherently American. Each order is made ala minute, hence expect 6 to 10 minutes of waiting time. First up on the menu is B Burger, a basic burger for customers who simply just want to enjoy the meat. You can even triple up the beef patty if a single 100g patty is insatiable. Umami burger is a meatless version, with a Buttermilk Fried Portobello replacing your meat. Combining these two gets me a Baller Burger ($10.90), which I feel is really the best of both worlds - a large piece of fried Portobello which has a firm bite to it, supplementing the juicy beef patty which has a slightly loose texture. Then it comes the secret sauce - B Sauce, which elevates the burger with a sweet and tangy zing. I really love the home pickled daikon found in some of the burgers here - sweet and a little acidic but not vinegary.

B Supreme 4/5

Sliding in an aged cheddar, B Supreme ($9.90) gains a savoury height and flavour that are brought to balance with sweet notes from caramelised onions. The smell of the warm truffle aroma greets my nose even before I get to hold the burger in my hand. The sautéed mushrooms are chunky, with flavour and aroma accentuated by truffle mayo. The bun does get a little soggy after a while, which I think the team needs to address this abit. Still, this burger is finger-licking good.

Bomchika Wow Wow 3/5

Although I feel burgers should be experienced with beef patty, Bomchika Wow Wow ($10.90) is a satisfying burger in its own right. Big chunks of kaarage chicken topped with fried egg, its physique beckons you to reach out for it. It may sound greasy but the crunchy wafu slaw and piquant daikon pickles bring it to a balance. Sweet with a tinge of spiciness, the sticky sriracha honey that glazed the fried chicken gives this burger a new identity that differentiate itself from other fried chicken burgers.

Osaka Corn Dog 2.5/5

A interesting snack to try would be Osaka Corn Dog ($6.90) which is a cheese corndog topped with tobiko, teriyaki, mayo and nori. When the sausage itself is already salty, I feel there are too much savoury condiments dressing it.

Sides 2.8/5

Complete your meal by topping up $3.50 with every main order and get a side of wafu ramen slaw, nacho soup or fries and drink (soft drinks, add $1 for other drinks, excluding milkshakes). If you have always loved nacho cheese dip, you get your wish with this Nacho Soup ($3). It is a tone-down version with a tinge of spiciness but nonetheless, it is still as rich. Curry Beef Fries ($5) is similar to Carl's Jr beef chilli cheese fries but a much more scaled down version with a Japanese flavour.

S’mores 2.8/5

Not easy to find milkshakes these day, so do try one of its creation. S’mores ($6.90) is a simple concoction of vanilla ice-cream mixed with Nutella which I thought makes a good grab & go as well. Freshly Cut Coconut ($5.90) is available if you want something a lot healthier but at this price, maybe not.

Death By Chocolate 3.2/5 and Peanut Butter Jelly 2.5/5

Still have room for more? Another noteworthy item from B Burger is its Homemade Concretes ($7.50 – two scoops of concretes with toppings), made from adding egg yolk to ice cream to achieve a denser and creamier body. We tried Peanut Butter Jelly (Vanilla, Peanut Butter, Strawberry, Horlicks, Granola, Peanut Butter Cups, Toasted Bread Cracker) and Death By Chocolate (Chocolate, Oreos, Hersheys, Chocolate Wafers, Sea Salt). Death By Chocolate won me over with its sticky, rich chocolaty texture. It's sweet but with hints of bitterness. The sprinkle of sea salt adds burst of intensity that I really enjoy.

In terms of pricing, quality and taste, B Burger has a balance of all 3 factors, making it a notch higher than a few other brands of similar concept. Yes, it's a burger place that I would return to.

Words and photos 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. Note: This is an invited tasting.


B Burger
Orchard Cathay Cineleisure
8 Grange Road
#01-01A
Singapore 239695
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit B. Take the escalator to the ground level. Turn left and walk to the junction of Orchard Road and Grange Road. Cross the road. Turn left and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes.