Sky 22 @ Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena - Dine With A View At The Heart Of Novena

Sky 22, an all day dinning concept has landed in the heart of Novena at the all-new Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena. Located on the 22nd floor, the restaurant features panoramic views of the nature reserve. The restaurant focuses on healthy, wholesome culinary creations that is inspired by local cuisine, using premium quality ingredients and local aromatics.

Nasi Ulam Wild Rice Salad 4.2/5

An interesting dish on the menu is the Nasi Ulam Wild Rice Salad ($22) which has been given a richer and modern rendition. The play of textures and flavours has been enriched by the use of charred octopus, long beans, fire-roasted sweet potato, organic betel leaf, ginger flower, crushed peanut and toasted coconut.

Oven Baked Camembert Cheese 3.5/5

For the cheese lover, there is the Oven Baked Camembert Cheese ($18). You get the whole block of cheese to go along with the rosemary-balsamic Portobello mushroom, arugula walnut pesto and grilled sourdough.

Prosciutto & Belgian Endive Salad 3/5

For something light and healthy, the Prosciutto & Belgian Endive Salad ($22) will be a good choice. The sweetness of the roasted Japanese pumpkin and caramelised fig are complemented by the pomegranate dressing, with the savory granola providing the extra crunch.

Singapore Chilli Crab Pizza 3.5/5

Chilli crab on a thin crust pizza is an interesting interpretation of the national dish. The Singapore Chilli Crab Pizza ($26) is topped with generous chunks of crab meat and garnished with Spanish onions, red chilli and scallions. Initially I felt that the pizza needs to be more spicy but then it is a pizza after all, so the sweet tomato base actually fits the characteristic of a pizza. Reducing the heat is also make it more palatable for the foreigners.

Iberico Pork 4.5/5

Cooked to perfection is the Iberico Pork ($36), tender and juicy. What I like most is that it does not have that porky smell. It is served with oven baked baby radish, hummus, wilted Chinese spinach and yellow soy beans. The accompanying balsamic sauce provided the extra zest to lift the enjoyment.

Pan Seared Red Spotted Grouper

Inspired from the local sambal stingray, the Pan Seared Red Spotted Grouper ($26) is topped with red cherry shrimps and okra, served with a slather of sambal olek and light turmeric coconut sauce. To be frank, I don't find any association in taste to the sambal stingray. However it is a well executed dish that will delight one's taste buds.

Purple Potato Gnocchi 3/5

A vegetarian dish on the menu is the Purple Potato Gnocchi ($24) which is made from scratch by the kitchen. The comforting dish comes with a medley of fire-roasted vegetables, mascarpone and tossed in burnt sage butter. I felt that the gnocchi was a thick for bite, and probably a little bit more colours for the dish will make it for appetising.

Tiger Prawn Laksa Lemak 4.5/5

The signature at Sky 22 has to be their Tiger Prawn Laksa Lemak ($24) that is an atas version of the local street food. Comes in a rich spicy coconut gravy, there are thick vermicelli, charred tiger prawns, quail eggs, beancurd puffs and fish cake. I finished the bowl of laksa to the last drop.

Bubur Cha Cha Cup 3/5

Last but not least, we had the Bubur Cha Cha Cup ($12) for dessert. It is a deconstructed rendition of the popular nyonya dessert, which comes in a combination of sweet potato, yam, banana, pandan jelly and sago, with a a scoop of coconut ice cream. I actually still prefer my traditional bowl of bubur cha cha, in which I can get every textures and flavours in one spoonful.

Besides the a la carte menu, Sky 22 also offers a healthy lunch or dinner B.Y.O.B (Build Your Own Bowl) concept allowing diners to create personalised bowls accordingly to their taste and preference. Dinners can start by selecting from different salad bases topped with vegetables, cold cuts and a choice of a house dressing. They can also warm their appetite with hot bowls of soup before working on their built bowls. Top up an additional $4 for a dessert for a sweet finish.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Sky 22
Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena
Level 22
99 Irrawaddy Road
Singapore 329568
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily:
630am - 1030am (breakfast)
12pm - 230pm (lunch)
3pm - 5pm (Tea)
6pm - 10pm (Dinner)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Novena MRT station. Take A or B. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

The Dark Gallery @ Millenia Walk – Launches New Limited Edition Christmas Range Of Chocolate Desserts

Opened in July 2017 and located along the aisle of Millenia Walk in an open-space concept kiosk, The Dark Gallery is a chocolate specialty cafe, specialising in gourmet chocolate-based desserts and drinks, with a strong focus on premium single origin dark chocolate. A plethora of their unique creations are differentiated based on various cacao origins and flavour profile, and its highly prized cacao content makes for their selection of single origin chocolates desserts to be of the richest and most luscious sort that will surely tempt chocolate lovers and satisfy every sweet tooth.

Available from 1 December 2017 onwards, The Dark Gallery launches a new limited edition Christmas range of chocolate desserts for the coming festive season. The campaign, known as The Lustre of Christmas features an exclusive collection of artisan dark chocolate offerings decked out with glistening adornments, infused with Christmas accents. It is definitely pure indulgence with their gorgeous creations ranging from galaxy-inspired bonbons, festive Christmas ice cream cakes, sables, platters and cookies.

Galaxy-Inspired Bonbons 4/5

There are three different types of Galaxy-inspired Bonbons ($3.50 per piece, $31.50 in a Christmas giftbox of 9). Beautifully shaped in the form of a jewel and aptly decorated to resemble a sparkling galaxy pattern, the bonbons are named after stars of the same colour found within the galaxy. The red star Kapteyn is essentially white chocolate with raspberry ganache and pop rocks, while the white star Arcturus is made up of milk chocolate with praline and toasted almond nibs. For dark chocolate lovers, the blue star Vega is an ideal choice – made with dark chocolate, french earl grey ganache and peppermint bits, it plays out a perfect balance of bitter and sweet, with a hint of earl grey and a refreshing christmasy peppermint. Both gorgeously presented and delectable in taste, these artisan bonbons make for great Christmas gifts as well.

Pearlescent Dulcey White Chocolate Log Cake 4.2/5

There are two types of festive Christmas ice cream log cakes available. We had the Pearlescent Dulcey White Chocolate Logcake ($89) which comes in the form of a smooth and luscious 32% dulcey white chocolate ice cream body, with a dark chocolate cake and chantilly cream swiss roll centre with white chocolate perles, adorned with caramelised tuile, berries and mini macarons. The creamy ice cream and fluffy cake combination delivers an excellent textural contrast, with just the right amount of crunch and sweetness.

You can opt to delve into the darker side with their Opalescent Dark Chocolate Log Cake ($89) as well, which features bittersweet 72% Venezuela dark chocolate ice cream with a dark chocolate cake and chantilly cream swiss roll centre and crunchy chocolate perles, adorned with dark chocolate shards and caramelised nuts on top.

Dulcey Chocolate Toffee Nut Latte 4/5

The Dulcey Chocolate Toffee Nut Latte ($10) comes in the form of a deconstructed latte, on a thoughtfully plated drink platter, featuring a trio of frozen dulcey chocolate cubes, double espresso shot with a hint of toffee nut syrup, and a jar of warm milk. Pour the warm milk and espresso shot over those frozen chocolate cubes for a luscious bittersweet drink with a subtle mellow nuttiness of the toffee nut. Simply the perfect pick-me-up for that Christmas caffeine fix.

Christmas Pastries Platter 4.2/5

The Christmas Pastries Platter ($14) features four exquisitely curated petite pastries, consisting of a white chocolate rose tea eclair, a milk chocolate hazelnut macaron with milk chocolate sauce in a pipette, a milk chocolate espresso macaron, and finished with a dark chocolate raspberry brownie. The white chocolate rose tea eclair is subtly sweet with a fragrant floral tea note, while the milk chocolate hazelnut macaron features a nutty tone with its sweetness further accentuated with an addition of the sweet milk chocolate sauce. The milk chocolate espresso macaron boasts a bitter sweet balance, though it leans more towards the sweeter side. For the dark chocolate lovers, the dark chocolate raspberry brownie is an ideal choice – with a decadent dark chocolate flavour and the raspberry to undercut some of its richness. All the pastries on the platter are freshly baked in-house, with each pastry recipe thought out with the distinctive flavour profile of chocolates used in mind, in order to both bring out the uniqueness in the taste of each yet seamlessly complementing as a platter.

Double Ice Cream Scoops 4.5/5

Their ice cream offerings which include a wide variety from various different cacao origins and percentage levels are available on their regular menu, and you can have it at any day within their operating hours. However, exclusive toppings are available from 1st Decemeber 2017 just for the coming festive season. I had a double scoop ($9.50) with their 80% Signature Dark Chocolate and the 75% Tanzania on a chocolate coated waffle bowl, and also spruced it up with their christmas toppings – macarons and caramelised almonds. Smooth, dark and creamy, the strong bitterness of their 80% signature dark chocolate flavour is perfect for a serious dark chocolate lover, while the exotic 75% Tanzania has a subtle fruity aftertaste admist the bittersweet cocoa flavour. The Christmas macarons added a good portion of sweetness to the strong bitterness of the dark chocolate ice cream, while the caramlised almonds added a subtle sweet crunch for a different mouthfeel, which complements the ice cream well.

Despite being a pretty new establishment in the F&B scene, The Dark Gallery is indeed a promising café, which does well in what they do best – artisan chocolates, and also features a wide selection to keep customers coming back for something different every time. Not to be missed, these limited edition festive highlights from The Lustre of Christmas are the perfect indulgent sweet treats this christmas.

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.


The Dark Gallery
Millenia Walk
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-K5
Singapore 039596
Tel: +65 62550368
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Promenade (CC Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Promenade MRT station. Take Exit A or B. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]