Porta x Ah Hua Kelong - Porta Goes Local With Six-Course Marine Treasures Menu Exclusive on 15 & 16 August 2018

In celebration of the upcoming nation's 53rd birthday, Porta teams up with top local fish farm, Ah Hua Kelong to bring a specially curated seafood dining experience with a 2-day only exclusive menu on 15 & 16 August 2018. Each dish will showcase a selection of seafood from succulent giant clams, seabass to grouper being freshly harvested from Singapore's waters, delicately paired with aromatic herbs and spices to enhance its natural sweetness, finished with PORTA's modern European flair.

Miso Cracker with Curry Mayonnaise 3.8/5

We started the course with a surprise Amuse-Bouche. Dip some crispy Miso Cracker into the creamy curry mayonnaise which gave a sharp lift to its flavours with a fragrant coconuty tinge of spice.

XL Lokan Clams 4.2/5

The XL Lokan Clams is served with Thai Basil, Green Chilli and Lime. While the Clams' meat is undoubtedly fresh and juicy, the addition of Thai Basil and Green Chlli added a sourish spice tinge to the natural sweetness of the seafood that instantly perks up the tastebuds.

Pearl Grouper 4.2/5

Reminiscent of the HK style steamed fish, the fresh Pearl Grouper is soft and tender with a thin crispy exterior, contributing dimensions to its textures in each bite. It is also paired with baby spinach, shimeji mushroom and kombu to give the dish a comforting cantonese cuisine feel.

Green Lip Mussels 4.5/5

Next, we had the Green Lip Mussels. While the mussels' meat are big, fleshy and juicy, the highlight would be the special broth it is soaked in. Mixed with red curry, coconut and lime to give it the right amount of spice and tanginess, remember to mop up all the savoury tangy sauce with the fried mantou on the side for the ultimate indulgent experience.

Seabass 4.5/5

The Seabass comes in a thick cut of pan-fried seabass served with aubergine, okra, spicy belachan shrimp paste. With a crispy and seasoned skin on the top, the fish is well-executed as well and goes perfectly with the flavoured-packed spicy belachan shrimp paste.

Lime Sorbet 3.8/5

We had the Lime Sorbet as pre-dessert to cleanse the palate as we wait in anticipation for the main desserts.

Raspberry Ice Cream with Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake 4/5

We rounded off the meal on a sweet note with the Raspberry Ice Cream with Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake. The desserts combines the bitter sweetness of the chocolate, saltiness from the salted caramel and sourness from the raspberry ice cream to present multiple flavours and textures on a dish. The two pieces of deep fried fins added a special touch to the dish with with an addictive crispy texture.

Petite Four 4/5

Lastly, the Petite Four is served as second round of desserts to complete the whole meal. The huge platter displays beautiful symphony of flavours such as the buttery biscuits, bitter sweet chocolate tarts, sweet macarons and sour lime tarts.

Ah Hua Kelong prides itself in traditional and sustainable farming practices which yield superior quality seafood, such as using live bait as feed and allowing fish to grow into size naturally without growth hormones or chemicals. Showcasing the best of such locally farmed seafood with these exquisite 6 courses offered in collaboration with PORTA, don't miss out this exclusive menu available on 15 & 16 August 2018.

Porta x Ah Hua Kelong
Date: 15 & 16 August 2018
Time: 630PM – 830PM | 830PM – 1030PM
Price: S$72++ per adult | S$36++ per child for 5-11 years old.
*Children below 5 years enjoy a complimentary Kid’s Dish of the Day

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.


Porta Fine Food & Import Company
Park Hotel Clarke Quay
1 Unity Street
Singapore 237983
Tel: +65 65938888
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (NE Line), Fort Canning (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight At Fort Canning MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk to junction of River Valley Road and Clemenceau Ave. Cross the road and turn left onto Clemenceau Ave. Walk down Clemenceau Ave. Turn right onto Unity Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Clarke Quay MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to bus stop at Clark Quay Station (Stop ID 04222). Take bus number 54. Alight 3 stops later. Walk to the end UE Square Shopping Mall. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Mezza9 @ Grand Hyatt Singapore - 9 Different Dining And Wining Experiences Under One Roof

Many people has the misconception that Mezza9 at Grand Hyatt is a buffet restaurant but actually it is not. Probably due to its popular Sunday brunch and open show kitchen concept, I also thought that Mezza9 offers buffet throughout the week. Mezza9 is actually a restaurant with 9 different dining and wining experiences under one roof. You have the Grill, Sushi, Thai, Seafood, Steam Basket, Patisserie, The Shop, Party Room and Martini Bar all housed together, where you can order anything from any of the concepts. It is perfect for people who wants variety and not restricting one to just a particular cuisine.

Lychee Martini 4.5/5

We started with some pre-dinner and I ordered a light but refreshing Lychee Martini from the Martini Bar to start with.

Tom Yam Goong Nam Kon 4/5

Actually the menu is a bit overwhelming as they are some many things we want to try from the different cuisines. We decided to try as far as possible order an item from each section or concept. From the Thai Menu, we decided to have the Tom Yam Goong Nam Kon ($16), a Thai spicy and sour soup with tiger prawn. The kick from the spiciness definitely whets up our appetite.

Blue Swimmer Crab Cake 4.2/5

Seasonal Rock Oysters 4.5/5

From the Seafood Menu, we tried the Blue Swimmer Crab Cake ($7.50/pc) with remoulade sauce. It is packed with real crab meat encased in a crispy exterior. A delicious and delightful starter. We also ordered some Seasonal Rock Oyster ($6/pc). They were fresh and plump.

Premium Sashimi Moriawase on Ice 4/5

Japanese is one the my favourite cuisines and I can't resist getting some sashimi from the Sushi section. The Premium Sashimi Moriawase on Ice ($88) comes with fresh delivery such salmon, swordfish, yellowtail, ebi and scallop. While they are fresh and thickly cut, I was expecting a little bit more in terms of ingredients since it is labelled as premium, such as toro and uni.

French Charolais Beef Fillet 250g 4.5/5

Green Asparagus with Hollandaise, Dukkha 4.2/5

From seafood we moved on to some meat from the Grill menu. We decided to go for the French Charolais Beef Fillet 250g ($70) which is grass-fed and dry aged for 50 days. Grilled to a beautiful medium rare pink, the beef had a delectable full flavour with a nice char on the exterior. To go with the steak, we also ordered Green Asparagus with Hollandaise, Dukkha ($9) as our side.

Mezza9 Dessert Extravaganza $38

We really have a hard time deciding which dessert to order, so the easiest way is to have the Mezza9 Dessert Extravaganza ($38) which includes everything on the dessert menu. The dessert platter consists of the Mezza9 Flower Pot, Peach Compote, La Esmeralda Chocolate Pudding and Gluten Free Banana Flour Crepe. My favourite is the chocolate pudding and gluten free banana flour crepe.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Mezza9
Grand Hyatt
10 Scotts Road
Singapore 228221
Tel: +65 67321234
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 1030pm
Fri-Sat: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm
Sun Brunch: 12pm - 3pm
Sun: 6pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Scotts Road. Walk down Scotts Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]