Basilico @ Regent Singapore - $40 For Over 40 Varieties Of Cheeses On Every Wednesday Night

Probably the best hidden secret of Regent Singapore is the cheese room at Basilico which houses a huge collection of cheeses. There are more than 40 varieties of cheeses ranging from soft, hard to blue cheeses. For cheese lovers, every Wednesday night at Basilico is Formaggissimo Night, diners can skip the buffet and get to have a standalone access to the cheese room to enjoy the huge varieties of cheeses for only $40. A selection of free flow wine is also available for an additional $38.

Gran Gueriero

I am not a fan of blue cheese as I find the smell too piquant for my liking. The thoughtful team at Basilico has infused them with other ingredients, to develop new taste profiles that are more palatable. A few of these infused in-house cheeses which caught my attention are Gran Gueriero, White Chocolate & Truffle Gorgonzola and Dark Chocolate & Chilli Gorgonzola. The Gran Gueriero is infused with honey and walnut. The sweetness of the honey definitely harmonize the sharpness of the blue cheese.

White Chocolate & Truffle Gorgonzola and Dark Chocolate & Chilli Gorgonzola

A very unique infusion is the White Chocolate & Truffle Gorgonzola and Dark Chocolate & Chilli Gorgonzola. For one that dislikes the piquancy blue cheese, I found myself enjoying them.

Dolomitico 

One of the Chef's favourite as well as mine is the Dolomitico. It has a subtle red wine or grape profile as the cheese is aged with grape marc. Appreciating the semi-soft cheese is like sipping a glass of red wine.

Ubriaco al Amarone

Guess I like cheese aged with wine. Another favourite of mine is the Ubriaco al Amarone which is aged with Amarone wine. It as a smooth, rich taste that is nutty with winey in flavour.

Besides the cheeses, there is an array of dried fruit, nuts, jams and compotes, bread sticks, oat crackers and various honeys to complement the appreciation of the cheese selections.

Every alternate month, Basilico will also combine its impressive cheese room with its year-long Italian wine tour. Known as Formaggio E Vino, it presents a wine and cheese journey every alternate month that focuses on Italy's iconic wine regions (Veneto, Sicily, Tuscany and Piedmont).

Note: This is an invited tasting


Basilico
Regent Hotel Singapore
Level 2
1 Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249715
Tel: +65 67253232
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard MRT (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Breakfast:
Mon-Sat: 630am - 1030am
Sun: 7am - 1030am
Lunch:
Mon-Sat: 12 - 230pm
Sun: 12 - 3pm
Dinner:
Daily: 630pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheelock Place via ION. Exit Wheelock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Continue onwards to Forum Shopping Mall. Walk further down to Orchard Parade Hotel. Turn left onto Tanglin Road. Continue walking down Tanglin Road. Turn left onto Tomlinson Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes. [Map]

Minka @ OxleyTower - New Japanese Restaurant Offering Rice Bowls From $13 Onwards For Lunch

Minka at Oxley Tower is a cosy Kaisendon restaurant that has recently took over The Timmis. A challenging spot to be I would say, given that I was just at The Timmis barely one and a half year ago in 2017. Its neighbors are now different too.

Omakase at night, the lunch menu is fairly straight forward. For lunch, you can choose from a selection of rice bowls, from $13 onwards for a mini Sashimi Bowl to $39 for a Premium Sashimi Rice Bowl, served with a complimentary bowl of miso soup. I was tempted to have the latter but I went for their specialty instead - Seafood Rice Bowl with Seafood Soup ($29). There is a cute illustration on the table, guiding you on how to consume this dish. So traditionally, the seafood soup will be served towards the end of your meal when you have finished all the raw fish, and from there pour the piping hot soup into the bowl to mix with the remaining rice and enjoy that comforting warmth in your tummy.

Premium Seafood Rice Bowl 3/5

From the illustration, I was expecting my rice bowl to have more variety of seafood actually, instead of just fish. The Negitoro was my favourite in the bowl because it adds much of the fats and sweetness into it, which brought back fond memories of the bowl I had at Koji. Other than that, I feel there was a lack of plumpness and sweetness in my kaisendo.

I finished my meal with the seafood soup. The soup was all right but could definitely be sweeter as it tasted more like just fish soup.

River Eel Rice Bowl 3/5

We also had a River Eel Rice Bowl ($24) with an Onsen Egg ($2.50). For that price, our expectations were definitely high. The eel tasted quite tender and flavourful, though too 'boney'. Overall, the quality of both the fish and even the egg could be better for this pricing.

Ice Cream 3.5/5

Rounding off our meals were their Green Tea and Black Sesame ice creams. Both were quite rich in flavour, especially the latter.

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.


Minka
Oxley Tower
138 Robinson Road
#01-06
Singapore 068906
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 10pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit F. Turn left onto Robinson Road. Walk down Robinson Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]