The Alley Luxe @ Cineleisure - The Alley's First Ever Premium Lifestyle Concept With Signature Beverages And European Baked Pastries

This May, The Alley makes its mark in Singapore with the launch of its first-ever premium concept - The Alley Luxe at its first flagship store at Cineleisure. This premium lifestyle cafe concept will showcase The Alley's finest collection of beverages, as well as an array of exquisite European baked pastries such as croissants, cruffins and kouign-amann. Customers get to enjoy the scenic view of Orchard Road as they indulge in The Alley's signature beverages and mouth-watering baked pastries. The Alley’s flagship store will open on the 18th of May 2019, at Orchard Cineleisure Level 2.

Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk 4.2/5, Matcha Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk 4.5/5

Renowned for its signature Brown Sugar Deerioca series, The Alley continues to amaze with soft, chewy pearls meticulously brewed for over 4 hours with their all-natural brown sugar, and complete with Japanese grade fresh milk for the perfect brown sugar fresh milk experience. Go for their Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk ($5.30) or Matcha Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk ($6.30) which boasts a robust bittersweet matcha flavour. Remember to suck on the brown sugar pearls at the bottom of the cup first to experience that warm, rich caramelised soft pearls before mixing the cold milk together with the warm brown sugar pearls for a satisfying cup.

Royal No. 9 Milk Tea 4/5

Garden Milk Tea 4/5

The milk tea series, Garden Milk Tea ($5.30) and Royal No. 9 Milk Tea ($4.30) boasts a rich assam tea aroma with a roasted, milky flavour, and complete with soft, chewy pearls. The Garden Milk Tea comes with an additional blanket of oreo crumbs atop and mint leaves, resembling a 'garden', which also adds some crunchy texture to the drink as well.

Snow Strawberry Lulu 4/5

The all-new Lulu series features a concoction of fresh fruits and tea, finished off with a dollop of snow velvet cream that will surely delight all fruit tea with its refreshing and fragrant taste. The Snow Strawberry Lulu ($6.30) is light with a well-balanced tangy-sweetness from the freshly brewed white peach oolong tea and fresh strawberries added to form a perfect blend of flavours.

Snow Velvet Peach Oolong Tea 4.2/5

For something light and refreshing, go for their Snow Velvet Peach Oolong Tea ($5.80) which features oolong tea freshly brewed from the oolong tea leaves upon order and tops with a creamy snow velvet cap. Twist the cap to sip on the foam and use a straw for drinking the tea separately, and you get to enjoy the natural taste of the tea.

Aurora Series: Northern Lights 4.2/5

An eye-catching bottle of ice blended drink - the Aurora series: Northern Lights ($8.80) features a wonder infusion of tea and fresh fruits which includes apple vinegar, grapes and butterfly blue pea to form a beautiful gradient of colours. Not just instagrammable, it scores on the taste as well!

The Alley Luxe also introduces a new lineup of European baked pastries such as the Almond Croissant, Sausage and Cheese Croissant, Cruffins (salted caramel, lemon meringue, kaya and chocolate flavours) and Kouign-Amann. The cruffins are a croissant-muffin hybrid and boast flaky external layers, fluffy insides and slightly sweet yet flavourful centres.

Having opened its very first outlet in 2013, The Alley has come a remarkable way with more than 300 outlets around the world today, in places like Toronto, Los Angeles, Paris, Mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan etc. The Alley commits to create only the finest beverages and uphold an extremely high standard in its choice of ingredients, placing great attention in quality, from the hand harvesting of tea plants to the choice of ingredients and ratios. As a leading trendsetter of artisanal tea, the brand continues to make waves in the international food and beverage scene with its signature beverages that everyone loves.

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.


The Alley Luxe
Cineleisure Orchard
8 Grange Road
#02-06A/B
Singapore 239695
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily 12pm to 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Grange Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Gordon Grill @ Goodwood Park Hotel - Presents The Best Of Both Worlds From Land And Sea

This May, Gordon Grill presents their 'Surf & Turf' menu with a focus on premium cuts of Australian meats and Japanese seafood, as diners get to experience the best offerings of both worlds. Available for a limited period from 13 May to 30 June 2019 for lunch on weekdays and dinner all week, diners get to enjoy a 3-course Set Lunch at $78 per person, and 4-course Set Dinner at $98 per person.

Chilled Japanese King Crab 4/5

Begin the evening with a light appetiser from Gordon Grill which presents a refreshing combination of chilled Japanese King Crab, with heirloom tomatoes, Australian crispy prosciutto and yuzu pineapple gazpacho. The shredded kind crab meat has a subtle sweetness and complemented well with the yuzu pineapple gazpacho which added hints of sweet and tanginess to the dish as well.

Red Prawn Soup 4.5/5

Next comes the Japanese-inspired soup which features a tender, juicy Red Prawn sitting atop daikon in an umami seaweed broth with spinach and sous vide organic egg. The red prawn from Japan is butterflied and lightly seasoned before being grilled briefly under the salamander to achieve that soft, plump consistency. While the daikon contributes a subtle sweetness to the dish, as it was simmered in chicken broth till tender. Sous vide at 62ºC for 90 minutes, break into the egg for the golden yolk goodness to mix into the broth for a more creamy mouthfeel. But what impressed us was the seaweed broth which was brewed using chicken bones, leek, onion, ginger, and garlic for hours before adding kombu into it.

Hokkaido Scallop 4.2/5, Beef Tenderloin 4.2/5

Moving on the main course, diners are offered a variety of meat and seafood combinations to choose from, served with a side of either roasted potatoes or seaweed rice, together with green asparagus and pearl onion.

Diners get to choose among 3 options from the 'Surf' menu, which include a luxurious, buttery Hamachi Fillet with red capsicum cream, Grilled Tiger Prawn with caper-kalamata salsa and the Hokkaido Scallop with parmesan herb gratin and white wine butter sauce. I went for the Hokkaido Scallop option from the 'Surf' menu. The pan-seared scallop is lightly seasoned, oven baked with gratin in a large palm-sized shell. It boasts juicy plumpness, while the addition of herb gratin and white wine butter sauce added an umami flavour to the fresh scallop to elevate its flavours.

The 'Turf' menu delights even the most discerning of diners with a choice of the Beef Tenderloin with red wine jus, Pork Jowl with smoked pork sauce and Lamp Chop served with green peppercorn jus. I opted for the Beef Tenderloin which features a tender cut with a slightly charred crust and juicy centre and lightly seasoned with just salt and pepper to bring out its natural flavours. It comes with red wine jus to add depth to the flavours and complete the fantastic steak experience.

Mirabelle Plum Mousse Gennoise 4/5

Lastly, end the meal on a high note with the Mirabelle Plum Mousse Gennoise served with chocolate ice cream and berry ragout. Mirabelle plum jelly, made with mirabelle plum puree, is encased within mirabelle plum mousse, set on a base of genoise, an Italian sponge cake. The highlight would be the smooth, creamy chocolate ice cream with bits of crunchy chocolate embedded within. The bittersweetness marries the tanginess from the plum mousse and berry ragout well.

Surf & Turf’ at Gordon Grill (13 May to 30 June 2019)
• 3-Course Set Lunch (Appetiser or Soup; Main Course; Dessert) at $78++ per person
• 4-Course Set Dinner (Appetiser; Soup; Main Course; Dessert) at $98++ per person
Served with Goodwood blended coffee or fine tea selection

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.


Gordon Grill
Goodwood Park Hotel
22 Scotts Road
Singapore 228221
Tel: +65 67301744
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 230pm, 7pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk down Scotts Road to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]