Plaza Brasserie @ Parkroyal on Beach Road

Buffet lovers! Plaza Brasserie brings you Flavours of Thai at Parkroyal on Beach Road. Indulge in a myriad of Thai cuisine at Plaza Brasserie from 05 September 2012 to 31 October 2012 on top of the popular international spread such as Hainanese Chicken Rice, Roti Prata, Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab, Sea Cucumber and many more.

Thai Glass Noodle Salad 3.5/5

We started with the Thai Glass Noodle Salad which was light and refreshing. A little more zest will be good but it was still a lovely appetizers to kick start the feast.

Thai Papaya Salad 3.8/5

Compared to the glass noodle salad, the Thai Papaya Salad was more flavoursome and came with a fearsome kick of spiciness. Like the glass noodle salad, I would prefer them to have a dash more fish sauce and lime.

Thai Fish Cakes 3.8/5

A common street food, the Thai Fish Cakes was given a little twist by the kitchen of Plaza Brasserie. The lightly breaded version of the Thai fish cakes with its outer crisp and a delightful light bites.

Thai Fish Maw Soup 3.8/5

The Thai Fish Maw Soup was thick and savoury. It was served right in time to cool off my palate after having all the spicy food. However, being told it was Thai fish maw soup, I could not really point out the difference between the Asian version.

Thai Beef Noodle Soup 3.8/5

The Thai Beef Noodle Soup was probably the favourite among the group. The excellent broth was accompanied with tender beef and bouncy beef balls. Unfortunately I did not enjoy the thick but thin rice noodles. I would prefer the broad and flat type.

Thai Red Duck Curry 4.2/5

While many raved about the Thai Beef Noodle Soup, my favourite for the night was the Thai Red Duck Curry. It may sound weird to have roast duck meat in Thai red curry but it was surprisingly balanced and flavoursome.

Stir Fried Kai Lan in Thai style 4/5

Thai people loves their greens and the Stir Fried Kai Lan in Thai style was beautifully cooked with the Kai Lan still have a nice crunch to it.

Stir Fried Minced Pork with Basil leaves 3.5/5

The Stir Fried Minced Pork with Basil leaves was calling out for a plate of fragrant rice. Once again I felt it was lacking in seasoning and was a tad watery.

Steamed Seabass in spicy Thai Lime & Chilli 4.5/5

Finally a dish that kicks through with the strong basic authentic Thai flavours of spicy, sweet and sour tastes. The freshly Steamed Seabass in spicy Thai Lime & Chilli was very delectable.

Glutinous Rice with Durian Paste 4.5/5

Another twist by the kitchen at Plaza Brasserie. The Glutinous Rice with Mango is substituted with Durian paste which a love for most Singaporean. The durian paste was so good that most of us in the group ended up having the durian paste alone.

Tapioca with Coconut Cream 3/5

The Tapioca with Coconut Cream is another popular street dessert in Thailand. The sweetened tapioca lacked the consistency whereby some parts are still quite hard.

Flavours of Thai at Parkroyal on Beach Road
Date: 5 September to 31 October 2012
Dinner (Mondays to Thursdays): Adult $52 Child $31
Dinner (Fridays to Sundays): Adult $55 Child $33
*Prices are subject to 10% service charge and 7% Goods and Services Tax
Reservation: +65 65055710


Plaza Brasserie
Parkroyal on Beach Road
7500 Beach Road
Singapore 199590
Nearest MRT: Nicoll Highway (CC Line)

Direction:
1) Alight at Nicoll Highway MRT station. Take Exit A. Follow the overhead walkway all the way to The Concourse building. Turn left down Nicoll Highway and walk towards Parkroyal Serviced Residences. Cut through towards Parkroyal Hotel. Journey time about 8 minutes.

High Society Cafe/Restaurant @ Marina Bay Sands

The jewel of the recording industry, High Society founded by That CD Shop in 2006 has ventured into the food and beverage scene and opened High Society Cafe/Restaurant at The Shoppes, Marina Bay Sands.

An artisan display of cupcakes, cakes, tarts and macarons welcomes patrons at the front of the cafe/restaurant. Popularly known for their pastries, many patrons may mistaken that High Society is a dessert place for the sweet tooth. Little may you know that High Society cafe/restaurant offers an extensive menu that serves delectable food besides pastries.

On top of the usual items on the extensive menu, every quarterly High Society offers a special seasonal menu from the chef's creation. That's something to look forward to every 3 monthly.

Crab Salad 4/5

From the Summer seasonal menu, the refreshing Crab Salad ($22) with chilled crab meat and tobiko accompanied with fresh greens and honey mustard dressing was a very appetizing starter. I love cheese and I am glad it came with a generous topping of them.

French Fries with Truffle Aioli 3.8/5

The French Fries with Truffle Aioli ($8) is always a delightful light bites to munch while catching up with a group of awesome friends and waiting for our mains to be served.

Duck Confit 4/5

The Duck Confit ($28) prepared using the centuries-old process of preservation was fork tender with a nice crisp on the skin. Unfortunately the duck confit was a tad on the salty side. Maybe a pinch too much salt during the curing process. Nevertheless. the smooth carrot puree was a winner for me.

Summer Seafood Laksa Spaghetti 4/5

The Summer Seafood Laksa Spaghetti ($27) was on the seasonal menu. Served with pan-seared scallops and tiger prawns in laksa sauce, the fusion of Asian flavour was delish but a hint oily.

Steak Frites 3.8/5

The Steak Frites ($38) is a common and popular dish of steak and fries served in Brasseries throughout French-speaking Europe. High Society uses 200 days grain fed Angus Rib Eye steak which was cooked beautifully and paired with red wine sauce.

Lamb Shank 4.2/5

The flavourfully braised Lamb Shank ($29) in tomato and red wine was accompanied with whipped potato and seasonal vegetables. The sauce was really top notch. No wonder the melt in the mouth lamb shank was everyone's favourite.

Ispahan 4/5

After a hearty meal, do remember to leave some space for the delish desserts and pastries especially the cupcakes of High Society.

When I saw the Ispahan ($9) in the pastry display window, I knew Maureen definitely will order it because she is just crazy about Ispahan.

Savour a range of beautiful pastries such as the Boss ($12) that is 66% chocolate mousse with peppermint creme brulee and cocoa nip nougatine. Apple Crumble ($9) a sauteed granny smith with honey & rosemar, almond cream, perfumed with thym. Strawberry Short Cake ($12) of sabel breton, kirsch mousseline with fresh strawberries. Haute ($6) a vanilla cake with lemon curd topped with chantilly cream.

Cupcakes 4.5/5

Not to be missed is the popular cupcakes at High Society. I am not a cupcake lover because I always find them too sweet, dry and kind of boring. Kennie from High Society definitely has converted me with the artisan cupcakes. We tried the Casanova ($6), Red Velvet ($6) and Classic Vanilla ($6). Three factors why I enjoyed the cupcakes at High Society so much. The cupcakes were not overly sweet, they were moist and each cupcake comes with an element of surprise in it. Take for example biting into the red velvet cupcake came with surprises of rum raisins in it.

Macarons 4/5

How can we not have the Macarons ($2.30 each). High Society offers a selection of 12 flavours. They include chocolate, coffee, vanilla, earl grey, raspberry rose, green tea passion fruit, maple walnut, caramel banana, coconut lime, rum & raisin, praline hazelnut and lemon.

The casual dining ambience at High Society besides their popularity pastries also offers an extensive delectable food selection on their menu. On top of them, the kitchen offers a seasonal menu every quarterly using the freshest and seasonal ingredients.

Thank you Kennie of High Society for the invitation.


High Society Cafe/Restaurant
The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Avenue
#B2-43/44
Singapore 018956
Tel: +65 66887522
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highsocietysg
Website: http://highsociety.com.sg/hs/
Nearest MRT: Bayfront (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu: 10am - 11pm
Fri-Sat: 10am - 1am

Direction:1) Alight at Bayfront MRT station: Exit and walk towards The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. Journey time about 5 minutes.

Nirai Kanai Okinawan Restaurant @ Liang Court Shopping Centre

Back in July 2012, I blogged about my Japanese Gourmet Journey at Liang Court Shopping Court with my girlfriend and lovely friends (Celes, Charlene and Zhihao). It was a long and tiring day. We were all famished by dinner time. It didn't help when the restaurants we wanted to visit were all full and we needed to wait for a table.

Cutting the story short, we ended up dining at Nirai Kanai Okinawan Restaurant. I have recently watched a food documentary show and I got to know that Okinawan cuisine has a lot of influence from the Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines due to trade in the early dates. In addition, due to the difference in culture, climate, vegetables and other ingredients between Okinawa and mainland Japan, Okinawan cuisine is different from mainland Japanese cuisine.

Crispy River Shrimp 4/5

We started with some bites and starters while we waited for our mains to be served. The Crispy River Shrimp ($8) was suggested by Zhihao who has it before. Really interesting crispy bites with a tad of saltiness. Be warned to be careful while eating these. I was not careful and the claw got stuck into my gum and I have a hard time removing it.

Vinegared Mozuku Seaweed 3.8/5

Initially I wanted to try the Green Caviar Seaweed or known as Sea Grapes but they did not have stock that day. Hence we ended up having the Vinegared Mozuku Seaweed ($8). The seaweed was a refreshing starter for a beautiful meal waiting for us.

Pig's Ear with ponzu or peanut dressing 4.2/5

The Pig's Ear with peanut dressing ($8) was my favourite starters among the three. The delectable dressing accompanied with the crunchy texture was really enjoyable.

Tebichi, Simmered Pork Knuckle 4/5

As I mentioned we were famished, so all of us went for the set meal which came with our individual mains plus plain rice, soup, vinegared vege dish, fried meat miso and peanut beancurd. I had the Tebichi, Simmered Pork Knuckle set meal ($17++) which was packed with collagen. It was rather "gelat"   (Malay expression to denote extreme weariness and irritation at repetition) if you are just having it alone without other sides.

Rafute, Simmered Pork Belly Set Meal 4.5/5

Charlene and my girlfriend had the Rafute, Simmer Pork Belly set meal ($17++). The melted in the mouth pork belly was simply "oishii". As you can see, the dish has the influence of Chinese cuisine which is similar to our braised pork belly.

Buta Kimuchi, Pork Belly with Kimchi set meal 4/5

For Southeast Asian influence in Okinawa cuisine, we can see from the Buta Kumuchi, Pork Belly with Kimchi set meal ($15.30++) which Zhihao had.

Gyu Saikoro, Cubic Beef Steak 4/5

Celes is the only one in the group that did not order pork for dinner. She order the Gyu Saikoro, Cubic Beef Steak ($18.70++). The beef cubes were succulent, tender and flavourful.


Nirai Kanai Okinawan Restaurant
Liang Court Shopping Centre
177 River Valley Road
#B1-01/02
Singapore 179030
Tel: +65 63394811
Nearest MRT: Fort Canning (DT Line), Clarke Quay (NE Line)

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

Direction:
1) Alight at Fort Canning MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn right and walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Clarke Quay MRT station. Take Exit C, F or G. Walk along the river toward Riverside Point direction. Cross the bridge to the other end of the river. Turn left and walk towards Liang Court. Journey time about 10  minutes. [Map]

3) 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 2 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]