Saturday, April 14, 2018
Chef’s Table @ Capella Singapore - Wellness Tea Time
If you are a wholly believer of a plant-based diet or about to step into the realm of raw food, veganism etc, but finds it really hard to give up your sweets, Capella Tea Experience – Wellness Tea Time may be able to ease that yearning, every Friday. At Chef’s Table, this special menu is put together with great effort by Sandra Lim of Live Fruitfully, a certified Raw Food Chef from The Matthew Kenney Culinary Institute and Chef David Senia, the Culinary Director of Capella Singapore. Presented in the form of a five-course menu, the Wellness Tea Time offers not just gluten-free and dairy-free savouries but also sweet creations!
Caffaine takes a back seat. Get in tune with yourself and choose from Ronnefeldt Ayurvedic teas instead, according to your mood – a cocoa-rich taste with light floral notes Stay in Balance; an invigorating herbal Light My Flame or the smooth green tea blend Let It Go.
Hummus is quite common in a vegan diet but I really love this Crispy Charcoal Tuile with Root Vegetables Hummus. Its exuberant colours, textures and most of all, the taste. The hummus is made with sweet potato, yet it has a savoury depth and a tangy note. It is designed to eat with your hands, hence spoon the hummus with the gluten-free Crispy Charcoal Tuile and sweet potato chips.
Tempeh Portobello Slider with Green Goddess Cream is a herbivore's slider that delivers a level of satisfaction no less than a regular slider. Not so much of the Goddess cream but that layer of sweet caramelised onions at the bottom and the pickled cucumber on top, that have successful trick my mind.
The preparation works for Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Shiitake ‘Bacon’ is painstaking but the final product is worth it. The curst is made with cauliflower and teff, a grain grown in Ethiopia and said to have huge health benefits. The sweet corn mash gives the pizza a sweet flavour and body, and if you think that the quintessential cheese is missing, just open up the pizza and you will find a slice of almond cheese in it.
The Sprouted Whole Grain Bread with Tomato Tapenade is made with 5 different grains such as brown rice, quinoa etc. It may comes across a bit dry but the tangy sweet tomato spread makes up for it. The bread is super crusty on the outside, with a slight chewiness to the body.
The Special House Scones are served with homemade raspberry jam and coconut cream. To give the jam a jammy texture, chia seeds are used as the 'gelatin'. I like the jam which is pulpy and not too sweet, the coconut cream also imparts a different flavour to the scones. However, the sweetness of the scones doesn't sit well with me at all, although technically, there isn't any 'real sugar' in it.
Finally the sweets. If the savouries are tough to make, the sweets are multiple times of that. Without cream or dairy, it might take 10 more ingredients just to achieve similar consistency and texture. For example, Chocolate Hazelnut Dome went through multiple trials for the layer of chocolate coating, which is made using aquafaba (chickpea water). The Quinoa and Zucchini Chocolate Tea Cake has a brownie-like texture and the Cacao Avocado Mousse delivers an expected creamy consistency. However, i would prefer more varieties as they start to get cloying after a while. Cultivated ‘Cheesecake’ with Blueberry and Beetroot Glaze offers a brighter taste.
Ending the lazy afternoon is a refreshing Tomato Consomme Jelly with Basil Granita and I really like it, simply because it tastes very natural, compared to the plate of sweet creations prior to it.
Knowing that you ain't consuming anything artificial is certainly assuring. It is intriguing to see how different ingredients are being orchestrated into our well-loved items using methods much less known. Wellness Tea Time is available on Friday from 3pm to 5pm, priced at $59 per person.
Photograph and written 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.
Chef’s Table
Capella Singapore
Sentosa Island
1 The Knolls
Singapore 098297
Tel: +65 65915045
Website
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront (CC Line, NE Line)
Opening Hours:
Fri: 3pm - 5pm
Direction:
1) Alight at Harbour Front MRT station. Take Exit C or E. Walk to pick up point at exit of Lobby F in Vivocity (near JPot and Nyonya & Baba Restaurants). Wait for the complimentary shuttle bus service. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]
2) Alight at Harbour Front MRT station. Take Exit C or E. Walk to Vivocity Shopping Mall. Go to Sentosa Express Station at Level 3 of Vivocity. Take Sentosa Express Train to Imbiah station. Alight at Imbiah station. Proceed to Artillery Ave. Walk along Artillery Ave until you came to a road (slope) to Capella Hotel. Turn right onto the road and walk up the slope to destination. Journey time about 25 mins. [Map]
Friday, April 13, 2018
Unagiya Ichinoji by Miyagawa Honten @ Robertson Quay - Renowned 125-year-old Unagi Speciality Restaurant Opens In Singapore
Miyagawa Honten, one of Tokyo’s most well-known unagi restaurants with 125 years of experience under its belt, has opened its first overseas outpost in Singapore - Unagiya Ichinoji. Located at Robertson Quay, this is the first time we have an original unagi speciality restaurant that is hailed from Japan. Here in Singapore, we have the privilege of being able to enjoy 2 other styles of unagi other than the traditional Miyagawa-style Hitsumabushi, which are the Yanagawa-style Seiro Mushi and Osaka-style Mamushi Donburi.
Osaka-style Mamushi Donburi 3.5/5
As most are already familiar with the Hitsumabushi, I shall introduce the style that i find most interesting - Osaka-style Mamushi Donburi with Chawanmushi ($23.80). There are a few additional elements to this style, making it more engaging than the rest. Just imagine mixing the creamy onsen egg and umami packed mentaiko into the pearly Japanese rice, which is already flavourful with the special in-house tare. There's also a small portion of grated Japanese yam served at the side. Its mushy texture may not be enticing to some but I like it. It brought back good memories of traditional dishes that I had had in Japan and rarely available.
Seiro Mushi 3.5/5
If you find the previous too rich for your liking, Seiro Mushi with Chawanmushi ($24.80), a version from Yanagawa, Fukuoka has the least distraction, which allows you to enjoy your eel as it is.
At Unagiya Ichinoji, the eels are prepared using the same original method as Miyagawa outlets, which is first steamed then grilled. Whereas for Yanagawa, it is done the other way round. The slab of unagi is first charcoal grilled, then steamed in a bamboo steamer together with kinshi egg and Hokkaido rice. The sweet sauce is mixed in for five minutes before serving, so as to allow one to enjoy the original flavours of the eels. There is certainly a sense of nostalgia emoted by the bamboo steamer, instilling a different experience from that of Mamushi Donburi.
Hitsumabushi (S) 3.8/5
I'm sure Hitsumabushi way is not new to many, some of you might have come across first hand in Man Man or Uya. Basically, it's a Nagoya’s style of enjoying freshwater eel by consuming the steamed-then-grilled eel in three different ways. First, divide the bowl into four portions. Enjoy the first portion on its own to savour the eel’s depth of flavour. Then, for the second portion, add nori (seaweed), wasabi and green onion to the Hokkaido rice and eel. For the third portion, add the clear dashi to the above mentioned mix. The final portion is to be enjoyed in your favourite way. Available in various portions, from $19.80 small portion to $77.80 extra large portion.
All the eels are marinated with Sansho and Kuro Shichimi (seven black spices) specially imported from Kyoto. At the table, ground sansho and kuro shichimi are available as condiments and I do highly recommend sprinkling some of them onto your unagi. The peppery aroma and lively flavours come in layers with a tinge of heat. I find that very appetising when mix with the clear dashi.
The special in-house tare (sweet basting sauce) glazed on your unagi is made with a recipe that spans 4 generations. Operating 20 outlets in Japan alone and having its outlet in Meguro-ku, Tokyo awarded Bib Gourmand in MICHELIN Guide Tokyo 2018, Unagiya Ichinoji is yet another significant milestone for Miyagawa.
Photograph and written 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.
Unagiya Ichinoji
Riverside View
30 Robertson Quay
#01-05
Singapore 238251
Tel: +65 67321970
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (NE Line), Fort Canning (DT Line)
Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 3pm, 530pm - 10pm
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. Turn left onto Merbau Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 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. Walk to Merbau Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 9 minutes. [Map]
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