Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Lobster Air @ City Gate - Hop Onto Cloud Nine With Airplane-themed Restaurant Lobster Air

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Situated within City Gate, new airport-themed restaurant Lobster Air has opened its doors to serve premium lobster dishes for the lobster and travel enthusiasts. Every customer will enjoy an immersive airline cabin experience, choosing to dine in first or business class zones, capture Instagram moments against full-sized plane interior images, and enjoy first-rate service from a team of authentic cabin crew, including steaming hot towels.

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Customers can choose from airline-inspired Business Class/First Class Lunch/Dinner Sets or Short-Haul selection during their ‘flight’ at Lobster Air. They can also go for Before Landing Desserts, Brunch and In-Flight Alcoholic and Non-alcoholic Beverages. We tried their Business Class Lunch Course, which included a choice of mains, soup of the day (+$10), salad, appetisers (+$20) and desserts at additional costs.

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Mushroom Soup 3.8/5

First, we had the Soup Of The Day - Mushroom Soup (+$10). Creamy and filled with mushroom bits, we enjoyed the deep earthy flavours of this classic mushroom soup that has a faint whiff of truffle.


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L.A. House Salad 3/5

Next, we were served a small bowl of L.A. House Salad dressed in a tangy house dressing.

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Half Boston Lobster Aglio Olio 3.5/5

Customers can opt for their appetisers of a half dozen oysters as well at an additional $20. However, we skipped the appetisers and headed straight for their mains of the Half Boston Lobster Aglio Olio ($44) baked with garlic butter sauce and a serving of al dente Aglio Olio Spaghetti. While we loved the lobster's garlic butter fragrance, we felt that the taste fell flat as the spaghetti has the same garlicky flavours.

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Dark Chocolate Lava Cake 4/5


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Signature Brownie 3.8/5

Finally, round off your meal with their chewy and fudgy Signature Brownie ($5) or the Dark Chocolate Lava Cake ($8) served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Beyond its gastronomical offerings, Lobster Air endeavours to make a difference in a world stricken by uncertainty due to COVID-19. Seeing how the pandemic has greatly impacted the aviation industry, Lobster Air is founded to offer part-time or full-time jobs to affected personnel such as flight attendants, pilots, ground crew and back office workers who have lost their jobs or suffered reduced income.

In addition, Lobster Air is also extending ‘Staff Travel’ exclusive deals to employees from across all airlines and departments to brighten up the gloomy period for the aviation industry workforce. The privileges include 50% off for the second purchase of the course menu, a hearty discount inspired by how airlines offer staff travel tickets, and free coffee or tea, provided upon staff ID presentation on weekdays.

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.


Lobster Air
City Gate
371 Beach Road
#02-36
Singapore 199597
Tel: +65 97108787
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Nicoll Highway (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 11am - 1030pm
Sat-Sun: 10am - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Nicoll Highway MRT station. Take Exit A. Take the overhead bridge and walk all the way to the end. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Monday, March 1, 2021

MOONBOW @ Dempsey Hill - A Dazzling New Addition That Specialises In Modern European Cuisine With An Asian Accent

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The ever-changing dining scene at Dempsey Hill sees a dazzling new addition, MOONBOW. Chef Heman Tan and Dylan Soh opened the restaurant, which specialises in modern European cuisine with an Asian influence. The glass wall in the main dining hall separating the kitchen reminds me of Hell Kitchen's scene. Diners have a full view of the adrenaline rush in the kitchen.

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Candy Floss 3.5/5

Our dinner begins with the complimentary Candy Floss. It is a playful starter to kick start the dinner.

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Moonbow Oyster Bay 4/5

Next up is the Moonbow Oyster Bay ($10++/pc), serves with oyster leaves at the side. The purposes of the oyster leaves are to open up the palate. The briny Fine de Claire oyster is paired with yuzu gel, cucumber pearl and yuzu granita for a flavoured and refreshing finish.

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Garden of Escargot 3.5/5

The Escargot ($23++) is plated like a garden as if the snails are roaming among the fields of edible flowers, fresh micro cress, truffle gelato, mashed edamame and mushroom soil. There are even lychee pearls representing raindrops.

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Jerusalem Artichoke 4/5

The Jerusalem Artichoke ($25++) is a comforting and creamy soup that comes with a 64 °C Sous Vide Egg, Caviar and Sunchoke Chips to balance the earthiness of the artichoke.

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Cauliflower Bloom 4/5

The Cauliflower Bloom ($25++) is a multi-textural enjoyment of the various forms of cauliflower. On the plate, you can find warm cauliflower floret, dehydrate cauliflower, cauliflower cous cous, cauliflower puree paired with nuts crumbs, garlic crumbs, cress and hollandaise.

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Tomahawk de Swine 4.2/5

Moving to the mains, we tried a couple of items from their menu. First is the gigantic Tomahawk de Swine ($68++). The restaurant uses untrimmed 4 days aged young pork tomahawk chop paired with roasted garlic, caramelized lime and pineapple compote. The pork chop glazed with BBQ marinade is grilled to a beautiful tender with a hint of smokiness and sweetness. My favourite way of appreciating the beautiful pork is to spread the roasted garlic on it.

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Black Silkie Poulet 4.2/5

My first thought when I see the Black Silkie Poulet ($38++) is that the restaurant has taken a big risk. It is an ingredient that is usually used in Chinese cuisine but not in European cuisine. The sight of a black chicken may turn some diners off. I love black chicken, so I was worried but internally delight to have the dish on the menu. The black chicken's leg is chargrilled and paired with garlicky crumb, wolfberry mashed, black garlic puree, ugly heirloom tomatoes and chives. I have to call out the accompanying bearnaise sauce that brightens the tender chicken.

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Chef Heman’s Black Berry 4 Grain Healthy Rice With Roasted Pork Jowl “Ton Toro” 4/5

One can opt for Chef Heman's Black Berry 4 Grain Healthy Rice With Roasted Pork Jowl "Ton Toro" ($38++) for a healthy eat. I enjoyed the different textures of the rice, and what brightens up the dish is the addition of Chinese lap cheong sausage.

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Fermented Red Yeast Wine 4.5/5

Another favourite dish of mine is the Fermented Red Yeast Wine ($38++). I applaud the creativity of incorporating fermented red glutinous rice wine with the barramundi fillet. I am usually sceptical of this type of East meets West creations, but this dish has won me over.

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Treasure Drawer 4/5

To wrap up the dinner on a sweet note, you can try the Treasure Drawer ($32++), which comes in two trays of dessert. Diners can enjoy a sweet treat of pistachio chocolate souffle, mango passion mousse, petite apple crumble tartlets, financier raspberry, orange granita, yuzu star anise pate fruit and truffle cheese macaron. It will be a good choice as you can have a bit of everything.

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Note: This is an invited tasting.


[CLOSED]
MOONBOW
Block 10 Dempsey Road
#01-21
Singapore 247700
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line), Holland Village (CC Line), Farrer Road (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 3pm, 6pm - 1030pm
Sat-Sun: 10am -3pm, 6pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop along Orchard Boulevard (Stop ID 09022). Take bus number 7, 77, 106, 123 or 174. Alight 7 stops later. Walk up to Dempsey Hill. Walk right to the back of the cluster. Walk to destination. Journey time 30 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Holland Village MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to bus stop at Block 12 (Stop ID 11401). Take bus 106. Alight 4 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to Dempsey Road. Walk up to Dempsey Hill. Walk right to the back of the cluster. Walk to destination. Journey time 20 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Farrer Road MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop opposite Farrer Road MRT station (Stop ID 11119). Take bus number 174 or 564. Alight 5 stops later. Walk up to Dempsey Hill. Walk right to the back of the cluster. Walk to destination. Walk to destination. Journey time 20 minutes. [Map]