ENCHANTING DINNER AMID SEA CREATURES
On some evenings, when the last visitors have left the S.E.A. Aquarium, the attraction in Resorts World Sentosa is transformed into an enchanting dinner venue for Aqua Gastronomy.
From Fridays to Tuesdays, the area in front of its Open Ocean Habitat exhibit is set up with tables under dome-shaped pods that are lit with blue fairy lights to create a magical underwater effect.
There, guests enjoy a four-course dinner featuring seafood such as scallop, langoustine and seabass prepared by chefs Marvas Huang of Ocean Restaurant and Tony Choo of Forest. Dessert - a delicious treasure chest of chocolate, bergamot curd, seawater caramel and seaweed crumble - is served by the resort's pastry chef Kenny Kong.
The petit four is also ocean-themed, with madeleines flavoured with sea salt and kelp.
The experience is a visual feast, with a performance in the tank by divers, featuring hammerhead sharks, manta rays and other fishes.
WHERE: S.E.A. Aquarium, Resorts World Sentosa, 8 Sentosa Gateway MRT: HarbourFront WHEN: Till Oct 31, 7 to 9pm (Fridays to Tuesdays) PRICE: $118 a person, $98 for RWS members INFO: For reservations, go to rwsentosa.com/AquaGastronomy
COCKTAILS WITH DIM SUM
Madame Fan mixes dim sum and cocktails (right) for its weekend a la carte buffet brunch, offering a mix of old and new flavours.
Besides classic dim sum items such as siew mai and har gow, the chef has also created new ones such as black truffle dumpling with wild mushroom, and seafood spring roll with kumquat and wasabi.
There are also hot dishes on the menu, such as Australian striploin with Sarawak black pepper and steamed seabass with housemade spicy sauce.
All diners get a single serving of Mini Buddha Jumps Over The Wall.
The cocktail I ordered, Portofino - a mix of gin, strawberry, cherry tomato and salted caramel lemon - was delightfully refreshing and just the thing to work up my appetite.
WHERE: Madame Fan, The NCO Club, 32 Beach Road MRT: Esplanade WHEN: Saturdays and Sundays, 11am to 3.30pm PRICE: $126 a person with free-flow cocktails, wines, beer, soda and Chinese tea; $136 includes champagne TEL: 6818-1921
YUMMY NASI LEMAK
With the office crowd all but gone from Suntec City, the team at OSG Music Bar + Kitchen spent the past months tweaking its nasi lemak recipe, hoping to come up with an improved version to spice up its business.
It previously sold the dish at lunchtime under the Harmony Nasi Lemak brand, where the rice was topped with fried ikan bilis, peanuts, egg and sausage, plus a choice of meat or seafood. It was decent but not particularly memorable.
Now, the rice is noticeably more fragrant and the sets come with delicious sides such as Ayam Masak Lemak ($7.90) and Beef Rendang ($10.90), on top of the usual condiments.
The OSG Signature Nasi Lemak ($17.90, right) is a whopper of a dish. The rice is a mix of basmati and old jasmine grains coloured with blue pea flowers.
Circling it are fried ikan bilis and peanuts, a balado egg, achar and sambal belacan mini lobster, plus choices of a turmeric fried chicken wing, coconut fried chicken and beef rendang. Instead of one sambal, you get three - sambal chilli, sambal belacan and balado chilli - which you can match with the different condiments and meats.
A yummy alternative to nasi lemak
is the Nasi Goreng Sambal ($16.90), served with turmeric fried chicken wing, sambal belacan mini lobster, fried egg and achar.
The food menu is available for dinner too, as live music has been suspended for the time being.
WHERE: OSG Music Bar + Kitchen, 01-510/511 Suntec City Tower 1 (entrance faces Towers 1 and 2 drop-off point), 3 Temasek Boulevard MRT: Promenade OPEN: 11am to 10.30pm (Mondays to Saturdays); 1 to 10.30pm (Sundays) TEL: 9855-2826
HOTEL BUFFET BANG FOR THE BUCK
If you are looking for a reasonably priced hotel a la carte buffet, I recommend Spice Brasserie at Parkroyal on Kitchener Road. It is available for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and dinner from Fridays to Sundays.
The restaurant specialises in Asian cooking and, for $58 a person, you can order as much as you want from a menu of more than 50 items, grouped under sections such as Charcoal Grill, Claypot and Tandoor Station.
Dishes not to be missed include Chilli Crab With Mantou, BBQ Black Char Siew (above), Pork Belly Kebab, Nanjing Saltwater Duck, Fish Goan Curry, Butter Chicken and Scallion Oil Noodles.
End the meal with some Charcoal Broken Rice Claypot Porridge With Seafood, which is really comforting.
WHERE: Spice Brasserie, Lobby Level, Parkroyal on Kitchener Road, 181 Kitchener Road
MRT: Farrer Park WHEN: Noon to 3pm (Saturdays and Sundays); 6 to 9.30pm (Fridays to Sundays) PRICE: $58 a person TEL: 6428-3160
