Global Kitchen Sunday Champagne Brunch

Sunday champagne brunches are such indulgent affairs. I don't just mean the unlimited bubbly, booze and beer. When you need more than one hour to take photos of the buffet, you know there's just too much food! I found myself ironically wishing there were fewer dishes!

The brunch at Global Kitchen (Level 3, Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore) offers more than 100 culinary selections, but what's noteworthy is their five live stations for food that's best prepared a la minute (eggs, pasta, oysters, vol au vents, and crepes). And if you love freeflow Veuve Clicquot, that alone is reason to come.




But forgive me as I start with their desserts, as they are the first thing you see when you walk into the restaurant foyer. All sorts of mini cakes and tarts suspended on metal tiers, and perched on shelves. Their appeal lies more in dramatic presentation than taste though. They surround the crepe live station and chocolate fountain. Try the caramel banana crepes - so addictive! Or you can have fresh strawberries, mixed berries compote, with chocolate, vanilla or maple syrup.




A tower of chocolates! They looked so pretty, I almost felt bad plucking them off. Almost. The ones with nuts are thankfully less sweet.




There were half a dozen cakes, but none had labels so I can't tell you what's what, but you can roughly guess from their appearance.




Chocolate souffle in a cup, baked a la minute! These are next to the crepe live station. Be careful not to take the cups straight to your table to eat (a few people did) - pass them to the chef for baking first!




There were 4-5 different kinds of cured salmon and fish, located near the mini-pies, puffs and stews.




Chilled seafood is what most folks make a beeline for. Especially when you have Alaskan king crab. Oysters, crab, mussels, scallop, crayfish and prawns complete seafood on ice line-up.




There were many cold salads, terrines and dishes that I didn't try. Ditto the bread station, a cheese board with dried fruit and nuts. (Have I told you there was too much food?)




What's brunch without eggs? Besides readymade eggs Benedict (above) in the warmer, there's a live station to prepare eggs however you want them - poached, boiled, scrambled, fried, baked, omelette and even egg white omelette.




Pan Pacific makes their own brand of cold cuts and sausages (which retail at places like Cold Storage). Here, of course, you'll get to sample the wide variety available. The sausages were not bad.




Oysters (from France and Canada) prepared eight ways - freshly shucked or Au Naturel, Oyster Shooter, Martini Oyster with Olive, Baked Oyster with Cheese, Crispy Oyster wrapped with Bacon, Oyster Carpaccio with Spicy Tomato, Oyster Tempura and Oyster with Spicy Coriander & Garlic. Not surprisingly, this was a popular station.




Oysters baked with cheese - if you're squeamish about eating freshly shucked live oysters, this might be a way for you to enjoy them.




Bacon wrapped oysters and tempura oysters. These were snapped up faster than the chef could prepare them!




The fish and chips station was one of the best, I felt. There's even some mashed peas and curry sauce to go with your freshly fried platter.




The carving station yields roast beef and lamb, accompanied by Yorkshire puddings and appropriate sauces. Both meats were still pink in the middle, but I often find the meats from such carving stations rather tough and chewy for some reason.




From the Vol Au Vents live station: choose from Prawn with Brandy Sauce, Duck Confit with Foie Gras (pictured above), Chicken Ragout with Mushrooms and Ham & Cheese Ragout. Ladyironchef said this one was delicious. I was tempted to take one for myself but was already too full.




There are so many main courses, both Asian and contemporary. Duck breast, baked salmon, spring chicken with thyme, paella, steamed vegetables, seabass in tomato-garlic stew, pork loin, beef tenderloin, grilled vegetables in balsamic glaze, and boulangere potato. Stuff in warmers tend not to be stellar but I wasn't able to try EVERYTHING, so maybe there were one or two good items I missed.



I liked the pan-fried mixed mushrooms though - hearty and delicious. You can't go wrong with mushrooms.



The other thing that made Global Kitchen stand out from other brunches was the live entertainment. This band, Los Cheros, lit up the place with cheery tunes, playing tirelessly for the entire 3-hour duration.



There are also two entertainers performing magic tricks and balloon sculpting. Enthralling for kids and kids-at-heart!



Surprisingly, I enjoyed the gourmet teas (21 varieties of Taylors of Harrogate premium tea) much more than the alcohol. Very soothing after a heavy meal. You can brew entire pots or just use one teabag for a single cup. Don't look down on the humble teabag - I tried two (peppermint; orange and mango) and both were potently fragrant!



There were lots of expats with their families at the brunch. Quite a few had birthday parties (yes, you will be serenaded by the band). Thanks to Cheryl and Merissa of Pan Pacific Hotel for hosting the media tasting session which included Ladyironchef and Aromacookery. Look out for their posts!

The champagne brunch is on Sundays from 12.00pm to 3.00pm.

Price:
$98++ per adult (with Champagne, wines, cocktails, beers, juices and soft drinks)
$88++ per adult (with wines, cocktails, beers, juices and soft drinks)
$78++ per adult (with juices and soft drinks)

As part of the “Petit Gourmet” programme, children aged 6 to 12 years are charged a dollar for each year of age.


GLOBAL KITCHEN
Level 3, Pan Pacific Hotel
7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square
Singapore 039595
Tel: 6826-8240