Morton's Fall Menu 2017: Seven New Stunning Dishes

If there's something about Morton's, it's how this steakhouse never fails to delight diners with quality and consistency. Its menu largely remains unchanged (thankfully) but with the seasonal menus introduced in the past couple of years, we have been entreated to some fantastic new dishes that make me wish they were part of the regular menu.

One of my favourite items in the Fall menu is ironically not a steak but the Moules Marinières (S$47++): mussels so tender, plump, juicy and fresh, each mouthful is a kiss of the divine. You'll also find yourself tearing and dunking hunks of the complimentary Onion Loaf into the heady white wine broth.

Raffles Jakarta: Luxury Spa, Arts Cafe Brunch Buffet and Indonesian Art

The Raffles Hotel is a familiar brand for many. Raffles Hotel Singapore has such historical significance as the grand dame of hotels in Singapore. Today there are 12 Raffles properties - in places like Paris, Istanbul, the Seychelles - all of them somewhat different but strive to offer the same luxurious hospitality.

We got a chance recently to take a peek at Raffles Jakarta which opened in 2015.

Hotel G Singapore: Staycation in the City

Hotel G at 200 Middle Road is a surprisingly convenient location if you're looking for a place to stay in Singapore that's near Orchard Road but also close to the Bugis and Arab Street retail precincts; the arts, civic and museums district; Marina Bay and Esplanade, as well as Suntec City Convention Centre.

It's almost walkable to many places, but the nearest MRTs are Bugis and Dhoby Ghaut.

AccorHotels Food & Wine Festival 2017 Highlights

The inaugural AccorHotels Food & Wine Festival blew into town and gave us a taste of the diverse offerings within the largest hospitality group in Singapore.

SORA Japanese Gourmet Hall at T2 Changi Airport

There's a new Japanese gourmet hall at Changi Airport Terminal 2 called "SORA" (meaning SKY) featuring six restaurant brands. The 300-seater 7,760 sq ft eatery is the biggest "restaurant" across all four terminals and is ANA Trading's first food hall outside Japan. It's in the public area on level 3.

Six #Japanese brands at @japangourmethallsora opening today at @changiairport T2 level 3. This is ANA’s first food hall outside Japan and is the largest “restaurant” across all four terminals. There’s #otoro bowls from @kuromaguromd for only $29.80, @kohakutendon‘s Edomae-style #tendon, super rich chicken pai tan #ramen from @menya_takeichi_singapore, #okinomiyaki and #yakisoba from @tsuruhashi.fugetsu.singapore , #Korean #stew from @tokyosundubu and #Italian #pizza and #pasta from Japoli Kitchen!

A post shared by Catherine Ling (@camemberu) on Nov 13, 2017 at 7:58pm PST

Here are the dishes we tried; you can swipe through them above:

1. Kuro Maguro: Toro Butsu Meshi (S$29.80): superb value for pink otoro!
2. Tendon Kohaku: Kohaku Tendon (S$17.70): drizzled with spicy sauce, this is going to draw long lines here as well, I bet.
3. Menya Takeichi: Special Rich Shoyu Ramen (S$17.20): incredibly rich broth!
4. Tsuruhashi Fugetsu: Mix Modan (S$21) & Mix Yakisoba (S$19)
5. Tokyo Sundubu: Health and Beauty Sundubu (S$19.30): with dollop of collagen
6. Japoli Kitchen: Mentaiko Pizza (S$15) using pizza dough from Japan (has an unusual soft and spongy texture)

Of the six brands, Japoli Kitchen and Tsuruhashi Fugetsu are new to Singapore.

Japoli offers Italian cuisine like pizza, pasta, and risotto with Japanese touches from S$10.80.



Tsuruhashi Fugetsu is an okonomiyaki chain from Osaka. The savoury Japanese pancakes stuffed with fresh cabbage, battered meat and seafood start from S$13 onwards. I've never been a big fan of okonomiyaki or yakisoba, so I am not sure how to judge these.




Kuro Maguro is started by Japanese fish wholesalers, and they bring in fish and seafood fresh air-flown daily from Japan. The meshi (rice dishes) with kaisen (seafood) and torobutsu (tuna) start from S$18; if you love sashimi, they are a steal.



Fans of Tendon Kohaku will be elated to know that they can now indulge in a bite of their favourite Edomae-style tempura-don (from S$16.60). Crispy tempura drizzled with a special sauce (go for the spicy; it's got kick!) on top of Hokkaido rice. Mmmm. I hope the queues won't be too long.



Tokyo Sundubu is Japan's largest restaurant chain serving this beloved Korean stew. I'm told this version is less tangy than the actual Korean Sundubu Jjigae, but it goes well with a bowl of rice nonetheless. Prices start from S$15.



Menya Takeichi is apparently lauded as Tokyo's top chicken ramen chain. It collagen-rich Chicken Paitan broth ramen dishes start from S$13.90. There's a clear soup and a rich broth version to choose from.




SORA is modelled after airport lounges. You have both open tables and booth seats. You can order from any restaurant and sit anywhere you please. There are also charging stations for phones and laptops.



I love the tatami seating area (take off your shoes as you would before entering a real tatami room). If you look closely, many of the seats and benches are made with igusa too. Murals of bonsai and pine trees are painted in a historical style.




There's even a kids area with interactive screens, so parents can take a breather.

So there's quite a good variety of popular Japanese dishes here all under one roof, and most of them are pretty decent. All that remains is to see how they can cope with the opening crowd. I'm going to come here even when I'm not taking a flight. In fact, I probably won't risk the long lines here if I really am taking a flight!


SORA JAPANESE GOURMET HALL
60 Airport Boulevard
Level 3 #036-058
Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2
Singapore 819643
Tel: +65 6386-7005
Open daily 10.30am to 11pm
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/japangourmethallsora/
Instagram - @japangourmethallSora

Many thanks to SORA and ANA Trading for the invitation.

World Diabetes Day: LiHO PM Drinks and Bosch Tips for Cooking

It's World Diabetes Day today, 14 November! One in nine Singaporeans are diabetic and out of these, 1 in three were not aware they had diabetes. Also, I read somewhere even younger folks are getting it. Yes, you can look like Halle Berry and be diabetic. Get screened.

Most of us were quite surprised when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made diabetes a big part of his National Day Rally speech this year. I'm guessing he or someone close to him is affected but this rising epidemic is indeed a cause for concern.

So maybe he won't mind LiHO using his name for their latest range of healthy choice beverages.

SnackFirst! Nuts, Seeds, Crackers, Cookies, Chips and Biscuits with Free Delivery

I got a pack of chips, nuts and biscuits from SnackFirst.com to try. They are a new site dedicated to offering (slightly more healthful) snack options with free delivery. The site was started by Jes who during her pregnancy couldn't find healthy snacks in good variety at our retail stores.

SnackFirst does offer dried fruit and seeds, granola, quinoa, flax and chia seeds. But I am betting the more popular items will be the more "sinful" choices.

Here are some of the items we tried; I'm showing you the covers so you can see the ingredients listed as well:

11.11 Singles Day and Black Friday: Shop Smart!

Who's waiting for the mega 11.11 Sale of the Year or Black Friday sales?

Well, people have taken to online shopping so much that physical retail stores are languishing. This is true in the United States as much as it is right here in Singapore. In fact, more folks are going holiday shopping online away from stores. Who can blame them? Every year we see and hear about crazy hordes stampeding at the malls, fighting each other for discounted goods. It's ugly.

Klook: S$50+S$50 Discount Promo for Travel Experiences

"So where are you planning to go for your year-end holiday?"

That's a common question we get especially as the year draws to a close. Year-end holidays are what many Singaporeans look forward to. We welcome the opportunity to go for a longer trip to recharge from work, and bond with friends or family.

But longer trips require a bit more planning and we normally want to pick some interesting experiences as trip highlights. One of the easy ways to discover and book experiences is by using websites like Klook.com.