The Bar at Waku Ghin: Fine Dining Menu at Good Value

If you love the food at the award-winning Waku Ghin by Chef Tetsuya Wakuda, but don't need the full experiential menu each time, there's a way you can satisfy those cravings in a bitesize (and more wallet-friendly) way. The Bar at Waku Ghin, located just outside the restaurant, has unveiled an extended food menu alongside its vast selection of cocktails, premium sake and spirits.

Methven Aio Aurajet Showerhead Now In Singapore

I am moving house in 2018 (see my post selling my house), so I am keeping an eye out for homeware items. So I was quite thrilled to see that Methven, the leading designer and manufacturer in New Zealand for showers and tapware has arrived in Singapore.

They are probably best known for their award-winning showerhead, the Aurajet® Aio Shower Handset (shown above). It won the Red Dot Award 2016 winner and 'Best of the Best' at 2017 Red Dot Award.

Marina Bay Sands RISE Dinner Buffet: Sustainable Produce and Themed Nights

Marina Bay Sands’ international buffet restaurant, RISE, revamped itself earlier this year, featuring not only refreshed interiors but a new culinary focus on sustainably-sourced produce and a different theme each night.

Christmas 2017 at Antoinette: Local Flavours And Fairytale Flair

Chef Pang Kok Keong of Antoinette is always bubbling with creative ideas and his decadent treats often thrill your tastebuds using familiar flavours in new ways. In recent years, he seems to be circling back to local flavours (see Nasi Lemak burger, Hakka gnocchi, and Chili Crab Croissant to name a few).

For his Christmas 2017 collection, there are 32 items from fairytale-themed cakes to savoury favourites given a new twist.

Ash & Elm Sunday Champagne Brunch Buffet at InterContinental Singapore

Executive Sous Chef Philippe Duc at InterContinental Singapore has transformed breakfast favourites into brunch classics for an indulgent weekend experience at Ash & Elm. He's devised three new tasting platters comprising 11 a la minute dishes with classic breakfast ingredients for a brunch experience that takes diners’ palates across the globe.

Think robust Braised Beef Short Ribs with Carrot, Mushrooms and Pearl Onions from the From The Land platter, indulgent Pan-Seared Scallops in Brown Butter Sauce with Lemon, Parsley and Pancake from the From The Sea platter, and rich and creamy Truffle Risotto with Parmesan and Natural Jus from the From The Garden platter.

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.

AccorPlus: The 1 Card for Privileges Across 1000 Restaurants, 700 Hotels

I was intrigued to find out that AccorHotels is now the largest portfolio of hotel brands worldwide. The Raffles, Fairmont, Banyan Tree, SO/Sofitel, Swissotel and Angsana are now sister hotels to popular chains like Pullman, Mercure, Novotel, ibis, and others. With this diversity, you get all sorts of lodging and dining options, whether it's at a beach resort or chic city hotel.

So I was really keen when I heard about Accor Plus - the most expansive hotel, dining and lifestyle membership program in Asia Pacific. You may know it previously as Accor Advantage Plus. This one card gives you privileges across 700 hotels and 1000 restaurants in 18 countries throughout Asia Pacific.

AccorHotels Food & Wine Festival: Set Menus of Signature Dishes

Are you excited and looking forward to the AccorHotels Food & Wine Festival? For a full nine days from 4-12 Nov, there'll be plenty to look forward to - pool parties, special set menus of signature dishes, workshops and masterclasses.

The set menus are priced according to hotel tiers, and these are the participating outlets.

AccorHotels Food & Wine Festival (4-12 Nov): Nine-day Party with Diversity!

Singapore's largest and most prestigious hotel operator is throwing a massive nine-day party! The AccorHotels Food & Wine Festival will showcase exciting culinary creations, masterclasses and delicious drinks across its 40 restaurants from 4-12 Nov 2017.

Leading culinary talent within the AccorHotels group includes Chef Kirk Westaway of Michelin-starred JAAN, Raffles Hotel legend Amos Ting, and Chef Louis Tay of Swissotel Merchant Court who took home gold for Singapore in the Culinary Olympics 2016.

Nami Japanese Restaurant at Shangri-La Singapore

Japanese fine-dining at the Shangri-La just got a modern update. Nadaman, which for years offered understated culinary refinement, has been replaced by the much more contemporary NAMI Restaurant and Bar on the 24th floor.

The cornerstone of NAMI is its Head Chef Shigeo Akiba from Yokohama with more than 30 years of stellar culinary experience. He helped prepare the wedding banquet of Japan’s Prince Akishinomiya and Princess Kiko, and later, their crowning ceremony. He has also had the honour of serving Emperor Akihito when he dined at the Nadaman restaurant in Tokyo. Mr. Akiba has also worked under Iron Chef Koumei Nakamura for five years as his executive chef.

Help #HappyPlateSG to Fight Food Wastage in Singapore (65 Million Kgs a Month)!

Food wastage is such a huge heartache. Singapore generated 791 million kg of food waste in 2016 - more than two million kg a day - and that's a 41.5 per cent increase over the past decade.

It's not just a blow to sustainability but to our wallets as well. Electrolux Singapore recently commissioned a survey on food waste generated in our homes. It found Singaporeans discard a staggering $200 million worth of expired food a year*!

*calculated using an estimated $170 per household in a year, multiply by 1,263,600 households in Singapore (household numbers retrieved from Singstat)

Here are some of the findings, good and bad:

The study is the third edition of Electrolux Singapore’s annual #HappyPlateSG
community initiative, which started in 2015. Previous years focused on consumption of ‘ugly food’ and finishing of meals to prevent food wastage.

Mr Douglas Chua, General Manager of Electrolux Singapore, Hong Kong and
Taiwan, said: “Tackling food waste is the cornerstone of our yearly initiative. This year, our focus is on food in storage, such as pantries and refrigerators. Often, we buy food, store them, but end up forgetting to consume them before their indicated dates on the packaging. This results in their eventual disposal. We want to encourage behavioural change that will allow for greater food sustainability and reduced waste.”

Ms Fiona Chia, Director of nutrition consultancy Health Can Be Fun, said: “Some food that are nearing or have exceeded the indicated date may still be eaten.” “An ‘Expires On’ date applies if there is a health risk in eating the item after that date. A ‘Best Before’ date is used as a guide to indicate how long a product can retain its peak quality and freshness. A ‘Sell By’ date acts as a reference for retailers, to let them know how long an item can be put on display for sale,” she added.




Mr Eric Low, Chef-Owner of Lush Epicurean Culinary Consultancy and author of six cook books, said: “Managing food nearing or have passed the indicated date is on a case by case basis. Different categories of food do not deteriorate at the same rate. Storage methods such as optimal temperature, frozen and vacuum sealing also help prolong the food lifespan.”

A dedicated microsite happyplate.sg will include tips on reducing food waste, how to be involved, recipe inspirations, “Ask Happy Plate”, among others. “Ask Happy Plate” is a new column featuring food experts, chefs and nutritionists, and will answer the public’s questions on food management.

The theme for this year is #SeasonYourEx, a short form for Season Your Expiring Food. There's a tongue in cheek video on Facebook playing on the word "ex" which kinda reminds me of Circles.Life's Break Up Campaign.



The aim is to change consumers’ mindsets that expiring and leftover food are not as tasty as fresh food. With creative recipes and cooking tips, you can make expiring and leftover food, from perishables (fruits, vegetables, eggs) to packaged items (canned produce) taste just as good.

HappyPlateSG is also using social media can help spread awareness on using expiring food. You can help in two easy steps:

•                  Post a photo of an expired, or soon to be expired, food or leftover item in your home on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and share what you can do with it
•                  Hashtag #SeasonYourEx #HappyPlateSG

Please make your post public.

For every 5 #hashtags and/or social media shares, Electrolux will fund the costs of running The Food Bank Singapore’s van for one day. The van collects donated food items from collection points across Singapore, and distributes them to beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, we could all plan our meals better, be more mindful of what's in our pantry, keep a minimalist larder (most supermarkets are so nearby, we don't need to stock everything) and when things do still expire...take a second look before we toss it out.

Prevention, I think, is still better than finding creative ways to save food.

International Street Food Trends Making Their Mark In Singapore

Singapore is possibly one of the world's most well-known destinations for street food, and many tourists make it their business to spend at least a few of their mealtimes in the city at one of the different hawker centres while they’re visiting. Of course, even as a local, you could eat at hawker centres every day and still discover dishes you haven’t tried before.

However, there are always certain street foods that suddenly gain a mass following and become globally popular. Here’s a look at what international trends in street food have gained traction in Singapore.

Poké bowls

The original Poké (pronounced Poh-kay) bowls in Hawaii have always been based around cubed and seasoned raw fish, which is served on top of a bowl of sushi rice. But now, as the poké bowl trend has gone global, all kinds of variations are popping up. There’s always a common theme though, and that’s that every bowlful provides a nutritious and balanced meal.

Source: A Poke Theory via Facebook

Some poké bowls feature tofu, others meats such as braised beef, and it's not always rice that provides the substance to accompany the flavours - it can be quinoa, bulgar wheat or zucchini noodles too. See Deliveroo’s take on Singapore's best poké bowls that can be delivered to your door.

A healthy bowl of acai

Following the bowl theme, there’s another bowl dish that’s in vogue at the moment, and that’s the acai bowl. Mostly ordered for breakfast, these beautifully colourful dishes can make a great snack at any time of the day.

Acai is an antioxidant superfood from South America that offers many health benefits. As well as tackling oxidative damage, it can promote better skin, a healthy heart and boost your immune system. As well as being good for you, acai bowls have the advantage of being a delicious snack you actually look forward to eating.

Sometimes described as a smoothie that’s eaten with a spoon, every acai bowl has an acai smoothie at its base, and it’s then customised to taste with different toppings, such as sliced bananas, strawberries, chia and hemp seeds. While it’s possible to make your own acai bowl at home, there are plenty of different eateries now serving them around Singapore. Try them at  HICJUICE superfood bar at The Centrepoint.

Ice cream rolls and charcoal desserts

While most of us equate street food with savoury flavours, there are plenty of times you’re out and about and get a craving for something sweet.

Ice cream rolls have been a part of the Thai street food scene for quite some time, but recently, these delicate curls of ice-cream with myriad toppings have become popular all over the world. There are plenty of places in Singapore that have these ice cream rolls on their menus. Try Go Frost’s local flavour combos such as Golden Horlicks, Bandung, and Teh Tarik Milo.

Source: Black Mamba via Facebook

Perhaps one of this year’s most surprising food trends is those dishes that involve activated charcoal. Allegedly great for a detox and to aid digestion, these foods first got popular in the States, but in Singapore you can choose to take your dose of charcoal in frozen yogurt at Black Mamba. While the charcoal yogurt makes for a sombre-looking base, the different toppings that you choose - anything from aloe vera to caramelized popcorn - add colour to your cup. While it’s a fun way to try a novelty food, there has been some suggestion that too much charcoal might not be good for you, so this is probably not something to indulge in too often!

The great thing about food trends is that there’s always something new to tempt your taste buds. Whether it's going to be a fad or long-lasting favourite, we'll never know sometimes, but it's fun to go try the food and see how you like it!

GIVEAWAY! Morganfield's Singapore: Baby Back Ribs vs Spare Ribs

Baby back ribs, spare ribs and St Louis style ribs. Many of us have enjoyed these different ribs without really knowing the difference. I've heard that some people even think that baby back ribs come from baby pigs! It could be this guy's fault...

But anyway, we had an interesting session at Morganfields where the chef gave us a quick anatomy lesson, carving up the different ribs and meat, and then putting it all back again like a 3D jigsaw puzzle.


Spine ribs comes from where the spine of the pig. It's mainly bones and not much meat, so this cut is usually used in Chinese cooking for making soups and broths.

Baby back ribs are the upper ribs, between the spine and spareribs. They are called baby back ribs, because they are smaller than spareribs. As these are cut from the loin of the pig, they have less fat content, so they are leaner and less juicy.

Spare ribs are cut from the belly of the pig. As we all know, the belly is where magic happens (think bacon and otoro). Spare ribs are meatier, fattier and have more connective tissue compared to baby back ribs.





Isn't it just beautiful?

Rib bones have a lot more connective tissue, fat, and cartilage than other muscle groups. This also means one thing - lots of collagen!

The best way to cook ribs is to go low and slow with the heat. When heated slowly, the rubber band-like connective tissues have time to relax and do not squeeze tightly. The connective tissue liquefies into gelatin.



The popular St. Louis-style spare ribs are achieved by cutting away the rib tips, which are the hard breastbone and chewy cartilage. Oh lord, those are the best parts - I love cartilage.

Luckily, for their signature Sticky Bones, Morganfields does not cut away the ribs tips as they are the most flavourful of rib meats, since they are closer to the belly and more heavily marbled! The spare ribs are sourced directly from Spain.





Morganfields is celebrating its fifth year already. They serve up more than 150,000 pounds of Sticky Bones annually. There are now five sauces to choose from: Hickory BBQ, Smoked Peppercorn, Garlic BBQ or Spicy Asian BBQ, and the latest Kansas Sweet (shown above).

For the fifth anniversary, they are introducing Baby Back Ribs for a limited time as well. Diners can try Baby Back Ribs (Full Slab: S$32.90) made with the leaner pork loin ribs.

Can’t decide to have baby back or spare ribs? Take both. Indulge in half
a slab of Sticky Bones Spare Ribs and half a slab of Baby Back Ribs with the
Half&Half (S$38.90). It comes with 2 sides and sauces of your choice, which makes it a pretty good deal.

I have a giveaway at the end of this post for two full slabs of Sticky Bones.



They also have a very special treat of Iberico Sticky Bones Spare Ribs, but I found these sinewy in some parts and overly fatty in others. The regular spare ribs have the fats more evenly distributed.

Morganfield’s has managed to secure limited quantities of this premium pork and for a small top up of $3 for the half, and $6 for the full slab you can upgrade your Sticky Bones Spare Ribs.

But it's not all ribs at Morganfield's.


You can snack on some Pop Corn Pork (S$9.90) while you wait for your ribs. Marinated with Morganfield's secret spice mix & deep fried till crisp, these are served with homemade Garlic Aioli & BBQ Ranch sauce. So addictive.





Chicken Caesar (top, Caesar S$12.90, add S$5 for chicken)
Fresh romaine lettuce tossed with homemade Caesar dressing, topped with crispy bacon bits, croutons & parmesan cheese with slices of grilled Ranch chicken.

Crab & Spinach Dip (S$12.90)
This is an unusual warm dip made from crab meat & baby spinach cooked with parmesan cheese. I'm not sure the combination worked but we all sure loved the corn tortilla chips.



Golden Chicken Wings (S$12.90)
These taste a bit like har cheong gai or prawn paste chicken! I like that they are fried until super crispy without too much batter.



Corn bread! These are like soft and fluffy corn muffins. I could happily have these as dessert.




But there is dessert proper.


Morgan's Bread Pudding (S$11.90)
Whiskey sauce sets this apart from other bread puddings. The comfortingly warm homemade bread pudding is served with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream.



Chocolate Lava Cake (S$15.90)
This is the house specialty. Moist, warm chocolate cake filled with rich molten chocolate. Served warm with vanilla ice cream & caramel sauce.

Giveaway

So thanks to Morganfield's, I have two Full Slabs of Sticky Bones to give out (worth S$42.90 each), one slab to one reader each.

1. Just comment below:
- Which cut of ribs are your favourite - baby back, spare ribs, St Louis?
- Which outlet of Morganfield's you're most likely to go - Vivocity, Suntec City or Star Vista

2. Email me with the header "Morganfield's Ribs Giveaway" so you can let me know your email address without giving it out here.

Alternatively, you can head over to Facebook for the contest.
https://www.facebook.com/Camemberu.Blog/posts/1561827003873436

Closing date: 15 October 2017 (2359hrs)
Winners will be notified by email or Facebook message.

See my previous post on Morganfield's:
http://www.camemberu.com/2016/05/morganfields-southern-family-platter.html


MORGANFIELD'S
3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-645 Suntec City Mall
Singapore 038983
(Outside Tower 4, Next to Promenade MRT)
Tel: +65 6736-1136
https://www.facebook.com/MorganfieldsSingapore/
Open daily Sun – Thu: 11am – 11pm
Fri, Sat & PH: 11am – Midnight

Morganfield's at Star Vista
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-23 The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Tel: +65 6694-3635

Morganfield's at Vivocity
Facing Sentosa Boardwalk entrance
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-51A VivoCity
Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 6225 0501






Many thanks to Morganfield's for the invite and giveaway

The Savoy London brings British Gourmet Dinner to Fairmont Jakarta

The Savoy, London, brought its magic to Jakarta in a burst of events last month at the Fairmont Jakarta. Executive Sous Chef Francisco Hernandez and his team whipped up a British Gourmet Dinner featuring signature classics from the Savoy's fine-dining legacy.




The dinner took place at The View, a trendy restaurant so named for its spectacular skyline views.



The evening began with soft brioche and butter.




The amuse bouche of salmon croquettes topped with a fruity salsa proved to be a most savoury appetiser. You immediately wished for more.







The five course dinner was paired with wines like Mumm Cordon Rouge Reims, France; Wyndham Estate bin 222, Chardonnay, 2014; and Wyndham Estate Bin 555, Shiraz, 2013.




Heritage Beetroot and Goat Cheese Roulade
The first course arrives looking like an artistic garden; the ingredients reminded me of Julien Royer's Organic Beetroot Composition when he was at JAAN. This one had pickled mustard seeds, balsamic caviar and a shoot of cucumber essence.




Pan Seared Scallops
Venus rising from the sea amidst the salty foam? This is a delightfully seared scallop nestling on English Pea espuma, with parsley oil, puff citrus pearl barley and water cress dust. Absolutely beautiful.




Duo of Barramundi and Sole
Oh this dish completely wowed us. How the fish beckoned from underneath the squid ink tuile, one deep-fried and the other pan-seared. The dainty accompaniments included mussel and fennel nage, asparagus mousse, sprouting broccoli, sea vegetables.







Traditional Beef Wellington
This is certainly a British classic and it's easy to see why it's a well-loved one. In this version, the beef is served with seasonal vegetables, celeriac puree, and spinach flan. It's then doused with some good old HP gravy.




Pim's Iced Granite
This palate cleanser is made extra refreshing with fresh cucumber, diced strawberry and orange gel.




Peach Melba Legacy
Dessert was a show-stopper. This shiny spherical sugar shell coddled raspberries, poached peaches with peach sorbet and vanilla foam. Probably the most dramatic peach melba you'll ever encounter!






That wrapped up a lovely evening of British favourites given a gourmet update. It was fun to see how modern touches added playfulness to what might otherwise be staid classics.

The View has a cosy sitting area for pre- or after-dinner drinks, where you can retreat to and continue your conversations. They also make interesting cocktails at the bar.

For more on the Fairmont Jakarta, check out my previous post:
http://www.camemberu.com/2017/09/fairmont-jakarta-indonesia-hotel-review.html








Many thanks to Fairmont Jakarta for the invitation and hospitality.