The Roof Garden - Splendid Rooftop Dine and Wine

After an invite to The Roof Garden post dinner at the restaurant Quenino by Victor Liong and loving the idyllic and exclusive atmosphere here, I knew I had to especially come here for a dinner to just soak in that atmosphere while enjoying great food and drinks.

So after an online reservation, here I am, at early evening, surrounded by lush greenery, admiring the unblocked view of the city landscape around me, enjoying the cool gentle breeze, sipping on drinks and munching on delicious bar food.

Since the rooftop garden is more for enjoyment of the facilities and the view, the menu consists of selected light Bar Snacks, Flatbeard for sharing, Special Fried Chicken and lots of choices of drinks. Despite the limit on choices for food, the food options here are so good, it is still worth it for foodies, and of course more so for bon viviants like me who love enjoying great food with great ambience.

The long pool, the beach beds, stylish black and white rattan chairs with matching tables, yellow lights illuminating the surrounding plants and the beautiful landscape of the city as backdrop, this place feels so relaxing while having that upmarket vibe. I can just sit here for hours.

By the way, if you are not a guest of the hotel, like me, there is a need to make reservations to gain access to this exclusive rooftop bar.

New England Lobster Roll got me swooning in delight at first bite. It is so amazingly good. Half a butter-poached briny sweet lobster is soaked with the richness of melted butter. The slightly chewy texture of lobster juxtaposes in perfection with the crispy surface and soft moist interior of the toasted milk slider. Watercress and mayonnaise add that extra light kick to the taste. The pickled shallots is a brilliant addition to this dish. The refreshing zest and slightly crunchy texture plus a touch of vegetal pungency of the pickled shallots elevate the whole taste profile. This is a must-order because it is the best lobster bun.

Chorizo and Prawn Flatbread decked with paprika spiced chorizo, chopped local prawn and coriander is a very hearty treat. The main star is the local prawn, which is fresh and springy in texture, and marinated with local spices to hold so many harmonised flavours within.

Lemongrass tumeric Kombucha

Basil Berry Floralison featuring a refreshing mix of London No 3 Gin, citrus, basil, rhubarb and hibiscus tonic.

Thoughts: Love enjoying life here!

9 Cuscaden Road

Nearest MRT: Orchard Boulevard

Café Quenino - Incredibly Lovely Dining Experience

After one of the best dining experiences at Quenino by Victor Liong, I am all eager to visit the sister restaurant: Café Quenino. And yes, this restaurant totally exceeds my expectations with distinctive, awesome food and amazingly beautiful setting of heritage and botanical theme. In fact, this is one of the best cafés.

One thing i love about Café Quenino is that it is very different from most cafés in hotels that usually feature safe choices for tourists, such as local fare (which I rather order from neighbourhood hawker centres instead) or English Breakfast style of food (which I can cook for myself). The dishes here are local fare imbued with deluxe and also intricacy of European cuisine. They are so unique, complex in taste and absolutely delight the palates. And the coconut basmati rice here, which I think is the best nasi lemak, is a must-try.

Incredibly high ceilings lined with wooden beams, tall columns of flowers and ferns, transparent pillars filled with fairy lights, florid murals populating the walls above the giant window arches, rattan chairs and lush greenery surrounding the exterior of the restaurant, this place feels like a garden resort of Peranakan royalty. I am so in awe of the place when I first step inside.

The service here is wonderful too, being friendly and prompt to response, making good recommendations. I feel so pampered dining here.

Crab and Caviar is local Kew Pie Tee reinvented into luxurious version, where unbelievably crispy pastry cup is packed with fresh, silky, briny sweet crab and Kaluga Queen Caviar. At the bottom of the cup is a lovely surprise of white pepper curry. There are so many harmonious flavours at work here with the essence of the ocean of the crab and caviar being always the focus. I love this so much.

Assam Prawn soaked in spicy taramind sauce and served with coconut basmatic rice wows me over too with the a myriad of robust, hearty flavours. The huge fresh prawns are so succulent and meaty. I like it that the sweet, delicate taste of the prawns still takes the centerstage amid the strong flavours of the sauce and herbs.

The coconut basmatic rice is another star here. These fluffy grains are so fragrant and carries an extra lovely warm aroma that makes it taste oh-so-good. Definitely the best.

Grilled Hervey Bay Scallop with Herb Butter and Lemon is one fine treat where the pungency of herb, the richness of butter and the zest of lemon make the light briny sweetness of scallop all the more exciting.

At the staff's recommendation, I got Masala Chai Choux Puff. The Choux au Craquelin has this nice crispy biscuit top that complements so well with the smooth Masala Chai cream within. The nuanced flavours of herbs in the masala chai make the taste exotic and still very pleasing to the palates. This is one excellent choux.

The good ole panna cotta is given a refreshing makeover with Southeast influences in Coconut Panna Cotta and Red Fruits here. Instead of milk, coconut milk is used to make the smooth, bouncy, silky pudding full of milky and nutty goodness, balanced by the tang of Strawberry and Raspberry Granita. Rose and Malaysian flower, the Hibiscus, are added for the extra soothing aroma, pretty natural red colour and the extra Southeast Asian touch. I love this too.

Nice smooth white wine going very well with the seafood dishes

Thoughts: The perfect place to pamper oneself.

9 Cuscaden Road

Nearest MRT: Orchard Boulevard

Seoul Restaurant - Best Korean BBQ Restaurant

Few years ago, a friend of mine, who is a self-professed foodie, had recommended a Korean restaurant in The Regent Hotel. I was pretty interested since I have very good impressions of Regent's lineup of restaurants due to the fact that I like Summer Palace and Basilico a lot. Though I enjoy Korean cuisine, the truth is it is not exactly the type of cuisine I will jump into trying. So I never got around to trying the food there. By a twist of fate, I end up coming here for lunch, and found the best Korean BBQ restaurant in Singapore.

The appetizers are pretty standard fare of kimchi, which is nice, as expected, sweet potato tempura, beanspouts and potato salad. In this department, I still prefer Hansik's offerings. Then again, the highlight of Seoul Restaurant is the meat, so let's get to that now.

The meat here is the best among all the Korean BBQ places I had been to. The meat is incredibly fresh and thoroughly marinated, thus yielding very flavourful, succulent, juicy barbecued meat that is imbued with the aroma of charcoal. Yes, instead using the conventional heater, we barbecued the thick slabs of meat over charcoal, and this is one of the reasons that make this restaurant a winner in barbecued meat department. And it helps that the grill station is designed in such a way that the oil will not be sprayed onto me, unlike what regularly happened when I visited other self service BBQ restaurants. The sesame oil with salt is a great condiment to go with the meat. Highly recommend the pork collar since the meat is not too chewy like the ribs, and the pork is generally more flavourful than the chicken. Another suggested way of enjoying the meats here is to go light first by savouring the BBQ chicken first, then the pork. And one more thing: the pork belly looks like the thinly sliced type in the menu, but when it is served, I am shocked to see that each slice is at least one centimetre thick! So if one wants to try that, be prepared, especially since pork belly has high ratio of fat.

The spicy soft beancurd stew with clams and egg yolk is another must order. The umami of the clams is impossible to resist.

Seafood pancake is prepared right in such a way that the ratio of vegetables to flour is high.

Chilled buckwheat noodles soup is a novelty, which reminds me of cold soba that I love. Add a splash of vinegar and a dot of mustard, the smooth cold fine noodles, soaked with the essence of the soup, is a enjoyable, refreshing treat. But I do find it a tad too chewy as compared to soba.

Service is, well, pretty okay. Kind of like in the middle for all aspects.

If I want to have Korean BBQ, is fine with travelling down to Orchard area and do not mind the aftermath of strong barbecue smell on me, this restaurant is the first to come to my mind.

My Thoughts: My Number One Choice for Korean BBQ buffet

Nearest car park: The Regent Hotel’s car park
Nearest MRT: Orchard

1 Cuscaden Road
The Regent Hotel #03-02
Singapore
Contact No: 63388548

Summer Palace - A Chinese Restaurant where one can have it All

I have been to many Chinese fine dining establishments and Summer Palace is the best all-rounder among the Chinese Restaurants. 

Reason: They provide the best service among all the Chinese Restaurants I had been to: meticulous, friendly with a genuine warmth and prompt response. It definitely helps that they actually remember our preferences whenever we go there (Yeah, we are kind of like regular customers there already). In addition, they do not have this timing thing, commonly seen in Chinese Restaurants where they only allocated 11/2 hours or so for you to finish dining, which is all good with me.

As for the food: No over-powering sauces or MSG needed (which is exactly what I like) since the natural sweetness and fragrance of the extremely fresh ingredients used, say it all. The dim sum items are one of the best, with moist texture and light aromatic flavours, showcasing the great creativity of the chef. Bird's nest dumpling is a must try. The other dim sum items are all delicately made and are delicate in taste. 

The creation of fresh garoupa fish with truffle is absolutely beautiful in taste due to the silky fish meat being drizzled with the strongly flavoured sauce of the woody aroma. The crab meat with rice is another winner—the result of the generous helping of fresh crab meat adorning the top of the pile of fragrant, lightly seasoned rice. The double-boiled soups are bursting with flavours of the abundance of treasures put inside them. Scallops, fishes, shellfish, herbs, fruits, vegetables, this restaurant is very generous in adding these into the soups.

The ambience: unbeatable also. Since the tables are amply spaced between each other and the view of the bamboo-like greenery outside, extending across one entire side of the place induces a calm and serene mood. Book early for a table by the side of the glass panels (max four persons for a table there).

Good service and good food is a winning formula for me!

My Thoughts: A Class of its Own!

Nearest MRT: Orchard

1 Cuscaden Road
3F Corad Singapore Orchard
Singapore