Hortus - Relaxing and Dining in the Gardens

After a round of picture-snapping of the beautiful roses in Flower Dome, I decide that I just want to chill and relax a bit. And here is where Hortus comes in, since this cafe, flanked with lots greenery and blooms, is right within the dome.

The atmosphere is definitely awesome with botanical theme infused with Mediterranean vibes. Perfect for lounging and just enjoying some Greek snacks.

Fried School Prawns, Calamari, Smelt, Garlic Aioli features crispy batter with this lovely unique texture that is fine and has an iota of soufflé, completed with Mediterranean herbs. Super tasty, and the creamy pungent tanginess of the aioli makes it even better.

Refreshing Orange Juice

Thoughts: Nice Place to Chill in the Midst of the Garden

18 Marina Gardens Drive

#01-09 Level 2 Flower Dome

Carnival of Flowers

I buy myself Flowers, I also love going to see Flowers.

Tung Lok Seafood - Good Chinese Restaurant

When at Gardens by the Bay, I had always chosen to dine at the Chinese restaurant there, excluding the two times where I dined at Pollen and Fennel cafe respectively. I guess the feel of dining at a spacious place with blue and white nautical theme is too appealing, especially when the food is good. So when I'm finally back at Gardens by the Bay, I straightaway walk into the doors of Tung Lok Seafood. And it is a good choice made on impulse 😉 with yummy food and good service.

Steamed Prawn with Minced Garlic is so garlicky good. I love it that heaps of finely minced pungent garlic with oil are stacked on top of each fresh succulent prawns. It feels so nostalgic and good to feast on this classic Chinese dish that I miss so much.

Pan-fried Beancurd Skin Roll with Shrimp and Chives is super crispy with flavourful prawn and chives filling. Another good excellent old school dim sum reinvented with the special tangy slightly spicy sauce. This sauce makes this classic dim sum the best among its counterparts.

Thoughts: Fresh Seafood! My choice to go to when at Gardens by the Bay

18 Marina Gardens Dr, #01-10 Gardens by the Bay

Fennel Cafe - The Place to Relax and Enjoy Good Food

Closed

After I realized my deep appreciation of flowers and photography, I had been going to Gardens by the Bay on regular basis. After patronizing Majestic Bay Restaurant countless of times, I decide to dine at Fennel on my latest outing.

Ambience wise, the place is unparalleled. Nested within the Flower Dome, where the ceiling is made of glass, it really feels like one is dining at a outdoor garden while enjoying the cool weather.

Under this setting, it is a joy to enjoy a warm, flaky, buttery croissant with butter and jam. What a way to spend the morning. Actually, I was there for lunch, but since I reached the place way earlier than 11:30am, I ordered the croissant to try instead. And after finishing the croissant, I am all hyped up to try the dishes in Fennel’s lunch menu.

Salmon Carpaccio, fennel and grapefruit, is a refreshing dish due to the addition of fennel and grapefruit. The slight bitterness of the grapefruit actually accentuates the flavours of the salmon. It is a nice dish to whet the appetite but I cannot say it is exceptional since it is still salmon.

Potato Gnocchi, kale pesto, is exceptional though. I love the super crispy curly kale peppered with salt. One light bite on the leaf, it breaks into tiny flavourful flakes. Potato gnocchi is springy and starchy, thus making for a hearty meal. And it goes so well with the pesto sauce, which features the distinctive aroma of basil and garlic. The paper-thin slices of cheese add dots of zest and creaminess to the dish. This is one delicious, wholesome yet healthy mains.

Service is decent. I have to admit that I was expecting service to be exceptional in such setting.

I do like this cafe a lot since the items in the menu look really interesting. And the two I have tried prove to be unique and delicious. I cannot wait to try more of Fennel’s offerings the next time I go to Gardens by the Bay.

Thoughts: Nice!

Tis restaurant is no longer in operation.

Pollen - Decent Mediterranean Food

Closed

Pollen is situated in a very beautiful place, which is the Mediterranean Garden in the Flower Dome of the Gardens by the Bay, so it is possible to have a great time enjoying the scenery and have a satisfying meal.

The food is very unique yet mellow in taste due an array of very different flavours working in harmony together. The English Breakfast, Crab cocktail, quail brunch and roasted seafood are beautiful dishes that prove this point. As for the scallops, I feel that while aesthetically amazing, and soft and succulent in texture, the natural sweetness of the scallops was completely muted and the radish that came with it was way too salty. As for the roasted duck, it was kind of meh, but I was way too full to assess the taste properly. As for the desserts, expect very innovative and bold creations that will challenge your taste buds. The coffee and cognac dessert was surprising good while the goat cheese ice cream may not be everyone's cup of tea (all of us at the table had difficulty finishing this).

The service is very attentive when it was not crowded; the staffs immediately offered their help when we needed anything. When the restaurant became crowded, that undivided attention will be divided, though it was still quite easy to get their attention. The dishes came out considerably slower when the crowd was in, in fact, we waited quite long for the second mains to come out.

Have to mention that a manager of African descent in there, is an epitome of great, professional, friendly service. Truly appreciate it when he even offered chocolate lollipops to the kids. The place is quite casual in ambience, kind of like a fine dining resort in the midst of a garden.

Personally speaking, I love to go back, though as a small eater, I'll prefer lunch set menu or for dinner, order ala carte in form of 3 courses meal, and go in at the earliest timing, so that I can fully enjoy the great service and food.

My Thoughts: Nice!

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Majestic Bay Restaurant - Pleased but not Wowed

The ambience of this restaurant got to be the highlight since the restaurant is very spacious, beautifully and elegantly decorated with nautical themes.  If only the service standard can match to that of the ambience.

Onto the food first, the dishes tried are all generally nice but not excellent.  The only standout is the custard bun which is a must order in this restaurant since the smooth, velvety custard is loaded with the taste of cream.  The skin of chilli crab bun is of the right texture, taste and firmness, yielding a slight crunchy bite, but the filling will do a lot better if it is savoury, instead of being sweet.  As for the Steamed Prawns in Garlic and Vermicelli, the vermicelli is very flavourful since it is soaked with the goodness of prawns and garlic.  Too bad, cannot say the same for the prawns themselves since they are way overcooked, losing the rosy hue, distinct taste and the succulent texture of fresh quality prawns.  It is quite surprising to find such a badly steamed dish in a restaurant helmed by a famous chef.  The prawn dumplings are pretty good since fresh ingredients are used, though I personally find that the dim sum selection to be lacking in creativity, except for the chilli crab bun.

I always like to judge the standard of the restaurant based on the snacks provided.  Top notch Chinese restaurants will never serve roasted peanuts as snacks and unfortunately, these were exactly the snacks served in Majestic Bay.  To make things worse, there was no napkin and plain water provided.  These little things may seem insignificant, but for someone who had visited many Chinese restaurants, these are the issues to separate the best restaurants from the wannabes.

The service is lacking a lot in the warmth and smiles.  The managers and staffs at the exit did not even bother to bid farewell to us.  This is a minor thing but again demonstrates that the restaurant still has a long way to go to compete with the big boys of fine Chinese Dining.

While the food needs improvement, the overall taste is still good enough to please my palates, I do not mind going back if I have cravings for Chinese food and the other Chinese restaurants (my favourites) are all fully booked.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

Nearest car park: Gardens by the Bay's car park

Nearest MRT: Bayfront

18 Marina Gardens Drive

#01-10

Singapore

Contact No: 66046604