Lobby Lounge – The Sakura Afternoon Tea [MEDIA INVITE]

Sakura Afternoon Tea

From Now until 12 May 2019, Lobby Lounge at Conrad Centennial Singapore invites you to experience the unique Afternoon Tea menu, inspired by the dainty Sakura for this cherry blossom season.

Sakura Afternoon Tea Sweet Treats and Savoury Delights

For weekdays, the afternoon tea will consist of:

Sweet Treats: Cherry Blossom Panna Cotta with Sakura Jelly, Sakura Mont Blanc, Sakura Cake, Lychee Sakura Mousse Cake and Sakura Rose and Raspberry Velvet

Sakura Cake & Sakura Rose and Raspberry Velvet

The flavours of the Sakura are very delicate in the sweet treats. The Sakura Mont Blanc has a lovely crumbly pastry base, topped good balance of sweet and tanginess in the toppings. Meanwhile, the Sakura cake has the outlook like sticky date pudding, topped with cream and jam on top.

Sakura Mont Blanc

Best of all is the Cherry Blossom Panna Cotta with Sakura Jelly. The jelly is so delicate, making it feels like we are devouring in Sakura Bird Nest.

Cherry Blossom Panna Cotta with Sakura Jelly

Savoury Delights: Crabmeat Rillettes and Ikura Roe, Chorizo Pate Toast, Egg Roasted Tomato and Horseradish Cream and Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Chorizo Pate Toast,  Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Crabmeat Rillettes and Ikura Roe is definitely my pick for the savoury menu. The combination of the sweet crabmeat, follow with the sea water saltiness burst from the Ikura roe tasted like a party in your mouth. My second pick is the Chorizo Pate Toast, which has a spicy and smoky bold flavour that nicely offset the overwhelming flavour from the sweet Sakura.

Crabmeat Rillettes and Ikura Roe, Egg Roasted Tomato and Horseradish Cream

Scones: Plain and Sakura Scones, served with Wild Berry Jam, Dragon Fruit and Raspberry Jam, Clotted Cream

The Pink Sakura Scones absolutely catch our attention. Pink in colour, a dainty touch of Sakura sweetness, followed with crisp and crumbly scones texture. Definitely, showcase the skills of the chef to create these photogenic scones. The selection of homemade jams and clotted cream nicely complemented the Pink Scones and the raisin scones as well.

Plain and Sakura Scones, served with Wild Berry Jam, Dragon Fruit and Raspberry Jam, Clotted Cream

Drinks selection will include a glass of Nino Franco Faive Rose, Brazilian Coffee and Ronnefeldt Tea.

Drinks Menu

Meanwhile, Weekend Afternoon Tea will include Seafood Platter on Ice (Poached Boston Lobster, Prawns and Irish Oysters) and Cheese Board (Brie, Chaume and Tomme De Savoie).

Seafood Platter on Ice (Poached Boston Lobster, Prawns and Irish Oysters)

The seafood platter is paired with a glass of Nino Franco Faive Rose. The lobster and prawns are fresh and springy, while the Irish oysters are briny and sweet. The vinegar dressing is a perfect companion to lighten up the rich seafood and tasted especially good when you mixed it with lime.

Seafood Platter on Ice (Poached Boston Lobster, Prawns and Irish Oysters)

Fourth Course, Cheese Board, Brie Cheese, Chaumes and Tomme de Savoie. A nice ending to the meal, where the savoury and saltiness from the cheese helps to balance the overwhelming sweetness from the second and third course.

Cheese Board, Brie Cheese, Chaumes and Tomme de Savoie.

As I did not drink alcohol, my tea selections are Iced Soft Peach (no sugar) for the seafood, Milky Oolong for the sweet treats, savoury delights and scones, and Superior Oolong with the cheese board. The Milky Oolong really surprised me. Although the colour of the tea is a clear light brown colour, the flavour exudes the creamy milkiness in the tea.

Iced Soft Peach

Milky Oolong

Overall, it was definitely an extremely delightful experience spending the afternoon away from the scorching heat and savour the Sakura Weekend Afternoon Tea. Without a doubt, one of the afternoon tea experience that you must try before 12 May 2019.

Thank you very much to Conrad Centennial Singapore and Lobby Lounge Team for the tasting invitation and the experience.

Giant Size Sakura Conrad Bear

The Sakura Afternoon Tea

Day	Time	Price
Monday - Friday	3.00pm – 6.00pm	S$32++ per person
Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays	1.00pm – 5.00pm	S$68++ per person Includes seafood and cheese platters

Where: Lobby Lounge, Conrad Centennial Singapore.

For more information on Sakura Afternoon Tea, visit http://www.connoisseur.sg/the-sakura-afternoon-tea/

Food: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Ambiance: 8.5/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50, $51 - $80

Lobby Lounge @Conrad

2 Temasek Boulevard

Lobby Level, Conrad Centennial Singapore

Singapore 038982

T: +65 6432 7483

W: http://bit.ly/cbkconrad

F: https://www.facebook.com/conradcentennialsingapore

OH:

Sun - Thu: 07:00 - 00:00

Fri - Sat: 07:00 - 01:00

Daily Afternoon Tea: 13.00 – 17.00

Ginger – Heritage Flavours Buffets [MEDIA INVITE]

Roasted Wagyu Beef with Rendang Sauce

From this month onwards, Ginger will showcase Asian-inspired dishes to the buffet line for weekday and weekend buffet, curated by Executive Chef Vincent Aw.

Executive Chef Vincent Aw
Image Credit: PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

For Weekday lunch, you can look forward to sumptuous local dishes such as Chicken Rice, Kueh Pie Tee, Assorted Satays, Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Flower Bun, Curry Chicken Noodles, Penang-style Prawn Noodles and Salted Egg Prawns.

Weekday Lunch Buffet
Image Credit: PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

For Weekday dinner, highlights include Baby Lobster Laksa, Babi Ponteng, Braised Pork Trotter Mee Sua Soup, Claypot Pork Ribs Herbal Soup with Chicken Crullers, Deep-fried Soft-shell Crab with Chicken Floss, Wok-fried Prawn Noodles, and Salted Egg Crab / Singapore Chilli Crab.

Weekday Dinner Buffet
Image Credit: PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

During the tasting session, I tried their Hainanese Chicken Rice. The rice is plump, fragrant and filled with chicken stock, while the chicken is succulent with a good springiness in the skin. They also served the beansprout with the chicken rice, which tasted like Ipoh beansprout dish, earthy and crunchy.

Hainanese Chicken Rice (rice not in the picture)

The mutton and chicken satays are not to be missed, it is well marinated, slightly charred externally and juicy internally.

Mutton Satays

The BBQ river prawns will make unscheduled appearances during weekday dinner or weekend dinner. It is grilled slightly undercooked, so you can still enjoy the delicious brain juice from the prawns, though the flavour is stronger compared to those you eat in Thailand. It is served with Thai style chilli or BBQ style chilli.

BBQ River Prawn

BBQ River Prawn - Plain, Chilli and Thai Sauce

The salted egg crab that I had definitely entice the “finger licking good” episode during lunch. The Indonesian mud crab is fresh and meaty. The external part is evenly coated with salted egg, and frankly, some of the flavours did trickle down into the flesh in the crab body.

Salted Egg Crab

For something comforting, Ginger’s porridge will definitely hit the sweet spot. With traditional condiments such as peanuts, olive, pickled turnip, dace fish, chicken floss, fermented beancurd and braised beancurd skin, it just feels like home.

Porridge and Condiments

Traditional desserts such as red bean soup, Peranakan desserts, cakes and ice creams surely give you a sweet ending to the meal.

Desserts

Heritage Flavours Weekday Buffet

Lunch: Mon – Fri, S$35++ (per Adult), S$17.50++ (per Child)

Dinner: Mon – Thu, S$58++ (per Adult), S$29++ (per Child)

* Food items on the buffet line are served on a periodic and rotational basis, to provide an all-new dining experience upon every visit.

Weekend buffet at Ginger will impress you further with its luxurious selections during the weekend buffet. Indulge in premium dishes such as Soft-shell Crab with Wasabi Mayo, Claypot Rock Lobster with Fish Maw Soup, Grilled Half-shell Scallop with Oriental Butter Emulsion, White Pepper Crab, Salted Egg Yolk Crab, Wagyu Beef Cheek Rendang.

Baked Salmon with Salmon Skin

In the carving stations, you can look forward to Whole Baked Nyonya Salmon and Whole Roast Wagyu Beef.

Whole Roast Wagyu Beef
Image Credit: PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

The rock lobster has always been a permanent luxury staple at Ginger. This time around, it will be cooked with fish maw soup. Although during the tasting, I did not feel the OMPH in the broth, I am pretty sure it will be better during the dinner, like the previous few times that I dine there.

Claypot Rock Lobster with Fish Maw Soup

The rendang style roasted wagyu beef is one of the styles in cooking beef in Ginger. Cooked to medium rare, it proves to be the right texture for the beef. The sauce works well with the beef, although it can do with a bit of twang so you won’t get overwhelmed with the richness of the sauce.

 

Roasted Wagyu Beef with Rendang Sauce

Premium Madness Weekend Buffet

Lunch: Sat - Sun, S$58++ (per Adult), S$29++ (per Child)

Dinner: Fri – Sun, S$68++ (per Adult), S$34++ (per Child)

* Food items on the buffet line are served on a periodic and rotational basis, to provide an all-new dining experience upon every visit.

Thank you very much for to the team at PARKROYAL on Beach Road for the tasting invitation. Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 7.25/10

Value: 7.25/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Event)

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person:$26 - $50, $51 - $80

Ginger

7500 Beach Road

PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

Ground Floor

Singapore 199591

T: +65 6505 5710

W: Ginger at PARKROYAL on Beach Road, Singapore

F: https://www.facebook.com/PARKROYAL.BeachRoad

IG: @Parkroyalbeachroad

OH:

Breakfast: 06.00 – 10.30

Lunch: 12.00 – 14.30

Dinner: 18.00 – 22.00

  

Ding Te Le – A Very Good Shanghainese Staple Food

Signature pan-fried Crispy Pork Soup Buns - Sheng Jian Bao

Ding Te Le at Kovan is an eatery serving Shanghainese cuisines such as Xiao Long Bao (XLB), Shanghainese Noodle and Sheng Jian Bao. Surprisingly, it has been open for almost 2 years. LD and I visited the restaurant frequently when it just opened, but we got so busy we have not returned until recently.

DING TE LE

Signature Steamed Pork & Soup Bun ($5.40) also known as Xiao Long Bao (XLB). One tray comes with 5 pcs of XLB. The skin thin but not translucent, while the pork fillings are juicy and filled with Oink Oink soup that burst when you bit into the XLB. For an easy comparison, the skin is thicker than those sold in DTF, but the meat fillings are almost double in size.

Signature Steamed Pork & Soup Bun - Xiao Long Bao (XLB)

Signature pan-fried Crispy Pork Soup Buns ($5.40) also known as Sheng Jian Bao. This pork bun has a crispy exterior, followed with a chewy internal skin plus thick and juicy pork ball fillings. As it is served directly after pan-fried, it is better to let it cool down slightly before you bit into it. We ordered this for takeaway before and it remains hot even after we let it sit for 30 minutes.

Signature pan-fried Crispy Pork Soup Buns - Sheng Jian Bao

Sheng Jian Bao Fillings

The recent addition of Pan-Fried Meat Dumpling ($5.40) is definitely worth the wait. The skin is crispy, slightly chewy, but enjoyable. The fillings are juicy and generous, definitely, something for a gyoza lover to tried.

Pan-Fried Meat Dumpling

Pan-Fried Meat Dumpling Fillings

Part of the Shanghainese cuisine is their noodles. I personally like their “almost naked” Noodles with Soy Sauce & Scallion Oil ($5.30). Although the noodles that I ordered almost plain, the version in Ding Te Le come with dried prawns. The texture of the noodle is springy and bouncy, while the aromatic scallion plus soya sauce infused it with a delicious flavour. The dried prawns added the OMPH factor to this dish.

Noodles with Soy Sauce & Scallion Oil

Noodles with Soy Sauce & Scallion Oil

For the side dishes, we ordered Marinated Jellyfish with Cucumber ($7.20), Wheat Gluten & Shiitake Mushrooms ($4.80) and Boiled Soybean Sprouts with Oily Bean Curd ($4.80). Frankly, the side dishes did not shine like their main dishes. The jellyfish and beansprouts offer crunchy texture but under seasoned, while the wheat gluten is extremely sweet. A little bit of fine tuning in terms of flavour will add more points to their food.

Marinated Jellyfish with Cucumber 

Wheat Gluten & Shiitake Mushrooms

Boiled Soybean Sprouts with Oily Bean Curd

The décor of the restaurant is simple and bright. More like a modern Chinese eatery. The kitchen is a see-through model, where you can see the Chefs preparing your meal. Service is friendly and efficient.

Menu - Front

Menu - Back

Overall, Ding Te Le offers a very good Shanghainese staple dishes. The noodles, buns and dumplings are as good as those branded restaurants, while the price is relatively cheaper. So if you are near Kovan area, give Ding Te Le a try. Cheers!!

Food: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: 6.5/10

Budget per Person: $0 - $10, $11 - $25.

DING TE LE 鼎特樂

949 Upper Serangoon Road

Singapore 534713

T: +65 6282 4380

F: https://www.facebook.com/dingtele.sh/

IG: @Dingtele

OH: Daily 11.30 – 14.30; 17.30 – 22.30

132 Mee Pok Kway Teow – Good Traditional Mee Pok

Mee Pok $5 Version

Our fishball noodles exploration lead us to an old establishment. 132 Mee Pok Kway Teow, first started its business in 1969, where push carts are still allowed. Currently, the business is run by their second generation and making Marine Terrace its permanent, serving the familiar taste of this traditional fishball noodles.

The Stall

There are 3 type of portions here, $4 / $5 / $6. LD and I decided to go for $5 version, supposed to be medium. Please note that they only served Mee Pok and Kway Teow, just like its name.

True to its traditional heritage, the mee pok served with prawn, fishballs, fish dumplings, minced pork and lean meat. My non-spicy mee pok is generously coated with pork oil and tomato sauce. To be frank, it looks very close to the Jalan Tua Kong fishball noodles.

Mee Pok $5 Version - Non Spicy

The bouncy and springy mee pok bodes well with the tomato sauce and pork oil. Fishballs are bouncy but missing the fish flavour in it. The fish dumplings do not provide any WOW factors, while the deshelled prawn, minced pork and lean meat are cooked nicely.

For the spicy version, the chilli is aromatic with a manageable spiciness level. Although we order the $5 version, the noodle portion is very small. So, if you are a big eater, please ask for extra noodle when you order.

Mee Pok $5 Version - Spicy

The clear soup is surprisingly robust, with a hint of sweetness from the prawns. We ordered extra fishball soup ($5 version), the fishballs and beansprouts content are very generous.

Fishball Soup $5

The coffeeshop where 132 Mee Pok Kway Teow located has limited seating. At the same time, it is competing with a popular nasi lemak stall there. Be patient, as the cooking of the noodle can be very slow.

Overall, it is a good fishball noodle and I think the soup version will be better compared to the dry version. We will visit this place again if we are around the area. However, it is not good enough for us to travel from Serangoon all the way just to have this bowl of noodle. Cheers!

Food: 7.25/10

Value: 6.5/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: N/A (Coffeeshop)

Budget per Person: $0 - $10.

132 Mee Pok Kway Teow

Block 59 Marine Terrace

#01-105

Singapore 440059

W: http://www.132meepok.com.sg/

OH:

Tue – Sun: 07.00 – 16.00

Closed on Monday & 3^rd Sunday of each Month

Benson Salted Duck – Delicious Salted Duck

Salted Duck

Every time we travel to Taipei for work or holiday, without fail LD and I will treat ourselves to a salted goose meal. However, as the AVA still banned the goose in Singapore, salted duck is the next best alternative.

There are only a few stalls in Singapore that sell salted duck, you can probably count it with the fingers in one hand. Benson Salted Duck is always one of the names that come up when you google salted duck in Singapore. Even Singapore “Makan Guru”, KF Seetoh hold this stall in high regards.

The Stall

As it was only two of us dining, we decided to order a 3-person portion for the duck, 2 rice, innards and fish maw soup. Total damage $19.

The duck itself roughly chopped and partly deboned to easy eating. At the first bite, the duck is on the saltier side, especially on the skin. The skin is thick, fatty and springy. Although the meat is dense, it remains succulent as the fats from the skin rendered into the meat.

The Duck

The secret to eating the duck is to squeeze the lime on it. The fusion between the lime juice and the salted created the superb umami flavour and remove the saltiness from the duck. It just transforms the flavour of this dish to another level. The duck is also served with salted vegetables, to balance the dish.

The Chilli

The rice served at Benson is butter rice. It is fragrant and tasty, can easily be mistaken as chicken rice. The rice is al-dente and can easily be eaten on its own without other dishes.

The Rice

For the duck liver is dense yet creamy. It is not as moist your goose liver (foie gras), more like in between goose and chicken liver. The giblets are crunchy, but it is braised in dark soy sauce instead of blanched in salt like the goose version in Taiwan. Not sure what is the reason for this, but I was expecting the giblets in the salted version.

Salted Duck Liver, Braised Duck Giblets, Tofu

The fish maw pig organ soup ($5) is actually a hidden gem that you must try here. They are very generous with their ingredients, especially their fish maw and pig’s liver. The liver is cooked perfectly, making it creamy with a bit of crunch to it. The pork ball is springy and packs of flavour as well.  The clear, pork and duck infused robust broth is just awesome. Yum Yum.

Fish Maw Pig Organ Soup

Fish Maw Pig Organ Soup

Service is efficient. Order at the stall and they will deliver your order to your table. Price is reasonable as well.

Overall, Salted Duck is almost like a rare commodity in Singapore. It is unique, delicious and difficult to find. Benson Salted Duck is definitely a must visit stall. Cheers!!

Food: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Ambiance: N/A (Coffeeshop)

Budget per Person: $0 - $10.

Benson Salted Duck

Blk 168 Toa Payoh Lorong 1

#01-1040

Singapore 310168

T: +65 9781 4042

F: https://www.facebook.com/bensonsaltedduck/

OH:

Fri – Wed: 10.00 – 15.00

Closed on Thursday