Food Tour (II) Ellenborough Market Cafe @ Swissotel Merchant Court

Second stop was to the Ellenborough Market Cafe at Swissotel Merchant Court. Helmed by Chef Louis Tay, this restaurant aims to serve the best of Peranakan Cuisine, alongside Asian and International goodies. For the AccorHotels Food & Wine Festival, the Cafe will be serving a Tiffin Set for two.

Hee Pioh Soup

Stir-fried Chincalok Pork

Lady’s Fingers with Sambal Belachan

Ikan Assam Pedas

Turmeric Rice

Pièce de résistance: Durian Pengat drizzled with Gula Melaka

Assorted Nyonya Kueh

 

Soup:
Hee Pioh Soup, also known as Meatball and Fish Maw Soup. As clear as it seems, every spoonful gives a burst of intense flavour.

Main Course:
Served with a main staple of Turmeric Rice, you’ll have Stir-fried Chincalok Pork, Ikan Assam Pedas, and Lady’s Fingers with Sambal Belachan. My personal favourite was Ikan Assam Pedas – fresh fish, and the broth was a fine balance between sour and spicy.

Dessert:
Assorted Nyonya Kueh. We were very lucky to be served an additional bowl of Durian Pengat which is topped with a drizzle of Gula Melaka (this will be on the a la carte menu during the festival). Sinful but oh so good.

Food Tour (I) Racines @ Sofitel Singapore City Centre

In conjunction with the AccorHotels Food and Wine Festival that will be held from the 4th to the 12th of November, 10 lucky readers were chosen by Maureen a.k.a MissTamChiak to join her on a food tour to three hotels and taste the food that will be offered during the festival. And, I was one of them! I never thought I would win a contest but I bet you could imagine my joy when I did.

First stop was to Racines at Sofitel Singapore City Centre. Only opened for approximately three weeks, the ambience, the architecture, furniture, staff, and most importantly, the open-concept kitchen caught my eye and I fell in love with this restaurant almost immediately. Executive Chef Jean-Charles Dubois made sure that we were all satisfied (and more) with the four-course meal. I was, and still am, very satisfied indeed.

Appetizer:
Carpaccio of Hokkaido Sea Scallops with House Made Tarama, drizzled with Chive Oil and Grated Yuzu. Fresh with a great combination of textures.

 

Soup:
A Traditional Lobster Bisque with Coral Oil, Basil, Emmental Ravioli, and Micro Cress. The ravioli was served first, before the lobster bisque was poured in. Past experiences with lobster bisque was a thick soup, but this was the opposite. Not thick, but still full of flavour.

 

Main Course:
48 Hour Slow-Cooked Wagyu Beef Cheek, Truffled Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Greens. 2 days of tender, loving care, resulting in meat that cuts without much force. Creamy mash, with greens that are cooked perfectly. None of your overcooked nonsense.

 

Dessert:
Azuki Bean Cream, Orange Peel (Candied), Mochi, and Hand-made Green Tea Ice Cream. Thank you very Matcha for a perfect end to an amazing meal.