Dinner at Mosella @ Pan Pacific Orchard

We've known each other for like 3 decades (since Primary School days) and everyone's gone off to different continents in the world, though a handful of us are in Singapore. So when Jun Ling says Lydia is in town, it was decided that the 'locals' will bring her out for dinner.

Dinner reservation for 6 pax was made, though the booking site required some inputs that was kinda confusing for me. Nevertheless, I was excited to connect again with old friends. 

The restaurant lights were rather dim, so it would've been romantic if not for us oldies who needed light to see the menu proper. 

Some of us opted for sparkling, and some opted for still water. All bottled, and service was good with staff coming by to top up the water in our glasses, or just to come round to ask us if we would be needing anything else.

sparkling water

I've already seen their online menu and was just waiting for the rest to choose the dishes. We opted for a rather conservative selection of 2 appetisers, hamachi tiradito, burrata and heirloom tomatoes, 2 pasta dish; King Crab spaghetti and spinach ricotta ravioli, 1 grill; Cochinillo Asado and 2 desserts; mangosteen and pionono. 

Complimentary bread was served after food orders had been confirmed.

rosemary bread

bread dips

The rosemary bread was mildly scented by the herbs and goes well with both the dips. Loved the salted center.

Burrata & Heirloom Tomatoes @$28

My first impression of the burrata was not great... I was like, "why is it so flat..." But it was soon replaced with a pleasant surprise as the overall taste together with the arugula, basil oil and candied walnut was good.

little bit of creamy burrata, sweet tomatoes, tangy dressing

Hamachi was alright but it didn't stand out. My friends said they enjoyed the appetiser.

King Crab Spaghetti @$38

tasting portion of the spaghetti

Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli @$32

Thanks to Jun Ling who chose the ravioli dish. It had strong flavours and at least 2 pieces for each of us. All things combined, this was tasty and a delightful. There was some rosemary bread left from earlier, so I used that to mop up most of the ravioli sage butter sauce. Delish.

small morsels of flavour

The Spanish Suckling Pig did not disappoint. Originally plated as two pieces, so we asked the staff to help slice it for the 6 of us. It came back beautifully. While the skin was not as crispy, its meat more than made up for that with its gentle tenderness.

Cochinillo Asado @$38

Then, it was time for desserts. The signature Mangosteen was cutesy but it was indeed smallish in size. The mangosteen 'fruit' was cream-like while its 'skin' was thick chocolate shell. 

The Mangosteen @$14

Spanish Pionono @$12

The Pionono was well-liked by our table. Loved the pastry, the cream and mascarpone. 

Staff brought out a towering slice of cake for the birthday girl and we ended the evening, feeling contented. 

Thank you to the service crew who took care of our table that night, especially Yusof and Ms D. 

Special thanks to Jun Ling (who gathered us), Lydia, Su Chin, Lily and Yen Boon for spending time together and reminiscing on our school days as well as catching up (maybe just a small snippet) with the latest in everyone's life.

Mosella 

Address: 10 Claymore Rd Singapore 229540

Website: https://mosella.sg/

Business Hours:

Sun - Thu: 6:30 AM–10 PM

Fri: 6:30 AM–10:30 PM

[Ala-Carte Buffet] Saturday Lunch @ Famous Treasure Capitol

It was a rather quiet Saturday noon, and Siew Li suggested for ala-carte buffet and everyone else agreed so it was a rather impromptu decision for the change in venue and without any reservations.

Staff said that the ala-carte buffet promo is popular and usually the place would be crowded especially weekends so I guess we were lucky that day!

ala-carte buffet menu

Take note that the snacks on the table and wet towels are chargeable. Staff would enquire on the drinks once you are seated. We opted for pu-erh (can choose from tie guan yin, chrysanthemum, jasmine or pu-eh). Chinese tea (served in a pot for the table) is chargeable at $3++ per pax.

boiled peanuts

cherry tomatoes with preserved plums

There is an order chit to input the dishes that the table wants for the ala-carte buffet, and each serving of the all-you-can-eat dishes is said to be good for 3-4 pax portions. 

There is also a one-time limited fish dish and as we were in a group of 8, we could order up to 2 whole fish for the table. We chose steamed tilapia and deep fried seabass.

roasted crispy pork belly (8 slices per serving)

crystal chicken (half)

The ordered dishes were served up pretty quickly. The thinly sliced pork belly had crispy crackling and enjoyable with the mustard dip. Would be nicer if it is slightly fattier. Crystal chicken was flavourful but rather smallish.

deep-fried seabass with superior soya sauce (1 time order)

Staff asked if we wanted to snap a photo of the fish first before he portioned it out for us. Oops, perhaps we been taking one photo too many. 

steamed tilapia with bean sauce

I liked the steamed tilapia more than the deep-fried seabass. Tilapia was perfectly steamed with its flesh remaining tender and moist.

stir-fried romaine lettuce with fermented shrimp paste in claypot

wok-fried squid with chinchalok and ladies finger

I liked that the dishes were generally tasty yet not too overpowering so one could still enjoy the dishes on its own.

While the rest of us has no intention to order any carbs, Sze Jia wanted some. We thought it would be easy to share since there are 8 of us and staff did say the portion is good for 3-4 pax.

Yang Chow fried rice

Whoa, I think the fried rice portion was indeed for 3-4 pax but perhaps as main dish? Hahaa! It was pretty good nonetheless especially with the good sized shrimps in there. 

spicy mapo beancurd with meat sauce, deepfried de-shelled prawns with salted egg yolk, live poached prawns

Though menu stated it as spicy mapo beancurd, it wasn't spicy at all. It was savoury sweet and good as a topping for the fried rice for a change-up in flavours.

The salted egg yolk prawns looked like chicken karaage so we got confused for a while. It was good and that prompted us to order the rest of the prawn dishes available in the ala-carte buffet menu. Keke.

live poached prawns

deepfried de-shelled prawns with wasabi sauce

The wasabi sauce was creamy and lovely with the good sized prawns. Texture was firm and sauce was only mildly reminiscent of wasabi.

wok sliced beef with black pepper sauce

Was a tad disappointed with the beef though, as it wasn't as tender as anticipated.

stir-fried sliced fish with bean sauce

crispy chicken chop with Thai sweet sauce

braised beancurd with Chinese mushrooms and vegetables

The crispy chicken chop was a nice surprise as the batter remained crispy even after letting it sit for a while in the sauce. Loved the wholesome flavours of the braised beancurd as well.

table full of good flavours

Overall, staff was efficient in their service. Food arrived pretty quickly and there were constant top-ups to our tea. 

Food was enjoyable and it was a great catch-up with university friends. 

We spent around $52 per pax.

 

Famous Treasure

Address: 13 Stamford Rd, #02-28 Capitol Singapore, Singapore 178905

Website: https://thefamoustreasure.com/

Business Hours:

Daily 11:30 AM–3 PM, 6–10:30 PM

[Tasting] New Items @ Birds of a Feather (and re-introducing some of my favourite classics)

Happy to have the opportunity to try the newly launched menu items at Birds of a Feather recently. Glad to see familiar faces upon arrival and warm greetings exchanged with staff.

menu

Service was prompt and friendly as usual. Was offered a choice of iced or warm water as soon as I sat down. Felt welcomed through these actions. 

But of course, since it is a Friday night, let's get some iced cold beer! And if you're there before 7pm on a weekday, there's Happy Hour pricing. 

Sapporo draft @$12

If you're curious about their cocktails, here's an Oriental Negroni for reference, adorned with Mandarin orange sorbet for bursts of citrussy sweetness.

Oriental Negroni @$28

Beginning

Osmanthus Salmon

Osmanthus Salmon @$16 (2 pieces)

closer view

The very crispy brioche toast was loaded with generous amount of salmon mousse, dotted with smoked bamboo shoots, with bits of osmanthus gel, and beautifully topped with a sleek looking piece of osmanthus cured salmon. First bite and the salmon mousse bursts out onto the palm of my hand. And, I thought I could eat this somewhat elegantly...

The contrast of crispy (toast) and soft (mousse/salmon) was nice, with osmanthus fragrance floated to the fore subtly, and the slightly burnt savoury flavour from bamboo shoots, creamy salmon mousse were enjoyable. A slightly sweet-savoury combo.

Perhaps can consider serving this as 2-halves, so that one could eat it as bite-sized?

Argentina Shrimp Crudo

Argentina Shrimp Crudo @$24

Crudo refers to dish of raw fish/seafood typically dressed with olive oil, salt, citrus juice and vinegar. 

The ginger pineapple syrup, pineapple chili salsa, with coriander puree and red oil dressing, works well for this dish at BOAF. Refreshingly good and whets the appetite for more.

Burnt Chili Baby Squid 

Burnt Chili Baby Squid @$21

closer view

One gets hint of smokey spiciness when you bite into the tender part of the baby squid stuffed with mentai burnt chili. The furikake chips provided some umami savouriness and should be eaten quickly, otherwise it turned into seaweed strips after soaking too long in the sauce. Those small cubes of pickled sichuan vegetable gave it a familiar homely feels. I sincerely thought those were edamame but turns out to be fava beans. Tasted similar.

Find the Chicken in the Chilies

Find the Chicken in the Chilies @$19

It is still a must-order dish for me everytime when I dine at Birds of a Feather. Served hot, spicy and savoury. Loved the right-sized chicken bites, plenty of cashews and garlic. Just yums.

OnGoing

Duo Scallop and Daikon

Duo Scallop and Daikon @$48

Layered dish with the pretty (and tasty) chives tuille, medallions of scallops raw and seared, braised daikon served ontop a bed of cous cous and lentils, and bubu arare (Japanese rice crackers of tiny baked glutinous rice balls). At the center of the dish, there's cauliflower blanc manger and jamon iberico.

Barramundi Chazuke

Barramundi Chazuke @$36

One of the classic dish at BOAF for that warm, comforting feels and a strong touch of tangy and spicy!

Apportion

Whole French Chicken in 2 Seasons

Chicken done two ways, and served with a side of summer salad. Priced at $88 and good for sharing amongst 3-4 pax.

Firstly, a plate of beautifully roasted chicken breast. Chef came over to add the finishing touches to the plate with the 4 peppers dressing.

chicken breast - 4 peppers roasted crown

finishing touch with 4 peppers dressing

Subtle flavours from the firm tender meat, and recommended to have it with skin on. The dressing was rather light and allowed the natural flavours of the chicken to shine.

summer salad with 4 peppers dressing

The summer salad came in the form of watermelon cubes, cherry tomatoes, crushed olive emulsion, and some greens. More please!

Lastly, the second serving of the chicken. Whole leg deboned and done up in roulade style and braised in albufera sauce. Served with ratte potatoes, sweet baby carrots, trumpet mushrooms and renkon chips.

spiced braised whole legs

The braised chicken meat had a creamy, rounded refined flavour and some gentle overall sweetness. Loved the salted chips for contrast. 

Finale

If you asked me, which dessert fits the summer vibe. I'd say "Citrus Block". If you asked me which dessert is my favourite, I'd say "Glutinous Rice Cake Rock"

We asked Elle and Tiara to decide and these were their choice. 

Jujube & Strawberry

From the top, there's strawberry leather with strawberry compote, fresh strawberry slices sitting prettily ontop of mascarpone cremeux. Jujube cake at the bottom and sprinkling of almond sable/flakes all round.

Jujube & Strawberry @$18

Glutinous Rice Cake Rock

The table might have been influenced to get this but hey, I think it was a good time to taste it again. Eat it while it is still warm.

Loved the pomegranate bits together with the warm glutinous rice, dabbed with soy bean powder and eaten with the ice-cream. 

Glutinous Rice Cake Rock @$18

Thank you Chef Eugene See for your kind hospitality and team Birds of a Feather for taking care of our table that evening. Special thanks for Ivan and Kris to gather up our smallish group of 5 for a short catch-up. Great meeting everyone again!

Birds of a Feather

Address: 115 Amoy St, #01-01, Singapore 069935

Website: https://www.birdsofafeather.com.sg/

Contact: +65 9755 7115

Business Hours:

Mon-Sat: 12–3 PM, 6 PM–12 AM

Sun: 12–3 PM, 6–10 PM

[Staycation] One Night @ Pan Pacific Singapore

The last stay was at in 2024 and it was time for a revisit. The staff looked super busy and all three check-in counters at the lobby seemed to be engaged. I had forgotten that they have a separate one for GHA Discovery members. Haha. Took about 10 minutes before the staff was available to process for the next guest. Got upgraded to the Executive Marina Bay room at level 20.

Executive Marina Bay Room

Guests staying at the Executive Marina Bay room have access to Studio26, a self-serve place for non-alcoholic refreshments. But since it was located at Level 26, I didn't use this. Was happy with the mini-bar in the room.

Executive Marina Bay room (46sqm)

view from small balcony

coffee, tea

Intenso was my fav

drop it in

cups, glasses

mini bar

Mini bar was well stocked with drinks. Had accidentally kept the 'Do not disturb' sign on and that prevented housekeeping from coming into the room to restock the mini bar at about 340pm. Didn't see the note that they slipped in either till the next morning. Oops!

bath things

rainshower, handheld and fixed

bathroom

This room doesn't have a bathtub and the bathroom was rather smallish in comparison with the rest of the space.

narrow compartment for bathrobes

open space for hanging clothes

lovely SG60 box

macarons~

I enjoyed that box of macarons, thanks to Pan Pacific and GHA Discovery. But I think there was supposed to be a note from Discovery. Hmm.

day time, cloudy view

night view

day time, good weather view

Breakfast at The Edge

Breakfast on a weekend was a hectic affair. Went down for breakfast at about 830am and noticed that the place gets super busy at about 9 to 930am. 

I loved to have eggs in the morning, so made my way to the scrambled/omelette station. 

cooking up the omelette

The omelette was ready in less than 5 minutes. Went on to add some sausages, baked baby potato, blanched spinach and even a kaya toast, to complete the meal. This plate has everything from proteins, carbs, and vegetables.

balanced breakfast plate

 

Coffee machine was just right in-front of my table, so it was convenient to get one on my own. 

Since there wasn't any signage on the table that one could indicate if the guest was still occupying the table or had just roamed off to the buffet counters to get more food, I was curious. Like how would the staff know and don't accidentally reassign the table out to someone else while the guest was away at the food counters... Hmm...

The experience at the noodles station was... interesting. Chef was making my bowl when another guest came by and asked for two bowls of fishballs, without noodles. She gave him 4 fishballs while mine had only one... hmmm, was it because I had noodles and hence, only gets 1 fishball? No idea... didn't ask.

But this kway teow soup was good! Fishball or no fishball, the entire bowl was yummy. I added condiments like the spring onions, shallots, garlic oil and some chili padi. Best pairing of flavours.

fishball kway teow soup

And then, it was time for desserts.

waffles, pancake, bread butter pudding with vanilla sauce

The bread and butter pudding was good! Normally I wouldn't take it as it would be too filling, but decided to try some and it was good! Fluffier than I thought and all round, good flavours with the vanilla sauce. Not too sweet.

The waffles was well cooked with crisp outer. Had mine with salted butter and jams. Loved the  blueberry and strawberry jams!

Was intrigued by the masala teapot at the Indian food counter, and stood there for like 30 seconds. Chef saw me and asked if I would like a masala thosai that she just took off from the grill. Ok, how can I reject the offer...

masala thosai with chutney, and masala tea

The masala tea was unsweetened, and I only took abit out of curiosity. Never tried before and I think I had reconfirmed that spices in tea is well, not my cup of tea...

closer view

The thosai was good. Cute even. But I was so full after that. 

Went off to get my last cup of fruit juice and came back to my table already being 'reset' for the next guest. Hahaa, well, that was kind of expected, I guess? Hmm...

Pan Pacific Singapore 

Address: 7 Raffles Blvd, Singapore 039595

Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/