Festive Dining - Colourful Christmas @ Café 2000 M Hotel

Come December, Café 2000 will be having a Colourful Christmas with highlights of Whole Roasted Char Siew Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing, Roasted Bone-In Baked Ham and Roasted Beef Prime Ribs at the Carving Station, Roast Cajun-spiced Whole Lamb at the Roasting Pit and a whole array of Christmas sweets, and some with a local twist such as the M' Special Chempedak Log Cake.

Was good to see Chef Danny again after two years. Here is a link to my first encounter with this affable man.
Café 2000 was bustling as usual, and we were invited there for a preview of the Colourful Christmas buffet menu.

Bone-in Honey Baked Ham and Char Siew Turkey with Chestnut Stuffings

To start, how about some sweet boiled tiger prawns and fresh oysters?

US Fresh Oysters and Boiled Tiger Prawns

As usual, the prawns were good and firm. Oysters had adequate meat and not too briny.

lovely seafood

If oyster is not your thing, then how about Alaskan Snow Crabs? Think it was my first time seeing Spanner Crab. 

Spanner Crab

Alaskan Snow Crab Legs

The Carving Station is also the place where most hot items are located. On top of that, one could not help but to be enticed by the beautifully roasted turkey, bone-in honey baked ham and beef prime ribs.

(left to right) Bone-In Honey Baked Ham, Chestnut Stuffings, Whole Roasted Char Siew Turkey, Roasted Beef Prime Ribs

Roasted Beef Prime Ribs

The Char Siew Turkey tasted good. Beautifully roasted with tender white flesh and finished with char siew glaze. Not often can I associate the word 'tender' with turkey. Enjoyed the ham too. So succulent and yummy! Great with a glass of wine. The sausage looking item was actually the chestnut stuffings. Took a slice and its texture was like firm fish cake. Something different and not what I thought it would initially taste like. Good but a tad salty.

The roast beef was slapped onto the hot grill upon carving. Resulting in that pleasant smokey charred taste that worked best at the fatty bits. Ate it simply with some mustard but you might want to try with other sauces. Nice.

Honey Baked Ham and Roast Beef Prime Ribs

Char Siew Turkey and Chestnut stuffing

Over at the cooked food or Hot Items, there's Christmas Seafood and Pumpkin Paella Rice which was rather unique and sweet. The Braised Duck with Sea Cucumber was enjoyable and the must-have would be the satay. I think they have the winning formula for the satay. Loved it and ate at least half a dozen of those.

Chef's Special Salted Egg Yolk Crab

Braised Seasonal Vegetables with Fish Maw and and Mushroom in Conpoy Sauce

Oven Slow Cooked Oxtail with Winter Root Vegetables

Buttered Festive Season Vegetables

Sze Chuan styled Wok-Fried Turkey

satay - must try

Alas, had missed out to try Chef's Specialty Salted Yolk Crabs but managed to get my hands on the steamed mud crabs. Firm texture and could taste its natural sweetness.

Steamed Mud Crabs

The Desserts counter was stacked high with Christmas goodies. Pretty and Christmasy.

sweets

Christmas Fruit Cake

Linzer Pie

Raspberry Chocolate Hazelnut Feuilletine Cake

Assorted Christmas Cookies

Signature Rum and Raisin Log Cake

M' Special Chempedak Log Cake

Chempedak is from the same family of fruits with jackfruit but they are not the same. The Chempedak Log Cake has a subtle fragrance that is unique to the fruit and light tasting.

fruit cake

See if you are able to spot the Spiced Mulled Wine with Pear, warmed in a a copper pot. Made of red wine and served warm. The usual mulling spices are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and maybe cardamon or star anise. Dried fruits or orange rind may be included as well. Tasted nicely sweet and warm.

Christmas Spiced Mulled Wine

Not only is the buffet priced so reasonably for Christmas Eve, diners will also be treated to a glass of champagne to accompany the buffet plus a chance to get lucky to win a M Suite stay worth $850++ with every $100 spent at all three food and beverage outlets (Café 2000, The Buffet and J Bar).

Thank you Malcolm and M Hotel for the invite and for hosting the dinner, and also to Chef Danny for the sumptuous buffet menu.

Café 2000 @ M Hotel

Location: 81 Anson Road, Singapore 079908
Website: http://www.millenniumhotels.com.sg/mhotelsingapore/dining-specials/christmas-promotion-at-m-hotel.html
Christmas and New Year's Eve Buffet Price: $55++ per adult (usual price @$75++) with valid reservation and full payment before 15 December 2015.
Contact: (+65) 6500 6112
Opening Hours: Daily, 6.30am - 11.00pm

Nara Japanese Restaurant 奈良 @ Goldhill Shopping Centre

Dropped by this place for lunch on one of those weekdays. Heard about their lunch sets and price ranges from $16+ to $20+. There are two menu which lists their set lunches. One is a regular while the other was more of a special menu for lunch.

in the restaurant

regular set lunch

Decided to go for the Nara Set Lunch (regular menu) of Tori Teriyaki Set. Colleagues decided to try their tempura set and the value-for-money set from the special menu. Green tea was complimentary. Had mine cold.

complimentary cold green tea

cute

The salad from the set was served first. Refreshing and necessary dose of greens. Upon finishing the salad, then only the mains arrived.

small salad (part of the teriyaki chicken set lunch)

Tori Teriyaki Set Lunch @$18++

The set include steamed egg custard (chawan mushi), grilled chicken cutlet with teriyaki sauce, steamed rice, miso soup and pickles. The chawan mushi was very healthy tasting with smooth steamd egg. Loved the pickles to bits. Steamed rice goes so well with pickles...

The tori teriyaki itself was a tad burnt and slightly dry but still flavourful.

The bento of others seemed to fare better. 

(from special/monthly menu) the pork set @$18++

soba set

And watermelon for desserts. Sweet.

fruits

Simple and fuss free lunch.

Nara Japanese Restaurant 奈良 @ Goldhill Shopping Centre

Location: 167 Thompson Road Goldhill Centre
Contact: 65 62566568
Reservation: http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/nara_japanese_restaurant_goldhill_centre/
Opening Hours:
Daily:
Lunch - 11:30 am - 2:30 pm (last order; 2.15 pm)
Dinner - 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm (last order; 10 pm )

Benjamin Browns @ Forum The Shopping Mall

This is one of those places where you will be able to find the over the top milkshakes. Wait. Is this still trending? Visited at about five in the evening on a weekend and there was a queue formed. Looks like it is still popular.

here for this

Likewise, we too would want to check out what the fuss was about. Ordered the Old School and the recommended Banana Nutella. Both cost $16++. Steep pricing for a milkshake, I feel.

Old School Over The Top Shakes

After seeing this, realization came that the stuffs that were piled onto this shake were those things from childhood era. That chocolate wafer, sugar gems, candy floss and that round wafer.. all nostalgic. Felt slightly strange to be scraping those chocolate fudge off the outerside of the jar. The heavy top tumbled off after a few minutes. Perhaps we had moved it around a tad too much?

Banana Nutella

The Banana Nutella had salty mini pretzels that contrasted with the sweet stuffs. Loaded with cream as well. Best part was the nuttella. In terms of the shake, liked the vanilla flavoured ones in Old School better than the banana flavoured ones in the latter.

Benjamin Browns @ Forum The Shopping Mall

Location: 583 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238884
Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 10am-9pm
Fri: 10am-10pm
Sat: 9am-10pm
Sun: 9am-9pm

Kok Sen Restaurant 國成球記餐室 @ Keong Saik Road

An old school eatery located at 30 Keong Saik Road. Nearby, is Potato Head Folk. Was there for dinner after visiting 4 cafes. What a feat! Was informed that Kok Sen only accept reservations for a party of 8 or more. Thus, we arrived early before 6pm on a Saturday, for a table. By then, it was already about 80% occupied.

like many before us, we were here

menu

Ordered their famous dishes and also the weekend special; The Golden Dragon Chicken. Service was brisk and chop-chop.

lime juice (with sour plum)

Food was served fairly quickly and almost all at once. Ordered all small portions for the dishes to be shared amongst five people. Actually, the small portions could have fed two pax comfortably as well.

Bittergourd Braised Pork Ribs with Black Bean sauce (苦瓜豉汁焖排骨) @$13

This dish may be comfort food for the older generations but it was our group's least favourite. The thick chunks of bittergourd were braised well and somewhat juicy but the pork ribs did not stand out. It certainly has that retro taste (古早味) to it.

Golden Dragon Chicken (脆皮金龙鸡) @$32

One of us called this dish, "Flat Chicken" which was quite true but the official name seemed more 'elegant'. Quite the misnomer as there wasn't any chicken meat in it saved for the head and wings. Underneath the thin chicken skin, was a layer of seafood paste. Deep fried to an appealing golden brown colour. Perhaps a squeeze of lemon would add some zing to this dish.

Had this back in Malaysia when I was a kid. Nowadays, not many restaurants are making this dish, yes?

sauces for the chicken

One of the star dishes for the night, was the humble yong tau foo. It was simple and delicious. Just the way all yong tau foos supposed to taste like. But the Chinese menu for this yong tau foo was named like a tongue-twister. Haha! Reasons why this dish was good. Firstly, it has the right-sized cut of the vegetables (read - good sized and not shrivelled). Most importantly, the seafood paste was bouncy and tasted like the real McCoy instead of those run-of-the-mill factory manufactured full-of-flour type.

Claypot Yong Tau Foo (巧手三宝煲) @$14

It just gets better. The big prawns hor fun did not dissappoint. Smooth velvety thick flat noodles with  the desired taste of wok-hei and wrapped in flavourful prawn stock. Yums! There were about maybe 6 halves of the big prawns in there. Liked the vegetables.

Big Prawns Hor Fun (大虾滑蛋河粉) @$16

Also tried the bee hoon soup. Was surprised by the spiciness of it! If not careful, one might get '呛到' (choked) by the sudden spice attack. The soup has depth, flavourful and tasted good. Slurp worthy.

Big Prawns Bee Hoon Soup (大虾粗米粉汤) @$16

Kok Sen's menu has 98 items on it, so plenty of dishes to choose from in accordance to your liking. One could eat up a feast here!

all together now - let's eat! 大家吃~

The place got really busy after 6:30pm with steady streams of diners coming in. Both shop lots were packed, including alfresco seats and those tables near the kitchen, were all occupied. Popular place for dinner.

The meal costs about $22 per pax. Must orders from the above selection include the Claypot Yong Tau Foo and the Big Prawn Hor Fun.  Enjoy!

Kok Sen Restaurant 

Location: 30 Keong Saik Road
Opening Hours: Daily 11:30am to 11:30pm
Contact: +65 62232005

The Waterfall Ristorante Italiano @ Shangri-La Hotel

Tucked somewhere amidst the Garden Wing of Shangri-La Hotel, you may just find yourself in a cosy Southern Italian trattoria serving the freshest ingredients and exquisite selection of wines. The place is  known as The Waterfall, and the man responsible for this transformation, is its Executive Chef Marco de Vincentis, a native of Naples. Naples is also considered as the birthplace of pizza.

Was invited to taste Chef Marco's Heirloom Signatures at The Waterfall with the good folks of HGW.

menu

cosy dining

The vibe was of ease and relaxation. Diners could choose to have their meal indoors or alfresco by the pool. Of course, smoking is not permitted in The Waterfall.

pool side dining

Walking into the restaurant, felt akin to walking into someone's kitchen. Guests would be greeted by the sight of the handmade pasta, and all the typical kitchen gadgets. Perhaps, our dinner components were prepared right here at these countertops?

pasta heaven

For wine lovers, The Waterfall has an extensive selection of wines and they might just have your favourite bottle. We know, because we found ours.

a Tuscany red

these glasses are made for drinking

Did you notice those barrels as you strolled into the restaurant? They are not just decorative, though it adds to the charm. In fact, those oak barrels contained Nero d'Avola, their house red. The black of Avola, is said to be the most important red wine grape in Sicily. [wiki]

Interestingly, the house red is served in the traditional ceramic Boccalino mugs, instead of the usual wine glass.

Sicilian Nero d'Avola from the oak barrel

Think I asked too many questions till the friendly (and probably amused) service staff, whom was pulling the wine for other guests, offered a small mug for a quick taste. Accepted with much thanks! Keke. The wine tasted mildly fruity and clean, and of warm berries. Nice as a starter.

Nero d'Avola served in cute Boccalini ceramic mug

Chef Marco took pride in explaining the items in our menu for today and we looked forward to his creations. Meanwhile, we started nibbling on the complimentary breads. Loved the balsamic and olive oil.

bread basket

For antipasto, we had the Insalata di Granchio Aranche e Finocchi (Crab Salad with Oranges and Fennel). It felt like a colourful summer dish that was refreshing to the taste buds. Very lightly dressed, tasted of tangy citrus, sweetness from the cherry tomatoes and cold crab, and that slight bitterness from the leaves.

Insalata di Granchio Aranche e Finocchi @$23++

Next, was the Primo (first) course of Spaghetti alla chitarra con Ragu' di Crostacei, served in a pan. The serving size was good for 2 pax.

Spaghetti alla chitarra con Ragu' di Crostacei @$29++

The handmade egg pasta was served with plenty of sauce, cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, shrimps, prawns and lemon. Subtle taste that was more of tomato sweetness and with just a hint of seafood goodness.

Next, the main course was the Spigola all'acqua pazza. A Neopolitan-style seabass with cherry tomato, olive, capers, wine and parsley. The flavours of this dish was good, somewhat similar to asian-styled steamed fish until that bite of olive came through. The fish was done perfectly, retained its moist texture with some lovely fish oil to taste. I think the carrots were lovely too.

Spigola all'acqua pazza @$36++

lovely seabass

The final main course was a dish that we waited quite a fair bit for. Somethings are worth waiting for, and this may be one of those things. Roasted lamb rack, served with potatoes, thyme and sautéed vegetables.

Agnello Arrosto con Timo e Patate @$36++

The meat was easy to slice through, with an attractive pink center. It was a joy to bite into these morsels as the smokey flavour of the grill swept through the palate. The texture was gentle. Mellow wine and good meat, that would be a good way to enjoy a pre-holiday evening.

hard to resist

Indeed, Chef Marco had expertly transformed the fresh produce and allowing them to shine into beautiful flavours.

Alas, all good things will come to an end. Thus, we bade our farewells but not before we had the sharing platter for desserts that was beautifully plated.

The pannacotta looking item was the Biancomangiare or almond pudding. Chef Marco added a hint of orange blossom water to this nicely wobbly dessert.

Desserts - Sharing Platter - Biancomangiare N @$12++

Desserts - Sharing Platter - Tiramisu A @$15++

Desserts Sharing Platter - Ricotta @$15++

Profiteroles N @$15++

My personal favourite would be the simple Ricotta. Cheese cake made from Puglia region's fresh ricotta cheese. Paired with a cup of bitter coffee. Hmmm.

coffee to end the night

Thank you to Wen Xian and Shangri-La for hosting the dinner, and the HGW team for the invite. Once again, thank you to Chef Marco and to the friendly service crew at The Waterfall.

The Waterfall Ristorante Italiano Shangri-La Hotel

Location: Level 1, Garden Wing, 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350
Website:  http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/waterfall/
Contact: (65) 6213 4138/ 4398

Reservation: https://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/waterfall/book-a-table/

Operating Hours:
Breakfast
6.30am - 11am

Light Snacks
11am - 12noon
3pm - 6pm

Lunch
12noon - 3pm

Dinner
6pm - 10.30pm