Come celebrate the Lunar New Year at Amara Tanjong Pagar. Enjoy festive Royal Set Meals from Silk Road, where their team of chefs from different regions of China are ready to whip up auspicious and tasty dishes during from 21 Jan to 19 Feb 2019, and for reunion dinner. Call +65 6227 3848 for more details.
On 5 Feb 2019 morning (11.38 am), there will be lion dance performance so come on down with your loved ones to enjoy an energetic show to usher in the New Year.
roaring for Lunar New Year~
Was invited to sample selected dishes from Silk Road's Abundant Spring or Opulent Spring Set. To begin, we did the 捞鱼生 (lou hei) to toss for a year of abundance. Abundance of wisdom, good health and good fortune! Huat ah!
Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng 大吉大利 三文鱼鱼生
let's toss to good fortune and good health!
The spicy sauce for the Yee Sang at Amara gave a stronger flavour to the salad and an interesting change from the typical sweet plum sauce.
yee sang
The Braised Pumpkin Soup with Superior Fish Maw was sweet, smooth and flavourful yet light on the palate. Loved it.
Braised Pumpkin Soup with Superior Fish Maw 招财进宝 金瓜鱼鳔羹
lovely soup
And I heard that there is a tradition where Chinese eats dumpling on Lunar New Year. Dumplings signify wealth. Let's eat alot of these! The dumplings had minced meat fillings and tasted good with black vinegar.
饺子 (dumplings)
dumplings with vinegar and fried garlic
Soy Baked Sea Perch with Spinach in Bonito Sauce 年年有余 日式焗鲈鱼 (from Opulent Spring Set)
Gosh, if you see the Soy Baked Sea Perch on the menu, please do not hesitate to order it. We had a sampling of it, and it was fantastic. A very good fish with texture that is similar to cod but firmer. Put a piece in the mouth and when you start to chew, there were bursts of delicious fish oils. Lovely.
delicious piece
Besides the celebratory dishes, we also sampled some of the dishes from Silk Road's ala-carte menu such as the Traditional Beijing Roasted Duck, Braised Pork Ribs in Black Beer and Lap Mei Fan (Fragrant Rice with Chinese Sausage and Mushrooms).
Traditional Beijing Roasted Duck 传统 北京烤鸭
The chefs worked like clockwork in preparing the Beijing Roasted Duck. Slicing it efficiently, and placing it neatly on the plate before the next person moves to place it onto the crepe that has been brushed with sweet bean sauce and garnished with spring onions and cucumber.
slicing it up
Beijing Roasted Duck crepe
Braised Pork Ribs in Black Beer
We ended our main course of Lap Mei Fan (腊味饭 ) and Chef ordered a side of 辣子雞 (laziji or spicy chicken), a famed Sichuan dish. First time having the spicy chicken and it was so shiok!
Fragrant Rice with Chinese Sausage and Mushroom 腊味饭
辣子雞 (spicy chicken)
The spicy chicken will sting at first and there'd be a slow burn that gets worse, before it cools off. Best part, it tasted of peppercorn hence we get the 麻辣 (mala) with a tinge of numbing effect. Eat one piece at a time and enjoy it with a glass of juicy red wine. Yummy.
For the sweet treats this year, Amara is showcasing beautiful cakes befitting the occasion. The Cherry Blossom Sugee cake was captivating with the 3D flowers. We heard that the Gold Ingot Fruit Cake is very popular for this season, hence do order early if you would like to get your hands on one. There is a 20% off festive goodies for selected cards. Please enquire directly from the hotel.
Cherry Blossom Sugee Cake
Gold Ingot Fruit Cake
Cheesecake
Lychee cake
assorted
poached pear
My favourite dessert would be the cheesecake. It was not too rich, yet it was 'enough' to satisfy some cravings.
Thank you Lindy for the invite, Chef Charles for your insights and Amara Hotel for hosting the dinner. Keep up the good work!
For enquiries, please call +65 6879 2607 or email fnb.sg@amarahotels.com
As one gets busy in de-cluttering and re-organizing our homes in time for the lunar new year celebrations, there will be a need for a comfortable and fuss-free environment to dine (after all the work is done, of course).
Ellenborough Market Café at Swissôtel Merchant Court has prepared a Prosperity Buffet for us. Enjoy a toss to good health, prosperity and happiness with their DIY Yu Sheng to celebrate new beginnings in the Year of the Boar.
dine in comfort
let there be an abundance of good tidings
higher~ better~
The Prosperity Smoked Salmon Yu Sheng is available for takeaway at $68 for a 10 pax portion. Kurobuta or Abalone yu sheng are available as well at $88 and $98, respectively for takeaways. I like how the sauce for the yu sheng was just right.
Prosperity Smoked Kurobuta Pork Yu Sheng
For something soothing to warm the tummy, we had the Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Cordycep Flower and Sliced Abalone. Feels nourished just by looking at the name of the dish. The soup was light, flavourful and had a homely feel to it.
Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Cordycep Flower and Sliced Abalone
tasty ingredients
For fans of roast, be delighted by the Chinese Roast Combination Platter; Roast Chicken, Roast Duck and Roast Pork and served with a side of prawn crackers. Nostalgic feels. Roast pork (烧肉) should really be served in this thick cut manner. Only in this way, one could get that firm bite which oozes natural juice from the meat and that satisfying crunch from the crackling skin. 爽 (pleasurable).
Chinese Roast Combination Platter
For our elderly who may prefer something lighter, I would recommend their Steamed Garoupa "Teochew Style". Oh so tender sweet flesh from the garoupa steamed just to the right texture. Sauce was so yums. Now give me that bowl of fragrant steamed white rice.
Steamed Garoupa "Teochew Style"
Another definitive or auspicious dish for Lunar New Year, would be the Braised Dried Oyster with Black Moss (蠔豉髮菜). Those braised dried oysters were full of umami and such a plump one.
Braised Dried Oyster with Black Moss in Tianjin Cabbage
mine
Braised Buddha's Temptation Claypot
To luxe up the quotient, one could also order the Braised Buddha's Temptation Claypot for $428 (takeway). Light savoury broth, with overflowing of precious ingredients such as sea cucumber, scallops, abalone and prawns. Don't forget to aim for the vegetable in the pot as these have been thoroughly infused with the essence of all the ingredients. One vege to bind them all!
come to me now
For dessert, the steamed nian gao in grated coconut and the orange pound cake would be befitting to the theme.
steamed nian gao with grated coconut
so life-like, and these are mochi and can be eaten~
orange pound cake
Of course, not forgetting Ellenborough Market Café's famed dessert, the durian pengat as finale to any meal there.
Durian Pengat, in a cone
Thank you Ms Jennifer Yeo for the invite and Ellenborough Market Café Swissôtel Merchant Court for hosting the dinner. Thank you Executive Chef Louis Tay and team for preparing the feast for us.
May 2019 brings us happiness and good health.
Prosperity Buffet at Ellenborough Market Café
Address: 20 Merchant Rd, Singapore 058281
Contact: 6239 1847/1848 or dining.merchantcourt@swissotel.com
Buffet Lunch:
S$68++ (adult) S$34++ (child)
Buffet Dinner
S$88++ (adult) S$44++ (child)
(Individual table will get a plate of Salmon Yu Sheng on Lunar New Year eve, 4 February 2019).
Weekend Buffet High Tea
S$48++ (adult) S$24++ (child)
Prosperity Takeaway Treats
18 January to 19 February 2019
Early Bird Offer: Enjoy 20% discount for orders made before 31 January 2019
With Lunar New Year just round the corner, are we ready for it? Who still does the cooking for the reunion dinner? Let's see a show of hands. Perhaps most still do, and likely steamboat would be the preferred style. If you are considering of eating out, let's see what Grand Copthorne Waterfront's Food Capital has in mind for their diners.
Spring is here!
Was invited for a preview of Food Capital's Lunar New Year buffet spread. Helmed by Executive Chef David Toh, he and his team will be presenting a heartwarming feast for diners to enjoy during this festive season.
Besides the popular items such as seafood on ice, tempura and sashimi, one could enjoy special CNY dishes such as bountiful treasures pen cai, fish maw and seafood soup, braised fatt choy, dried oysters, lotus roots and chinese mushrooms, stewed pork trotters, drunken herbal prawns, signature char siew marinated whole baby lamb, and crystal tang yuan amongst others.
For an auspicious start, let's begin with a prosperity and fun toss of Fa Cai Yu Sheng 发财鱼生 . As 2019 is the Year of the Boar, the yusheng was in this likeness, albeit a cute version of it. One could choose to add on as à la carte order while dining at Food Capital or enjoy it as a takeaway.
Fa Cai Yu Sheng 发财鱼生
财源广进~
huat ah~
As the saying goes, if you manage to 'kiap' slices of raw fish from the plate, it means you'd be lucky for the rest of the year. To ensure our continuous good fortune, there is nothing to stop us from topping up the yusheng plate with more salmon from the sashimi counter. Yay to buffet!
yusheng 鱼生
年年有鱼
seafood on ice
For something hot to warm the tummy, do try the fish maw and seafood soup. Flavourful, silky smooth and with shreds of dried scallops and crab meat in it. Yums!
Fish Maw and Seafood Soup
silky, umami
For fans of the popular baked oysters, it is available for the buffet for this Lunar New Year. From our past experience, this is one of the popular item where the oysters get taken very very quickly and there is a wait time for the next batch.
baked oysters
Prosperity Crispy Whole Seabass with Sweet and Sour Sauce
The char siew marinated whole baby lamb was interesting. The meat texture was almost like a chewier, firmer version of kurobuta collar.
Also look out for delicious treats from the starters line-up, where one could get Japanese baby squid that has great light crunchy texture.
starters
has abalone texture with sesame dressing
Also tried the mala crawfish and drunken herbal prawns. The mala was pretty spicy and I adore the herbal broth of the prawns.
The highlight of the night would have to be the impressive bountiful treasures pen cai. Everyone went ooohs and aahhhs when the pen cai in the 1m wok was brought in. Its layer consist of 娃娃菜 (wawa cai), mushrooms, braised dried oysters, dried scallops working its way upwards with sea cucumber, beancurd skin, roasted duck, roasted pork, roasted chicken, abalone, big head prawns and fa cai (black moss). The pen cai will be available for the Lunar New Year buffet at Food Capital, albeit with some modifications in the presentation for buffet line.
盆菜 (pen cai)
Leave some stomach space for the dessert as Chef David has a few surprises for us. My favourites are the sweet citrus fruit jelly in the shape of a fish, and the crystal tang yuan. Have the cold dessert first then the hot ones.
Here's a glimpse of the dessert spread:
refreshingly sweet citrus jelly
so pretty
kueh
crystal tang yuan 水晶汤圆
The crystal dumpling was rather mesmerizing to look at. It has the ginger base soup served warm and the insides of the dumpling could be sweet potato (purple dumpling), and black sesame (yellow dumpling).
It was a full-filling dinner, and great to have celebrated an early Lunar New Year with friends at Grand Copthorne Waterfront.
Thank you Gilbert for the invite, team Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore for hosting the event and Chef David Toh and team for the abundance of good food.
Early Bird Discount for Lunar New Year Eve
Reunion Buffet Dinner and Fa Cai Yu Sheng Takeaway 30% discount (Reserve by 20 January 2019) 20% discount (Reserve by 3 February 2019)
28 January to 20 February 2019
Lunar New Year Festive Buffet Lunch
Monday to Friday Saturday and Sunday
Adult: $66++ Adult: $66.60++
Lunar New Year Festive Buffet Dinner
(excluding 4 February 2019)
Monday to Sunday
Adult: $88++
4 February 2019
Lunar New Year Eve Reunion Buffet Dinner
Adult: $98++/ $138++ (includes free flow of
bubbly, house wines, soft drinks and juices)
Note: please refer to hotel's website for latest updates
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