[Staycation] The Pacific Room Experience @ Pan Pacific Singapore (Pre-HA)

Booked direct via hotel website about a month in advance. Then, only to discover that Amex had an ongoing promotion for rebate of $60 for $300 and above spending under the Pan Pacific hotel group. However, not applicable for online payment. Darn.

Never mind, since can't be helped. The room rate was the best, in comparison with Agoda, Bookings.com etc. Non-refundable though.

Was given the 12.30pm check-in timing, and there was a queue at the general reception counter, manned by two staff. My line was pretty slow, and after 10 minutes, the concierge started to reallocate the guests to other counters on the inside. Alas, there was just another person in-front of me, yet had to wait another 10 minutes till I was moved to another counter.

Nevertheless, Crizel at the counter was friendly and I got my room key cards without any hassle. She wished me an advance birthday too. Lovely, for noticing.

Was pretty excited to see the room, as this is my first time staying in a luxury hotel, and where its lounge access is touted as one of the best in Singapore.

lift, going up

Loved the transparent lift as one could enjoy the outside sceneries while moving up. Was given a room at Level 33, so quite happy with this arrangement.

lift lobby at Level 33

knock, knock

Pacific Room with King Bed 38sqm (409sq-ft)

welcome message on-screen

view rom room

spacious workdesk

I love Nespresso

As I opened the cabinets next to the bed, discovered the wine glasses and the space where the kettle and instant coffee is stored. Nice. TWG tea in abundance too. Lovely.

more coffee and tea

instant coffee

glasses for your needs

complimentary non-alcoholic drinks

plenty of bottled water

The King-sized bed was lovely but I do think the bed is positioned a tad higher than other hotels as I needed to 'climb' up the bed. I'm 1.58m.

The bathroom is spacious and there's a bath tub with bath salt provided. Nice. Plenty of towels too.

bathroom

toilet

shower

I think this was my first time seeing such a contraption in the shower of a hotel. The many many nozzles that  looked like it could be for massaging effect? Tried to turn it on but only the lower two nozzles had water coming out of it. Interesting but it took up quite a bit of space in there.

toiletries

pretty in white

bath salt provided

Soaking in the bath tub was rather nice and relaxing. Size of the tub is good.

Was informed during check-in that the room will not be cleaned on a daily basis unless guests requested for it by phone call, on the day that the room requires cleaning.

To view the in-room dining menu, one could do it from the TV or via the app to 'converse' with Mika, the hotel Digital Concierge.

Mika - Digital Concierge

The Pacific Room comes with Champagne Breakfast (served at The Edge), Afternoon Tea and Evening Cocktail (served at Level 38 Pacific Club Lounge).

probably the face after all the dining and wining

Benefits for Pacific Club Room Guests

Let's explore the Afternoon Tea experience at Pacific Club Lounge here.

Take a look at the Pacific Club Lounge Evening Cocktails selection here.

How about Champagne Breakfast at The Edge? Take a look here.

[Island-Wide Delivery] Birds Of A Feather Amoy Street

It is really convenient to have delicious food from Birds of a Feather delivered to the doorstep. Placed an order via https://www.birdsofafeather.com.sg/en_SG/ the night before, and received confirmation within the next hour. Free delivery for orders above $50 during this Heightened Alert (HA) period.

The only headache was which food to choose so that it will survive the travelling all the way to Choa Chu Kang.

But, my must-order is non-negotiable. If you had read my posting before, then you'd know which one. Chose for it to be delivered around 1 to 1.15pm and it arrived, quite punctually. Thank you to the uncle who brought the food over.

nicely packed

For the Signature Braised Beef Noodle, while the soup was packed separately from the noodles, it was unfortunate that the noodles had clumped together after the long journey.

Signature Braised Beef Noodle (mixed soup) @$14.90+

Braised Pig Intestines 冒肥肠@$5.50+

Had chosen the mixed soup, which tasted mild with a touch of spice. Loved the tender beef chunks. Top-up for the braised intestines but it wasn't as soft as I liked. Nevertheless, still enjoyable and go for the beef.

Sea Prawn Garlic Oil @ $ 20 +

I read the ingredients before ordering the Sea Prawn Aglio Olio. It stated "Garlic, chilli padi, white wine, fresh herbs, extra virgin oil, fried garlic crumble."  Now, that didn't sound like it was going to be that spicy, right? Wrong! Hahaa!

While the level of spiciness was more than expected, as predicted, the pasta dish travelled well. Presentation looked good when delivered. There were 5 pieces of good-sized prawns that were cooked just nice. Crunchy, in fact.

spicy shioks

Not forgetting, my favourite tongue numbing snack. I called dibs. Ok, but being the good sibling that I am, I ate half of everything except the beef noodles (my bro can have more of that because it was the least spicy amongst the 3! Sollie~)

Find The Chicken in the Chilis 辣子鸡 @$16+

Yummy

And of course, there's dessert. Guess what I ordered.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake by Chef Pang 巴斯克烧芝士蛋糕 @$7+

The cheese cake was nice but not molten as others. Liked that it was not too sweet.

see you guys soon!

Birds of a Feather

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

FB: https://www.facebook.com/birdsofafeathersg

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

Contact: 6221 7449

Rubato - Italian Kitchen & Bar @ 12 Greenwood Ave

I remembered being here before, and I was right! But that was a long time ago with Cherlyn. Back then, she was my wine buddy. Now 2021, am here again with the wine gang on a Friday night.

back here, after 7 years

In 2021, still seated at alfresco area. Deja-vu. Reservation was definitely necessary on Friday evenings. The place was a tad chaotic, with a few people waiting at its door, for the hostess to be avail. Staff are friendly but they have pre-assigned tasks.

It was a short 15 minutes wait, before we were assigned a table. This is a place with sparkling or still, so sparkling it shall be.

Ferrarelle 750ml @$3.90++

World's US Finest Oysters @$57.60++

Let's start with fresh oysters, and can't say no to that! We got a dozen to share amongst the 5 of us. That worked out to be $4.80++ per piece. Plump, briny and creamy.

closer look

Terre Gaie Prosecco DOC @$66++

We had Prosecco with the fresh oysters. The house curated Prosecco bottle price is reasonable.

cheers!

Lovely start. Ivan recommended the "Gift from the Angels" (cold angel hair pasta with scallops and truffle oil) and when asked if would like to top it with uni (sea urchin), the answer was yes. We do atas that night.

Cold Angel Hair Pasta @$88++

It was really good. Perfect harmony and so tasty. Would we care for more? Why, yes! And, we ordered one more when Bernice arrived. Am opined to think that this is one of those things to eat before we die, if one could afford it.

Come to think of it, we started with seafood so let's move on to meat. We gonna have chicken and tenderloin to satisfy the meatatarian in us.

The chicken was nice and pleasant, and the sauce was a tad spicy. Not sure what's in there, but pretty good combo with the cauliflower.

Chicken alla Diavola @$28.60++

Tenderloin @$44.60++

The doneness of the steak was incorrect initially, and we informed the staff. Service recovery was fast, and a new plate was brought for us without a fuss.

Tenderloin - medium rare

Time flies when you're having fun, and soon, it was time for dessert. "How about some gelato or sorbet?"

chocolate and pistachio gelato, mango sorbet

My favourite was the pistachio gelato. But it melted too fast! Keke, no worries 'coz am gonna have an affagato all by myself. Yay!

Affogato with vanilla ice-cream @$9.90++

But that's not all, there's more! The chocolate fondant took quite a while to arrive, and we got a complimentary pistachio gelato. Wow, that's a nice gesture. It warmed our hearts.

Chocolate Fondant @$14.90++

"Do you think it'd flow?"

Lovely meet up with Elle, Hoong Ann, B and Ivan. Thank you Ivan for arranging the dinner! 

RUBATO - Italian Kitchen & Bar

Address: 12 Greenwood Ave, Singapore 289204

Website: https://www.rubato.com.sg/

Contact: 6252 3200

Business Hours:

Daily: 10am–2am

[Tasting] Brand New Dining Experience @ Grissini Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

Grissini by night, transforms into a cosy, romantic place. Lovely flower decor on the table too. Was invited to try the Grissini Menu Degustazione , curated by new Head Chef Kenny Huang.

The menu is available at $128++ per pax, and likely to be refreshed on a quarterly basis.

cosy ambiance

you know it's fine dining by the number of cutleries laid out

While waiting for the meal to start proper, we could munch on the super crunchy Grissini breadsticks, or enjoy the soft sundried tomato bun or focaccia. I liked the soft bun with the tasty olive oil.

bread, baked inhouse

AMUSE BOUCHE

amuse bouche of prosciutto con tartufo e mascarpone and roselle pomodorino

Hmm, must have been too engrossed and must had misheard the sequence of which to eat first. Hence, I tried the prosciutto con tartufo first. Strong truffle savoury taste. Chased that with a pop of roselle pomodorino. Oooh, tasted sweet with hint of sour plum.

Appetite opened, and ready for more!

GAMBERO DI MAZARA

Paired with Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Reims Champagne France NV.

cheers to friendship with Ruinart Blanc de Blanc

Gambero Di Mazara

The Italian Mazara red prawn, comes from the waters around Mazara del Vallo, a small town on the south-western coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea.

For the Gambero Di Mazara dish, one could devour the head as Chef had cleaned it, coated it with semolina flour and deep fried till crunchy. Love the bright colour of the green pea puree. That squid ink cracker was so good. Umami with a crunch. The prawn itself was very tasty with savoury sweet briny taste.

Having this with Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, was a luxury I didn't know I needed. The wine was smooth, creamy with a touch of honey.

RISOTTO CON FEGATO GRASSO

Risotto Con Fegato Grasso

Oh my! Risotto with foie gras. If that doesn't scream rich, how about adding a 24K gold leaf onto the foie gras? Well, this dish has it all!

I thought I had tasted enough risotto but this one, was an eye-opener, or rather, tastebud opener! That first spoonful without the foie gras was already so, so good. 

golden

With the foie gras, it was pure decadence.

Capon consomme, white truffle oil, sweet onion confit melded so well together. Kudos to Chef Kenny and team. This is now my current favourite risotto.

TORTELLI DI ZUCCA

Paired with Marques de Caceres Gran Reserva DOC Rioja Spain RV

Tortelli Di Zucca

Truth be told, I was starting to feel full midway through the risotto. But finished all, because it was just too good. Next, was this tiny parcels of bright yellow tortelli. This dish is only available via the Degustation Menu.

Marques de Caceres Gran Reserva DOC Rioja Spain RV

handmade tortelli, butternut squash, parmesan fondue

So easy to pop these into the mouth. Loved the burst of gentle sweetness from the butternut squash, and countered by that salty-crunchy cheese. Then, complement it with the deliciously red Marques de Caceres Grand Reserva.

YUZU SORBETTO

yuzu sorbet with champagne konnyaku, lemon confit

Palate cleanser of refreshingly sweet yuzu sorbet.

For the main course, one could choose either the fish or the beef. I went for the A4 Wagyu but that bite of Branzino, almost had me converted. Almost.

Farina Amarone Classico della Valpolicella DOCG Veneto Italy RV

BRANZINO

Paired with Farina Amarone Classico della Valpolicella DOCG Veneto Italy RV

Branzino - European seabass, wild mushrooms, spinach and thyme jus

A4 WAGYU

Paired with Farina Amarone Classico della Valpolicella DOCG Veneto Italy RV

A4 Wagyu, purple artichoke, celeriac puree, veal bone marrow jus

The seabass has a crispy skin that tasted of fish oil, which I liked. Lovely. A4 Wagyu was good as expected. Amarone wine was full bodied, juicy and tasted of cherries and spicy hints.

FRAGOLE ALL'ACETO BALSAMICO

Paired with Huber Riesling Eiswein Traisental Austria 2018

dessert - lavender gelato, strawberries, aged balsamic, rumble

Huber Riesling Eiswein Traisental Austria 2018

It was a lovely dinner. I had enjoyed all dishes and all glasses of wine that night. Food portion was good and the wines complemented the dishes. Kudos to Chef Kenny, Sommelier Uzair Yaacob, and team. 

Petit Four, cr to handmodel

mini treats

Degustation Menu at $128++ per pax, and top up $70++ for wine pairing.

Thank you Ziqing for the invite, special thanks to Chef Kenny and Uzair for sharing so much with us and Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Grissini for hosting the dinner.

Grissini

Address: G/F Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, 392 Havelock Rd, 169663

Website: http://celebrateatgcw.com/grissini

Contact: 8168 1539 or email: dining.gcw@millenniumhotels.com

Business Hours:

Lunch: 12pm to 2.30pm (last order at 2pm)

Dinner: 6pm to 10pm (last order at 9.30pm)