[Media Invite] ilLido at The Cliff @ Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort

IlLido is a romantic place and a destination restaurant where one brings their loved ones for a quiet or a celebratory meal. On our night of visit, there were two tables celebrating birthday.

This meal was an invited tasting session to preview the White Asparagus menu as well as some of the signature dishes of IlLido. Helmed by Chef de Cuisine, Simone  Fraternali, we enjoyed the refreshing plates of summer and was wooed by the satisfyimg outcome of complex cooking in the signature dishes.

towards IlLido

The White Asparagus Dinner Menu is available from 8 June to 30 July 2017. Reservations can be made via Hungrygowhere website at a promotional rate of $88++ for a 3-course set dinner menu ($128++ with 2 glasses wine pairing). 4-course set dinner is priced at $98++ ($138++ with 2 glasses wine pairing).

let's start with a white

White Asparagus Dinner Menu

Starters

Baked White Asparagus with Egg Milanese and Veal Jus @$30++

The white asparagus was refreshingly crisp and sweet. The egg milanese was wonderfully done with crunchy crumbed exterior and a soft runny center when sliced. The shaved white truffles added an earthy scent to the nux.


The other option in the starters would be White Asparagus with Lobster Knuckles and Amalfi Lemon Hollandaise. It was beautifully plated.

White Asparagus with Lobster Knuckles and Amalfi Lemon Hollandaise@$32++

Pasta

Truffle Parmigiano Filled Gnocchi with White Asparagus and Carbonara @$36++

Was surprised by the gnocchi. Never have I seen a gnocchi of such a jumbo size, nor of this colour. Chef Simone revealed that this was using purple potatoes and hence, the vibrant colour. Lovely plate. The gnocchi was mochi-like with its soft chewiness and the flavours of the truffle parmigiano was wonderfully enticing. One of my personal favourites.

Main Course

Beef Tenderloin with Foie Gras, Marsala and White Asparagus@$46++

The beef tenderloin has a delicate flavour. Meat was tender and retained its beefy taste. The jus was fantastic as it had been reduced with an intensified beef stock and marsala wine flavours. Foie gras was expertly executed and one could savour the rich and creamy texture of the liver.

The other option for main course would be the Smoked Octopus with White Asparagus, Beluga Lentils and Saffron.

Dessert

Vanilla and Orange Crème Brulée with White Asparagus Gelato @$20++

Ever heard of asparagus gelato? Never? Well, here is a chance to have a taste of this exquisite flavour from now till 30 July 2017. It was really good. The asparagus flavour stood out when you first placed it on your tongue but the orange creme brulee has such a strong presence that one couldn't help but to smile upon tasting it. Lovely dessert. All that glittered, was indeed gold.

To make your reservations via Hungrygowhere Hungry Deals, click here. The White Asparagus Set Dinner menu is available from 8 June to 30 July 2017 6pm to 10pm.

What about ilLido's ala-carte menu? Let's see what Chef Simone has up his sleeves for the signature dishes.

menu

While one makes important decisions in life, such as deciding what to have for dinner, the friendly staff will present to you the bread basket to munch on.

bread basket, balsamic and olive oil

Ala-Carte Menu

Antipasti

Hokkaido Scallop Crudo with Tuna Tartare and Sweet Peas @$30++

Grilled Octopus with Confit Tomatoes and Potato Cream @$29++

Pan Roasted Foie Gras with Raspberries and Duck Jus @$30++

The starters were good. For something light, the scallop with tuna tartare or the grilled octopus would be a good choice. The octopus was amazingly tender and those mashed was so smooth and velvety good. The foie gras was rich and decadent! Strong flavours here.

Pasta & Risotto

Tagliolini with Hokkaido Scallops and Bottarga @$38++

Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Lobster, Cherry Tomatoes and Tarragon @$42++

Pappardelle with Iberico Pork Ragout and Guanciale @$34++

The Tagliolini with Hokkaido Scallops and Bottarga has the lightest flavours, followed by the slghtly creamy Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Lobster, Cherry Tomatoes and Tarragon. Personally, preferred the Pappardelle with Iberico Pork Ragout and Guanciale for its stronger flavours.

Mains

Pan Roasted Seabass with Romanesco and Basil Sauce @$38++

Black Cod with Caramelized Celeriac and Lemon Capers @$48++

Guinea Fowl with Foie Gras and Black Truffle @$45++

For the mains, the Black Cod with Caramelized Celeriac and Lemon Capers seemed to be the favourite for its smooth and luscious flesh. For me, my favourite mains was the Guinea Fowl with Foie Gras and Black Truffle. Chef Simone revealed that this too, is one of his favourite dish. Not surprisingly, since it takes quite an effort to prepare. The breast of the guinea fowl was sous-vide while another part of the meat was confit. The heirloom carrots were caramelized with honey, while the bones were cooked and its jus reduced. Two days of prep-work before we get to enjoy this exquisite dish.

Dessert

ilLido Tiramisu @$18++

White Chocolate, Raspberry and Lemon Tart @$18++

Jamaican Pepper and Chocolate Mousse with Strawberries and Rum @$18++

All dessert are priced at $18++ and while everything were good, my personal preference would be the Jamaican Pepper and Chocolate Mousse with Strawberries and Rum. The rich yet not to sweet chocolate, that undeniably luxurious looking gold flakes shimmering lightly on the cake, that tiny tiny hint of pepper and the roasted strawberries...those were love.

ilLido is a nice place to bring your special someone.

Thank you HGW for the invite, and special thanks to Chef Simone Fraterneli and team, Rhynn and Sheena and Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort for the hospitality.

[Media Invite] WANNA CUPPA @ 15 New Bridge Road (Opposite Clarke Quay The Central)

Wanna Cuppa has launched a new menu and we sampled a few. There are a couple of promotions available at the moment and one of them being 10% off ala-carte items (except nibbles, drinks and desserts). Do enquire with the service staff prior to placing your order. At the moment, the new lunch sets comes with free homemade soup! Now, isn't that another added reason to go and try?

promotion board

If your'e a salad person, then the Zesty Seafood Salad may be just the dish that you'll be looking for. Grilled calamari and prawns place prominently on a green bed of mescluns and onion rings, and scattered with some olives, grapefruit and cherry tomatoes. The balsamic dressing was thicker than expected. Appetising nonetheless. Toss it well to enjoy. Citrusy, tangy and refreshing. The amount of seafood was good too!

Zesty Seafood Salad @$17.90

If you're not a fan of seafood salad, then there are other options such as the Big V Salad (vegetarian) or the BESS Salad (bacon strips, egg, smoked salmon, spinach, capers, bell peppers and mesclun).

For appetisers, we tried the enoki mushroom fries served with wasabi mayo. This was one dish that need to be eaten right out of the fryer to enjoy the crisp batter.

Enoki Mushroom Fries @$11.90

For mains, let's share some pasta. I had fond memories of their Pesto Pasta. The new menu boasts of new pasta dishes such as the Grilled Ebi Miso Pasta and the Clams Vongole.

Grilled Ebi Miso Pasta @$17.90

Both the pasta dishes managed to deliver. The Grilled Ebi Miso has an interesting green component of brussels sprouts. Toss it, and the well coated noodles were rather tasty. The miso sauce provided the savoury component to the dish and overall, it felt like an aglio olio. If you prefer the Ebi Miso pasta to be spicy, please indicate so when you are ordering. I think I might just order a spicy one the next time.

Or, enjoy the comfortable level of spiciness in Clams Vongole. Actually, wasn't expecting a spicy Clams Vongole so this was a surprise. On the other hand, the menu did actually indicated this dish with a 'S'. That was to let diners know that it would be spicy. Hahaa, didn't read properly! Liked that the clams were still flavourful. The white wine sauce was adequate and pretty umami'sh.

Clams Vongole @$20.90

Was informed that the Truffle Butter Spaghetti hits all the right spots for flavour. If you have tried it, do share your thoughts on the dish. Would love to hear from you.

Are you a meatatarian too? I like my meat and the Oriental Wings (8 pieces for $15.90) seemed like something that I would like. Unfortunately, it wasnt available that night.

The Grilled Pork Chop is served with sweet potato fries and a side of tropical fruits with mint salsa. We got green apple cubes that night and it tasted like pickled green apples in spicy mint sauce. Pretty good.

Grilled Pork Chop @$23.90

I like meat

What comes to mind when you see a dish called "Seafarer's Seafood Platter"? My mind conjured up mostly fried items. Hence, I was pleasantly surprised to see grilled seafood and some greens on the platter. This platter could be shared by 2 pax.  About 4 pieces of battered fishlings, handful of clams, grilled prawns and squids and mesclun. The clams were non-spicy.

Seafarer's Seafood Platter @$27.90

Wanna Cuppa serves Alska cider, and those were one of the tastiest cider that I've tasted thus far. Otherwise, there's also coffee/tea and dessert.

Thank you Kris for the invite and Jeanette for hosting the tasting.

[Media Invite] Wan He Lou 萬合樓 @ 65 Maude Road (Jalan Besar)

If you are at Maude Road area during any non-PH weekday lunch time, do pop by Wan He Lou to enjoy their set lunches, reasonably priced at $12.80. Comfortable air-conditioned dining, full service from its friendly staff and for that price, you'll get a main course with a small appetiser, a tall drink and a dessert.

interior

Currently, there are three options to choose from; Black Truffle Pork Chop Rice, Seafood Pasta with Whole Abalone and Langoustine Bee Hoon.

Wan He Lou Set Lunch @$12.80

The Black Truffle Pork Chop rice was my favourite. The meat was well marinated and so tasty. Best eaten with rice. The deep fried spring roll appetiser was good and the accompanying chili sauce drizzled on it was powerful. Too bad we couldn't have more of that powerful spicy sweet chili sauce! The ice-lemon tea was such a tall drink that I doubt anyone would feel thirsty after. The dessert was either guava jelly or passion fruit jelly. The flavour was really intense but it could do with less sweet.

Black Truffle Pork Chop Rice

Langoustine Bee Hoon

Seafood Pasta with Whole Abalone

set lunch dessert - guava/passionfruit jelly

But did you know that Wan He Lou has an award winning Chef who is known for his Lobster Porridge? Chef Lau Siaw Dee's Signature Lobster Porridge had won the top prize at a culinary event which was part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Now, we get to have a taste of it at Wan He Lou.

Signature Lobster Porridge @$31.90 onwards

The porridge is done in Teochew style, where one could still see the grains. The rice managed to absorb the essence of the broth and such, every spoonful of the porridge was flavourful.

The restaurant also had a crowd's favourite snack, in the form of Crispy Lotus with Salted Egg. This is an appetiser which one could order while waiting for the mains. Lotus root sliced so thinly and coated with the deliciously wicked salted egg yolk. Quite shiok. Just wished that they have a spicy version of this.

Crispy Lotus with Salted Egg @$11.90 (S)/$19.90 (M)

Wan He Lou does its meat dishes pretty well. The Pan Fried Kurobuta Pork was tasty, and the sticky sweet savoury glaze was finger licking good. Goes well with a bowl of white rice.

Pan Fried Kurobuta Pork @$14.90 (S) $24.90 (M) 

You must-must try the Coconut Pudding with Ice Cream. It was so good! Imagine a baby coconut where one digs through a large scoop of coconut ice-cream to find a deliciously soft coconut pudding. And, when you scraped the walls of the coconut, those tender slices of flesh drops onto the pudding for that added coconut flavour. It now has a special spot in my heart (or belly).

Coconut Pudding with Ice Cream @$9.90

coconut pudding

Thank you Vincent and Wan He Lou for the invite and the warm hospitality.

Wan He Lou 萬合樓 

Address: 65 Maude Rd, Singapore 208347
Contact: 6294 8057
Website: http://www.wanhelou.com/
Business Hours:
Daily 11am to 230pm, 5pm to 1030pm

[Media Invite] Monti Festino Sunday Brunch @ 1-Pavilion

It's the weekend and if you are looking to indulge, why not give Monti Festino Sunday Brunch a try? It has a good selection of foods, gorgeous view of the bay and warm service from team Monti. The right recipe for a good time.

Monti Festino Sunday Brunch

every view is good

The brunch at Monti was a relaxed affair. Arrive at the venue, and you'll be immediately greeted and seated by the friendly and efficient team. Browse through the 3-page menu and staff will bring forth the cold seafood platter (fruitti di mare) for starters.

let the feast begin

The Fruitti Di Mare platter consists of chilled Alaskan King crab, cooked tiger prawns, tuna tataki, salmon sashimi slices, Fine de Claire oysters, mussels and clams. Good for two pax. Loved the oysters and tuna tataki!

Fruitti Di Mare

How about some greens to balance out the diet? At Monti, the salad will be prepared at your table-side, ala Italian-style and served fresh.

dressing it up

We could clearly see what goes into that salad. There were Liliput capers, Mediterranean olives,crisp lettuce, onions, shallots, croutons, cherry tomatoes, octopus and lemon dressing. Finished off with lots of care and love for their diners.

The taste of the salad was bright and refreshing. No additional salt added.

Grilled Octopus salad

If you are enjoying the free-flow of alcoholic drinks, then wouldn't the Charcuterie & Cheese Platter comes to mind? Great that Monti has got this covered in their Sunday Brunch menu so just order up! We had salami, San Daniele ham, walnuts, apricot, grapes, pecorini, cheddar and a type of soft cheese.

Charcuterie & Cheese Platter

cheers

And, one gets to order one of Monti's signature dish; the Cacio Pepe e Tartufo or also known as truffle risotto. Table-side service, no less.

round and round, into the cheese wheel it goes

black truffle

more please

But what's brunch without eggs benedict? If you must have it, Monti has it! Eggs benedict, eggs florentine, french toast and basically eggs done any way that you prefer.The poached egg was perfectly runny. Just use those crisp toast to mop it all up. So good.

eggs florentine

eggs benedic t

The french toast was light and eggy. Served with honey cinnamon mascarpone, fresh berries and caramelized bananas. Lovely.

french toast

By then, I was ready for the meats. Bring 'em. But first, how about a pan-fried foie gras on toast with balsamic reduction and served with wine jelly. It was love at first bite. Very nice.

foie gras

For meats and seafood, there's seabass with white wine butter sauce, barbeque pork rib, charcoal girlled iberico pork jowl, grilled lamb chop and rib-eye steak.

seabass with white wine butter sauce

pork rib

prawn bowl

My favourite meats were the pork jowl and ribeye steak. First time having pork jowl, and was surprised by the firm yet not tough texture. The edges of the meat had slight char and the added smokiness was rather enticing.

iberico pork jowl

The ribeye was easy to slice and was of medium doneness. Reasonable amount of fats and it was such joy to eat.

ribeye steak with red wine jus

beauty

Interestingly, there is a DIY station to concoct your own cocktail, specifically Bloody Mary and Mojito. So anyone (that is of legal drinking age) can try their hands in mixing the drinks. No worries, as the friendly staff will be on-hand to guide. Hehe. Quite fun! For mojito, you'll just need palm sugar, rum, lotsa mint leaves, lemon wedges and ice.

Purple Taste Mojito

Don't leave without trying the pasta. Choose your noodles, choice of sauce and ingredients and Chef will fire up a plate just for you. Not to worry as the pasta was done in a manageable portion.

aglio olio

Any room for dessert? You bet! The dessert table was really pretty. The mini bite-sized portions of the cakes and tartlets were really thoughtful as we could try more variety.

tiramisu

torta caprese

amaretti cookies

mango panna cotta

Struffoli with honey and chocolate

Tasted all the above dessert and loved them all. The tiramisu was a favourite and so was the struffoli.

Thank you Elle for the invite and Marina for hosting the brunch. Special thanks to Chef Felix, Martin and team Monti for taking care of us that day.

Buon appetito!

Monti at 1-Pavilion

Location: 82 Collyer Quay, The Fullerton Pavilion, 049327 Singapore
Website: http://www.monti.sg
Contact: +65 65350724
Business Hours:

Monday – Sunday:
12.00pm to 1.00am
Public Holidays :
6.00pm to 1.00am

Sunday Brunch Price:
$90++ for brunch without drinks
$120++ for brunch with non-alcoholic drinks
$140++ for brunch with free flow of wine
$160++ for brunch with free flow champagne