Communal Dining at The Halia at Raffles Hotel


Cream of potato and leek

Communal dining is the practice of dining with others; it brings people merrily together over a hearty meal with happy round-the-table conversations leading back to harmonious times. A long table laden with an endless variety of delicacies: the idea seems similar to the long tables seen in the Great Hall of Hogwarts Castle where Harry Potter and the other students have their meals, receive daily owl posts or partake in special events.

The Halia at Raffles Hotel intends to bring the magical joy and delights of dining together to the people of this fast pace tech-prioritised generation who are unable to tear their attention away from their mobile devices, social networks or work. Now, take one random day out from sitting in front of the television, or the range of entertainment devices, and get together with good company for a delicious feast. The communal dinner is served in generous portions, enough to comfortably feed four hungry men with large appetites. The refreshing concept classifies dishes into ‘big plates’ and ‘small plates’ instead of the usual ‘appetisers’ and ‘mains’. The restaurant décor has a touch of ‘nature’, bringing the garden into the restaurant with lush planted foliage complemented by wood-carved tables –a reversal of Halia at the Singapore Botanical Gardens where the restaurant is situated amongst the greens.


Oriental pulled duck, gherkin, caper, micro herb salad, soba noodle, and sesame oil

The Communal Feast serves four and is reasonably priced at $270; reasonable for the reasons stated in this post (read on). The feast is hydrated with a communal jug, with your choice of the new orange cinnamon, lemongrass or iced tea. The orange cinnamon fusion has a refreshing spicy edge –a great perk-me-up after siting under harsh fluorescent lights throughout the day in office.

Continue reading

Fairmont Singapore brings in Szechuan Guest Chef Su Zhen Fu of Beijing Chao Jiangnan Restaurant from 11 to 20 July at Szechuan Court Restaurant


Poached Sliced Beef and Enoki Mushroom in Chilli Oil Peppercorn Broth ($38)

An exciting pieces of news for those who derive pleasure from the numbing and burning sensations on the tongue: Fairmont Singapore welcomes native Szechuan Chef Su Zhen Fu of Beijing Chao Jiangnan Restaurant to tantalise local taste buds at Szechuan Court Restaurant from 11 to 20 July 2014.


Dried Sliced Beef with Szechuan Pepper Hot Bean Sauce; Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs; Healthy Seasonal Vegetables tossed with Sweet Vinaigrette; Chinese Lettuce with Sesame Paste

The menu curated by Chef Su Zhen Fu will feature a plethora of Szechuan dishes, some of which not commonly available in Singapore. Continue reading

Szechuan Court at Fairmont Singapore unleashes a new menu featuring reinvented classics


Double Boiled Bird’s nest Chicken Soup ($48)

Keeping up with modern times, Fairmont Singapore’s Szechuan Court – renowned for serving outstanding Szechuan and Cantonese cuisine in Singapore – unleashes a new menu that features reinvented classics.

It would be an arduous task to please both traditionalists and modernists at the same time, but Szechuan Court succeeds in injecting modernity in traditions seamlessly without losing the essence of Szechuan and Cantonese flavours.


Golden Mini Bun stuffed with Beancurd and Minced Pork in Hot Bean Chilli Sauce ($7.80 for 2 pieces)

In the dim sum department, novel creations include the Golden Mini Bun stuffed with Beancurd and Minced Pork in hot Bean Chilli Sauce –a medley of textures in one bite, chaperoned with a mild hit of spice.
Continue reading

Taiwan’s vegetarian dining concept SUFOOD opens in Singapore at Raffles City


Macaroni Alfredo Casserole

SUFOOD is a meat-free (aka vegetarian) dining concept hailing from Taiwan’s largest restaurant chain operator WOWPRIME. In collaboration with local PUTIEN, SUFOOD opens its first outlet outside of Taiwan in Singapore at Raffles City. The casual yet stylish 140-seater diner draws the health conscious crowd with its affordable full-service meat-free experience.

The Italian-inspired menu introduces sparks of novelty into modern day meat-free eating. Using about 200 ingredients, many of which sourced regionally, hugely focused on freshness, all food is prepared with no artificial flavourings or MSG.


SUFOOD appetiser: poached Japanese Yuca root with blueberry coulis, white water snowflake greens, cherry tomato jelly

Set menus are affordable at $25++ for a full customisable 8-course meal, consisting of the SUFOOD appetiser, rosemary breadsticks, fruit vinegar, choice of salad (4 choices), soup (4 choices), main (10 choices), dessert (4 choices) and drink (8 choices). If you don’t have time for a lengthy lunch, go for the 5-course Express Set Lunch at $18++ that comes with your choice of salad or soup, main, dessert and drink.

Continue reading