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 you 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 →