The Halia

Grilled fillet of salmon, crushed kipfler potato, asparagus and sauce bois boudran, $25

Linguini aglio olio with south australian king prawns, garlic and sesame crumbs, $28

Halia chilli crab spaghettini Singapore-style spicy, sweet and tangy crabmeat sauce tossed in pasta, $28

Toasted sourdough with sauteed spinach, portobello mushroom, pine nuts, meredith goat cheese and herbs, $22

I especially enjoyed the fresh salmon and chilli crab spaghettini. The aglio olio was a bit too oily but the prawns were damn awesome and fresh. The toasted sourdough was not filling at all! Luckily those mushrooms were huge and juicy and satisfying enough.

Total damage: $121++ for a family of four.

Good ambience to dine in – you have all the peace and greenery!

Must-try chilli crab spaghettini!

2013-05-01

SGD 30(Lunch)

Have you tried visiting the Botanic Gardens for a little escape from the city? Well, if you appreciate such Zen, we suggest popping by on a weekday for some absolute peace and quiet and enhance the experience by tucking into some exquisite lunch specials at The Halia.Located somewhere in the middle of all the greenery, the ambience at The Halia at Singapore Botanic Gardens is one that is unrivalled. Dining here feels almost like a quick getaway!
The new weekday lunch specials feature divine creations by Aussie Chef Peter Rollinson. Perfect for executive lunches or a private lunch date, the lunch specials are available Monday to Friday from 12pm to 4pm and come in your choice of a 2-course meal or a 3-course meal (both with coffee or tea, 2-course without dessert) at an affordable price of just $28++ and $32++ respectively.

To find out the dishes for these menus, click here to read the full review:
http://sg.openrice.com/singapore/restaurant/article/detail.htm?article_id=600

Had a brunch the previous time and now we are back for the desserts. For more details: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2012/11/halia-gingerhouse.html
We shared a couple of sweet food but there were both hits and missesCaramelised banana walnut bread, vanilla mascarpone cream, kumquat compote and crushed hazelnuts

This requires 20minutes of waiting time but the taste of the bread (more like a light cake) was warm, moist and fresh so I think the wait is reasonable. The bananas were grilled nicely to give a subtle bitter caramelised flavour. The bread itself is choke full of walnuts which some people who dislike nuts may want to avoid but I guess having some walnuts are still beneficial to the brainwarm chocolate pudding, white chocolate sauce(if you can spot), crushed pistachio, orange flower ice cream
It was strange that they served an ice cream on a hot plate even though the chocolate pudding was supposed to be warm. The ice cream melted rapidly. This pudding is the steamed English version of fa kueh so perhaps the menu should have stated whether it is the creamy custard version or a cake version. The white chocolate sauce is also evidently very very little.Special brunch item of the day: almond orange cake with citrus sherbet and lemongrass panna cotta
Another interesting Asian style dessert whose individual components are well balanced. Sour food lovers will certainly like the tangy sherbet.

Their newly opened shop at Raffles Hotel seemed to have a different menu, more towards the Asian fusion style and we look forward to try the food there next time.

2012-11-21

SGD 30(Lunch)

Halia is a restaurant hidden amidst the bushes in botanic gardens. Although it is not easy to be located, you can guess that it must be near the ginger garden since the name Halia means 'ginger' in Malay. Attracted by the tantalizing brunch pictures on its website, it was slightly disappointing to find out that the trout salmon fillet(not the usual smoke salmon version) topped with poached egg and that velvety hollandaise sauce is no longer available. The American
Poached eggs with roast tomato , hash brown,homemade pork sausage back bacon, tomato jam & Brioche toast
Like the previous one, the portion is good for sharing. Nothing spectacular but perhaps the only slight flaw is the overcooked poached egg. Not only was the egg yolk fully cooked, the egg white had a sharp tang of white vinegar. Young ginger Nougat frozen parfait with roasted pineapple and spiced pineapple sauce
Nougat is not something common on a restaurant's menu and this one is worth trying since it has been the longest running dessert on it's menu according to the waiter. The use of coconut, ginger and pineapple highlights the Asian flavour and it's no wonder a hit especially for tourists.

In short, the place has both indoor and outdoor seatings but it does not take reservations for weekends and PH brunch. Service was friendly but the attentiveness of the staff can be improved. Nonetheless, it may be a decent dining place to go if you are looking for one that is located in Botanics Garden. Heard that the place has opened a branch in Raffles Hotel. Will be there to try some food soon!

2012-11-14

SGD 30(Breakfast)

This is a memorable dining experience for me because the unobtrusive dining behind the full height glass windows allows us to dine comfortably in the lush of the garden and yet be close to nature. The presentation of food was spectacular and when you sink your teeth in, the explosion of flavours just burst into your mouth. Enjoy a stroll nearby, after the sumptuous meal. A must-visit for families, couples and friends!

SGD 40(Other)

Halia is located within the Botanic Gardens & as a result the ambience is lovely, but the outdoor seating can get a bit hot &bug-infested
We ordered the tuna tataki & bocconcini with cherry tomatoes
he tuna was black-pepper crusted & served with a creamy diced avocado topping.
It was pretty good,As for bocconcini with cherry tomatoes was perfectly seasoned with enough salt & a drizzle of vinegar
As for dessert we had the chocolate dipping pot with shaved espresso ice & brownie sticks for dipping. This was really potent, both in the chocolate & espresso departments.
Overall i rate 8/10

GREAT FUSION FOOD

I have returned to Halia for to celebrate special occassins like birthdays & anniversary and everytime it has nothing but a wonderful experience. Halia's setting is so cozy, beautiful and relaxed both in the day and night time. Whether you're having brunch on a Sunday afternoon or a romantic dinner on a weekday...Halia never fails to please you. Though its a bit pricey but food is great. Most of their items are a fusion of asian and western ingredients and they ahve a good wine selection too. I love it =)

Celebration: Birthday

The previous visit to Halia restaurant was a blogger’s brunch outing. This time round, I came for lunch. Halia- means Ginger in Malay ( Teh Halia – Ginger tea) nestled in the Ginger Garden of The Singapore Botanical Gardens.

The Set lunch menu
The Menu changed recently and they changed 80% of the brunch, lunch & dinner menu. However, the favourites still remains in the new menu.
I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND to order food from the set lunch menu. If you going ala-carte, be prepared to spend. Individual dishes cost around $20-$30 for appetizers, $40 & above for mains and $10 & above for desserts. I felt that prices are set on the pricey side .
The set lunch, $28++ for 2 course and $32++ for 3 course is much worth it. A few of the dishes are selected from the ala-carte menu, offered during lunch time.

Mesclun salad, avocado, orange, radish, corn chips, cucumbers in tangy citrus dressing.

Light citrus dressing provides a refreshing salad. I was not a fan of avocado & they were generous with the avocado and served 2 large slices in the salad.

Focaccia sandwich with Tandoori spiced chicken fillet
A warm & crusty focaccia bun is served instead of bread slices. The chicken fillet is marinated with tandoori spices and grilled. I felt that the chicken fillet was rather dry and lacked in flavour. The cubes of mangoes and pickles laid on top of the chicken fillet was good though.

Cappuccino ” dunkin pit” without brownies
Even though I was already 80% full, I wouldn’t want to miss out the desserts ( ha… only $4++ difference). The Cappuccino ”dunkin pit” is supposedly to serve along with 2 chocolate brownies but since the brownies contain walnuts, I had ” dunkin pit” without the brownies .This is a sinful indulgence and best to be shared. This small glass of dessert contains layers of warm chocolate, cool vanilla cream & coffee iced shavings. The chef recommended me to eat it in 1 whole scoop ( from top to bottom) since I didn’t had any brownies to ”dip” with. I followed his recommendation and eat it in 1 whole spoonful and it was indeed rich and shiok! The chocolate was very rich and gooey and it’s like a chocolate milkshake . I felt jerlat after finishing the dessert but was worth every calorie.

Verdict: Recommended to come for lunch / brunch ( set lunch/ brunch menu ). The service was attentive but prices are on the higher side.

Poached egg is always a favourite of mine but Halia’s rendition ($14++ for vegetarian option) left a sour taste in my mouth literally. The egg white was very sour, probably due to an overdose of vinegar in the water. Other than that glaringly obvious fault, I did enjoy the soft and thick brioche. Love it when it turned soggy after soaking up the runny yolk!

I stole more than a bite of the cinnamon french toast ($14++) with glazed strawberry and it was lovely in a very average manner. Soft and sweet, though the flavour of cinnamon was a tad weak.

Blue cheese mousse, maple-glazed roasted walnuts and wild mountain honey on multi-grain toast fingers, with young spinach and fresh fruit vincotto salad ($18++): overwhelmingly strong smell! Definitely an acquired taste.

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