The restaurant looks like a perpetual elegant ballroom, with its plush carpet, white overalls and generous installment of chandeliers. From dimsum to a la carte menus to special occasions such as wedding banquets, this place offers nothing but comfort, impeccable service, beauty and good food. If fresh and flavorful is your kind of thing, then do give this hidden gem at Jurong Country Club a try.I had dinner here once a couple of years back during a friend's wedding banquet, and recalled it was good. I am glad for the chance to be back, to try their "Four Heavenly Kings" personal sets. I had the Braised Fish Maw & Scallops with Foie Gras Pate set (SGD$45.00) - marvelous!I began with this Deluxe Appetiser Platter - comprising of seaweed on cracker, fried shrimp / fish rolls, and octupus with crispy fried lotus root. The dainty items were fresh and promising, especially the shrimp rolls which had a lovely, prominent aroma - a good start of more to come.After the soup, I was served the specialty of Braised Fish Maw & Scallops with Foie Gras Paste - one has to recognise superior fish maw compared to the fried ones easily available everywhere. The fish maw was smooth, with a chewy, bouncy texture nearly like squid, only much softer. The gentle flavor was enhanced by foie gras pate infusion; and the pairing with succulent scallops was simply invigorating.Following that, I had the Stir-Fried Chicken Filet with Mint and Sweet Pepper, arranged artfully on a rectangular plate. The creation was lovely, with the stir-fried chicken retaining its natural sweetness, yet acquring a chargrilled-like texture and flavor. Prepared brilliantly with mint and sweet peppers, the dish reminded us of kebab - the healthier version.Being a small eater, I thought I was very full after the previous course, but when the Fuzhou Braised Rice was served next, I surprised myself by eating far more rice than I usually do. The gravy was awesome, tasty but not overly-thick or starchy like what one gets at some zichar stalls. It tasted strongly of the seafood it was prepared with, softening the rice to make every mouthful a worthy wonder.Finally, the conclusion of a sumptuous meal came in the form of Mango Sago - startlingly fragrant. In my experience with various mango sago desserts - the soup is usually creamy / milky and sweet, lacking in mango-aroma even though one could still enjoy the mango chunks within. This one - mango's aroma has its stamp from the light soup to the mango cubes all the way, cooling the palate like a dream.

For the full review and more photographs, please feel free to check out:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2015/01/media-invite-dinner-at-fu-lin-men.html

Always one of my very favorite tea salons because of the posh ambience, soothing World music, good service and exquisite table / tea ware - on top of great selection of teas (more than 800!), food and snacks, I alternate between the outlets at Ion Orchard and Marina Bay Sands.While I miss the sandwiches with the french toast that we had some years back, I don't mind their current sandwiches as well. The afternoon set of finger sandwiches is at SGD$24.00 for 3 types of sandwiches, and we chose the Cucumber Mayo, Chicken Breast and Smoked Salmon ones. The crust is crispy, the bread is tender, and the ingredients are tasty.I also tried the Apricot Cod (SGD$28.00), one of my currently favoritest fish done right - tender yet bouncy in its freshness, made crispy by the sprinkling of seaweed / sesame atop the dish. The slightly-sour flavor of the apricot sauce was a lovely accompaniment; and the mashed potato by the side was divine.The Macaroons (SGD$2.00 each) are lovely as well, with crispy but soft biscuit coating and rich tea-infused creams. This time, we had the Rose and Chocolate ones.

For full review and more photographs, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2015/01/brunch-at-twg-marina-bay-sands.html

One has to ascend a short flight of metal steps to the tiny restaurant on level 2, made to look like the steps of an aircraft. In fact, the themed restaurant is made to give diners a very real in-flight experience - from its seats to windows to "boarding pass" upon arriving to "flight manual" which is the menu, and the waitresses whose uniforms resemble flight hostesses' one as well.The food came, and we had our Premium Assorted Sushi Platter (SGD$58.00) - consisting of a range of sushi with salmon, prawn, Toro (tuna belly), Uni (sea urchin), omelet, salmon roe etc. The seafood was fresh and the rice was cooked to the right texture - grainy but not hard nor mushy. We enjoyed these sushi very much.Next, we had the Sashimi Moriawese (SGD$58.00) - comprising of 3 slices of 6 different types of seasonal fish. Here we had Salmon, Sword fish, Tuna, etc. The sashimi was very fresh, and we were pleaesd with the thickness of each slice - taut, crisp and bouncy in their freshness.Then we shared the Lobster Mango Roll (SGD$30.00) , a long roll of goodness all swirled into one - omelet with sushi ginger, thick sliced cucumber, fresh mango, lobster salad and bonito flavored rice. The flavored rice had a gentle-but-distinctive fragrance to it, and the mango was sweet. The lobster was springy and sweet in its freshness, a delight for sure.

For full review and more photographs, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2015/01/dinner-at-sushi-airways-bugis.html

Etna is a semi-fine dining restaurant that serves authentic Italian food with a lovely Sicilian touch - food that combines colors and flavors expertly. Besides the wide selection of food items on its gastronomical menu, Etna has an extensive wine list as well, so one can be assured that there is a right wine to go with every course you select.One of the amuse bouche we had was the Pizza Crust filled with Truffle and Mascarpone Cheese - one look at the burnt crust and the crackling texture leaves nothing to one's imagination. The interior was oozing deliciously with melted cheese, with strong musky aroma of the truffle defining the taste of the Schiacciata dish.For appetisers, we had the Fresh Burrata Cheese from Andria with 36 months S. Daniele Ham, served with Rocket Salad and Pachino Cherry Tomatoes. Burrata, meaning "buttered" in Italian, is fresh cheese made with cream, hence the Burrata Cheese was rich, with sticky texture and a very light flavor to it. The curd was soft, but chewy, subtly creamy and luscious. The ham was succulent and a fine complement its smoother, sweeter counterpart (the cheese).For mains, we tried the Linguine with Crab meat in Lobster Sauce - the linguine was suitably moistened and had a definite texture to it. I believe I need not describe the luxurious sweetness of lobster, so imagine its effect on the linguine. They used crab meat and also soft shell crab for the pasta, giving new meaning to the word "palatable". I have no doubt that this would be my choice when I return to the restaurant again.As for the dessert, we had the Bronte Pistachio Tiramisu, it is so special because it does not contain coffee. The dense, moist texture of this soft pastry enables the cake to simply disintegrate in the mouth beautifully. The authentic pistachio paste came all the way from Sicily, Italy, literally - indulgent in its richness with that very slight hint of "grassy" flavor that pistachio contains. This tiramisu is easy on the eyes and tongue; I can see why it is also easily one of the restaurant's signatures.

For full review and more photographs, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2015/01/media-invite-hungrygowheres-eat.html

Located on the rooftop area of SO Sofitel Boutique Hotel amongst a row of exquisitely restored shophouse at CBD area, this elegant, sexy rooftop, poolside bar features a pool with golden tiles. Hence, when lit up at night, it resembles a pool of champagne, giving the lounge an incredibly beautiful and romantic look. There are comfortable couch seats and high tables for patrons to choose from.The menu is a large tablet and we had to order at the bar counter that night. It was surprisingly empty even though it was Christmas season.We started with a bottle of Riesling. Surprisingly, their bottles are not pricey. The Riesling was about SGD$100.00, and it was very delicious.

We enjoyed ourselves tremendously over merry chatter, chilling out over by the couch with nice music in the background, and then drinking by the poolside. I will definitely be back at Hi-So for the enchanting settings and amicable service.

For full review and more photographs, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2015/01/drinks-at-hi-so-rooftop-bar-so-sofitel.html