Forest

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Now Closed

Forest 森 is owned by local celebrity chef Sam Leong (formerly from Tung Lok group) and one of four restaurants (and the only Chinese restaurant) within Resorts World Sentosa to receive Michelin stars but as with Osia, the decision wasn't without controversy. The Place Tucked in a corner of Equarius Hotel, Forest's interior seemingly revolves around a rainforest theme; earthen colours with alot of wood and pillars that soar towards the high ceiling and branch out to resemble foliage.As it was a Sunday, the wife and I decided to partake in their Sunday set lunch menu ($68++/pax) which, I quote, is "An 8-course lunch comprising 13 dishes in tasting portions will be served, showcasing the sheer breadth of Celebrity Chef Sam Leong’s culinary invention." Double Boiled Soup Of The Day The soup of the day got things off to a decent start; light yet appetising but would have appreciated a more robust soup. (top) Chilled Pork Shoulder Marinated with Hot & Sour Five Spice Powder, (bottom) Pan Seared Foie Gras Marinated in Red Wine Sauce Served with Baked Bread The chilled pork shoulder was rather chewy and lightly sweet (from the apple and carrot salad beneath) with a touch of spiciness (hot & sour five spice powder). A tad too porky for my liking.The foie gras wasn't quite up to scratch in my humble opinion. Though smooth and coated with black sesame seeds to accentuate the taste and texture, the mousse was literally drowning in the taste of the red wine. (top) Steamed Egg Chawanmushi with Crab Meat, (bottom) Pan Seared Wagyu Beef Roll with Enoki Mushroom Served in Black Pepper Sauce I thought the chawanmushi was quite good; smooth and silky without coming across as overly eggy and topped with shreds of crab meat, crisped rice and roe for that extra crunch and pop.A slice of less than tender, lightly sweet beef wrapped around crunchy enoki mushroom; drenched in black pepper sauce that killed off every other taste. (top) Deep Fried Hokkaido Scallop Coated in Salted Egg Yolk Mayo, (bottom) Deep Fried Prawn Coated in Crispy Cereal Although I really liked the salted egg yolk mayo coating and the crisp flour shell, the scallop itself was way too soft for my liking; almost mushy in fact. A pity really.A singular, fresh tiger prawn coated with rather dry and tasteless cereal. Another shame and honestly, some of the cze char stalls do it better. Deep Fried New Zealand Cod Fillet with Thai Style Sauce On to the deep fried cod fillet with minimal but very crisp batter; rich, mildly sweet and spicy from the Thai style sauce. Coupled with mango slices providing a sweet yet tangy tinge. Pretty good in my humble opinion. Oven Baked Chicken Chop with Sand Ginger Sauce Unfortunately the chicken chop didn't quite do it for me. I appreciated the crisp layer of chicken skin but the taste of the galangal was a little too strong for my liking. Not quite my cup of tea but definitely palatable. (top) Japanese Pearl Rice Topped with Abalone, (bottom) Braised Ee-Fu Noodle with Crab Meat I liked the texture of the pearl rice but found it very bland with only the faintest hint of egg and ginger. The tender abalone couldn't make up for it and the end result was half a bowl of leftover rice.Shreds of crab meat floating atop a semi viscous broth filled with limp Ee Fu Noodles that had a nauseating effect after a few mouthfuls. Forest Delight A small cube of smooth New York Cheesecake sprinkled with cookie crumble paired with rather refreshing lemongrass jelly with mango and coconut chunks for extra sweetness and texture. Not a big fan of lemongrass but this was pretty decent. Bill At $68++/pax, I personally found the lunch big on variety but relatively small on quality. The only thing I liked about the lunch was the environment (quiet and largely void of customers) and the decent service. How Forest can be awarded a Michelin star seriously befuddles me.Final Verdict:Ambience: 7.5/10Service: 7/10Food: 6/10Price: 5.5/10Overall: 6.5/10Address: Equarius Hotel™, LobbyContact: 6577 7788 or 6577 6688Opening Hours:Breakfast:7.30am - 10.30am(Daily, walk-ins only)Lunch (Mon - Sat):12pm – 2.30pm(Last order at 2.15pm)Dinner:6pm – 10.30pm(Last order at 10pm)Sunday Lunch:12pm – 3pm(Last order 2.30pm)Website: http://www.rwsentosa.com/Homepage/Restaurants/CelebrityChefs/Forest continue reading

Finally, the long awaited wedding anniversary lunch celebration! We had been postponing it as there was always something on on Sunday, and this 8 course set menu is only available on Sunday. Hey, at least we still "made it" within the month of June. =pThe restaurant is decorated in such a manner that keeps reminding you of its name Forest. Brown wooden pillars ( probably laminated) that branch out to the high ceiling, leaves featured wall, flowers, even the staff are donned in brown suit. My notti hubby suggested that the staff should wear a green cap so that they will look like walking trees. =_="The 8 course lunch comprises of 13 dishes all together, and will take about 2 hours to finish the whole course. So do consider the timing when planning your schedule! Dont rush through the lunch and waste such a nice atmosphere!1) Soup of the DaySoup of the day is winter melon soup. Can really smell the aroma of the soup from far. Taste wise, I was expecting sweeter since it smelt so nice. Nonetheless, a tasty soup to warm the stomach and we were so ready for the delicacies! Bring it on!2) Tuna Tartar marinated with Mango served in Cone3) Baby Abalone in Thai StyleThe abalone was slightly spicy, just enough to tease the tongue, complemented with a sour/sweet /spicy green apple salad. Even my silly hubby who doesnt like to eat abalone, said this dish was good. 4) Pan seared Hokkaido Scallop in Black Bean Sauce5) Vietnamese Roll with Sliced Lobster in XO Chili SauceObviously, the scallop being so huge already won the hearts. Yet I liked that it was treated in a very typical Chinese style with black bean sauce and fried shallots ( I think) even though the presentation said a different thing. I expected the sauce to be on the salty side just like the normal black bean sauce, but somehow this was just nice and I polished the sauce clean with the big fat scallop. Yum!Again, the sauce accompanying the tasting portion adds a lot of points to the dish. I thought it tasted like Japanese sesame sauce. A pity that the lobster slice was a tab too little to really taste the natural sweetness, so that's why the sauce played a vital role. 6) Steamed Egg Chawanmushi with Crab MeatHey, I luv chunky crab meat that I don't have to shell myself. Hehe 7) Deep Fried Prawn with Crispy CerealA ball of springy prawn coated in fresh crispy cereal. Fresh because I really dont taste any symptom of oil, yet it was so crispy! Tip of the day: Dun waste the cereal, eat it with the chawanmushi too! 8) Steamed Cod Fillet with Yunnan Ham and minced Ginger in Lotus LeafBy now, we were almost full. The servings here really were really decent even though they are suppose to be tasting portions. I like that they never cut corners! It was okay, we can tahan and will definitely finish this course. *affirmation nod* So now, we were finally at the main course. The cod fish was very smooth and literally just fell apart with a stroke from the fork, no knife needed! Since I have a shorter body, which means my nose is nearer to the plate, I can smell a very strong lotus leaf. I dunno why, but I thought that there was a tiny weeny bitter aftertaste, which I reckon was due to the lotus leaf. Overall, it was still a very delightful dish. 9) Wok Fried Beef Cubes accompanied with Pan-seared Foie GrasBet you cant tell, but there were foie gras cubes "hidden" amongst the beef tenderloin cubes. Now I'm the silly one, I just threw all the foie gras to hubby's plate. Me DUN LIKE foie gras.The beef was pale compared to the other dishes, the meat was slighly tough but I still liked the wok fried fragrant. And dont forget to eat the crispy nest! 10) Braised Japanese Ramen with Crab Meat 11) Wok Fried Jap Pearl Rice with Smoke Duck and SausageThe noodles tasted like chinese mee suan rather than ramen, smooth and silky but also like very 凊淡. Nonetheless, the chunky crab meat and tasty broth made up all!Our stomach were protesting but still, we had to finish this coz it was so tasty! The Japanese pearl rice were fried until the texture seemed like glutinous rice with little bites of smoke duck and sausage here and there. 12) Mango with Pomelo 13) Pandan Cake with CrumblesThank goodness, desserts were light hearted instead of pulut hitam or durian cheesecake. It would have been an agony if those were served. The pandan cake was very light & fluffy with the added crunch, wished that there were more crumbles though. We ended off with tea! Not sure whether tea/coffee was included in the set. We saw other customers left without having them, but yet we were not charged with extra cost. Just for sharing, if you are thinking of coming here, why not sign up with RWS invite, which costs $150 for a year membership. In return, you will get $200 dining vouchers. More worth it right? ^_^Click on http://fun-hideout.blogspot.sg/2014/06/forest-resort-world-sentosa.html to read more! ♥ ♥ ♥ continue reading

For pictures and full review, pls visit:http://madamechewy.com/2014/09/18/forest-%E6%A3%AE/Restaurant week is just around the corner, I’m sure most of you foodies are just as excited as I am. From 25th Oct to 22nd Nov, top restaurants shall offer 3 course lunches and dinners at $25++ and $35++ respectively. For some restaurants, an additional charge of $15++ for lunch and $20++ for dinner is applicable. For American Express card holders, priority booking begins on 22nd Sept while booking for the public starts from 27th Sept.During Restaurant Week earlier this year, Hubby and I visited Forest 森, and opened by local celebrity chef Sam Leong. Every aspect, from the ambiance, service and food, were excellent.After some manoeuvring in RWS massive car park, we finally arrived at Equarius Hotel. The tranquil lobby fitted with a towering screen displaying a running waterfall, sets a calm tone to our afternoon.Upon stepping into Forest, one cannot miss noticing the ornate “theatre” kitchen. We immediately feel at ease in this restaurant; absolutely loved dining under a forest canopy inspired ceiling, amongst lush greenery with an abundance of natural light streaming in. We felt in touch with nature, sans the sweltering Singapore heat and creepy crawlies.The dishes at Forest blossom with Asian flavours, each one skillfully executed. Our amuse bouche was a tangy cherry tomato, plum and osmanthus sauce teaser which whet our appetites for more to come.Duo Magnificent features huge, fresh prawns, prepared in 2 different ways. The burn in the Wasabi Mayo Prawn was just right, preserving the sweetness of the succulent fried prawn under the crisps golden coat. The Butter Lemon Prawn didn’t achieve full marks unlike its Wasabi Mayo counterpart. While its flavor is more unique compared to the wasabi mayo, the lemon so overwhelming that we could not detect any hints of butter.With meat so well marinated I could taste the flavour right in the middle, the slow-cooked Pork Rib drenched in Sweet Vinegar sauce was divine! Adding contrasting texture to the fork-tender meat were crunchy rice pops glittered atop.Braised Rice Vermicelli with sliced fish and preserved vegetables fared well too. Arresting our senses was the prominent ‘wok-hei’ flavour. We added in some chilli padi for mild heat and savoured each strand with delight.Although the 3-course set lunch ($40++) didn’t include a dessert, it was still great value. As I was famished that day, we picked another 2 items from the ala carte menu.The star of the XO Vietnamese Rolls ($18) was undoubtedly the XO sauce. Our taste buds reveled in the abundance of flavor from robust sauce. Perch prettily atop were small slices of lobster, which were so paltry that they failed to provide bite amongst the vegetables.To end off on a sweet note, we had chilled Cream of Avocado ($13)- a play of textures consisting of silky smooth soya bean curd pudding, walnuts, sago and red beans. I could have seconds of this elegant and healthy dessert without feeling any guilt! continue reading

Another birthday celebration with fellow evil sista, who chose to dine at Forest 森 restaurant at Equarius hotel. Forest 森, named after celeb chef Sam Leong's wife, serves up Thai/Chinese contemporary dishes with western style presentation. Inline with this dining concept, the fine dining restaurant is designed to impress with majestic tree-like pillars shooting up the roof with branches sprawling across the ceiling. The dining area is brightly lit with natural sunlight flooding in through the full length glass windows.The restaurant also features an open concept kitchen with unobstructed view of the culinary team crafting out dishes to evoke the diners' senses.We all ordered the Special Sunday set lunch Discover Sam Leong’s Finest Creations at Forest 森 $68++, an 8 course set lunch consisting of 13 appetizer portion dishes made with premium ingredients. This menu is only available for Sunday lunch and the menu items are updated monthly. They also serve a 4 course Kids menu at $32++ per pax.Lemongrass Drink with Basil Seeds, available with every set meal for additional $5.00++. A refreshing way to kick start the meal.Soup of the Day was Winter Melon soup with wolfberries. Very nicely brewed soup that was packed with flavors...warms up the soul pronto!First up, Tuna Tartar marinated w/ Fresh Mango and Baby Abalone in Thai Style sauce. The tuna tartar was served in a charcoal waffle cone, fish was fresh and juicy with a hint of mango sweetness. The baby abalone sitting on a tiny bed of Thai mango salad tasted really good with a nice bouncy texture.Pan-seared Hokkaido Scallop in Black Bean Sauce and Vietnamese Roll w/ Sliced Lobster in X.O. Chili Sauce. The jumbo scallop was plump and succulent, and the Viet summer roll was mildly spicy...both were rather tasty.Deep-fried Prawn w/ Crispy Cereal and Chawanmushi w/ Crab meat & Flying fish roe. I love the silky smooth chawanmushi and its savory crab meat and tobiko toppings. The cereal prawn was well executed too.Steamed Cod Fillet w/ Yunnan Ham & minced Ginger, the cod fish was fresh and tender which tasted great with the rich and aromatic ginger sauce, extremely delish!Wok-Fried Cubes of Beef Tenderloin in Black Pepper Sauce & Pan-seared Foie Gras. A luxurious dish that is not just pretty to look at but tasted wonderful too, beef was really tender and goose liver uber creamy and fragrant.For diners who don't take beef, they served the Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Thigh w/ Foie Gras. The chicken thigh was nicely marinated and juicy in texture, and pleasantly complimented by the creamy foie gras.Japanese 'Ramen' w/ Crab Meat & Shredded Chicken in Chicken Broth and Wok-fried Japanese Pearl Rice w/ Smoke Duck & X.O. sausage. The ramen is actually mee sua cooked in chicken soup, the broth was sweet and flavorful...not bad. The fried rice was good though, has powerful wok hei aroma and the lup cheong was splendid.Last but not least, the final course Forest Delight, the chef's special dessert of the day. We had Pandan Kaya cake and Mango Pomelo in Shot glass. Both were fabulous, ending the meal on a sweet note.As this was a birthday celebration, the restaurant had prepared a complimentary slice of birthday cake with candle, completed with elaborate plating. My sista was a happy girl!We enjoyed our lunch at Forest restaurant immensely. The ambiance here is lovely, food and service quality is definitely top of the line. It is worthy of an occasional splurge. For price conscious diners, their Sunday set lunch is great value for money!For full review: http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/07/sunday-lunch-at-forest-equarius-rws.html continue reading

Attended a photography session organised by Canon and we participants get to learn, practice our photography skills and had a 3 course set meal.Deep-fried Mushrooms coated in Wasabi mayo w Avocado & Tomato SaladThe mushrooms are likely coated with batter for frying. It is not oily and yet the juiciness accompanied with the wasabi mayo created a unique taste, which keeps you wanted more. The little cubes of avocado mixed in the sauce enhance the bland taste. The overall taste was good.Wok-fried Japanese Pearl Rice w Squid Ink in XO Chili Sauce accompanied w Seared Hokkaido ScallopIt tastes like I'm having fried rice but the pearl rice gives a little stickiness which differentiate them from others. And it is special when it is cooked in squid ink. It's not salty and a subtle sweetness from the rice, which I guess is because there is some dry scallop used that enhance the taste, and definitely fragrance. The scallop is fresh and blend in well in the chili sauce. Chilled Lemon Grass Jello w Sweet Thai Mango, Young Coconut and WolfberriesI have a mixed feeling for this dessert. The taste of lemon grass was strong and every mouthful, you can't get away from it. There are strips of mango and coconut, jello where the lemon grass taste comes from along with raspberry and blueberry. You can taste sweet and sour at the same time and you can't figure out which taste to look forward to. But definitely, the health benefits you get from this dessert is a lot. That's a saving grace.Quite a good experience having meals in hotel and definitely look forward to more opportunities. continue reading