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Showing posts from February, 2016

Min Jiang, Goodwood Park Hotel

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Min Jiang is one of Singapore's most venerable Chinese restaurants.  A long-time anchor of Goodwood Park Hotel, the celebrated restaurant is a favourite of finicky old grandmothers and exacting businessmen alike. Tucked away at the back of Goodwood Park, and swathed in shades of cream, and punctuated with pops of dark brown wood panelling, it's both sophisticated and understated. Specialising in classic Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine, Min Jiang 's food is conservative but not tedious. It's an oldie but evergreen goodie, where you'd go to for comforting familiar fare. What struck me about the Prosperity Abalone Lo Hei ($78 for small) was how nuanced it was. Ingredients were pretty standard as far as yusheng went, but the julienned vegetables were compulsively even, and the honeyed-plum dressing was obsessively balanced. A supplement of Crispy Salmon Skin ($22) added dimension. The riotous seafood salad before the mayhem. An signature that's ironical

Hapuku Lodge Restaurant, Kaikoura, New Zealand

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We were initially apprehensive about having our meals in-house at Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses . Tripadvisor's reviews were less than glowing, and several called the restaurant "overrated". So it was with relief, and pleasant surprise, that the food was extraordinary. Yes, ALL. From the simple homespun sandwiches in the cute picnic basket, to the formal, multi-coursed degustation dinner, everything churned out from Hapuku's kitchen was faultless. Hapuku places a huge emphasis on fresh, organic produce; they grow much of their food in their own gardens and farms, and source locally for stuff they don't. Hapuku is the real deal, when it comes to the very on-trend farm-to-table concept dining. The freshness of the produce comes through the food, and because Hapuku makes its own jams, stocks, bread, you really do eat cleanly. That said, eating clean doesn't read bland or insipid. The sparkling fresh produce is done justice by exceptional chefs, who create

[Invited Tasting & Revisit] The Waterfall, Shangri-La

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The Waterfall Cafe is the poolside restaurant of Shangri-La Hotel. Frequently overshadowed by sister restaurant The Line, a monstrous buffet available throughout the day, the breezy little spot is fast discarding its image as an in-house-guest-only destination, and coming into its own. The menu's been revamped, post the installation of Neapolitan chef Marco, into quintessential Southern Italian fare. So think extra virgin olive oil in preference to butter, seafood instead of meats, and tomato-based sauces in lieu of creamy ones. I first dined complimentary of my favourite HungryGoWhere people, and as per invited tasting S.O.P., returned incognito for a revisit on my own dime. Both meals were excellent; hearty and soulful yet refined. Although the restaurant was a full-house at the revisit, service was surprisingly efficient and gracious. The Insalata di granchio Arance e Finocchi (menu price $22), an orange-fennel accented mesclun salad with crab, black olives, cherry tomat