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SKAI
The 70th floor of Singapore's Swissotel The Stamford has been home to Equinox for the longest time. Following a revamp, the folks behind that institution has come back with a new concept, but still sticking to the strong tradition of spectacular views and great food. SKAI opened its doors to its first patrons sometime over a couple of months ago, with a brand new fit-out and a Japanese inspired fusion menu. we took the evening timeslot to enable us to enjoy the best of both views, day and night - which were equally breathtaking.
SKAI is helmed by Paul Hallett, a British executive chef from the previous setup and carries a philosophy of using quality ingredients to create strong flavours. the restaurant's new menu has a greater variety of dishes for sharing and retained its distinctive quality of good service and creative cocktails. for the earlier visitors to this place, the team has been quick to point out that they were still a work-in-progress and welcomed all suggestions to improve their act. and while there were indeed some minor tweaks that could be done, this visit was a truly memorable one for us. 
Pretty cocktails for the Gram, but great on the tastebuds too. this cocktail is a mixture of wheat vodka and champagne, yet with honey and apricot to give it bright colours and the sweetness for easy drinking. i also truly enjoyed this drink of Brunchin Spritz, a mixture of Italian Aperol and Prosecco which brought out the distinctive orange flavour without being too sweet. in all, drinks were on point and we were ready to move on to the food. 
we picked a couple of dishes from the small plates section and decided to go for our favourites. Nonetheless, the delivery of popular bar food takes on a unique interpretation such as this Black Pearl Oysters, which came with cream and caviar. freshness was also maintained and we enjoyed the oysters so much that we slurped the shells clean pretty quickly. we also tried the Seared Foie Gras which came with apple, green tea granola and drizzled with Choya. the meat was really juicy yet tender and went well with the sweeter ingredients. 
we also tried some of their signatures including this much talked about Crispy Rye Noodles. its basically crispy Gong Zai noodles, with an onsen egg and truffle sitting in a pool of assorted mushrooms. pretty much an acquired taste, especially after the staff poured the shoyu sauce in, making the dish a tad too salty. it still remains an exciting proposition and understandably why most visitors would have tried this dish, alas, it was a little too alternative for us. but while pointing out some learns, there was surely a win with their Uni Saffron Risotto, a Japanese-Italian rice dish served with sea urchin, cucumber, citrus and cured egg yolk. a very flavourful combination indeed. Desserts were also winners, not to mention the initiative to celebrate one of our birthdays on the must-try caramelised soy bean cheesecake. we enjoyed this experience very much and we are sure that SKAI will become a local icon very soon. 
SKAI 80 Bras Basah Road 70th Storey Singapore 189560 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 12 pm to 2.30pm; 6 pm to 10.30 pm Saturdays & Sundays: 11.30 am to 3.30pm; 6 pm to 10.30 pm (drinks till late daily) prepped to become the go-to sky-dining establishment in Singapore.. Labels: #crispyryenoodles, #japanesefusion, #restaurantswithview, #risotto, #skairestaurant, #skydining, #soybean cheesecake, #swissotelthestamford Hua Ting Restaurant
Helmed by an award winning master chef, Hua Ting has built a strong following amongst locals who love good Cantonese food in Singapore. It's reputation extends to Orchard Hotel, which caters food from the restaurant for its Chinese banquets, making it a key consideration for those who'd host their weddings there. For others who simply love Dim Sum, this restaurant also ranks among the very best. recently re-opening in 2018 after a short hiatus for their internal refurbishment work, Hua Ting has come back with a new menu and by popular demand, also extended their dining space to outside the restaurant on weekends.
Modern day Dim Sum interpretations usually come with giving traditional classics a slight twist. The Turnip cake fried in XO Sauce remains one of Hua Ting's signatures that is brought back even after the change in menu. Served with bean sprouts in a stone bowl, the dish is extremely flavourful with a slightly spicy kick, the kind of taste that the local palette here tends to love very much. 
Rice rolls or Cheong Fun is a favourite amongst Dim Sum dishes. While the more common types such as shrimp or roast pork rice rolls are still available, we tried the rice roll with shredded chicken. the version is not as rich as the typical types of Cheong Fun, and perhaps could be a welcome change to go with the stronger tasting savoury dishes that comes with a Dim Sum meal. intentionally or not, it seemed like pretty clever food pairing. 
then comes one of Hua Ting's more iconic dishes, their Xiao Long Bao. the delivery of this dish is unique to the restaurant because they place their dumplings within little trinket baskets. they have been serving this for some time now, even before the renovations and regulars here will recognize it as their specialty. The Xiao Long Bao itself is very much on point with its generous and very juicy filling. I was once told that Michelin ratings often are given not just for food quality but also the dining experience, and it is no wonder that the restaurant now features in Singapore's Michelin guide. 
these buns are simply oozing with very rich flavours. The salted egg yolk custard buns served here makes a very enriching dessert because the filling are almost bursting out of the skin once you bite into it. Custard is the new lotus paste it seems and a rather popular choice at Dim Sum restaurants these days. In all, we enjoyed the meal at Hua Ting. their decision to expand to outside the restaurant still needs some work on service standards, as the sheer volume on weekends often meant that the outside patrons are neglected. This is made up for significantly by their food quality, which is certainly their saving grace. Hua Ting has been around since 1992 and by the looks of it, would be here to stay. 
Hua Ting Restaurant 442 Orchard Road Orchard Hotel, Level 2 Singapore 238879 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm; 6 pm to 10.30 pm Saturdays and Sundays: 11 am to 2.30 pm; 6 pm to 10.30 pm new signature dishes while keeping with its enduring tradition of serving authentic Cantonese classics.. Labels: #cantonesefood, #custardbun, #dimsum, #huating, #michelinguide, #orchardhotel, #riceroll, #turnipcake, #xiaolongbao |
..ThE lEgEnD..
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Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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