 Updated 27/03/2015 JAAN
(*****): Asia’s 22nd best
table in the Restaurant Magazine’s inaugural list of Asia’s Top 50,
featuring surely the most inventive cuisine in Singapore by Chef Julien
Royer, what would be in Paris a two or three Michelin star restaurant
showcases the finest in modern MANDARIN COURT
(*****): Chinese
food is superb in Singapore; but to upgrade its excellence, the
Mandarin
Court is currently "importing" cooks from Hong Kong. The best in the
world,
according to the gourmets !
The dinning itself, as huge and impersonally luxurious as a top class chinese restaurant has to be, has its proper style. Fully booked the day of our visit, with an active and friendly staff slaloming between the large tables, it gets a warm and authentic Chinese atmosphere. A lot of local guests, indeed: proof of authenticity. Some foreign businessmen also, who certainly came here for the prestige of the place. A lot of celebrities visiting Singapore also drop by regularly. We started with Deep Fried Seafood Rolls, much richer thought not much more expensive (SN$3.50 per portion) than the ones available from the street stalls in Bugis. We advise you to have their delicious Pan-Fried ean Curd Skin with Shrimp Rolls which, in the same range of much affordable price, offers a gourmet pleasure one would just find in a three star Michelin restaurant in Paris ! These appetizers are listed in the "Dian Xin" express menu, together with the Steamed Crystal Chives Dumplings and the Scallops with Prawns Dumplings, that we also warmly recommend. Chinese like soups; we too ! Mostly when it comes to the aristocratic Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat and Roe, a real delicacy enjoyed on special occasion. We were once more surprised by the price: SN$25. We paid more in Bangkok, reputed to be a cheap destination, for a meal with the same name but not the same savour at all. When it comes to seafood, do not hesitate and have their Sautéed Prawns with Spicy Sauce. Take, at least, a medium portion (SN$38): as they are simply superlative. This was actually the course we preferred. The giant prawns were al dente: the texture being as important as the taste (a perfect one !) for the real Chinese gourmet. Extracted from their aquarium, they are cooked alive with some honey and black pepper. A curious mixture, which tastes like Cognac: strange and palatable, indeed. Prawns are treated quite well also, together with squids, with the more popular though fine Crispy Egg Noodles with Seafood (SN$27 for a medium portion). Meat is also excellent. Of course, it is difficult to miss the Traditional Beijing Duck Served with Home-Made Chinese Pancakes. This is kind of a show to see the cook coming by your table with a trolley, and prepare the whole duck (SN$50) according to the rules. First of all, the well roasted and crispy skin is removed carefully. Then, the skin is rolled inside what they call pancakes, but which actually rather looks like the Greek Pita bread. Much enjoyable: both for the eyes and the palate. Then, the duck meat is chopped, and served with some sunflower seeds. That wonderful specialty can be enjoyed as a main course: a duck can generously accommodate four hungry people. Another alternative is the Marinated Backed Lamb, prepared just like in Beijing: well grilled, and crispy. A medium portion is SN$30. We know they serve the most prestigious wines and Cognac, but we preferred to enjoy the all lunch with a selection of their best teas: the Chinese way ! As a dessert, you can either
try that very special Chilled Herbal Jelly,
extremely popular in
Singapore. We had a lot of it during our stay, and this strange thing
(half
dessert, half drink...) could be enjoyed by some of you... They also
have Double Boiled Bird's Nest with Rock Sugar: an
expensive (SN$50)
"delicacy" we successfully succeed to avoid during our multiple visits
to Chinese restaurants. As one already understood, we are not fond of
Chinese
desserts ! We preferred to have an Italian ice-cream (prepared by the
French
chef) at the "Top of the M": the unique revolving restaurant in town.
From
the 39th floor of the Mandarin Orchard Singapore, we could enjoy our
dessert
and our expresso while discovering a dramatic panorama over a city
which,
after all, looks greener than one could imagine from the ground. The
Indonesian
islands are not that far, and we can see Malaysia quite clearly. Just
for
a coffee or, better, for a romantic dinner, it is worth visiting the
place. MANDARIN
COURT (MANDARIN ORCHARD SINGAPORE HOTEL): 333, Orchard Rd,
Singapore
238867 (35th floor, main tower)
MIN
JIANG (****L): Located
in the very plush Goodwood
Park Hotel, the Min Jiang is an excellent Chinese restaurant.
This
is a must for all successful Singaporean businessmen, spending here a
significant
percentage of their astronomic wages. We have been truly We then had a Live Local Lobster anointed with Chinese Herbs: very fresh indeed, perfectly though simply cooked. Three sizes and seasonal rates are available. For our selection, the price charged was S$50 (about US$30): a little bit expensive for South-East Asia, but still OK for Singapore where such a fine meal is a real delicacy. And we are at the legendary Good Wood Park: don't forget it! Very affordable and recommended are the Frog Legs Stir Fried with Ginger and Spring Onions (about S$15). By the way: did you know that Chinese share with French people a particular taste for frogs ? They cook them just like the best chefs do in our country. We still remember the ones Alain Senderens (Senderens Paris) prepared to our special attention one day in Bangkok. We found here the same know-how, with this "je-ne-sais-quoi" making this meal absolutely enjoyable. It was even able to made us forget our lobster: can you imagine ?! As a dessert, the Mango Pudding was fine, light, with a completely original taste. Note that if you really want to impress your guests, or your neighbors, they propose (what were reported to us as) the best sharks fins in Singapore... providing you order the "ultimate grade" Double Boiled Superior Sharks Fins with Snow Frogs (between S$200 and 350)... going, but of course, very well with a bottle of Dom Perignon. A so very glamorous and excellent restaurant, where you can definitely be sure not to be crossed by backpackers; even on Sunday, when the "Tim-Sum Breakfast" goes for a ridiculously inexpensive S$12.80. MIN JIANG (at GOODWOOD
PARK HOTEL) CHATTERBOX COFFEE HOUSE
(****L): We usually don't pay attention to the large
hotels
cafeterias:
all get the same impersonal and strictly business oriented appearance,
and The chicken they serve here is quite a sophisticated one, indeed. It receives a special breeding by farm in Malaysia, and comes very tender in the plate. Each serving comprises succulent, deboned chicken with fragrant Thai rice, bean curd soup, freshly made chili sauce, quality dark soya sauce, and ground ginger. We found portions that generous that we ordered nothing more. One 2kg chicken provides four portions: twice more, at least, than at any hawker's. The meal is that much enjoyed, that the most portions sold in one single day was 1422 ! We ignore of it was quoted in the Guiness Book of Records; but we know that The Mandarin Singapore had been multi awarded for its aristocratic chicken. The Mandarin Chicken Rice
is also served outside the hotel,
at Oub Chatterbox and Oub Centre at Raffles Place, in
Singapore business
district. CHATTERBOX
COFFEE HOUSE (THE MANDARIN ORCHARD SINGAPORE): 333, Orchard
Rd, Singapore
238867 THE
ALKAFF MANSION (****L): This
is the restaurant
in Singapore. Before selecting our airline, booking the hotels and
organizing
the tours, we just made sure about one key thing: we must have a
reservation
at the
Alkaff Mansion. This superb residence used to
be the property of the prosperous Alkaff Because we had to
postpone our visit from dinner to
lunch the next day, we just missed this unique Dutch influenced
Indonesian
cuisine, which makes the place like a jewel in Singapore, as they only
serve it in the evening, following a long noteworthy protocol. "Rijsttaffel"
means "rice on the table". It comes with a spread of spicy seafood,
meat
and vegetable dishes, as well as a variety of tasty condiments.
Traditional "Rijsttaffel" service should be
elaborate and
elegant: reminiscent
of a gentle wealthy refined colonial past. A majestic dinner gong
intones
the commencement of the ceremony and we are swept back in time to the
highlands
of Java, perhaps the garden city of Bogor. Then, a procession of lovely
ladies dressed in traditional Indonesian sarong kebayas emerges to
personally
introduce and serve each dish. Touristy, isn't it? Sure; but what's the
matter if this is entertaining and elegant, and if the food tastes so
good?
And we missed all that! So, next time we fly to Singapore, we will, one
more time, make the Alkaff Mansion our top priority, for a dinner we
will
take pleasure in reviewing in much detail for your kind attention. Till
then, why not do like us: try lunch first, then have the ultra fine
dinning.
Good things should come step by step! An unforgettable experience and
not
so expensive for the famous top end restaurant in town. PHONE: +65 6510 3068 FACSIMILE: +65 273 709 E-MAIL: enquiry@alkaff.com.sg NOX “DINE IN THE DARK” (****L): Seated in a pitch-black dining room, this very unique restaurant invites you to plunge into an intriguing new world of mystery and sensation. Guided and served by blind or visually impaired individuals that have been specially trained  to
offer guidance and reassurance to sighted guests,
this is the one-and-only place in Singapore to undergo a truly rich
human experience when the roles are reversed and the blind become your
eyes, opening your mind to a deeper consciousness. Nox “Dine in the
Dark” is definitely more than just dining: it is a unique mind-altering
sensory experience! It is amazing to realize how much taste,
smell, touch and sound differ in total darkness. The cuisine by Chef Desmond Lee is quite European, with a subtle Asian note, and we do advise you to have your 3 course menu (S$88++ per person) -each course being made of 4 dishes- with wine pairing. After the dessert, you will be shown what you have eaten: which is always somehow surprising. We realized how deep is the ditch between taste and visual enjoyment. We recognized some dishes, indeed (easy with chicken, for instance; more difficult with the splendid cold wakame pasta with seared scallops, tossed in truffle oil); but when it came to dessert, which are sweetly sophisticated at Nox, the surprise was absolute. This out of this world evening would seduce couples very much: as dinning in the dark comes with an unexpected note of eroticism. A must in the always surprising city of Singapore, Nox open all week long, 6pm to late. NOX “DINE IN THE DARK”: 269, Beach Road Singapore 199546 PHONE: +65 6298 0708 E-MAIL: enquiries@noxdineinthedark.com A SHORT SELECTION OF THE BEST HOTELS IN SINGAPORE BUSINESS CLASS IN-FLIGHT TEST TO & FROM SINGAPORE LUXURY SHOPPING IN SINGAPORE, MALLS & CUSTOM TAILORS IN SINGAPORE GOING TO SINGAPORE EMERGENCY AND MEDICAL TOURISM: THE BEST HOSPITALS, CLINICS, DOCTORS & DENTISTS IN SOUTH EAST ASIA (BANGKOK) MORE ABOUT SINGAPORE (hotels, restaurants, airlines, destinations and tourist information    |
French
cuisine. The creative dishes
specialities which we enjoyed in the intimate 40-seats panoramic
dinning room brilliantly reflected Royer's so unique home terroir, in
Cantal. Taught by legendary chefs (Michel Bras, Jean-Georges
Vongerichten, one of the best chefs in 
This
is actually the most celebrated restaurant inside the 
impressed
by the food proposed in the a la carte menu: the choice was huge,
generous,
and the quality absolutely worth a detour. Take small portions,
please!:
as by "small" they do mean medium. We were even unable to finish some
of
our meals: which was a pity. If you are not Chinese, please do follow
our
suggestions: Start with the Dim Sum (they call here "Tim Sum"). They
are
not the cheap and ordinary ones you can buy for peanuts in the hawker
food
centers downtown; they arrive rich and savourous, stuffed with fine
seafood.
Selections with the crab meat were great, but with Saint-Jacques it was
simply superb ! 
all
serve the same standard international food. The Chatterbox Coffee
House,
in 
muslim
family. The mansion, on the top of the Telok Blangah Green, is a
visible
reminder of the strong colonial presence in the Singapore of the
1920's.
Reaching this top hill mansion is by itself a pleasant experience,
which
brings you quite exhausted and thirsty to the doors (if you didn't take
a cab!) There is greenery and flowers abounding. The house communicates
intimately with the visitor inducing the feeling that he is the warmly
expected guest of some millionaire friends: there is a beautiful park,
a huge reception area, and a magnificent dinning room on the first
floor
with a dramatic view expanding over the city and the Indonesian
islands.
To make you feel as if you are anywhere but in a restaurant, the
management
has a sophisticated trick: there is no uniformity among the tables or
the
chairs, as if your host was obliged to corral them from the other rooms
to receive so many guests... Now, what about the food? This is when we
went nuts realizing what we missed! We came for lunch, enjoyed very
tasty
meals in a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere, with the pleasant company
of
a beautiful PR Manager sure... but we were proposed international
cuisine.
Ok, the lobster was excellent. Sure the grilled salmon was impeccably
first
class. Of course the dessert made out of fresh mangoes was digestive.
But
where were the real specialties of the Alkaff Mansion: we mean, the "Rijsttaffels"
?!