Best turkey

I’m going to go back in time:

We decided to have a different kind of dinner on New Year’s Eve (Dec 31, 2008). Although sushi remained on the menu, we had a huge carrot and walnut cake (from Cedele) and turkey from Grand Copthorne.

For many years, I have tried to look for a delicious turkey in Singapore. I thought I found one at Cold Storage in 2006 when my colleagues ordered one for our Christmas gathering at the office, so I ordered one from Cold Storage in 2007, but it turned out a disaster! I collected my turkey after Christmas as planned, and thawed it was, was hardly charred with the darker golden hue that I'd expected. But it was still in its tight vinyl covering. I wondered where it was sitting on before we went to collect it ? Anyway, I carried it home in a carton box (!) and served it immediately, but had bad stomach after eating it. It was salty and dry and the fat tasted bad. It was then I concluded that it must be rather difficult to get delicious turkeys like those I had in California.

It was a different story this New Year’s Eve. In early December 2008, we’d gone to Swiss Hotel to order a turkey but were told that order-taking had not started yet.
This was how the Swiss Hotel's version looks like. It's tough and rather bland but the apple sauce that one can choose to go with the turkey was very salty and nothing 'applish' at all:

Amex's offer popped up as an alternative and I ordered a turkey from Grand Copthorne using it. A. went to collect it for me when the day came, and he was made to wait, not for a bad reason, though, on New Year’s Eve. The turkey was being grilled while he was waiting...

At home, when we opened the warm bag, we found a wonderful roast perfumed with fresh rosemary and other herbs, accompanied with a box of fruit and chestnut stuffing all sealed in portable aluminium wares.

The warm bag is a handy recycleable thermal bag which delivers a real difference! We are thankful for that meticulous attention to service and food packaging, not to mention the cooking skills. The stuffing was surprisingly tasty - I'd expected the usual sweet fare (I regretted giving J. the larger portion of it).

Price wise, the Amex treat made it the most reasonably priced bird that I’ve ordered. With all the factors thrown in, it's the greatest turkey and stuffing that I’ve had in Singapore! I will order from the same hotel again when this year ends, with or without discount.

An additional note on the walnut and carrot cake from Cedele. The cake was good but the cream was not something that I'd consider delicious.

Dim-Sum at Golden Peony 金牡丹レストランのヤムチャ（Conrad Centennial Hotel）

At 2 Temasek Boulevard, Conrad Centennial Hotel;Singapore 038982.

If I were asked what’s good about this place, it'd be: I like something here which I have always disliked. And that 'something' is wan-tan dumplings. Wantan or, siew mai, has never been on my yum cha menus; so you can tell I am not a yum-cha enthusiast.

Golden Peony, an award-winning Cantonese restaurant, makes yum cha more than just tucking in tapas. A Japanese interpretation of the Chinese lion on a Narumi porcelain already qualifies as an art piece sur la table:

The teak screens and porcelain display make Chinese meals an elegant and serene affair. It offers superbly crafted Cantonese dim sum specialities which are probably the best in Singapore. But I wonder if the ikasumi ha-kao (squid ink shrimp dumpling) is one of its specialties? I don’t fancy them, as I didn’t find them different from the ordinary fair-skin ha-kao. The ha-kao wrapper is too thin, so the color is just a mask. I give thumbs-up to the scallop steamed in aburage with a superb rich broth with wolf-berries- this is a stellar dish!

Next in the line is the most unlikely candidate for me, the wantan. The skin is chewy, consistent and the filling tasted more ‘shrimpy’ than ‘porky’, thank goodness. The little mound of ground ginger and green spring onions (negi) that crowned it imparts a wonderful melodious note to it – and it’s neither too soft or tough…scrumptious.

We also ordered fried beancurd skin wrapped with shrimps, a common dim sum which happened to turn out ordinary as well, but the daikon cakes were light and delicious. Another usually oily snack made less oily and more delightful here is the deep-fried balls with vegetable-mushroom filling. It’s something not to be missed.

Each dish is from SGD4.80 to SGD 6.00. I will yum cha here again!

Posh Italian (Tel: 6837-1468)

February 05, 2009 (Thurs): We're into the second month of 2009! And it's already the lunch time of another new day. I am hungry- and I thought about what I've feasted on the eve of the Chinese New Year. I think it'd be hard to erase the dishes from my memory. Look at the pictures to appreciate what I say. Buen appetito as you feast here...

I entered this rather covered up restaurant.

The ambience is nothing out-of-this-world, but the foccacia here, for instance, warm and crusty with a spongy core, creates magical effects. It lifts you up, flies you in the air and then thumps you down on your sofa with a WOW!

This is followed by a lovely warm compliment from the chef: panfried fresh squid with dried tomato and cream. I pair it with a well-chilled Pinot Grigio, and feel my body temperature moving upward. Then the anticipation is sustained until, gasp! the arrival of the salad.

And certainly, a dish that stands out among other similar dishes I have tried is:

This is another that left a deep impression except for the foie gras. I will ask for it to be removed in my next trip.

Butter with seafood is never my favourite. But A. doesn't mind it. Seafood is better than meat for him.

I like this, although lamb is not something that brings smiles on me.

No meal is complete without a dessert-- chefs must know this, and we enjoyed some good dark chocolates (another treat) and the pudding, jelly and ice-cream. The syrup is a bit too sweet for me but surprisingly, not for A. who's never a sweet-tooth.

I am very keen to return to this restaurant for lunch. I've realised, there wasn't a single lady among the staff here(???)...Wonder if there would be one in the afternoon?

The Tasting Menu which consists of all the above is:
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CARPACCIO DI MANZO WAGYU
Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Parmigiano Cheese and Rucola

CAPESANTE AL TALEGGIO
Grilled US Scallop with Porcini Mushroom and Truffled Taleggio Cheese Fondue

TAGLIOLINI NERI AL GRANCHIO
Black Ink Thin Noodles with Crab Meat, Tomato & Vodka Sauce

GAMBERI ALLA GRIGLIA
Grilled Big Head Prawns with Garlic Lemon & Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Or
FILETTO DI AGNELLO
Roast Lamb Tenderloin with Baby Vegetable and Mustard Sauce

GUAZZETTO AL MANDARINO
Aromatic Herbs Jelly with Passion Fruit Mousse and Mandarin Basil Soup

IL SERVIZIO DEL CAFFE’
Coffee or Tea
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Location:
36 Purvis Street
Singapore 188613
Open:
Lunch: 12 Noon - 3PM
Dinner: 6:30PM - 11:30PM