Binge - Take Home Christmas

Let’s cut to the chase, girls. Here are more suggestions on what to bring home for your Christmas party so you don’t have to get your hands dirty with the cooking. The only thing we’d add is, buy items you can’t make at home easily so you stretch your money’s worth!

Grand Hyatt Singapore

Here’s one place you can always really trust to fork out quality food and great presentation, no matter what you pick from the menu, whether it is a main or dessert - that’s been my experience with this hotel for the last 20 years of my food writing and personal eating. I bought a fig tart for a Christmas party from here almost 10 years ago and people are still talking about it. So what’s available here this year? Whole Christmas Tom Turkey with Giblet Gravy and Cranberry Chutney ($145/ 5kg), whole spit-roasted duckling ($68), roasted goose ($212), salmon fillet baked in brioche with dill and sour cream sauce ($126/1.5 kg). For sweets, take the macaroon log cake with crispy lindt chocolate mousse ($64), and panettone with rum-marinated fruit ($32). Or how about a super indulgent box of 99 chocolate pralines ($198)?

Tel: 6734 6731

Mandarin Orchard

Did you know the original Christmas bird was actually the goose? So don’t let the turkeys get you down if you’re no fan of the gobbler. How about Roasted Kurobuta Pork Rack ($158/1.5 kg) for your festive meat instead? Or Rosemary Roasted Sakura Chicken (1.5kg, $88 nett) with chestnut and green apple stuffing, Lamb Leg with Dried Fruits and Nuts ($168/2.5 kg), or a light Salmon and Scallop Mille-feuille (1.5kg, $150 nett), an impressive dish of salmon layered with scallop mousse and topped with a puff pastry crust? And for dessert, try the Green Tea and Hokkaido Azuki Yule Log or Chocolate Hazelnut Raspberry Yule Log ($65/1 kg).

From now til 1 January 2011

Tel: 6831 6272

Royal Plaza on Scotts

Go a little French with Galette des Rois, or Twelfth Night Cake, which follows a popular French tradition. Served only on the day of Epiphany (or 12 days after Christmas), it’s a confection of almond frangipane paste, sandwiched between layers of puff pastry. Hidden inside is a little token, and whoever gets the slice with this little prize gets to be the King or Queen. He or she wears the gold paper crown that comes with the cake and will host the Galette des Rois the following year. How cool is that? It’s not often seen here in Singapore, but you can get it at Gourmet Carousel from 1 to 6 January 2011 at $52. Meanwhile, check out Carousel’s Christmas sweets like their macaroons, and fantastical cakes in the form of mushrooms and caterpillars. They’re bound to please the kids.

Tel: 6589 7788 or gourmet@royalplaza.com.sg

Coriander Leaf

Get a different spin on Christmas with Coriander Leaf’s goodies. We especially like their desserts –high on uniqueness and value too: Valrhona Chocolate Tartlets (3 dozen @ $84+), Mini Fig Tartlets (3 dozen @ $84+), Fruit Cake with liquor (450gms @ $28+) and Cranberry and Ginger Pudding 450gms @ $32+. While we’re at it, their customized hampers are also perfect for gifting. Give them a budget starting from $35 and Samia will sort it out for you with goodies like homemade chutneys & condiments, cookies, confection and spice mixes. Of these, make sure you get her fabulous Coriander Pesto. There’s also kebsa spice and sumac spice mixes, cumin crisps, almond pralines and flavoured helvas.

3A River Valley Road

#02-03 Clarke Quay

Tel: 6732-3354

De Ste

Here’s the shop the go to when you are superbly artistic confections. Their chocolate Christmas tree (left) is just to die for, so gorgeous you don’t need a real Christmas tree. See the pretty picture? Enough said.

Saint Pierre

So stylish it hurts hostesses must be different, so pick up your party pack from Saint Pierre – foie gras terrine, lobster bisque, 200-day aged angus beef, 72-hour braised beef short rib and Scottish salmon. For sweets, how about a date and raisin pudding or their signature flourless chocolate cake? Available until 20 Dec only.

#01-01 Central Mall

3 Magazine Road

Tel: 64380887

Truffs

For chocolate lovers, check out Truffs’ Christmas Log Cake. A glossy, shiny presentation of moist chocolate sponge cake rolled with chocolate ganache, finished with a shiny dark chocolate glaze and bedecked with fresh fruits and chocolate thins. ($85 / 1.4 kg).

179A Telok Ayer Street

Singapore 068627

Tel: 90882736

- Ee Waun

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Binge - Cocktails & Light Bites with the Girls

When girls get together for a catch up session or a good ‘bitch’, the venue is (almost) everything. It has to be conducive enough for conversation, comfy enough for lingering, stylish enough for association.

One of my favourite places is Bodega y Tapas, a regular haunt for my girlfriend and I. It’s a pretty casual, almost rustic set up adjacent to Orchard Hotel, and what we like about it is that it’s a little more quiet than most places. Best of all, the food and wine are great value.

Wines, cava, cocktails and sangria – for which they have a few variations beyond the norm - all go one-for-one literally all day (until 9.30pm!). Their Spanish chef rolls out a menu of 35 tapas too, and I always like the Spanish cheese platter ($17) and trio of croquettes. Enough of these small dishes, plus a hearty stream of libation makes a particularly good lunch, especially if you don’t have to totter back to the office after.

The new menu offers things like pork cheeks ($15) with pumpkin sauce and Madrid-style beef tripe stew ($12) slow-cooked with chickpeas and Pimenton. For $20, you can pick three tapas from a menu of seven for a weekday set lunch, or if you have a group of girls with you, there’s Paella Española with chicken, vegetables & seafood ($80 for 4 to 5 pax), and the squid ink paella with squid and prawns ($70 for 4 to 5 pax). Only thing is, you have to order the latter two dishes one day in advance. And for upmarket foodies, this is one place that serves premium Spanish ham – the famous Jamón Ibérico de Bellota (40g at $24) and the Jamón Ibérico Reserva (40g at $20). The sangria here is generous with fruits, there’s even a bubbly cava sangria, and their Bellinis are very nice too. Chin chin!

442 Orchard Road, #01-29 Orchard Hotel

(65) 6735 3476

12pm – 11.45pm

I honestly prefer my wines ‘cos I always imagine chocolate has more calories….but if you and your gals like what the Aztecs imbibed, get your artisanal cacao fix at the chi chi Chocolate DeSténation at 313@Somerset. Cakes here are unique and super cute, like the Potato, Italian Garden Cake and the Chocolate Strawberry shortcake wrap. Drinks to have are the hot chocolate, Nippon Hot chocolate with a dash of wasabi, and look at this! …cocktails from $7.50 and on Wednesdays, 1-for-1 chocolate cocktails & wines from 5pm! Nice! And there’s more fun fun fun.

This place serves a daily breakfast set at $7.80 (inclusive of pastry of your choice and coffee/tea), 40% off pastries from 9am-12pm; all-day 1-for-1 hot chocolate on Tuesdays; and if you’re mending a broken heart by busting your girth, there’s the sinful dessert degustation set at $14.80 (inclusive of pastry, chocolate bon bon, a scoop of gelato and coffee/tea) daily from 12pm-6pm. And finally for a cake with a statement (good to know if you’re bringing dessert to a dinner party), Chef Stefano (the Italian guy who runs this place) offers quirky originals in limited quantities – check out Han’ei, an Asian inspired cake with white chocolate and wasabi, black sesame sponge and yolk custard scented with yuzu ($65) and its signature Candle, made with Tahitensis vanilla cream, caramel mousse, crunchy praline with rock chocolate base ( $80). Not original enough? Have your cake customized and eat it too, with an advanced phone call. I like!

313 Orchard Rd #01-25/25A

Tel: 68365344

Then for the top of the world feeling, I just discovered Wangz Hotel, a new barrel-shaped boutique hotel in Tiong Bahru (Yes! Don’t get too excited, Aunties – it IS just a skip from Tiong Bahru market!) Right at the rooftop, its lounge/bar Halo does one for one cocktails ($14++ per order) every Wednesday from 4pm. The range of cocktails offered on this deal changes monthly so go over and be surprised. What’s nice here is the more-than-180-degree view of the city and the surrounds, the relatively quieter ambience (jazz and bossa nova), you’re surrounded by reflecting pools of water, and best thing is, we can make reservations for the few tables so Aunties don’t have to stand on their heels all night!

231 Outram Road

Tel: 6595 1388

- by Ee Waun

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