Punjab Grill by Jiggs Kalra @ Marina Bay Sands

Many of you who have walked around in Marina Bay Sands would have noticed this Fine Dining Indian Restaurant and probably did not go in. We were there recently to try out a special festival menu, the Kashmiri Festival. The festival is from 16 - 24 April, so if you want to try the Royal Kashmiri Cuisine, you got to try it quick.

I remember when I was doing my post graduate studies, I did a project with 2 PhDs students and it was so interesting because I partnered with a Pakistani and an Indian. In between project discussions we get to listen about the Kashmir Conflict! There are just too many stories to tell, but I shall save it for next time. This post will be filled with photos of the Kashmiri Cuisine instead, to tempt you to try!



I have to confess I don't know much about fine dining Indian food as the Indian food I have is the usual stuff I have at Singapore or Malaysian restaurants and not from India. So obvious I am quite ignorant about who Jiggs Kalra is until I googled about it. You should too!

Maybe I should visit other places to try out more India version of Indian food. The wife who was recently at Hyderabad for work trip said that their Briyani there is so good. Even the food served in their office canteen is very different from what we usually have here.


The crackers that was really crispy. I could not catch the name, but it was addictive.
I call it a cousin of 'keropok', it's crispy and I just kep eating it with the dips below.



The 3 different dips for the crackers. I love the last one, which is some sweet chutney the most.


Wondering what to order for drinks, Mr Manu the restaurant manager said he will serve us some in shot glasses. Left: Salty Yoghurt aka Mattha was interesting. It's an acquired taste, after the third or fourth sip, then my brain said it's ok. Centre: This is called Spicy Water aka Jaljeera. It's basically a chilli based drink, and this non-Indian tongue can't take it. The flavour jolts me up too much. Right: Saffron Pistachio Lassi. This is my favourite of the 3 drinks. Sweet and smooth!


We were told the menu's Royal Kashmiri Cuisine. This is a fine dining restaurant, so this is the Amuse Bouche. Pretty fancy eh?


Bhune Badam Ka Shorba

This was the first course we had. It's roasted almond soup. It's very good. The 4 of us who drank it wondered if there's like mushrooms or anything else inside. It has the texture and even slight smell of mushroom soup. The chef said no. It's almond that had been roasted, milk and some spices.

Next came the various Appetizers:


Left: Kashmiri Kukur Tikka. It's chicken thigh marinated with Kashmiri Whole Red Chilli Paste and Green Saunf Powder (fennel) and cooked in a clay oven. We were told the Guest Chef brought all the Kashmiri spices over to Singapore. It's spices that is hard to find in Singapore.

Middle: Tabakh Maaz. This is Lamb ribs marinated with aniseed powder and saffron milk. It's done in a traditional Royal Kashmiri style of cooking. We were told the same pieces of meat goes through 3 different cooking processes and the last step before serving to us.

Right: Wazwani Handi Aluv. It's potato marinated with fennel powder, ginger garlic paste and Saffron Kewda Milk cooked in the clay oven.

I love the chicken and the lamb! Very nicely done.


Kashmiri Tsaman Sarson Tikka.
A nice cube of paneer tikka infused with Kashmiri yellow chilli powder and mustard oil. Quite an interesting taste.


Nadru Kabab

It's a signature kabab of the Kashmiri Valley. Pan grilled lotus stem marinated with kashmiri red chilli dust and roasted mint leaves powder. They also had some herbs that when I ate it reminded me of incense. So we asked the chef. It has sandalwood powder inside as well. That explains. No, not my kind of food. For some of you, you might find it wonderful.


After the appetizers that activated all our taste buds we had a special sorbet to cleanse our tongue. Just the appetizers and our taste buds have tasted so many kind of different flavours! My mind's confused. LOL

Now to the mains and we were served this breads from the Kashmiri Bakers.

The Naan is made from whole meal flour and has saffron stands on it. It's really quite nice. It has a nice toasted flavour and has a nice aroma to it too. The bread hidden below is made from refined flour and has fruits and nuts in it. Very filling, so don't take too much before the main meal!


Gucchi Pulao

This basmati rice with jumbo morels and royal cumin cooked on Dum under flaky puff pastry. This rice is so good! It kind of reminds me of the basmati rice that I watch on TV recently the extravagant Indian weddings serve.

Don't eat it first when the rice is served. There are more things that will come!


The mains are being served one by one! Be patient as it comes to your table.


It's a huge plate and it's a lot of food! Very rich and creamy too. So we were really really stuffed by the end of the mains.


Gushtaba

This is lamb dumpling with fennel and green cardamom in a creamy sauce. I admit, it was not for me. I don't usually like lamb and the texture of the ball was chewy. That proved my ignorance! The chef came later to asked if we liked it. The meat was pounded by hand and it was hard work making this. Made me felt bad and I ate more of it to not waste the person's effort. (don't laugh at me!)


Gadh Palak. 

Fish cooked in fresh spinach puree, tempered with mustard seeds. This is so good. It looks mushy, but when you bite into it, if you are like me love spinach, you will instantly fall in love with it. The fish is done just nice too.


Rogvan Josh

This the the in house specialty of Rogvan Josh. The meat's from the shoulder of a baby lamb cooked the old fashion way, which is under very low heat. Cooked with a mix of fennel powder, red chilli powder and freshly pound spices. The guest chef said, it's done the most original way and if you taste anything different elsewhere, it's not the true version. Wah....

It indeed is very good! The naan and bread comes to great use now. Mop up all the sauces!


Dum Aluv

This is potato simmered with fennel seeds, dry ginger and Kashmiri chilli gravy.


Kukur Hindi Rogvanjosh

This is the chicken version of the famous Brahman Roganjosh. It's nice, but the lamb version seems to be nicer. This coming from me, who seldom eat lamb!


We were already quite full and there's still the desserts to come. The sets are quite good value if you consider the list of food you get to try. Here's the desserts we had:


Chukander E Afroz

This is beetroot halwa. If you like beetroot, try this. It's something very different and it's a dessert! It's surprisingly not that sweet. I always thought Indian desserts are super sweet!

We thought that it tasted familiar although I have not had it before. Something inside made it quite familiar. We asked the chef and he said, there's a bit of condensed milk in it. Aha!



Left: Apple Caramel Kulfi. Home made Indian Frosty infused with Caramel. It melts quickly so hurry up and eat it up! Yummy!

Middle: Shufta. IT's a roasted nuts and cottage cheese pudding.

Right: Beetroot Halwa.


The meal ended with this delicious and wonderful fragrant tea. It's the Kashmiri Kehwa Tea.


Our glasses came with almond bits and saffron threads in it.


Then the guest Chef's assistant came with a very traditional tea pot! It's very hot and the tea was poured into our glasses.


I took a look and said to myself, I want this at home! It's so beautiful!
It's quite a beauty isn't it?


You know the traditional steamboat pot we are used to? This pot is almost similar. The middle part is where they put in hot charcoals!


This tea is so soothing and it's so good for aiding our digestion. There's no sugar in it, yet it's has a slight sweetish taste.



The chef in white is Chef Javed who is the Exec Chef of Punjab Grill. Even after this Kashmiri Festival is over he's here to cook you delicious Punjabi cuisine.
The chef in black is the guest Chef, Chef Rehman Mujeebur. 

So if you think this Kashmiri Festival is quite interesting, come dine here by 24 April 2014.
There are set lunches and set dinners. Both comes in Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian option.
You can see the full menu and pricing here: http://www.punjabgrill.com.sg/menus-for-festival/


Punjab Grill By Jiggs Kalra
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands,
B1-01A, South Podium,
2 Bayfront Avenue.
Singapore 018972

Tel: +65 66887395

Hours:  Lunch 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM / Dinner  6:30 PM to 11:00 PM

If you want to make a booking at Punjab Grill, you can click on the Chope icon on the top right. You will  be able to view the online availability of a booking time for this restaurant. ;-)

SweetSpot Deli @ Marina Bay Sands

The wife is traveling to the US for a work trip and we were talking about the meals that she will be looking forward to and some not so. The business lunches that she will have with colleagues and bosses will be more formal and 'strict'. She is however looking forward to the simple, cheap but super delicious deli sandwiches that she loves. Loads of Corned Beef and Pastrami on toasted bread that gives you a great satisfaction with every bite.

So when I told her if she wanted to come to Sweet Spot Deli for some tasting that was arranged by the PR folks of MBS, she looked at me and said Desserts for dinner? Are you sure?

If you are like her thinking that SweetSpot is all about desserts and all things sweet, it is. SweetSpot Deli however is not. MBS has a few SweetSpot, and look for the one with the word Deli if you want some easy takeaway food that's not all just sweet stuff.



Sweet Spot Deli has taken over what used to be Java Detour, if you are wondering where SweetSpot Deli is. It's a simple looking deli with basic chairs and table and most things DIY.

Behind the simple looking Deli is quite delicious Manhattan staples that 2 chefs at MBS has created. Executive Chef Christopher Christie and Executive Pastry Chef Ryan Witcher are behind the food here. They have brought to us New York style Deli sandwiches that tempts the wife, and Cakes and Desserts that tempts me.

They use disposable cutlery, plates and bowls here.  I noticed the plates and bowls are mostly disposable cornware stuff. If you are there for a conference (that don't provide food) and need to grab a quick lunch, this might be a good place to grab affordable food.


Chicken Soup with Matzo Ball ($6)

Something that we don't usually find in Singapore. Chicken Matzo Ball Soup. Matzoh balls are made from matzoh meal and eggs and it does have a very unique texture. To me, it has a texture of firm tofu (taukwa). Served in chicken soup, it's something that many of us will love to have on cold days like what we are having these few weeks.

Something that looks really simple, but this version according to Chef Christie has to be boiled for an hour. After the balls are done, it's served in a delicious chicken soup.

I was curious to find out more, so I did a search, there are recipes that boil for 20 minutes, there are those that boils for 1 hour (those from NY based chefs). 

If you don't like Matzo balls, this dish is actually the Chicken Soup dish on the menu. You can choose between Matzo balls, Rice or Egg Noodles to go with it.




They also have a variety of sides for $2 each. We tried the mash potato and coleslaw. I particularly liked their coleslaw that was to my taste, crunchy and the dressing is just nice. If you like pickles, you can order it too, but the sandwiches already comes with it, so order it only if you are an absolute pickle fan.


Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut and Russian Dressing on Grilled Rye.
(Regular (70gm) $9, Large (110gm) $14)

The New York Deli sandwiches on the menu are very delicious. What you get is quite a lot of filling (70 or 110gm of it), you can choose regular or large. I suggest the large and then share it with someone. If you are alone, pack the other half for tea!

The rye bread was so crispy after being grilled. You take a big bite and you hear and feel the crunch then next you bite into the soft and yet firmly assembled cheese, corned beef and sauerkraut. The flavor profile is savory and enough acidity to counter it from the sauerkraut. The melted swiss cheese gives a nice warm gooey feel in your mouth.

Surprisingly it does not fall apart even though it's so packed with filling.



Comes with a nice long strip of pickles too. I heard they are very particular of the pickles they use here too. Are you a pickles person?

I didn't write down the taste notes the other day, so I can't remember if they were the sweeter or sour version. I think it was the sourish tart version. (Correct me if I am wrong when you have it there before)


Pastrami, Swiss Cheese, Coleslaw and Russian Dressing on Grilled Rye.
(Regular (70gm) $9, Large (110gm) $14)

We also tried a similar sandwich. This is without Corn Beef, but lots of Pastrami and Coleslaw. A very delicious sandwich too. A nice toasty sandwich for those who loves pastrami. Something so simple yet so tasty. I know I can't do this at home because I just can't assemble it nicely enough and I don't have that toaster grill that presses everything down nicely.

(If you are like me asking what's the difference between Corned Beef and Pastrami, my short answer is that they are almost the same. Both started off as Corned Beef, but Pastrami has an additional step of a flavor rub over it and then getting smoked)


I know many people who work in the Suntec Towers and also MBFC are tired of eating the same thing. Both are not too far and is walkable too!



Line-caught Albacore Tuna, Lettuce and Tomatoes on rustic white bread.
(Regular (70gm) $8, Large (110gm) $11)

This tuna sandwich something you would be familiar with, but the "greenies" amongst us will be glad to know that the tuna used here is the sustainable type. They are line-caught tuna.


Smoked Salmon, Creme Cheese, Tomato and Red Onion on Toasted Bagel. (110 gm, $13)

This was good! I eat bagels plain sometimes and my secondary school friend will tell me, wrong wrong wrong, he says I committed a cardinal sin. This should please him. Toasted Bagel with Creme Cheese and topped with smoked salmon!

The whole plate looks so appetizing already!



SweetSpot makes their own bagels. If you don't already know, there's a huge underground complex that houses the MBS kitchen that is churning out food 24x7!

The photo above will tell it all about the layers of tuna. No further description needed.



Devil's Chocolate Cake  ($8)

Executive Pastry Chef Ryan Witcher has been around the world including stints in 2 NYC Hotels. Here at SweetSpot Deli, the cakes are huge, yes, very big pieces and certain cakes are sold out rather quickly.  The best selling cake is the Signature Cheesecake. It was already sold out the day we were there.

This is the Devil's Chocolate Cake. From the above, I can see 4 layers of chocolate cakes between 4 layers of chocolate ganache. If you are here, I suggest 2 persons share 1 sandwich, 1 side and 1 slice of cake and your own drinks.


Blueberry Cheesecake ($8)

Blueberry Cheesecake is cheesecake with blueberries on top. At the back of my mind, I kept thinking I need to come back to try the Signature Cheesecake. So I shall be back another day for it.


Notes:
It's a no frills place with great food behind the simplicity. Note that only SweetSpot Deli serves the Deli food, the other SweetSpot branches do not. It opens early at 8 am everyday. So those who are on their way to work in the area can drop by and grab some breakfast too.

There are 11 kinds of New York style Deli Sandwiches on the menu. The cheapest sandwich on the menu is the 'without meat' option. A Swiss Cheese, Coleslaw, Russian Dressing on Grilled Rye costs only $6. There's also 4 kinds of salads.

During lunch hour, you can add $4.50 for a soda and a side dish or $1 for a cookie.



SweetSpot Deli
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Bay Level, #01-30
10 Bayfront Avenue,
Singapore 018956

Tel: +65 6688 8584
Hours: 8 am - 11 pm (Sun - Thu) / 8 am - 12 am (Fri, Sat, Eve Public Holiday)

New menu and new team @ db Bistro Moderne, Marina Bay Sands.

If you have been to db Bistro Moderne recently and noticed a little change, a little difference in the menu, the promotions and events happening there, you are right. There's a new Executive Chef and new Executive Pastry Chef in charge of the kitchen now.



Things are getting exciting under the new Executive Chef Jonathan Kinsella and Executive Pastry Chef Benjamin Siwek.

Feeling a little curious about who Chef Jonathan is, I did a search on Chef Jon and he's quite amazing. He learns from his father at a young age, and his father is a certified Master Chef faculty member at the Midwest Culinary Institute. He has worked in a few places and he decided to come to Singapore this year. His previous stint was at sister restaurant Epicerie Boulud in NYC.

For Chef Benjamin, he's got an IT background. (just like me!) He decided to enrol in pastry school and have been rolling dough and making luscious and delicious bread and desserts. (Maybe I should too eh?)



This was an invited tasting by Marina Bay Sands and db Bistro Moderne, to taste the food by the kitchen team led by Executive Chef Jonathan Kinsella and Executive Pastry Chef Benjamin Siwek.

Always loving the breads here. Still looking the same and as enjoyable.



db Bistro Moderne has concocted 2 interesting drinks for the monsieur and mademoiselle when want to have a drink just before your food.

On the left is "Exit The Dragon" for the gentlemen. It's white rum infused with mandarin. Shaken with Chinese 5 spice syrup and fresh lemon juice.

The shorter glass is "Pink Floyd" for the ladies. A very interesting pomegranate-infused tequila shaken with fresh lemon juice and organic egg white!




Introducing Executive Chef Jonathan Kinsella. He's been cooking professionally since the age of 22!
Here's the tasting menu prepared for us that night.

Some of these items are available for the on-going Mondays at Daniel Boulud. The new "Mondays" menu starting from April 8 will feature the best from Chef Daniel's New York "originals". As part of their 20th anniversary of Chef Daniel's flagship Restaurant Daniel, dishes from the iconic Restaurant Daniel and also other New York restaurants will rotate on the menu here in Singapore every Monday.



Seafood and Vegetable Aioli.

A very light and quite satisfying start to your meal if you order this. A platter of poached seafood like cod, mussels and prawns with a variety of seasoned and raw vegetables. 

I know if I order this for the wife, she will be very happy. She mixes this and eats similar stuff for her lunches. 





I just thought this piece of vegetable is just too beautiful not to show! Isn't Romanesco broccoli / cauliflower so captivating?

This dish is available during Brunch / Lunch / Dinner time.



Boulud Sud's Mediterranean Mezze

This is a "Monday Night's Only" Classic NYC Dishes masterpiece. A combination of Herb Falafel, English Pea Hummus, Sheep's Milk Ricotta and House Made Socca Chips. I heard people really the falafel here.



A peep behind the Socca Chips, chopped olives on English pea hummus. I like the hummus and it goes well with the socca chips and falafel.

This dish is available only on Monday Nights.



Cheese Choux Pastry

For our nibbling.....



Chardonnay, Au Bon Climat, Cuvée Daniel, Santa Barbara, CA 2010

That was served with our next dish.



Seared Diver Scallops

This was the appetizer portion (main course portion available too) of a very delicious scallops. Nicely seared scallops that was served with crispy smoked bacon! Every since I was introduced to hand picked scallops picked by divers, you pretty much want it when you see it. (My sis will agree with me about hand picked scallops!)

It was nicely seared on the sides and tender and juicy inside, the picture above and below both hides the nicely done scallops. (It takes practice to do this, I have ruined lots of scallops trying to do this at home. )



A top view of it, the scallop was resting on English Pea Mousse and whole peas and surrounded by Carrots Lemon Chicken Jus. DB is American and so is the chef. Carrots and Peas are something they grew up with. I think Americans will love this. A quail egg rest on top giving it a nice pretty touch.

This dish is available during Dinner time. 



Saffron Tagliolini

Chef Jonathan was saying that he tasted one of the chef's spanner crab dishes at recent Epicurean Market and was captivated by it. He thought he will use spanner crab as one of the ingredients for his dishes. This is it.

The saffron pasta is from Chef Daniel's recipe. Other ingredients includes tomatoes, chilli, Italian Parsley and Lemon and Olive Oil. I am sure you can imagine the taste profile from the ingredients listed.



We had the appetizer portion. (also available as Main Course portion). If you like pasta and one that taste a little tangy, a little hint of heat (spicy kind) with some simple seafood like spanner crab. This might be your kind of pasta.  A nice alternative for those who don't like tomato based version of pasta.

(I like that plate!)

This dish is available during Lunch and Dinner time. 



Herb Roasted Organic Chicken Provençal.

This was one awesome chicken that we tasted! Yes, if you remember about the French Chicken, born in French, grew up in Malaysia and cooked in Singapore in a previous post, it's the same breed of delicious chicken.

The chef brought out the chicken that has been nicely roasted for us. On the same pan were Heirloom Beans, Carrots and the herbs stuffed in the cavity of the chicken that was used to roast it.



It's not ready to be eaten, but we were already salivating when Chef brought it out for us to view for like 5 seconds before it was taken back into the kitchen.




While the chicken was cooking, we had Sancerre Rouge, Les Romains, Gitton 2008 to go with the chicken.



Chef came back with the chicken and poured the sauce made from reduction of wild mushrooms and natural chicken jus. (with other things that I can't taste haha)



This dish is something that you should try and get truly satisfied. It's good quality chicken, so no matter which part of the chicken you have, it's very enjoyable. The texture of the meat is just so tender and succulent.

The sauce which has the very flavourful chicken jus and wild mushrooms really makes you want to lick up every drop of it. I really liked the beans and carrots too. It's one of the must orders here.

This dish is available for Dinner every night. 




Executive Pastry Chef Benjamin Siwek

I think this guy is bold! He's making interesting desserts and using the King and Queen of Fruits! Yes, durians and mangosteens! Not only is he using Durians, he is using Jackfruit another fruit that has a strong smell in his desserts!


Milk Chocolate Mousse Cake

It just reminds me of a scouts bonfire. No, it's not going to be flambéed. It's plays with texture and taste for chocolate lovers. Crunchy and smooth bits with different kinds of chocolates.

This dish is available during Lunch / Dinner time. 




Durian "Royale" Soufflé‎

Ooops, when this was served, we were busy eating the previous dessert, we forgot the soufflé‎ will sink. Caught it in time before everything flattens. This was durian soufflé‎ from a French pastry chef! We were told by MBS PR lady, they had lots and lots of versions before they could settle with this one.

My parents would probably not have it because they will only eat their durian by the fruit and in nothing else. They always wondered why people even eat durian ice cream when you can get fresh durian. They will freeze durian if they want it cold and ice cream like.

The wife who don't eat durian might eat it if she has it with the mangosteen sorbet (on the right) together with the durian soufflé.

The durian smell is not that strong until you put it in your mouth. If you have the mangosteen sorbet, it kinds of mask the smell of durian after. 


This dish is available during Brunch / Lunch / Dinner time. 




Rhubarb Tart.

Sorry, but I am not a fan of rhubarb. To me, it's just not my kind of food. Rhubarb to me is tart. So it's a tart tart. I am not saying the above is not nice, it's just not for me. It's my brother's kind of food. He orders Rhubarb whatever when he sees it on a menu, something which I can't fathom!

I know there are fans of rhubarb out there just like my brother, so this is for you!

This dish is available during Lunch / Dinner time. 



Jackfruit Verrine

Chef has used local ingredients we are familiar with and make them into a nice little French-Peranakan dessert! Made from Coconut Tapioca, Lime, Jackfruit and Palm Sugar Ice Cream.

French dessert techniques and local ingredients. Something that works and works well for me.

This dish is available during Lunch / Dinner time. 



Signature Petit Madeleines

Always a nice little sweet touch to all meals at db Bistro Moderne.


It was a very interesting night of tasting the food of the new team at db. Some of the food we had are available on Monday nights. Others are only available for dinner. Do check out their website for more details.


Baby Sitting by Chef Benjamin Siwek
For parents who are wondering how to 'deal' with the children during the coming school holidays, here's some good news. Let Chef Benjamin Siwek baby sit them! He's conducting the db Bistro Moderne "Junior Pastry Academy".  A series of specialty pastry workshops will take place at 3 PM across the five Saturdays in June. It's opened to children aged 5-12 years old! The 90 minute session will focus on different theme as follows: 1 June - Yogurt Cake, 8 June - Brownies, 15 June - Cupcakes, 22 June - Cookies, 29 June - Candy Bars.

Priced at $75 per child, this includes sweet treats and champagne for the child's accompanying parent. For more baby sitting details, contact db Bistro Moderne.


db Bistro Moderne
B1-48 Galleria Level
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (across from the theater)
2 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018972

Tel: +65 6688 8525
Hours:
Lunch: Monday to Friday: Noon to 5pm
Weekend Brunch :  Saturday – Sunday: 11AM – 5PM
Dinner : Sunday & Monday: 5:30pm to 10PM, Tuesday – Saturday: 5:30PM – 11PM