Sunday Champagne Brunch, The Sentosa Singapore

This was a Sunday Brunch that I had a few months ago that finally made it to the blog. (it's a late post because of the many many photos and I was trying to remember what I ate)

I know many people seems to be working very hard these few months. I am also mobbed with so much work in my day job, that his blogging hobby is quite slow moving. So when weekend comes, I totally drop all the work (even though I brought work home and told myself I need to finish things quick!) and totally do things that I like, eating, sleeping and doing nothing at all!

This brunch was at The Sentosa Singapore, a hotel located on Sentosa Island that is quite unique. Most hotels build upwards, but this hotel goes sideways and is located on 27 acres of lush tropical woodlands and landscaped water gardens. Already sounds like a nice place to idle your weekend away?

This brunch is available only on Sundays, 12.00pm to 3.00pm. It combines the best of the hotel's restaurant has to offer and even combine their restaurant into a huge buffet area. Priced at S$108++ per adult (top up S$44++ to enjoy free flow of champagne)  / S$59.00++ per child (4 to 12 years).

The Executive Chef here is Chef Ryan Sonson, who has around 18 years of experience in hotel and restaurant industry. (To name a few, Fairmont Nile City, The Mandarin Oriental San Franciso, Four Seasons Hotel, Newport Beach.)



The buffet area has the outdoors (covered of course) and indoors seating. It does not matter where you sit because different food are served both indoors and outdoors area. You would be walking about getting your food anyway!

For the outdoor area, the freshly grilled items are served just as they are being grilled. The outdoor aroma makes you instantly hungry!



The sun and smell of the outdoor area attracted me. I walked out and I saw this huge whole Salmon! The bones have all been taken out and it's being put back together so nicely. Work of art eh? I wonder if the chef has a second career as a taxidermist!

If I remember correctly, they are called salmon steak. Each serving looks like a piece of steak.



Fancy a Sunday roast? This Wagyu beef rump is for you! Did you spot the Yorkshire pudding too?
See a microplane there? It's used to grate fresh horseradish on your roast. 

Scroll to the bottom of the post later to see the things that went into my tummy, including this Wagyu Rump.



One normally don't eat chicken wings in buffets ya? I was so tempted by the smell and also the looks of it and I remember going back for seconds! Their various sausages were excellent too. If I remember correctly, they were homemade or rather made in their own kitchens.




Moving indoors, this station would be the wife's favourite. I should bring her here!
If you love oysters, they have a variety of them served.



They will be shuck right in front of you as you order it.

(The techie in me love how they have lights below the ice container! It makes the whole display so beautiful and glowy doesn't it?)



Moving along... there's the roasted meats too. Most probably the delicious roasts from their Chinese Restaurant.

(That made me smile a bit was the hanging of traffic lights colour capsicum there.)



Carbo loaders can rejoice with the Pasta station. Their gnocchi with truffle cream is very popular and you should try it! You might just pop too many gnocchi in your mouth and have no space left for other things!



The restaurant has many rooms and they have cleverly made use of it to have different rooms of delicacies. There's this what I call "Chamber of Cured Meat and Cheese."

Skip this room if you think the smell of fermented stuff is totally not for you.



I know there are some who adore the smell of cheeses and cured meats. Quite a decent selection here too. I confess I am not a huge fan of cheeses, so I skipped this section.

I love how the mirror made it easier for me to take one shot of everything here! When I walk back later to take the cured meats, oh oh, I see a tummy that's getting bigger being reflected on the mirror. It's like telling me, "Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fattest of them all?"



Within this 'Chamber' there's this cheese cupboard! If memories hasn't failed me, I remember the Exec Chef saying he made this himself, like how they have it back home!

I remember my maternal grandmama has something like this too when I was young. Not for cheese and cured meats though. It was for storing food. Those were the days when the weather was cooler and fridges were not that big.



This section, for lovers of what the chemistry of wheat, butter, yeast and an oven can produce!



Part of the Chinese restaurant, Baifuting was converted into the desserts section of the Sunday Brunch. Dessert fans would be so happy to see this!



I seem to have more photos of this section than other sections. I wonder why?
The area smells so good. Everything's presented so beautifully too. It's just so heavenly and divine.



Look! There's Gretel wondering around this "House of Sugar, Cream and all things nice".
No, the chef does not look like the evil witch does he? He's laughing though. Hmm....



Oh, I spotted Hansel too! He's discussing with Gretel, can we really eat all these? I mean ALL of it?

Behind where the Chef wearing tall chef hats are the crepe station.
Very good sweet and savoury crepes!



If you spotted missing chocolate balls, it's me! I pinched them just as I stood there before taking this photo! I love how they serve the chocolates on 'chocolate bar plates'! See that tree trunk of chocolate?!

There were lots of other food and photos that I took. I think I shall not put up more photos.
The rest are some of the food that went into the 2938 calories I had for my Sunday brunch.



Know why I love the chicken wings? They really tasted very good and tender. Don't they look equally good too? The smell of it being cooked as you walk outdoors will make you salivate.

The lamb sausages and roasted capsicums were good too!




The Wagyu Beef Rump and Yorkshire pudding.
For meat lovers, I think just having this would satisfy you!



For some people, Sunday brunch equals poached eggs.
Yes, have as many poached eggs from the stations if you want!

Oh, there's a Foie Gras station that seems to be quite hidden.
If you are a fan of it, let your nose lead you to it!



The Gnocchi that many of us found very good were made in such tiny bite size. The sizes makes you want to keep popping them in your mouth. I was suppose to share it but I ate it all!

Reminder for readers: Save your stomach for desserts and other stuff!



Need I say more other than Yum!



I think I went overboard with desserts. A slice of most things I could see!
Plus macarons and chocolate overload too!



Banana in freshly made crepes and ice cream too!
Ladies, remember, ice cream will help prevent osteoporosis when you get older!



If you opt for the free flow of Champagne, you will be having Duval Leroy.
Guess what? I was dining there with Leroy from the HungryCow! What a coincidence eh?

Oh, for kids, there's a special room where there's children cutlery, Wii games in wide screen TV, DIY pizza making session! Parents who wants to hire 'babysitters' can let the hotel staff 'babysit' their kids in the kids room!


Thanks to Marlene for the invitation to have Sunday brunch at The Sentosa Singapore.


Sunday Champagne Brunch
The Terrace Restaurant
The Sentosa, A Beauford Hotel
2 Bukit Manis Road,
Sentosa Island,
Singapore 099891

Tel: +65 6371 1414
Web: http://www.thesentosa.com

Hours: Sundays only, 12 Noon to 3 PM.
Prices: S$108++ per adult (top up S$44++ to enjoy free flow of champagne) / S$59++ per child (4 to 12 years)

Perfect Italiano Masterclass by Chef Lino Sauro

Just before my recent holidays to Europe I was invited to a Masterclass by Perfect Italiano with Chef Lino Sauto from Gattopardo. I always love to learn from the 'masters', so I gladly accepted the offer for the class. It's also partly to know what's behind this brand of cheese especially the Mozzarella that our family usually buy.


Have you seen this logo? The above is captured from their website, http://perfectitaliano.com.sg/ I am sure for those of you who do cook or even occasionally cook at home, you would have walk down the aisle of supermarkets and always wondered which cheese to buy. Thanks to the choice of words in their brands, somehow our family seems to buy this brand because it's the 'perfect' choice and it's Italian. 



I love walking along the various supermarket aisle, and the above was taken on 31 March. Look! It's on sale for those who want to try it!

If you are wondering, Perfect Italiano started in Australia in 1930 from Southern Italy. In 1922, Italian immigrant Natele Italiano arrived in Australia. Coming from a family that has history in cheese making, Natale started the Perfect Cheese Company.



After the class, all the participants were given these packs of a mix of Parmesan, Mozzarella and Pizza Plus to bring home and try them all.

We realised at home that we already have similar packs at home! The wife have tried to cook some dishes with it, you would already have seen me posting it on Instagram some weeks ago. Sis says she will try making desserts and cakes with it.



The masterclass was held at Palate Sensation in their wonderful kitchen. Something I love about these classes are the folks working there that prepares everything for you before you start, and cleaning up too after you finish. ;-)

Chef Lino was going to demonstrate 3 dishes that we all can easily whip up at home. Dishes with minimal cooking and preparation time and yet comes out so delicious.



1) Wonton Ravioli with Soya Marinated Prawns and Parmesan Fondue.

This first dish was very easy to make and it taste rather good too. Here's the recipe for those who are keen to try this at home.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins  

Ingredients:
100g Perfect Italiano Parmesan Grated Cheese
100g Anchor unsalted butter
20 pcs wonton skin (square shaped)
20g light soya sauce
30g olive oil
2 garlic cloves
100g full cream milk
1 stalk of spring onion
20g white wine
10 pcs of tiger prawns

Preparation:




Step 1. Peel and marinate prawns with soya, garlic, olive oil and spring onion.




Step 2. Make Parmesan fondue by mixing Perfect Italiano Parmesan Grated Cheese, milk, butter and white wine.

Step 3. Warm up mixture in a bain-marie (many of us call it the double boiler) till creamy and season with white pepper.  

This is easy isn't it? Just melting it. You can taste the mixture and add more of the ingredients you like. It will then be your recipe!




Step 4. Fill wonton skin with prawns.

Use an egg wash to coat the entire piece of wonton. The sides where you will later fold it, you make sure there's egg on it to seal it up.



It's so simple isn't it?



Step 5. Cook it in boiling water for 3 minutes.



That is what our plate looks like. Just before we pour the cheeses fondue over it.  One of our wonton broke and a prawn escaped. Well, we can always use that as a garnish!  

I was partnering with Melissa from Melicacy which was also with me in the recent cooking competition.



Step 6. Pour the fondue over the wonton and topped it up with Perfect Italiano Parmesan Grated Cheese and spring onions.

Doesn't it look good? It's a mix of Oriental and Italian cuisine!



This is the version that was prepared by the Chef. If you want to make it more 'restaurant style' serving.


2) Rice Roll with Mozzarella Cheese and Salmon




This next dish is something we don't usually see put together this way! Sushi rolls with cheese in it and outside it!

Serves: 4 pax
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:
300g Perfect Italiano Mozzarella Grated Cheese
200g sushi rice
4 sheets of nori (seaweed)
150g cured/smoked salmon
100g cucumber (cut into strips)
50g rice vinegar
5g wasabi
200g mayonnaise



Chef Lino can prepare Japanese dishes too!
Maybe one day, we shall see some Italian-Japanese dish or two at Gattopardo!  

Preparation:




Step 1: Place a sheet of nori on the bamboo mat.
Step 2: Spread and flatten rice on top of nori.
Step 3: Lay down salmon, cucumber and Prefect Italiano Mozzarella Grated Cheese in the middle. Step 4: Hold on to the ends of the bamboo mat and roll, making sure that the ingredients are held inside it.



Step 5: Remove bamboo mat and cut rice roll by one inch.




It's interesting isn't it? Cheese inside and ready to be put into the oven to melt!




You can be more creative and decorate it anyway you want.

I added bits of salmon and more cheese on top. I don't like it to be a whole big mess, so I had a small amount on top only.



Step 6: Warm up rice roll in an oven to melt Perfect Italiano Mozzarella Grated Cheese.
Simple isn't it?



This was my version. Served with mayonnaise that was mixed with wasabi.



Chef Lino's version. ;-)  


3) Deep fried Potato with Mozzarella Cheese (served with sweet and sour sauce)



Of the 3 dishes that was demonstrated, this was my favourite.
It's very delicious and not that difficult to make. It might look complicated from the ingredients list but it's easy!

The recipe is adapted from Chef Lino's mum's recipe. He has added more spices to make it more Asian for this masterclass.

The sweet and sour sauce is not the Chinese style sweet and sour sauce we are used to. It's a tomato based and it's like a light thinner version of pasta sauce.

Serves: 4 pax
Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:
200g Perfect Italiano Mozzarella Grated Cheese
400g potatoes
50g corn starch
50g onion (chopped)
5g cinnamon
5g ground black pepper
5g curry powder
2 eggs
4 garlic cloves
30g lemongrass (minced)
20g shallots (minced)
300g Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)
Lemon zest
Oil to fry



Chef Lino half way through preparing the next dish, when suddenly someone asked him to pose for us! He gladly obliged!

Step 1: Shred potatoes in food processor and place in strainer. Sprinkle with salt, drain for 15 mins.



Step 2: Mix dry seasonings.
Step 3: Squeeze potatoes dry and place in mixing bowl.
Step 4: Add cornstarch and mix thoroughly. Add all remaining ingredients (except panko crumbs and oil) and mix well.



Step 5: Form the mixture into a ball and stuff in some Perfect Italiano Mozzarella Grated Cheese in the middle of the ball. Then coat it with panko all around.



Step 6: Heat oil in pan. Lower patties into oil and flatten patties with a spatula. Patries should be 2 inches across.
Step 7: Fry until crisp and golden on the bottom. Fry the other side.
Step 8: Drain and ready to serve.



This was Melissa and my creation. Looks good eh?
Make sure you sfuff just enough and not too much cheese in the patties. If not, it will overflow and explode while it's being fried!



This was the Chef's version. Looks like Melissa and I did quite a good job eh?
I am sure you all can replicate it at home too.

A special thanks to Perfect Italiano for the invite to the Masterclass and also giving us some supplies of Perfect Italiano cheese to try at home.