The St. Regis Bloody Mary 80th Anniversary Brunch

If you are at any St Regis Hotels and Resorts in the world, you can always order the "Bloody Mary". It's their signature drink and it was perfected 80 years ago at The King Cole Bar, The St Regis New York. Perfected by Fernand Petiot in 1934, the cocktail was once known as the Red Snapper because its original name was sounding too vulgar for that era. 

St Regis properties worldwide will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of Bloody Mary this month. If you have visited the different St Regis property, you would have seen or drank a local interpretation of the Bloody Mary. In Singapore, there is the Cili Padi Mary. I tell you, it's spicy! Many people said they prefer this version that has a kick to the original Bloody Mary.

(In any case, due to health reason at the time, you are not convenient to have alcohol, you can always ask for non alcohol version.)



The St Regis Singapore will joining in the celebration like her other sister hotels around the world by having a gastronomic spectacular every Sundays in October. It's called the St Regis Bloody Mary Anniversary Brunch.

It's kind of an indulgence as you can see in the following photographs. I had the privilege to try it out last weekend. The price starts from SGD 148++ for adults.



It's a 4 hour affair. The Bloody Mary Anniversary Brunch starts at 11am. From 11 am to noon, there's complimentary hour of aperitifs at the Astor Bar. You can relax and start your lunch with the Bloody Mary! Maybe try the Cili Padi Mary as well!

At noon, all guests proceed to Brasserie Les Saveurs. It's where the food indulgence begins. From noon to 3 pm, slowly enjoy the food. You got 3 hours to eat.

There's always live music playing at Brasserie Les Saveurs the times I have been there. Last week when I was there, a group of people started dancing after lunch and then got back to desserts after they got tired after dancing.



The are some options for you to choose:
- Epicurean Delight ($148++) with complimentary flow of freshly brewed coffee and tea.
- Astor Indulgence ($180++) with complimentary flow of wines, beer, soft drinks and juices.
- Connoisseur Experience ($195++) with complimentary flow of Ruinart champagne, wines, beer and juices.

Ruinart Champagne is now the house champagne at St Regis Singapore. The wife and I served this during our wedding a few years ago (at another hotel)!



The selection of fine breads and rolls available. It's always tempting. I was saying to myself, skip this section, carbo will make me fatter, but in the end, I gave in and took them and even spread them with more French butter.



The Cold Seafood section was so tempting as well. North America lobsters, scallops, black mussels, langoustines, oysters, prawns poached in court bouillon, clams, crayfish and Sri Lankan crabs!

Indulge slowly, they are being replenished quite quickly. The few times I walked past, they are being replenish.


So tempting isn't it? It was interesting when I posted this on Facebook and Instagram and ask: Which is the odd one out? The answers that came back shows that people are so brilliant!
- Oysters, coz the rest are cooked.
- Scallops, because it's the only thing that doesn't go well with lemon.
- Clams and mussels, they are bivalves, the rest are crustaceans.



Claws have been cracked, ready to eat lobsters! I like!
Don't get too friendly with Ms Langoustine! She's tricky!



Ms Piggy's dancing ballet! Someone is there slicing it for you, all that you can have!



From the live cooking station last Sunday, there was the Foie Gras done in different ways.
I think they have (or alternate it with) poached Boston Lobsters on certain weeks.



Are you a fan of this?



Oh, I was so happy to see this. Like moods, we sometimes prefer warm prawns to the ones served on the cold seafood section. They have some warm seafood too!



I definitely love warm clams. Reminds me of the delicious ones at Belgo in London. They were tasty like the ones in Belgo, which I think taste better than Léon de Bruxelles in Paris. If you ordered the free flow beer, you can just have this and beer. No, no one will do that, you want to eat everything else right?



The Sashimi counter. It's quite amazing with the salmon head staring at you.
Beautiful, unless you are an OCD and you will want to rearrange everything straight instead of artistically. LOL



Another cooking station is where you get Blinis freshly made and served with accompaniments of your choice topped with Avruga Pearls.



You can choose from poached scallops, poached lobsters or smoked salmon.
Since I was in the queue and I wanted to try everything, I ordered all 3.



I saw this and couldn't resist. Prime Rib of Grass Fed Beef.



A slice of it is not enough. Unless you are too full, you will go back for more.

There's also what they call "pass around food". Service staff will carry big metal trays and let you try special dishes fresh out of the kitchen. Here are the four that was passed around when I was there.



The Tomato and Crabmeat Maki Roll with Bloody Mary Vinaigrette. Interesting flavour!



The White Mary Liquid. It's Bloody Mary Sherbet and Vodka Celery Jellies.
Try this, it's very very appetising. The sourness of it will make you go for more beef!



Yellow Fin Tuna Tataki that is coated with sesame seeds and served with citrus salsa.



Poached Egg fans, eat this. Poached Hen Eggs topped with foie gras foam.


Video clip that I loaded to Instagram.

There are also Main Courses that you can order, they will prepare it on the fly and serve it to your table. It's the warm food that's cook when you want to eat it. Here's what we had:



Poached Cod Fish that was served with White Mary Vodka Beurre Blanc, sauteed leek and celery. The Slow Dried Cherry Tomatoes, that little thing was bursting with umami. Very nicely done.



There are also 'passed around desserts' in addition to the ones at the buffet. This was the Cherry Tomato Mousse. It was interesting that a tiny cherry tomato has been emptied and filled with tomato mousse. Served with chocolate cream.



If you are bringing your kids here, the price is $75 per child (4 - 12 years old).
They have their own mains too that you can order for them.
This is the Snapper's Fish Fingers with french fries.



There's always the chocolates and desserts that you can eat here.
There are many more food options that I can't possibly show all here. If you like what you see, you can book the brunch here. 

It is available on Sundays, 5 to 26th October 2014.

St Regis Bloody Mary Anniversary Brunch
St Regis Singapore
29 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247911

Tel: +65 6506 6860
Web: http://www.stregissingapore.com/bloodymary

Newby Tea-infused Dinner Menu at ME@OUE

There are those who love good wines, those who love good coffee. Are you one of them? Maybe you totally do not like coffee or wine and like tea? There is quite a huge following of good tea lovers in Singapore. We seem to be getting exclusive access to many hard to get teas here in Singapore. More about that in other posts.



This post is about Newby Teas and ME@OUE. I haven't heard of Newby Teas until recently and I am surprised it is a very much awarded brand. They are out to prove that they are good and it has won lots of recognition. You can read more about them and the awards at their website: www.newbyteas.com



My siblings live in the UK and they always bring various types and brands of tea for us when they are back. This hasn't appeared in our happy packages yet. Ahem, I might request it from them next time. You know teas are usually cheaper in the UK.

This box of tea showed in the photo above was so fragrant. It's something probably tea lovers will know. Inhaling the aroma before and after brewing it. I am beginning to appreciate tea more and have attended a few talks by different tea masters about tea and tasting them. Glad to know about this brand too.



Many first for this post. This was also my first time at ME@OUE and I just realised this place is not a fusion food place as I thought it was. It has an open kitchen concept (seen above) but it's 3 different kitchens serving Japanese, French and Chinese cuisine. You can order from any of them, but it's not fusion of the three.

ME@OUE is on the top floor of OUE Bayfront. The view from here is awesome, you can enjoy the beauty of Marina Bay and the new downtown area. Another place to bring the family for some special occasion meals or just a date with the wife.



Butter fanatics in Singapore would love to know the butter they use here. Look above!
Spread a thick layer on their warm rolls!



I was at ME@OUE to try a specially crafted tea-infused dinner menu. It's prepared by French Executive Chef Jérémy Gillon (left) and Pastry Chef Nicolas Vergnole (right), they worked magic and the following photos are what I had.

First Course:


Foie Gras Terrine, Mango and Strawberry Tea infused Vinegar Syrup. Mango and Strawberry Tea Gelée and Roasted Strawberries

The first dish consist of 2 plates. Foie Gras fans would love this. The Foie Gras Terrine that was very rich was nicely balanced off with the tea infused vinegar syrup. Spreading it on the warm roll was quite a delight.

Roasted strawberries are interesting. I always have my strawberries fresh and haven't tasted the roasted version for some time is a nice treat to the tongue. Roasting strawberries lets out some acid and it sure cut through the richness of the terrine.



The Mango and Strawberry Tea Espuma

The tea that has gone through the espuma or gassed looks quite captivating! The pink in it makes it so pretty as well. It was like a little fun added into the whole dining experience. The bubbles burst as you scoop it up, so you got to scoop up a full teaspoon and let it pop in your mouth.


Here's a short Instagram video I took. You will know what I mean by the bubble bursting as you scoop it.

The most common tea-infused food we have would be the 'cha ye dan'. Having the mango and strawberry tea infused into vinegar syrup, gelée or the espuma really makes it an interesting dining experience.


Second Course:


Beef Tartar with Smoked Beetroot, Toasted Peanuts, Lapsang Souchong and Beef Consommé Gelée

This dish sure doesn't look like any beef tartar that I have tasted. First thing that came to my mind, it's so beautiful. It indeed was! Looks elegant doesn't it?



I can't help not taking a few more photos to show it off! A slide of beet and basil as seen from the top. Now the 3 dots are the Lapsang Souchong and Beef Consommé Gelée. I bought some Lapsang Souchong 2-3 years ago and really could not take the smokiness. It was too strong and even after diluting it, I could not take more than 2 mouths of it.

Now, the chefs have mixed Lapsang Souchong with Beef Consommé and this was acceptable, more than acceptable that I think I know what I can do with the Lapsang Souchong at home, that's if it's still in good condition.



If I remembered correctly, I heard that the tartar was wrapped around by a thin layer of veal. You can see the texture and the hand chopped beef in it. If you love beef tartar, you might like how it's prepared here for this special menu.

Third Course:



Now we move on to the next course, the Steamed Dorade. The service staff pours the warm stock after the fish is served to you. Never fails to wow people or people with phones who will take photos of it!


Steamed Dorade, Fruity Berries Tea infused Balsamic Vinegar, Black Radish Skin Celeriac, White Cabbage, Buckwheat Seeds

If you like Dorade or also known as bream, this might look plain, but wait till you try it. It was served to the ladies first. When I got it and was told how to eat it, it really brought out the texture, aroma and taste of both the fish and the tea.



Chef said we were suppose to put into our mouth first the tea spoon. It was a mixture of baked buckwheat and the balsamic vinegar that has been infused with the fruity berries tea. The burst of flavour and texture hits you immediately as you put it in your mouth.

I tried to save some of it and only had half of it. I then use the same spoon to scoop up bits of the fish. It was so delightful. The soft and tenderly steamed dorade was just a delight to have with the balsamic vinegar. Wait, there’s more! On top of the fish were bits of salted fruity berries tea bits. More aroma from the berries on the fish.

Fourth Course:


Strawberry Tart Moderne - Sable Bretton,  Jasmine Tea Chantilly, Strawberry Variation, Jasmine Tea Sorbet

The dessert by Pastry Chef Nicolas Vergnole is just beautiful! So photogenic isn't it? It's a Jasmine Tea and strawberries show off in the ingredients. It's also to show off what the Pastry Chef can do and more!



Just another way of presenting a strawberry tart. It reminds me of the competition my sis and I participated in and we were taught how to make these things by different chefs. It's so time consuming to prepare all the individual items - making the sable bretton, the sponge, the chantilly, the puree, the sorbet etc. If you don't have patience, just eat it here!

If you want to try this same medley of 4 course meal that I had, it's only available in the month of September. It's only available for dinner service. There's about half a month more to try it.

It is served at $125 per person. Call and book if you know someone who will appreciate good French food and some good tea used to infused the food.


ME@OUE
50 Collyer Quay
Singapore 049321

Tel: +65 6634 4555

Special thanks to the folks at ME@OUE and Newby Teas for the invitation to try this.

One Night Only: Quique Dacosta in Singapore @ Sofitel So Singapore.

The wife and I were recently in Barcelona and Madrid in Spain for a holiday. This was the aerial photo that we took and we see lots of rectangular shape plots. We are missing Spain and all the Spanish food we had. Some of you probably ate virtually with us on Instagram too.



After we booked our flight tickets, we were browsing through the World's 50 Top Restaurant to see where we can go. It was a futile effort for us, the places required a few months of booking! It was also difficult to route the cities we wanted to visit to the restaurants as they are like 300 - 700 km apart from where we are.

Flying or taking a train to Valentia from either Barcelona or Madrid will means we will be travelling more than we get to eat and sight see.



105 km from Valencia is the coastal town of Dénia. It's also where Chef Quique Dacosta who is touted to be one to watch out for after El Bulli closed. The NYT says so!

Good News!

If you are into Spanish Avant-Garde cuisine, three-Michelin-star Chef Quique Dacosta will be in Singapore for a ONE DAY only dinner at Sofitel So Singapore. It's a specially crafted five-course menu priced at $538++ and every dish will be paired with fine wines from Spain’s Castell d’Encus winery. The dishes being presented will include:

The Haze – a dish that recreates the taste of humidity and warm of the earth after a storm – featuring pine nuts, raw peas, pig crackling crumble with mushrooms, black truffle and small flowers – paired with a Taleia 2012

Cuba Libre of Foie Gras – a Dacasta signature of melt-in-your-mouth foie gras with cream, veiled with coca-cola and rum and granita of lemon with brioche on the side – paired with Ekam 2012

The Hen of the Golden Eggs – a poached egg cooked at low temperature with a broth of chicken and vegetables, coffee and gold – served with Ascup 2011

Ashes Rice – soft senia rice with smoked black truffle, braised pigeon, chanterelle mushrooms, inspired by the rice of Valencia after harvesting and burning – paired with Quest 2011

Chocolate Sand – a signature delight of textures and tastes of chocolate – paired with Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage Blanc 2006


(This is a sampling of what you will get when you order the tasting menu at his restaurant. )

There's only spaces for 100 diners though. If you are interested in this dinner, you can call  +65 6701 6800


Xperience Restaurant
Sofitel So Singapore
35 Robinson Road
Singapore 068876

Tel:  +65 6701 6800