Basilico Restaurant at the Regent Singapore Hotel

Serving up fresh, seasonal and authentic Italian cuisine, both a la carte and buffet. Highlights include a rotisserie, traditional wood-fired pizzas, an espresso bar, walk-in wine cellar and hand crafted desserts. The restaurant seats 183 guests indoors and 32 alfresco style at the terrace overlooking the pool.

Basilico Restaurant at the Regent Singapore Hotel

Location: Level 2

* Breakfast: 6:30am-10:30am (Mon-Sat); 7:00am-10:30am (Sun)
* Lunch: 12 noon-2:30pm (Mon-Sat); 12 noon-3pm (Sun)
* Dinner: 6:30pm-10:00pm

For reservations: T. 65 6725 3232

Ristorante Da Valentino

11 Jalan Binka S(588908)
Tel: 6462 0555
http://www.valentino.sg/

Excerpt from Suburbia’s website

“Suburbia is the brainchild of the good people behind wine network, the pioneer bar at Dempsey road. Set in a suburban and countryside environment, the modern piece of architecture exudes class and beauty, with it’s manicured landscape and surrounding greenary that boast sentosa’s famouse landmark – The Ficus Tree”

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The wine list in Michelangelo is renowned for its wide selection. As wine aficionados, we opened a bottle of 2001 Freestone, Merlot to go along with the food. Easy on the palate, the lush Merlot complemented all our dishes. The entrees arrived shortly. To my delight, the portion was generous. The ingredients used were authentic and fresh, just like what the local Italians would use. Thick chunks of creamy mozzerella cheese were divine when married with juicy sweet tomatoes and thinly shredded basil. The bed of lettuce was crisp and deeply flavored by pesto oil. This dish of Insalata Caprese was what I would call a taste of rustic Italy.

The plump jewels of mussels were not as authentically Italian as the Insalata, but equally delicious and fresh. Jean wanted them cooked in cream spring onion and garlic. We agreed that was a brilliant choice on “hind-taste” because the creamy, savory sauce infused with garlic and spring onion went impeccably well with the sweetness of the mussels yet not concealing their natural flavors.

By then, we could not wait for the main courses to be served. The first scent that greeted us when the Penne Vodka arrived was a mellow blend of buttery alcohol with a hint of onions that were caramelized. The penne were coated evenly with a salmon-hue sauce. It was quite interesting because I was curious as to how the rose sauce would taste. Upon the first bite, I found out there was a delicate mix of butter and tomato as the base for the sauce. Surprisingly, the part-creamy, part-citrus sauce was not too sour, nor too heavy with creaminess. It went well with silvers of freshly shaven parmesan, which I could not get enough of. This was a simple dish with complex flavors beyond my expectations at first glance.

The hearty slab of char-grilled rib eye steak won me over. It had a smokey crust that enveloped a moist, medium-done interior, as Jean wanted. Eaten on its own, without any sauce, would be good enough. But coupled it with the creamy black pepper sauce, we were in steak-heaven! The marble of fats in the fillet added more flavor to the sauce when eaten together. That also kept the meat tender thus retaining a natural beefy-sweetness.

Desserts are always essential in concluding an evening of delicious gastronomic venture. As we finished up every last morsel of our dinner, we decided there was still room for some dolci. Lacking in imagination, we decided to stick to the house Tiramisu. Turned out that was slightly disappointing because I was hoping for a stronger accent of liqueur and coffee, but that came out a mere saccharine-laden moist cake with mascarpone. It could do better.

As the evening wound to an end, I had to say, dining at Michelangelo’s had been more than just the enjoyment of good food. It was an indulging experience from the first moment you entered the restaurant. Great service, intimate ambience, I almost found myself in a little Italian town. Be it for a date, or just getting together with loved ones and family, this is the place to be. So I was proven wrong. Michelangelo’s does live up to its stellar reputation as one of the finest here in Singapore and I am now a convert.

http://www.michelangelos.com.sg/

Wood Restaurant, the decadently delicious new restaurant in Vivocity, is a throwback to what has been missing in the local dining scene, wood fired specialities or as their tagline goes “Cuisine Flamed by The Forest”. The food, ranging from seafood appetizers to pizza to meat/poultry mains, all wood fired, offers a refreshingly unique respite to grubbers who yearn for that woody charred aftertaste. If all you know about wood fired cuisine (I wouldn’t be surprised) are pizzas, try the Grilled Magret Duck Breast, which was remarkably soft, gamy and tantalizingly similar to foie gras, albeit chewier…throw in the slightly charred taste and it is, touch my heart, nothing short of fantastic.

www.woodrestaurant.com “Cuisine Flamed by The Forest”

A seafood counter is laden with oysters in their shells, waiting to be shucked to order; thickly sliced maroon-coloured smoked salmon lies on a platter, the fat on its surface shining, and bizarre looking (but delicious) slipper lobsters, still alive, nervously wait for someone to order them. Sushi chefs industriously slice fresh sashimi from glassy pieces of hamachi and hirame – more chefs in spotless whites dress fresh salads and carve moist meats, and at the fresh pasta counter piles of floured handmade taglietelle and stracci lay on the work surface waited to be blanched until firm and smooth and smothered in generous helpings of fresh sauces. This is not a buffet as we know it. For me the highlight was a slipper lobster from the grill, torn apart with my hands – the sweet white meat taking on the salty shell flavours from my fingers – heaven. Sweet luxuries include a novel cooked ice cream with fruit from the teppanyaki counter, and a lovely crepe suzette from the, you guessed it, crepe suzette counter. This is truly a feast of the highest order absolutely worth starving for.WINE: A strong wine list with especially good selection of class Old World vintages by the bottle. By-the-glass selection of more than a dozen wines, predominantly New World, including some sparklings.

The Line @ Shangri la

Shangri-La Hotel, 22 Orange Grove Road, Tel: 6213 4275
Buffet Breakfast: 6am – 10.30am (Mon – Fri) 6am – 11 am (Sat – Sun) Buffet Lunch: Noon – 2.30pm Buffet Dinner:6.30pm – 10.30pm

Operating Hours: 6am – Midnight (Mon – Thu, Sun & PH) 6am – 1am (Fri, Sat & eve of PH)

The Dining Room’s service, though impeccable, attentive and efficient, is, I feel, far too formal for the casual coffeehouse fare that they serve. That said, the decor is elegant and understated with floor-to-ceiling glass walls that give diners the impression that they are dining in the verdant gardens outside. The local fare here is absolutely delicious — especially the signature Sheraton Towers Laksa, a hearty affair of noodles in a creamy coconut gravy, topped with fresh sweet cockles, fishcake and prawns. Highlights from the Western menu, on the other hand, included the light and tasty dishes of sautéed dory fillet with eggplant – a nice crispy fillet of dory with creamy-soft eggplant – and braised ox cheek –stringy, melting and sticky – delicious. For dessert I went all out and got their signature dish – the ice cream burger – a must-try. WINE: With a bar and cellar next to the restaurant, the cocktail, beer and wine selection — both by the glass and by the bottle — is comprehensive and tempting.

Rose Veranda, Shangri-la

Tucked within the tropical idyll of a hotel that is the Shangri-La, is Rose Veranda, a thickly carpeted, sun-filled room with deep armchairs and low tables, perfect for that most British of institutions, the high tea. There is a staggering 101 cups to select from – from fruit infusions to floral blends to Chinese teas, all served in expensive Wedgwood teapots and cups. For me, being British, this wasn’t a problem – I went straight for a strong cup of Assam with milk and some good crumbly scones, served up with strawberry jam and cream by an elegant qipao-clad waitress. It really was lovely, and I felt, just for a second, what it might have been like for those early colonialists, living far away from home in tropical lands, building grand British-style buildings in which to have high-tea and reminisce about England. If you have trouble deciding which tea to have though, don’t worry, just ask one of the waitresses – they know the extended tea menu like the back of their hand. The only thing that spoiled it for me was that I couldn’t linger too long – because they turn the tables at 3. If I were to go again I would book a table on the second sitting to avoid this. If you are in the mood for something more substantial, then they also offer a broad spectrum of full meals from East to West — sashimi, naan, quiches, roasts, rice paper rolls, finger sandwiches, an attractive array of prawn and tuna nibbles presented in little glasses, petit fours and cakes – even a chocolate fondue.
WINE: Mainly New World wines from such as Australia and US, good value and available by the glass and bottle.

Rose Veranda, Shangri-la
Mezzanine Level, Tower Wing, Orange Grove Road, Shangri-La Hotel
Tel: 6213 4486 / 6737 3644 Operating Hours: Lunch & tea: Noon – 6pm

Doc Cheng’s, Raffles Hotel

If you want expertly blended Western and Asian flavours, a generous cellar with a good selection by the glass, subdued, intimate décor and lighting, a choice between al-fresco and indoor dining, and cheerful, obliging service, then Doc Cheng’s is your kind of place. And if not, why not? The quinoa fried Malay-style was an inventive and delicious use of a much derided ingredient, and good with a glass of the house Riesling; saffron marinated baby chicken was savoury, floral and tender; and the shimeji and shiitake mushroom salad was warm, rich and satisfying. Desserts were simple but did not disappoint. A scoop of floral kaffir lime ice cream was my choice: silky smooth and tinged a light green colour from the knobbly zest – light, cleansing and satisfying, and a perfect run up to the lingering after-meal coffee.

Doc Cheng’s, Raffles Hotel

Level 2, Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road, Tel: 6431 6156 / 6337 1886
Operating Hours: Lunch: Noon – 2pm (Mon – Fri) Dinner: 7pm – 10pm (Mon – Sun) Closed for lunch on PH