(This marks the second post about OSCARS at Conrad Centennial Hotel in Marina Bay. The first post somehow got reported for malware and viruses- I have no idea why- and the whole post got deleted. Maybe the universe thinks Conrad shouldn't be featured. Maybe the universe thinks there's nothing so big a deal about a meal at OSCARS. Or maybe it is just one of those weird things that happen in cyberspace.
Whichever it may be, here's a second post about our dinner at OSCARS- and may this- as well as every single blog post that I write- be free from all this rubbish that plaque the innocent blogger who is just writing for the sake of fun.)
So this was Chinese New Year.
Or rather, a couple of days before the eve of Chinese New Year.
We didn't get the Chinese New Year menu, but no matter, the food sounded intriguing enough, and I was sure it would be as good as what we had the previous time.
Here's the funny thing: I don't exactly remember what we ate. (It's been a while) But I do have a couple of pictures... and one thing I'm very sure of is that the menu had a distinctive Asiatic-Chinese vibe.
There was a selection of hot and cold dishes.
There was a selection of mains.
And there was a selection of local favorites, a selection of dim sum, and a selection of Indian as well as Straits Chinese.
There was the seafood, of course.
No hotel buffet in Singapore can be considered a buffet of reputation if there isn't any fresh seafood somewhere.
On the menu they had crab legs, mussels, oysters, and scallops, along with a selection of sashimi, so we ordered three platters of salmon sashimi together with several servings of oysters.
The sashimi was fresh.
So were the oysters- all of which came freshly shucked, balancing upright in their ice-filled bowls.
From the appetizer list, we ordered several dishes, including two servings of pumpkin soup, and several little plates of peaches with ricotta cheese.
Sounds odd, I know- because like who orders little slices of canned peaches when you're at a buffet- but, it is Chinese New Year, I have a special love for canned peaches and these here sounded really pretty with the description of a pretty flower on top and the ricotta cheese spread below.
Not gonna lie- peaches and cheese do go quite well together. :)
From the same list, we got three portions of salted egg fried fish skin (yeah a bit overkill but we like salted egg bits and we like fried fish skin..)
The pumpkin soup was lovely, by the way.
It wasn't one of those canned Cream of Pumpkin soups.
Neither was it one of those Clear soups that you boil Chinese-style in a great big pot.
But it had a bit of East-West fusion mix- cheery looking orange-vermillion, a hint of cream artistically drizzled on the surface- and which gave the soup a bit of creamy texture without overpowering the clear, sweet flavor of the pumpkin vegetable.
We decided afterward to give a shot at the laksa.
We also decided we'd try the stewed beef (or was it venison) on rice, as well as a basket of lotus leaf glutinous rice from the dim sum.
The laksa was good.
My companion finished up all the soup.
I ate up all the quail eggs and the fish cake.
We then shared the very big vegetable from the stewed beef/venison rice.
And with our chopsticks we tested our skill by picking at the chicken and the glutinous rice bit by bit until it was all finished.
Dinner was an enjoyable time- it's always pleasant when you get to try out new dishes, taste new ingredients, relish in the beautiful balloon decor right above our heads, and just sit chatting with each other about festive trends, family norms, and everything related to Chinese New Year.
Little tarts (Yuzu and Mandarin Orange!) little jellies (Bandung, I think!) little cakes (Earl Grey Lavender and Chocolate Hazelnut!) and macarons (Lychee!).
Now I kind of wish we had had more.
Next time.
Next time I'll make sure I have more room for more of their desserts- no way am I going to skip out on their chendol and orh nee offerings again- and I'm definitely going to have at least one serving of their wonderful strawberry ice cream.
