Afternoon Tea @ The Rose Veranda

You know, this may seem a little strange, but for once in my life I'd really like to just plonk all the pictures I took during Afternoon Tea at The Rose Veranda in Shangri-La Hotel- and leave them there. 

No Words.

Just Pictures. 

But here's the thing.

I only took picture of the very empty, and very pretty tea cup.

I didn't take picture of the tea pot.

I didn't take picture of the tea.

Maybe I was too busy drinking.

Maybe I was too busy eating.

And maybe I was too busy peering through the curved prongs of the carved banister down to the hotel's main lobby below. 

It's an interesting place, this Rose Veranda. 

At first glance it might not seem like a very big deal- many a hotel have their F&B areas also on the second and third floors- but you'll soon realize what a difference soft carpeting, comfortable armchairs and sun-filled spaces make. 

It is for this very reason that one must carefully make their selection of tea. 

Which, by the way, there is much they offer. 

Inexperienced me had assumed that there would be selections only in the range of three or four, but, no, not only did they have Black Tea, Oolong Tea, White Tea, and Green, they had Floral Imprinted, Single Estate, and the Blends. 

I was so tempted to try a tea called Rwandan Orthodox Tea from the Black Tea selection- it was supposed to have a caramelly aftertaste and a soft floral aroma, but then there was also the (malty) Kenyan Broken Pekoe, and the Nuwara Eliya from the Lovers Leap Estate. 

In the end I decided to have a signature: The Shangri-La Tea.  

It's not every day one gets to have a Ceylon tea blended with the flavors of Natural Vanilla and Pomegranate. 

Neither is it every day that one gets to have freshly baked scones with strawberry marmalade, clotted cream and lemon curd. 

I love scones.

To me there's no feel of a classic afternoon tea if there're no scones on the menu. 

But here's the thing about scones.

They're great for the three-tier and all that, but not so wise for a buffet.

Because scones are one of the things that fill you up rather fast, especially if you're like me who prefers her scones with clotted cream over jam. 

It didn't matter to us this afternoon.

We were kind of hungry, and so, in between the petit savouries and the scones, we were more or less finished with the strawberry marmalade and the scone and the cream by the time the previously ordered entrees came. 

By the way, it became a kind of game trying to figure out which savoury was which (the staff had removed the menu to give us more space) but with the sensory of taste and the sensory of eye, we somehow managed to realize just what it was we were eating. 

Right on top was what I think was a sushi-like looking thing but was actually Roasted Butternut Squash with Organic Quinoa, Gougere and Parmigiano Reggiano. Then again, it might have been the Tangerine Prawn Tobiko Roulade, Petit Pois Mousseline with Edible Flowers. 

I don't know which is which. 

It wouldn't surprise me if that little orange thingy on top were the Tangerine Prawn and the Edible Flower, and that the puff-looking thing to the right were the Roasted Butternut Squash instead. 

It just might well be. 

Fortunately the other two petits were easier to recognize. 

On the left was the Whipped Foie Gras Tart with Mango Apricot Chutney and Passion Fruit Marigold. 

And then below, the Siracha Chicken and Mentaiko Egg Sandwich. 

Don't ask me why the sandwich appears green. 

It just was. 

We liked the sandwich. 

Particularly for the Mentaiko and the Siracha, which, to my surprise, wasn't as hot and spicy as I thought it might have been. 

It was the tart that fascinated me. 

I mean, I'm more familiar with foie gras as foie gras on its own that I don't think of it as pairable with fruit chutney of mango, much less apricot, or even passion fruit, but the combination of savory and sweet was just too good. 

Perhaps that's what these little bites are about. 

A surprise. 

A little glimpse of life to not compartmentalize and assume and think that such brown whips can only be chocolate or hazelnut. 

They can be foie gras too. 

We were similarly impressed, and surprised, when the entrees arrived at our table. 

Not because the Chicken Breast didn't look like a chicken breast.

Not because the Tenderloin didn't look like a cut of beef. 

But because there were adorable little surprises here and there. 

I knew I'd ordered a Free Range Chicken Breast with Truffle Foie Gras Butter, Burnt Onion Soubise and Pinot Noir Reduction. 

Which I got. 

What I didn't expect, however, was the big stem of a green vegetable on top of it, nor the little bits of what seemed to be edible garnish at the side. 

I wish I'd paid closer attention to what the orange swirl or the khaki brown dollop were- definitely not the butter, that I was sure of- and now that I'm trying to recollect, I realize I've no idea. 

It might have been some sort of mandarin orange thingy. 

Or it might have been egg. 

With Shang, you can never tell. 

My friend's Pan Roasted Sous Vide Prime Steer Tenderloin brought with it its own pleasant surprise. 

One might have wondered just what 'texture of mushroom' was, but we didn't put much thought into it, and when it came, we were surprised to find a huge chonk of a battered, deep fried mushroom done tempura style. 

That vegetable was so good, I tell you. 

We almost didn't have enough. 

Another thing we also almost didn't have enough of were the butters, and we'd actually tried asking for another portion of both the Truffle Foie Gras Butter (mine) and the Wasabi Shoyu Butter (my friend's) but then the staff came back saying that there'd be extra charges so we left it alone... 

No matter, that's how it is, and we headed off to the dessert bar not long after. 

I wish I had pictures to show just how the dessert bar was like, but let's just say that there were cakes, there were cookies, there were little chocolates, there were macarons and there were sweets. 

The setup wasn't very elaborate- not anything with a 3D style that we sometimes see at patisseries or confectionary bakeries.  

On the other hand, it was very simple.

if it was a cake, it was a cake. 

If it was a cookie, it was a cookie. 

Nothing more, nothing less. 

There seemed to be a lot of chocolate. 

So yep, I got myself a plate- and how strong and sweet they turned out to be. 

My favorite, perhaps, was the carrot cake. 

Like Red Velvet, it's one of the cakes I've always wanted to have, but seldom get (because I'm the only one who likes it and more often than not, I can't finish).

But then there was also the very rich-looking Oreo cake with (what I think is) peanut butter creme, and the chocolate coated pretzels, and trust me, both of which were just as good.

It was fun nibbling on the pretzels, tasting the sweet chocolate through the saltiness of the hard biscuit. 

Likewise I was so impressed by the degree of sweetness on the thicker than thick creme layered on top of the Oreo brownie that I decided to take it slow and ate through the entire brownie very, very slowly. 

Still, it was too rich.

And, sad to say, because I was very interested in this plate of cookies- I think it was gula melaka, or was it pandan- the cakes I wasn't able to finish. 

I needed to save space for the Palate Cleanser, which was, if I'm not wrong, either mango or mandarin orange or lemon or something citrusy. 

But there was a macaron, and the thin little biscuit underneath that cheerful looking palate cleanser gave a fun, gorgeous crunch I didn't know I needed.

Next time I'll go to the dessert bar earlier, spread the sweet out together with the savoury, and balance it all properly so that I'll have room for what I already have, and what I want to have.  

Next time too (if the menu stays) I think I might try the Zucchini and Goat Cheese Tart too. 

I like goat cheese.

And if it's got minted pea puree and citrus, I think the flavors will be balanced pretty good. 

Flowers of CapitaSpring

We were determined to take a post-brunch walk around the rooftop gardens of CapitaSpring Tower this time.

To look at the herbs.

And to look at the flowers. 

Which, for the last few times, captivated by the breathtaking scene of the island from 57 floors up, I'd completely missed. 

Perhaps I'm someone more into scenery than gardening and flowers and leaves. 

Perhaps I'm someone who gets so absorbed by surroundings as beautiful as these that she forgets there's just as much to see in the presence of living beings grounded by roots, soil and earth. 

So this time I was determined not to let the opportunity go, and here're them pictures of pretty little blooms.

To be honest, I wish I knew the names of these flowers.

But I've never been the type to pay much attention to flora (other than admiring how pretty and fragrant some of them are) and when presented with these, other than the roses, and what looks like a hibiscus, I've no idea what they are.

Perhaps someone will be better qualified to appreciate these blooms. 

Same way someone else will be more thrilled at the sight of a herb garden growing so high in the sky than I was.

But in any case, the thought of having a garden so high up in the sky is a pleasant, comforting one, so here they are!

OUMI Ala Carte Buffet @ CapitaSpring

To be here at CapitaSpring on an early Saturday afternoon is not something I take for granted.

Especially when you consider that weekend brunch at KAARLA X OUMI- on the 57th floor of CapitaSpring- is one dining experience that I relish, and treasure very, very much. 

It doesn't matter whether I've been there before.

It doesn't matter how long it's been since the last time I've been there.

To get to dine there is a blessing, and whilst it might sound sentimental, it is true. 

The first thing about this restaurant that strikes you is the view. 

It's a view you get no matter where you sit. 

But, of course, better it is if you do get a table by the window. 

We'd reached there at a good hour this late morning, or was it early afternoon, so the staff brought us to the table, and after admiring the view a bit, began perusing the menu. 

The menu here at OUMI isn't one of those long, extensive ones with lots and lots of dishes to choose from, but it is substantial, and everything is of quality, and good. 

One of the dishes that I love is the Smoked Salmon Crudo.

Don't underestimate it's simplicity. 

Maybe we can't see it but amidst all the slices of smoked salmon is dill cream cheese, pickled cucumbers and thyme croutons. 

Then there's the hot cross bun which isn't in the menu but given complementary, as well as the Kaarla Truffle Fries and the Kajiki Tataki. 

Kajiki Tataki may be a tad difficult to pronounce, but oy, don't miss out on what is a plate of lightly grilled swordfish with with tosaka seaweed, white onions and roselle leaves. 

Dont' ask me how the tosaka seaweed tasted like. 

All I know is that it felt like I were eating little leaves. 

Small little leaves. 

The Tempura Futo Roll and the Salmon Cheese Roll made for great choices almost immediately after. 

If Salmon is a favorite of mine, so is Tempura, and both dishes here were fantastic. 

 Again, there's the simplicity of everything, with salmon and with cheese. 

You could expect that they only got salmon and cheese, but no, they added a little bit of salmon skin, there was avocado and cucumber, and even the cheese was homemade with a bit of miso added to it. 

Same with the Tempura Futo Roll, where instead of one big slice of tamago on top of the sushi (as my brain had previously imagined it), this one was had one little cube of tamago, one little cube of avocado, one little piece of daikon pickle, wrapped with seaweed, lightly fried with tempura batter, and a bit of fish mayo. 

The heart they put in preparing this sushi was unbelievable. 

There're some dishes here on the menu that look deceptively simple, really. 

Like this La Latteria Burrata, and this Petite Beer Battered Fish & Chips.

But the dollop of burrata cheese wasn't small, and the salty milky flavors of  the cheese dissipated the bitter bitter taste of arugula salad leaves. What's more there was almond romesco and herb oil somewhere in the mix, and altogether this made for a very interesting, all round kind of blend to what would otherwise have been (just) a salad with cheese. 

The fish & chips were something I wanted to try this time. 

I like the batter. 

Rather, I like this kind of batter. 

And even though they're (petite) like I'm eating little fish bites, the batter's well spread out and they're all evenly fried like what good fish bites will be. 

We had a bowl of Misoshiru Soup each. 

To be honest I don't know what this soup is- the menu says it's got hijiki, maitake and spring onions. 

From the flavors alone I thought there might have been some kind of fish but then hijiki is a brown sea vegetable, maitake is a mushroom, and spring onions are, well, spring onions. 

If that be the case, then let me just say that the soup was very, very good.

How they did it to make what's essentially vegetable soup to taste so rounded and rich like a clear broth takes skill.

And I love it. 

We were up for two Sushi Bowls and Assorted Vegetable Tempura after this.

One of us took a Bara Chirashi.

The other took a Tuna Poke. 

I think I had the Bara Chirashi. 

It might look like other bowls which you'll see being offered outside, but there's all this salmon and (what I think) is swordfish cute into perfect little cubes, there's the salad- with tiny cute little leaves and then there're all these pretty edible little flowers that make this dish uniquely different from the rest. 

Same too goes for the Tuna Poke. 

Sure, it might be all but chunks of raw tuna dropped inside the bowl of rice, but it's got seaweed, avocado, tomatoes, aji amarillo and sesame, and that makes all the difference. 

My friend dropped me the tomatoes. 

You might think we'd be full after this- and we were- but the meal allocated one dish per person from the Wood Fired Grill and Hearth- and so delicious it seemed that we were not gonna forgo, so whilst I decided on a Buccatini Pasta, my friend had The Kaarla Wagyu Burger "With The Lot".

Don't laugh at my choice of the pasta. 

I wanted to try charred zucchini and zucchini pesto. 

I also wanted to try the texture of pasta with crunchy sourdough crumbs. 

But my friend's burger really took the lot. 

I mean, it's a fancy thing to have a burger of brioche bun with wagyu patty and gruyere cheese. 

It's another thing altogether when the burger comes with Japanese fried egg, streaky bacon, caramelized onions and pickled beetroot with cucumber. 

Let's just say this was no small burger that turned up on our table. 

Let's also say that we were very, very full by the time we finished. 

But one must have dessert. 

So, out of their four selections, we took three. 

There was a Chocolate Trifle. 

There was a Matcha.

There was a Yuzu.

I can't quite say which was my favorite- I like distinctive flavors as much as I do varieties of chocolate.

So, whilst the matcha panna cotta had black sesame brittle and azuki red bean, the Yuzu was this perfectly-shaped 3D model that resembled the yuzu fruit, and which came with yuzu curd plus something called wasabi-yuzunama chocolate, I quite fancied the Chocolate Trifle too. 

After all this little cup had a huge portion of vanilla chantilly, some pear sponge at the bottom, and two different kinds of chocolate- a Caraibe at 66% and a Jivara at 40% that were perfect complements to each other.

Alexandra's Japanese

A friend told me about this Japanese ala carte buffet at this restaurant called KUMO in Alexandra Park Hotel's retail area, said we could go try. 

I'm someone who doesn't mind a good buffet whenever there's one, so we went. 

It's an interesting place, this retail area of Alexandra Park Hotel. 

At first glance you don't know what to make of it. 

There're a couple of eateries- a zichar place (with indoor aircon seating right in the mall), a roti prata chain, and then there's this- KUMO. 

What makes this restaurant interesting is that whilst it doesnt look like a huge, fanciful restaurant, there're enough dishes to whet your appetite, and you don't need to worry that they'll be of mediocre quality. 

Like this Sashimi Moriawase that came to us served thickly cut and ice cold.

There's little that can go wrong with a plate of sashimi, especially when there's squid, tuna, salmon and another variety of fish served alongside with it.

We had a lovely time chomping through the thickly-cut slices of cold, fresh sashimi, dipping it in a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi.

It is, after all, not often that I get to have such thick slices of salmon sashimi and tuna sashimi. 

What's strange is that I had expected them to be hard to digest, and hard to chew.

But these fish weren't. 

In fact quite easy they were to eat.

Nevertheless, after two servings of Moriawase (yes, that's how much we ate), we decided we had sufficient of squid and tuna and the white colored fish (I can't remember what it was), so ordered a plate of just Salmon Sashimi instead. 

I'm still a little overwhelmed at how thick and chonky those slices were. 

One thing though, they weren't as chilled and cold I had wished them to be. 

Still, they were great, and we ate our way slowly through these thick slices, savoring the taste of the salmon with wasabi and soy sauce. 

Of course we didn't just go for the raw fish alone. 

A bit silly, otherwise.

We also went for the cooked food, which we weren't intending to miss out.

So there was an order for chicken kaarage- it turned out to be a single piece- then a bowl of agedashi tofu, a bowl of stir-fried beef, a piece of deep fried pumpkin, and tempura prawns. 

My friend liked the agedashi tofu. 

I liked the deep fried pumpkin and the tempura prawns. 

Pumpkins are one of my favorite vegetables, and as much as I like them stewed, deep fried ones are even more delicious. Prawns, on the other hand, seem to be better tasting when coated with tempura batter, and I ate most of these pieces here all on my own.

There weren't many other dishes that we ordered after this. 

There was another bowl of stir-fried beef- we liked the onions.

There was an order of two potato croquettes- all creamy and warm and soft. 

Then we decided to have two servings of fried mushrooms, which, to our surprise, turned out to be a serving much larger than what we'd expected.

Not that we were complaining, though. 

Especially since mushrooms are shared favorites and we always welcome deep fried mushrooms whenever opportunity comes for us to have some.

These deep fried mushrooms here marked the end of our mains for this meal.

But there was still complimentary dessert. 

No ice cream though.

Instead we got a matcha daifuku. :)