Gather Cafe opened in Feb 2020 and we did not have the chance to visit them physically but tried their food via delivery. Although their galettes and crepes travelled well, nothing beats enjoying them freshly served! Glad that we checked out their website and made reservation for a table a few days’ in advanced, cos they were fully booked when we visited. Customers without bookings were turned away.
Note that every patron needs to order at least one drink and food item. 1 hour dine-in duration applies when they are full-house.
Feeling relaxed after our 2-hour massage, we were eager to fill our stomachs. Here’s the pretty Parma Hamparma ham, gruyere, cheddar & egg topped with paprika, parsley & pink peppercorns.
Followed by a sweet crepe of Fig & Camembert fig jam, camembert & honey. Love the soft creamy camembert filling.
While I enjoyed the food here, I found the dine-in area to be very echoey. Seems like I should stick to ordering delivery instead.
After experiencing our post-covid era staycation 3 weeks earlier, we were more mentally prepared this time to schedule our breakfast times, book the slots to use the facilities etc. in advanced given the prevailing capacity limits.
Guests were informed to make advance reservations and preorder breakfast (served inside Prego restaurant) via a weblink ahead of our stay. There was an online menu for us to make our meal selection to reduce waiting time for our food thereby enabling higher turnover rate of the tables during peak hour.
Tried the Claypot NoodlesHong Kong Egg Noodle, Chicken, Nai Bai, Seafood Wanton, Oyster Soya Broth and Cantonese Yum ChaChicken Siew Mai, Prawn Har Gao, Chicken Dumpling, Shredded Ginger, Black Vinegar. The Claypot Noodles was slight too salty for my taste, while the Dim Sum items were passable. Both had nothing to wow about. In fact I enjoyed the fruits platter the most.
After observing what other guests had on first day of breakfast, we decided to go with a Western dish of Double UpSoft Poached Eggs, Parma Ham, Brioche, Spinach, Garlic French Beans, Hollandaise. After extensive eating over the past 2 days, we chose a light Chinese dish of Hong Kong Famous “Boat” Congee with Millet & Dough FritterJasmine Rice & Millet Congee, Dried Scallop, Seabass, Crabmeat, Cuttlefish, Prawn. With a lower expectations, these two dishes turned out rather pleasing. The dough fritter was surprisingly crispy and fresh.
Our room faced Chijmes and the rooftop garden that provides freshly harvested greens to the restaurants at the hotel.
Care Kit was provided in the room.
Finally managed to secure a massage slot on the last day of our stay – after our check out time.
Had better luck at securing slots to the gymnasium and pool facilities.
Overall the pros of this hotel was the spacious room and great city location. Slightly disappointed that there was no bathtub in the room type we selected “Fairmont King”. I think bathtub still available for higher grade rooms.
Unfortunately, one of the lifts was under maintenance during the check out time. As a result, we waited for a few rounds before finally managing to squeeze into one less packed lift.
Round up our day with cocktails and light snacks back at Anti:Dote. Cocktails English GardenHendrick’s Gin, Butterfly Pea, Lavender Bitters, Fever Tree, Cucumber Tonicand Secret Service Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Pimento Amaro, Secret Formula Cola, Lime Acid, CO2.
During our visit, Anti:Dote was serving a menu named Casual British by Kirk Westaway – what a great way to taste Chef Kirk’s food if you need some ala carte “food tasting” before committing to full degustation meal at his 2 Michelin-starred restaurant JAAN located on Level 70 of the hotel.
First up, we picked the ultimate dish synonymous to British pub food – Kirks Fish n ChipsPrime Cod Fillet, London pride Ale Batter, Golden Chips. At S$35 we were certainly expecting more than just a single piece of the fish, though I must say the fried cod was very well prepared.
We also tried the Soft Hens Egg, braised duck, green asparagus and Grilled ScallopRoasted hipsy cabbage, caviar sauce. Both were well executed, suffice to say that we were reasonably impressed that we made a booking at the restaurant 3 months later!
Heard about this new bakery DOUGH at Chijmes, right across the road from our staycation hotel. So we dropped by wanting to have a nice tea break. Unfortunately they were full so had to takeaway. In fact when we went in to browse the bakery, there was limited choices left on the shelves.
Took a photo of the outdoor seating area at night when we passed by after their operating hours.
Although we did not have much of a variety to choose from, the two bakes we bought seem to be their popular items: Strawberry Brioche and Kouign Amann.
The Strawberry Brioche is topped with a generous serving of meringue. The bread has a nice chewy texture. It was pretty filling to finish one by myself. The custard filling, with a bit of strawberry compote, along with the meringue made the bread a tad too sweet for me. Though I believe those with sweet tooth would appreciate it.
While the Strawberry Brioche might have won many hearts for its good looks, the Kouign Amann won my heart in terms of taste. It had a nice flaky texture and crispy on the outside.
Coffee and other beverages are available as well but we gave them a miss since we had a cup of bubble tea earlier at YTea.
This place caught much attention for its girly sweet pink decoration.
In early 2021, theFlying Pig stall’s Crab Omelette Rice gone viral and the snaking long queue at the ground floor of Golden Mile Complex was headline news.
Since this place was just a few stops away from the hotel where we were enjoying our staycation, we dropped by to try our luck on a Saturday afternoon. There was a modest queue when we arrive and we waited about 30 mins to be seated.
Since the signboard had a “Noodle Queen” notation, we also tried their Beef Noodle(soup) version $7 where you can pick your choice of noodles from 5 selections. The clear looking soup was reasonably tasty and filled with beef balls, beef shank and beef tendon.
The dish that thrusted them into the news was the $10 Crab Omelette Rice piled with generous crab meat over the bright yellow egg blanket. Though I thought mine looked slightly more watery than photos that I’ve seen on IG.
It was nice and the dish was pretty value-for-money. But that was all I could muster to describe the dish. I would not mind having it again if I’m back in the area but I wouldn’t queue more than 30 mins to try it. Tip: if you are buying takeaway, you don’t need to join the queue for dine-in. I believe that cuts the waiting time quite significantly.
We also took the chance to visit the Thai supermarket in the building to buy some of the snacks, tea, condiments etc. which we all missed since we can’t travel abroad now. So it was a fruitful trip to venture to Golden Mile afterall.
Utilising the Singapore Rediscovery Vouchers (SRV), we checked into Fairmont Singapore for a staycation. While many people felt that spending SRV on staycation is pretty pointless – afterall home would be the most comfortable place to chill right?, for me the highlight of my staycation would be the accessibility to good food~
Although Anti:Dote is a place known for having after-work drinks, don’t be fooled by the picture of the empty place below. By the time we strolled in for our afternoon tea, this place was packed and fully booked on a Friday workday afternoon. So its a must do make a reservation.
Without the need for further introduction, here’s the iconic “jewel box” where the chest of drawers were filled with delectable scones, sandwiches, cakes and sweets curated specially for the Easter weekend.
Bottom drawer was filled with Hot Cross Bun & Madagascan Vanilla Sconeslemon butter curd, devonshire clotted cream, strawberry marmalade.
Middle drawer was filled with an array of Sandwiches:
This afternoon tea set was really filling (with 2 pots of tea included) and there was a 2-hour time limit to vacate the table. None of us could finish our share and ended up packing the leftovers (the sweets). So if you plan to visit them, go HUNGRY!
I enjoyed the scones and savoury sandwiches the most while the sweet treats were a tad too sweet and overly cloying for me.
With my eyes glancing between the google map on my phone and looking up to keep a lookout for the signage of the restaurant we booked, we finally arrived at the marked location along Boat Quay. Don’t be alarmed if the restaurant on street level does not seem to be an Italian restaurant because you would find a narrow, dimly lit lobby which is fitted with a tiny lift nestled between two shopfront units. Step into the lift and punch the Level 5 button, when the door open you would be greeted by this compact foyer displayed with many accolades of Braci.
The main dining hall of the restaurant (which has a really modest seating capacity) is housed on Level 5 together with an open-kitchen, but we were led up a short flight of stairs to the roof-top level.
On the rooftop level, they have an open-air terrace facing the Singapore River with a small cocktail bar.
Having made my lunch reservation at 12 noon, I’m glad that instead of sitting out at the open-air terrace, we were offered one of the high tables along the hallway.
Started with some snacks: White Corn Pufffortina cheese, paprika, saffron, Hokkaido white corn and Artichokewith elderflower vinegar (iirc). Love the warm puff stuffed with creamy cheese and sweet white corn while the single bite artichoke helped to whet our appetite.
Next we were introduced to the DOP Altamura breadserved with EVOO made using Cima di Bitonto olives from the chef’s own farm in Italy.
Having the DOP or Denominazione di Origine Protetta designation meant that the food products origins are identifiable in the taste, texture or “perfume” of the product and produced in a specific region with all ingredients coming from that region. Hence this Altamura bread is flown in from Puglia, Italy weekly. I guess we must thank Chef–Restaurateur Beppe De Vito and Head Chef Mirko Febbrile for bringing in this exquisite bread from their hometown.
This bread is indisputably the best bread I had ever eaten in fine-dining restaurants! It had a crisp brown crust with a nice yellowish coloured interior. It’s exceptional texture – combination of chewy yet springy, made this pretty extraordinary.
We took the 3-course Executive Lunch menu which had 2 options each for appetizer and main course. As the restaurant does not require both guests to have the same dish, we managed to try all the selections from the lunch set.
Appetizer was White Asparagussalsa verde, bottarga and nero di seppiaserved with a tiny bit of shichimi and ground pepper on the side or Hand Dived Scallopsunchokes and smoked ikura.
The white asparagus was “painted” like a piece of art ~ Might not be that visible from the photo but the white asparagus was coated with a base of beurre blanc before being drizzled with the green sauce, cured fish roe and squid ink.Although I’m a big seafood lover, this white asparagus dish won my heart over the scallop.
Main was either the tortellini or a protein dish (with supplement of $18). Look at the cute looking Delica Pumpkin Tortellinitropea onions and bone marrow jus. Tortellini are said to be dumpling inspired by Venus’ navel. Somehow the ones served reminded me of another female anatomy when I reviewed the photo 😅
Looks (& jokes) aside….if you are a squash lover, its guaranteed that you would be raving about these pillowy tortellini! The delicate to make pasta with plump fillings checked all the right boxes with the ideal texture and sweet-nutty-earthy flavours.
After tasting this dish, I’m curious to try Braci’s signature 32 egg yolks tagliolini:murasaki sea urchin and ossetra caviar. This dish is only available with selected menus with a supplement of $42. But I’m pretty confident that it would be worth the price tag.
Exotic game meat such as pigeon and quail were more commonly found. This is probably the first time I saw guinea fowl on a menu in Singapore(pardon me if its due to my own ignorance).
Grilled Guinea Fowlblack garlic and stuffed morels mushroom The guinea fowl meat is said to be a healthier choice for its low fat content. Therefore it is drier and leaner than chicken meat – good for folks who like chicken breast.
The highlight of the plate above was the morel mushroom. They are one of the most expensive mushrooms in the World. The morel mushroom by itself already packs an intense earthy and nutty flavour. More complexity and depth was introduced when stuffed with pine nuts and black trumpet mushrooms. Yup stuffed, because there is a narrow hollow cavity running the length of the mushroom.
Round up the lunch with last course of Amalfi Lemons Tortinoraspberry sauce and strawberry sorbet. Coffee & Tea are included in the menu as well.
Last but not least, petit fours of Spherified bubble of white peach, sake and Nama chocolate, dusted with sundried tomato powder and finished with a crispy sage leaf. They not only looked lovely but taste wonderful too! What a sweet ending to our lunch.
After confining to our tiny island for 1 year without overseas travel and “backlog” of leave to be cleared, we decided to go for a staycation since the Covid situation seemed to have eased slightly.
Other than the rooms with fabulous views, the other highlight of our stay was the Club Lounge.
The Club Lounge includes five daily culinary presentations, which essentially settles all your meals during the stay.
Breakfast – 7.30amto10.30 am
Mid-day snacks – 11.30amto2.00pm
Afternoon Tea – 2.30pmto4.30pm
Cocktails and Hors d’ Oeuvres – 5.30pmto7.30pm
Dessert and Cordials – 8.00 pm to 9.30 pm
As we visited during Covid period, the seating capacities had been reduced to accommodate safe distancing requirements. This meant that there were occasions where one had to wait for an available table if you drop by during peak period.
Understandably the tables with sweeping view of Marina Bay were very popular. So the tip was to go early for each session.
Our first visit to the Club Lounge located on Level 32 of the building was for Afternoon Tea. Served on a 3-tier stand were Sconesclotted cream, strawberry jam, apricot jam and orange marmalade, Ham & cheese with tomato on wholemeal, Grilled zucchini with Mozzarella cream on almond roll, Truffle egg mayo with guacamole cream on croissant, Sweet confectionery and bakestart and kueh. A wide selection of beverages was available all day. So you could also ask for some flutes of champagne to go with the Afternoon Tea.
This set alone was filling enough for 2 of us although you could request for more serving of the item that you like. But in an effort to care for our stomach, we did not add on more items. Afterall in another less than 2 hours’ time, another presentation session (which we were more interested in) would be available.
For the Cocktails and Hors d’ Oeuvres session which occurred during the golden hour, we managed to snag a window seat to enjoy the view of the sun setting behind the city’s skyline while enjoying the cocktails~
Based on the briefing notes provided by the hotel, it was mentioned that this session would feature Hors d’ Oeuvres, so we were expecting just light finger food or small bites. To our surprise, it was an offering which was pretty much like a proper meal! The menu included Lemongrass tomato soup(not pictured) followed by Anti pastitrio of Steamed chicken rolled with white bean and Korean chili mayonnaise, Crabmeat salad with cocktail sauce, Tomato vine and Mozzarella ball with basil pesto.
The spread continued with offering of Pan-fried seabasssteamed white rice and chili crab meat sauce, which was pretty tasty.
Not forgetting the flavoursome Asian style beef stew noodlecoriander. We are not cheese people so we skipped the last offering of Cheese Plattercrackers, dried fruits and nuts.
Two hours seemed to fly by while we indulged ourselves in the free-flow of cocktails, champagne, white and red wines.
We were so full that we skipped the Dessert and Cordials session.
Although the weighing scale showed that I gained 1kg, I felt like I gained at least 2kg from the excessive eating… Opted for the lighter Asian Breakfast Set comprising of Steamed basketsiew moi, chicken pau, black bean pork riband Chicken congeebraised peanuts, preserved vegetable, spring onion. There is also an American Breakfast Set available if you are hungry enough.
Light Snacks Smoked chicken with truffle egg salad, Korean glass noodle with vegetables, Deep-fried prawn wanton, Sliced seasonal fruits. Skipped the bread of the day and the lamb soup. This portion was just nice for me.
Other recreational facilities including the pool and gym are available during our stay but subjected to pre-booking due to implementation of safe distancing measures. Therefore it was slightly restrictive in terms of having to pre-plan your itinerary and stick to your booked time slot. I managed to squeeze time to swim a few laps in the pool to burn off some calories!
Other photos taken during our staycation:
View from the room on Marina side.
Iconic bath tub view.
Another benefit of upgrading to the club lounge is the complimentary limousine service in the vicinity from 7 am to 10 pm (subject to availability). Instead of using the service we rented bicycle to explore the Marina Bay area.
Getting to the Bay East Garden made easy on bike! The hotel had no problem stowing our bicycles for the night. The porter whom we collected our bikes from the next morning thoughtfully offered us chilled bottles of mineral water to make sure that we were kept well-hydrated for our cycling excursion. =) Having the bicycle allowed us to reach Merlion Park in a nifty to catch an amazing sunrise (post).
Merlion Park
Gardens By The Bay’s Waterlily pond.
Old Hill Street Police Station
Dazzling night view of the city and Marina Bay.
View of Tanjong Rhu and National Stadium from the room on Kallang side.
Found the Marina Square maze…
As well as the pumpkin sculpture by Yayoi Kusama, well-hidden inside the lobby of Millenia Tower.
Rarely would I wake up at 6+am to watch sunrise in Singapore, if not for the close proximity of the staycation hotel to Merlion’s Park (scroll down to the bottom to see the amazing sunrise view!). We were blessed with good weather, clear sky and spent about 45 mins basking in the mellow sunshine before it got really warm.
By the time we cycled to French Fold at Telok Ayer, it was slightly past 8am. The bistro was pretty empty but we were one of the lucky walk-in customers who managed to get a table (with a limit on our meal time as the table had to be vacated for reservation customer). Shortly after us, the place started to turn away customers as the rest of the tables were all fully reserved!
Service was prompt and attentive. We sipped our much needed coffee to perk ourselves up while we waited for our galette and crepe to be served.
From the twelve galette variations listed on the menu, I chose No.10 Wild trout, leek fondue, lime.
The leek fondue, consists of finely sliced leeks cooked until barely tender then simmered gently in cream until thickened, complimented the trout perfectly. If you think that the wild trout/leek combi is too classic, you would be please to know that there are a few galette variations carrying strong Asian influences such as No. 11 Satay chicken, ginger, peanuts and No. 12 Masala chicken, chilli, tomatoes, fresh cheese.
From the list of ten crepe selections, we were attracted to No. 18 Artisanal Manuka honey, roasted buckwheat seeds, Hojicha seasalt ice cream. I believe the ice cream was supplied by Birds of Paradise – known for their unique botanical flavours. So you may also add a scoop of ice cream from the 3 flavours available: Hojicha seasalt, strawberry basil, dark chocolate sorbet, to the crepe of your choice.
By the time we finished our breakfast (ard 8.30am), the bistro was packed and bustling with activity! I must say I’m usually still lazing in bed on any typical weekend instead of being out and about for a hearty breakfast.
With a filled and satisfied belly, we made our way back to our hotel for a shower and short nap to catch some sleep.
Earlier Photos Taken:
Peaceful view of our Central Business District (CBD) area taken at dawn.
Blessed with clear sky to catch a serene sunrise.
Cycled pass this sculpture titled ‘Momentum’ depicting an upward cycle of progress, symbolizing the energy and momentum of the Central Business District.
I first tastedSummer Pavilion‘s food during Circuit Breaker where I ordered takeout of their Poached Fish Noodles with Mini Lobster Meatand was impressed by it. Decided to visit them for a proper full course meal when we took a staycation in the hotel where they are housed in.
Soothed our throat with a fragrant Lychee Oolong Teawhile we browsing through the elegant menu and we settled for the 5-course Osmanthus Dinner Menu.
Started with appetizer of Barbecued Spanish Iberico Pork, Honey Sauce Pan-fried Hokkaido King Scallop.
The 2nd course was the Double-boiled Superior Bird’s Nest, Chicken, served in Whole Coconut which I did not managed to capture a clear photo. It was really tasty and rich. One could tell that they did not scrimp on the ingredients and effort in brewing the broth.
Braised Six Head Abalone, King Oyster Mushroom, Seasonal Vegetable, Oyster Sauce was a classic dish which was well-executed.
Poached Rice, Canadian Lobster Meatwas introduced as the signature dish. The dish comprised of steamed and crispy rice soaked in an umami-rich broth poured at the table.
Rounding up our meal with Chilled Black Glutinous Rice, Mango, Coconut Ice Cream.
While the food were well-executed, I was slightly underwhelmed by the overall experience. Perhaps I had higher expectations of them as they were one of the few Chinese restaurant awarded with a 1-Michelin star. It was just missing a wow factor. Personally I think the food was comparable to other good Chinese restaurants in the five-star hotels here in Singapore. Or perhaps we should have opted for ala carte menu?
YummyDelight 