Marina Square Features The Dining Edition

“When it comes to food, Singaporeans have the most sophisticated palates around the world. Thanks to our relative east of being able to jet-set on “food trips”, many have become familiar with the myriad of tasty offerings from far flung locales.

With the daunting task of exciting our seasoned taste buds, Marina Square’s latest gourmet endeavour “THE DINING EDITION” offers a collection of carefully curated cosmopolitan flavours.

The Dining Edition is located on level 2 of Marina Square Shopping Mall. At this new dining zone, the fun begins in choosing from 16 mid-to-upscale restaurants, bistros, café bakeries and coffee joins. The Dining Edition features 16 exciting mid-to-upscale restaurants, bistros, café bakeries, patisseries and coffee joints and the eclectic mix is made up of both local and international brand names.” – an extract from The Dining Edition’s tabloid.

I have visited the new gourmet zone 3 times and painstakingly gathered some interesting finds from THE DINING EDITION. Now get your tummy ready!

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Suki-Ya
Unit: #02-183B/183C
Tel: 6337 9969
Opening hours: Lunch: 11.30am – 4pm (daily), Dinner: 4pm – 10pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 4pm – 10.30pm (Fridays and Saturdays, incl. Eve of and on Public Holidays)

“Steamboat is one dining option that remains as a favourite among Singaporeans, and Suki-Ya gives the competition a good run for their money.” – how true! What do you call “all you can eat” in Japanese? It is Tabehodai! Suki-ya is designed to offer a heartwarming Tabehodai hot-pot experience at an equally endearing price.

We can choose from 4 soup bases including Sukiyaki, Shabu Shabu, Spicy Kimchi and the newly introduced Japanese Curry, which is exclusive to the Marina Square outlet.

Then, we ran to the buffet bar and enjoyed unlimited servings of vegetables, noodles, fishballs and a DIY sauce corner where we create can our own sauce. One of our favourite is the Chicken Cheese Balls – tender minced chicken balls filled with savoury cheese which melts in your mouth after cooking in the hotpot.

Nothing is complete without some meat for steamboat and I guess that is the highlight. We ordered the unlimited top-quality fresh beef, pork and farmed chicken from the kitchen. They are all sliced paper-thin for ease of cooking. We also ordered the wagyu beef which was on promotion on the day I went. We enjoyed a plate of Premium Wagyu Beef Platter at only $6.90++ (U.P. $14.90). Lunch is $16.90/adult, $12.90/child; dinner is $20.90/adult, $15.90/child.

Suki-Ya also features an a la carte menu that serves up interesting bites such as tori karaage (fried chicken), potato salad, gyoza (meat dumplings), ebi tempura, fried ebi (shrimps), salmon sashimi, fried tofu and edamame. Enjoy your meal at Suki-Ya with something cool and refreshing from their sake and shochu list or simply opt for an icy-cold Sapporo beer.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Addictions Café & Remedy Bar
Unit: #02-105A
Tel: 6338 9969
Opening hours : 11am – 11pm (Mondays to Sundays)

The second edition to open here in Singapore, Addictions Café & Remedy Bar aims to celebrate the full flavour of life while striking a balance between good and evil, sinful and healthy – but all with the aim to quell food addictions.

The menu is crafted in two parts – food to satisfy the cravings, and drinks as a natural remedy to help you feel less guilty about your indulgences. With more than 25 items on the menu and about 12 remedial drinks to choose from, diners will be spoilt for choice.

My dinner started with Truffle Fries ($10) which is my addiction. Each shoestring fry was fried to a perfect golden brown and coated evenly with truffle salt and oil, exuding a smoky robust flavor with each bite. I loved the shavings of fresh Parmesan Cheese which added some depth.

Addictions Café & Remedy Bar @ The Dining Edition, Marina Square is currently running a promotion. All you need to do is to ‘Like’ Addictions Café & Remedy Bar on facebook and quote “Miss Tam Chiak loves the truffles fries and so do I!” and receive a complimentary bowl of truffle fries when 2 mains are ordered. Limited to 1 bowl per table, from now till 30 Sept 2013.

One of the more interesting picks is the Rack of Lamb ($26). You may think, lamb only what, nothing special. But the lamb is coated in spicy chocolate mint sauce. The lamb was done perfect. While the sauce may seem unusual, actually cocoa was long been used to complement the flavour of meat and they are surprisingly good together.

As part of the all-day-breakfast, the Tortilla Wrap Italian Sausage ($15) is served with mushrooms and scrambled eggs with a chilli tomato relish. This is complemented with an avocado salsa and is a unique twist to the usual all day breakfast. My only small complaint is the tortilla wrap is slightly too thick.

Another favourite of mine is the Vietnamese-inspired Cold Vermicelli with Crispy Chicken Leg ($15) in an herb fish sauce drizzle. This dish is something with a more Asian flavour and the tangy sauce opens up the palate immediately.

Highly recommended remedy drinks at this outlet include the Bramble ($16) – a refreshing drink with sweet-sour nuances and made with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, lemon, Tanqueray No. 10 Gin and Crème de Cassis. A little egg white creates a foamy finish.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Saigon Lotus
Unit: #02-100A/100B
Tel: 6337 4648
Opening hours : 11am – 10pm daily

Saigon — as most Vietnamese continue to refer as Ho Chi Minh City—is a thriving metropolis: vibrant and full of good food. Vietnamese food lovers will be in for a treat with the traditional Vietnamese dishes at Saigon Lotus.

There is a lot of attention to detail in all the dishes with ingredients coming directly from Vietnam. With fresh vegetables wrapped in rice paper, these Fresh Spring Rolls ($8) are a refreshing appetizer for an Asian-inspired meal.

Fish is a major part of the diet in southern Vietnam. One unique dish I had in Saigon Lotus is Canh Chua Ca ($28) which is Vietnamese sweet & sour fish soup. The waitress told me that this is what she eats this along with steamed rice, at lunch or dinner as the main meal of the day.

The Canh Chua Ca here contains a choice of fish or prawns in a light spicy-sweet tamarind broth and is topped with chopped pineapple, okra, tomatoes, bean sprouts, coriander and Vietnamese basil served in a huge transparent bowl. While I was savouring it, many passers-by were amused by this and came to me to ask me what dish is this.

The sour part of the canh chua comes from tamarind, and is offset by the sweetness of pineapples. There is a balance between the sourness of the tamarind and the saltiness from fish sauce. It’s a good way to use up every part of the fish.

Another dish I always order in a Vietnamese restaurant is their pork chop. Siagon Lotus’s Grilled Pork Chop ($12/2 pcs) has an irresistible sweetness. The flavourful lemongrass marinade makes the pork chop delectable.

Iced Vietnamese coffee (café sua da, $3.50) is very refreshing in September’s heat. It is made with finely ground Vietnamese-grown dark roast coffee individually brewed with a small metal French drip filter into a cup.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Carnivore Appetite
Unit: #02-102/102A
Tel: 6336 2282
Opening hours : 11am – 11pm daily, 5pm – 12am (Alfresco bar)

Carnivore is definitely not a stranger to meat lovers. The people behind this 10-year old Brazilian churrascaria have come up with a new, upbeat and modern restaurant – Carnivore Appetite. The atmosphere at Carnivore Appetite is fun, relaxed, simple and understated.

Like the parent company, this casual dining concept features a delectable selection of succulent grilled meats. There is a giant showcase of the rotisserie at the outlet. I approached the handsome passadors manning the rotisserie and meats are readily sliced fresh off the skewers into their plates.

You can enjoy expertly marinated and perfectly grilled meats that include Beef Rump, Roasted Striploin and lamb leg. There are sweet and savoury condiments to enhance the flavours of the different meats.

Besides the meat, there are other hot buffet items such as Chicken Thigh, Chicken with Bacon, Grilled Fish, Honey Ham, Pork Ribs, Lambshank Stew, rice pilaf and the quintessential Feijoada – a Brazilian stew if they so desire.

To complement the meats, there are more than 15 options at the buffet salad bar to choose from. These comprise items such as seafood salad, fresh greens and grilled vegetables. The dessert spread entices with a selection of ice cream, cakes, pastries and Brazilian sweets.

If you come here for dinner, there are more food for you such as cold cuts and seafood! Top off your lunch/dinner with Brazil’s national drink, Caipirinha. Weekday buffet lunch ranges from $12.90++ and $19.90++ and dinner is at $24.00++. Weekend buffet lunch costs $29.90++ and dinner is at $34.90++.

Carnivore Appetite @ The Dining Edition, Marina Square is currently running a promotion. All you need to do is to ‘Like’ Carnivore Appetite on Facebook and quote: “Miss Tam Chiak was here!” and you will receive a complimentary Caipirinha (Brazil’s national drink). Limit to 1 per person, from now till 30 Sept 2013.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Supreme Tastes Jiang Nan Cuisine
Unit: #02-181/182
Tel: 6333 4038
Opening hours : 11am – 10pm daily

Supreme Tastes specialises in a variety of dishes from the province of Jiang Nan in China. With almost 100 different dishes to choose from diners will be spoilt for choice.

To make our lunch easier, we ordered set menu for 2 ($38.80) and started our meal with double boiled watercress with pork soup and Braised Pork Ribs with special sauce. What I like is their Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao and Purple Potato Vegetable Dumpling. Each handmade nugget has an almost silk-like thin skin filled with minced pork that has been seasoned with a secret mix of herbs and spices. The purple potato has much thicker skin but the colour makes it super attractive.

A main highlight at Supreme Tastes Jiang Nan Cuisine is their traditional hand-pulled noodles. These delicate slivers of dough are cooked in hot water till perfectly tender to the bite and then steeped in a special homemade chicken broth. Hot and sour soup Lamian has thick broth and slightly spicy. I am surprised the Lamian with Onion Oil fares much better. The fried onion oil is so fragrant. Another highlight here is the freshly made soya bean drink and hot homemade beancurd.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

I hope you enjoyed my 5 picks from The Dining Edition. There are of course more choices such as Bangkok Jam, Beanstro, Hamanoya, Hifumi, Lady M Confections (opening soon), Menzo Butao, Pita Pan, Nuvo (opening soon), SHALLOTS, ST.MARC Café and The Manhattan Fish Market.

For more information, visit www.thediningedition.com. You can also log on to www.marinasquare.com.sg/restaurantmonth to check out a gastronomic calendar of events and menus by participating restaurants and cafes during Marina Square’s inaugural Restaurant Month, held from 6 to 29 September 2013!