Lavish Buffet

Lavish Buffet

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Restaurant Week Lunch at The Royal Mail Restaurant & Bar (Ascott Raffles Place Singapore, 2 Finlayson Green, Level 2, Singapore 049247) Reservation:

It's such a hassle to make reservation through phone - Book now through Chope for Instant Reservations!

Visited on 2 Nov 2014 (Sun) - Last day of the Restaurant Week Lunch.

Restaurant week lunch at $25++ per person = Total bill of $58.85 for 2 pax.

The Royal Mail Restaurant & Bar is a 60-seat restaurant with three separate sections: The Bar, The Main Dining Room and a Private Dining Space that can be modified to accommodate groups of different sizes.  It was housed within the historical and culturally-rich Ascott Raffles Place Service Apartment and serves modern interpretations of Classic British Cuisine. 





Their bar counter at lobby level. You can take a seat here to wait first if you're early.














Reception at The Royal Mail







This is the place that we had our Restaurant Week Lunch!
















Their open kitchen..













Soft warm bread was served with butter...




Starter: Pan-Seared Scallops
Love their scallops so much - Succulent and Crisp at the top!



Starter: Pan-Seared Foie Gras
We thought the size of the foie gras will be something like the scallops above. So we were really amazed by the generous portion of foie gras given. Probably it's a little too much and too rich, so we gotta share the portion with each other.. Overall it was mediocre.





Main Course: Pan Seared Salmon 
The salmon was cooked to perfection - very tender and the skin was crisp enough!





Main Course: Roasted Chicken Breast
Was expecting the meat to be tough but surprisingly it was quite tender. But this dish was unremarkable as the taste was not great.




Dessert: White Chocolate Mousse 




Dessert: White Chocolate Panna Cotta 



Overall the food and dessert here were decent, nothing to rave about. Service was good from the reception staff but not the server staff. If you want to find a slightly better restaurant with adequate food at Raffles Place area, you can consider this place.

It's such a hassle to make reservation through phone - Book now through Chope for Instant Reservations!

What is a Restaurant Week? 

Dining in a high quality restaurant is generally an expensive affair, but during the Singapore Restaurant Week (A short 1 week only), you get to enjoy an exquisite meal but at a more affordable price. High quality restaurants will serve a special 3-course set dinner for a fixed price of S$35++* and 3-course set lunch for $25++*. Note: Only available twice a year!

*For restaurants awarded with a DiningCity star, the additional charge of $15++ for lunch and $20++ for dinner is applicable.

Monday 17 November 2014

Restaurant Week Dinner at ilLido (27 Bukit Manis Road - Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore 099892) Reservation: 6866 1977

Note: ilLido was closed currently to a brand new location coming up soon. (Updated Oct 2015)

Visited on 1 Nov 2014 (Sat) during Restaurant Week Dinner. 

Restaurant week dinner at $55++ per person = Total bill of $129.47 for 2 pax.


Award Winning ilLido is Singapore’s most stylish Italian restaurant, presents the finest Italian cuisine and international wines to savour over while relishing the breathtaking views of golden seas, lush greens and tranquil skies.

Perched atop a high cliff of Sentosa Island, the restaurant’s air of elegance indulges diners in a lavish and leisurely dining experience.



Take this path towards ilLido restaurant!




Here it is! Alfresco seats has a more direct sea view and lush greenery view compared to indoor seats. The outdoor ambience was quite casual for a fine dining, so try not to wear too formal in order to enjoy the relaxing ambience as the weather in Singapore is quite warm.










If you arrive early before they opened, you can take a seat at their bar area to relish the seaview and the lush-green golf course.











An intimate fine dining settings










The ambience was very dim and romantic at night..




Noticed the green stool beside the table? They were very thoughtful to provide colourful stool at each table for putting bag.










Warm bread served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, fragrant but a little too hard..



Amuse Bouche: Risotto Balls


I like the crispy breaded exterior with cheesy risotto filling inside. A nice appetiser to kick-off our dinner!




Jumbo Crab with Tomato & Basil Essence

Generous portion of crab meat in a salad-like dressing, accompanied with fish roe and a dash of black pepper. You can really taste the freshness of the crab meat and everything else helps to bring out the taste. 




Butternut Tortellini with truffle bagnacauda
The aromatic butternut, cooked to soft perfection, wrapped within the thin and moist tortellini. Doused in a creamy, truffle infused sauce, and adorned with caramelized sugar. Every flavourful mouthful warmed my heart... :) 



Seabass Cacciucco, Cherry Tomatoes and Celeriac
The skin was delightfully crisp while the seabass was still extremely tender, soaking in the flavourful broth. A really well cooked dish! This is one of the BEST seabass that I had so far!!!





Free Range Chicken with Foie Gras, Prosciutto and Sweet Potatoes

The chicken roll was wrapped within a thin viel of prosciutto, with a heart shape of foie gras. (Impressed with the heart shape) You'd be forgiven to believe this was ham as that was exactly what came to my mind. Served with several types of exotic cauliflower. Taste was satisfactory and the chicken meat was quite tender but I wouldn't have mind a bigger foie gras middle. 




Hazelnut Coulant with Amaretto Foam and Amarena Cherries

Hazelnut flavoured lava cake with liquered foam and amarena cherries. I love the melting chocolate flowing out from the cake, it's rich but with great satisfaction for chocolate fan! The hazelnut taste worked really well with the creamy liquer with cocoa powder and bitter sweet berries. A perfect ending to a well planned course!



What is an italian meal without a good cup of coffee at the end? 
(Tea for me though, as I'm a coffee-sensitive sleeper)



And a pleasant little surpise at the end, chocolate and lemon pettite dessert to end the wonderful evening on a sweet note!




Overall the service was very good and prompt. Food quality definitely met our expectations! Recommended for a romantic date or special occasions!

*Highly Recommended*



What is a Restaurant Week? 

Dining in a high quality restaurant is generally an expensive affair, but during the Singapore Restaurant Week (A short 1 week only), you get to enjoy an exquisite meal but at a more affordable price. High quality restaurants will serve a special 3-course set dinner for a fixed price of S$35++* and 3-course set lunch for $25++*. Note: Only available twice a year!

*For restaurants awarded with a DiningCity star, the additional charge of $15++ for lunch and $20++ for dinner is applicable.



Lunch: Open Tues - Sun, 12pm to 2.30pm

Dinner: Open Tues - Sun, 6.30pm to 10.30pm


Website: http://www.il-lido.com/