I was invited to try out the new menu at The Royal Mail a couple of weeks ago at Ascott Raffles Place and was intrigued because of the cuisine. What exactly…
I was invited to try out the new menu at The Royal Mail a couple of weeks ago at Ascott Raffles Place and was intrigued because of the cuisine. What exactly is contemporary British cuisine that the press release is talking about? I certainly wondered, since my impression of British cuisine is limited to fish and chips, Yorkshire Pudding and Indian curry.
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| Check out their ala carte dinner and lunch menus. |
It was a cosy little restaurant tucked on the second floor of the lovely Ascott hotel, which looks quite a treat.
We started with a course of amuse-bouche - the octopus was tender and juicy, and went well with the wasabi dressing! Now this certainly didn't feel very much British, more Japanese.
The proper appetizer came in the form of a trio of lightly seared beef tenderloin ($20) with various toppings. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this appetizer very much because the beef was a bit too cold and chewy for me.
I would highly recommend the pan-seared foie gras ((424) with fried camembert cheese and riesling jus instead! It was a lovely combination.
We also had some side dishes, one of which is this very creamy truffle oil mashed potatoes. Pretty standard fare, but done well.
Another appetizer was the sous vide half Maine lobster ($24). This was sweet gorgeous seafood.
We were also treated to a feast with the deboned fish of the day ($52 for 2) (can't remember, might be sea bass!) The catch was fresh and all you need is some light seasoning.
There was also a bottle of beautiful red to go with the meal, as highly recommended by the lady hosting us.
On to the mains now shall we? We first shared a plate of Lobster Linguine ($28), which is topped with some squid ink foam. Even though it looks unique, sad to say the taste was rather forgettable. I'll go somewhere else for pasta!
That is because you'll want to order the Kurobuta Pork Chop ($48) with apples. Our unanimous favorite dish of the night among everything, the kurobuta looked so simple and plain, but tasted heavenly especially with the juxtaposition of the tart apple halves. It was firm but not tough, and not overly fatty nor dry. I would just go to The Royal Mail for this.
The next dish is what we have all been waiting for - the signature Roast Prime Rib ($58), classic cut 280g slab of beef with Yorkshire pudding, some vegetables and veal gravy. The beef was a bit on the chewy side - perhaps we had let it turn too cold due to the photo-taking. Nonetheless, it was a really good dish for people craving for some steak. You might want to share this among two!
There's also the BBQ beef short ribs ($36) - the marinate was really intense and sweet, to the extent that the meat got overwhelmed. Despite not being my favorite, some among our table felt that it was a very good BBQ dish. To each their own I suppose!
Lastly, on to desserts! My sugar quota probably got maxed out with these, but I had really wanted to try the Eton Mess ($15) - a parfait type glass with light devon cream amidst strawberries and hazelnut crunch and meringue bits. I don't see how this came from Eton (the school, I presume?) but it is a good combination anyway!
The Banoffee Tart ($13) was also excellent. Every item played nice with each other to present a delightful combination of flavors and textures.
Lastly, the very decadent chocolate fondant ($18) - a lava cake with vanilla ice cream which was rich, dark and not too sweet - a treat that most Singaporeans will aim for. I can't decide which is better, this or the Eton Mess, so its entirely up to you to see what is your mood that night.
And here are my lovely dining companions. Hope to see all of you soon!
Overall the Royal Mail is an excellent place for date night and just enjoying some Western cuisine without breaking the bank. I won't say this is very distinctively British food, but who cares as long as they are made well?
The Royal Mail
Ascott Raffles Place, 2 Finlayson Green
65093589
Mon - Fri: 12:00 - 15:00, 18:30 - 23:00
Sat: 18:30 - 23:00, Sun: 07:00 - 11:00
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I decided to check out the legendary Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee from KL today because of all the furor on social media about it. It almost seems like a competitive sport among Singaporeans these days to eat at the newest hot spot, and Kin Kin was just two weeks old.
Thinking that it'll take 2 hours maximum including journey time since it is near our office, we left at 1245pm. 20 mins of cab ride later due to a traffic jam, we arrived at the shophouse restaurant, amidst other restaurants in a very nondescript area.
We queued for 45 minutes, and reached the end of the queue. We were then told that its another ONE HOUR to wait for the food. Some people dropped out upon hearing that. We decided that they were just managing our expectations, and it will come sooner. After all we have already sunk in an hour to get here. So in we went! It was a strangely quiet interior because everyone had ran out of energy to talk, and all we could do is to wait and stare at each other or tell people on social media that the food was yet to be tasted.
We waited... and waited... and waited. After 1 hour, still no sign of food. By then it was 2.48pm.
Then finally we got it, after another 20 minutes. We had waited from 1pm to 3.20pm for a bowl of noodles.
Well, was it any good at least?
YES, but I won't queue for it, ever again. Not even 15 minutes! And I don't recommend for anyone to do so either. The secret to the noodles is in the chili. You can just buy this and add it to your dry noodles, and it will be the same. Everything else in it is very generic and nothing mind-blowing.
And so, this concludes the story of how I spent almost 3 hours to eat a bowl of noodles.
To quote someone:
"It is just like having bad sex. Two hours of non-happening foreplay, and then 5 minutes and it's over."
Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee
534 Macpherson Road, Singapore 368220
Opening Hours: 11am to 9.30pm, last order 8.45pm
(but i heard they ran out at 5+pm on the first day)
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