Paradise Pavilion @ Marina Bay Link Mall

One of our favourite place for weekend Dim Sum is at Paradise Pavilion, which is the flagship restaurant of the Paradise Group of restaurants.



Located at the new Marina Bay Financial Centre, it's quite difficult to get a table with prior reservation. It is that popular.



Decided to cool things down with a pot of Chrysanthemum Tea (S$3.80 per person)



Started our Dim Sum brunch with Deep Fried prawn with mango roll (S$5.60)



Cute little packets of Steamed Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf (S$5.80)



The traditional Steamed Prawn Dumpling "Ha Kau" (S$5.80). Prawns were crunchy. Skin was thin.



Steamed Custard Bun (S$5.50)  Paradise makes one of the best Liu Sha Bao. Creamy salted egg cream flowing out of the fluffy buns.



Steamed Pork Dumplings "Siew Mai" (S$5.80). Can taste big chunks of prawns, mushrooms and pork.



Rice Rolls with Minced Preserved Turnip Filling (S$5.00) One of our must order here. Love the savoury turnip fillings in the chee cheong fun.



Double Boiled Soup (S$10 per person) - A soup to warm the tummy



Steamed Prawn and Chive Dumplings (S$5.00)  Nice combination of chives and crunchy prawns



Steamed BBQ Honey Pork Buns with Preserved Vegetables (S$4.60) - Fluffy buns with sweet pork fillings



Steamed Shanghai Pork Dumplings (S$4.80) - As good as Ding Tai Fung. Thin skin and bursting with delicious juice inside.



Forbidden Rice Dumpling (S$14.80) - This was a one time special dumpling. Sweet, savoury and filling.


Paradise Pavilion
No 8A Marina Boulevard
#02-01
Marina Bay Link Mall

Pollen @ Gardens By The Bay

It is always a joy to visit the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay. And the whole dome was exceptionally beautiful during the recently concluded Tulip festival.



Lot's of beautiful real tulips on display, and we were there on the 2nd last day where all of the flowers were in full bloom.



Made reservations at Pollen for a leisure afternoon tea before going for the flower tour.



There were 3 of us, and we had a choice of 3 different teas which were refillable.



The Afternoon Tea (S$38++ per person) was one of the better deals here. But as it is an afternoon tea, the variety and quantity were quite small. And it's non-refillable too.



Gibassier with homemade jam. We like the crispy crust.



Sandwiches (Smokes salmon + chive cream cheese, cured ham + mustard pickles, organic egg mayo + spring onions, Corn fed chicken + tarragon mayo)



Éclairs and tea cakes. The macarons were one of the better ones we had here in Singapore. Tea cups a bit too dry.



We also ordered some additional items, such as this Half dozen "Fine de Claire" oysters with shallot vinegar (S$37)



And the Crispy fried baby squid with chilli and lime and piperade sauce (S$17). The squid was crispy, but a little bit tough.



Grilled white peach, bresola salad with balsamic dressing (S$28)




Pollen
18 Marina Gardens Drive,
#01-09
Flower Dome
Gardens By The Bay

Au Petit Salut @ Harding Road

Au Petit Salut is quite an institution in Singapore. It has been around for years, and its current location in Dempsey has attracted quite a group of loyal diners.



We had their special Passion Fruit Cocktail (S$12 per glass)



The bread rolls were fantastic. It was warm and full of the "freshly baked" flavours. They were also very generous in refilling our bread basket.



As it is located in Dempsey, the whole surrounding is very laid back, just like in the countryside.



We ordered 2 special set lunch (S$36+ per person)



First up was the starter of Baked Burgundy snails, bone marrow, garlic and parsley butter. A bit too salty, but the saltiness was covered by the fragrance of the garlic.



The next appetizer was the Flaked smoked haddock, beetroot, Hibiscus purée and Ko Giku flowers



We selected a special main for our set lunch. Artic Char fish, crushed violet potatoes, bacon and horseradish (add S$12). The fish was tender and juicy.



French duck leg confit, nashi pear, butternut pumpkin and vanilla purée and Verjuice (add S$12). Duck confit was good, however the skin was not crispy enough.



Dessert was the Soya Cheesecake, vanilla crumble and Jasmine sorbet



and another off-menu item: Raspberry and lychee sabayon with Rose sorbet (add S$4)



Ended our beautiful lunch with coffee and tea.


Au Petit Salut
40C Harding Road

Crystal Jade Golden Palace @ Paragon

Crystal Jade Golden Palace at Paragon is forever packed and full, especially during weekends. So it was quite a surprise to know that they had empty seats during weekday lunch recently.



It's quite dark inside, but bright enough to see what you are eating. Service was polite and prompt.



Here are some of the food we ordered for lunch:



Steamed minced pork with salted fish - This went really well with white rice.



Steamed sea perch with cordyceps flower, mushroom and dried orange peel - Another excellent dish to accompany white rice. The dried orange peel helped to get rid of any fishy smell.



Sea cucumber stuffed with minced kurobuta pork and prawn paste - The fillings were moist and smooth.



Watercress pork ribs soup




Stew beef ribs with tomato served with mustard sauce. Very unique as it was done "Chinese style".



Chinese mustard with scallop and shrimp roe


Crystal Jade Golden Palace
290 Orchard Road
#05-22/24
Paragon

Sabio by the Sea @ Quayside Isle

Those who have not been to Sentosa Cove would not have recognised this place. In just over a few years, this former reclaim land is now home to many rich and famous Singaporeans and overseas residents, with many owning a yatch or two..





The restaurant we are going today is Sabio, which first opened along Duxton Hill.



Their branch at Sentosa has a really relaxed seaside resort feel.







As with all visits to most Spanish restaurants, it is mandatory for us to order a jug of refreshing Red Sangria (S$46 per jug).



First came the Tomato bread (S$6)



We like the Baby sardine in olive oil (S$19). Delicious to nibble on.



The drinks went well with Spanish ham and sausage (S$27)



One of our favourite dish here - Patatas alioli. Fried potato with garlic mayonnaise (S$9). The potatoes were crispy on the outside, and fluffy and smooth in the inside.



Sea scallop with sparkling white wine sauce (S$16)



Chicken skewer in garlic queso manchego (S$16). The chicken was tender and juicy.



La Medula (S$19) - Grilled bone marrow, toasted baguette with Serano Butter



La Carne (S$39.00) Grilled ribeye (300g), salsa de Tomate Picante, grilled pinentos. I think we over-ordered and could not finish the food. But the ribeye, although not of good quality cut, was okay for us,


Sabio by the Sea
31 Ocean Way
#01-02
Quayside Isle