Noble House @ UIC Building

After many years operating from UIC Building, Noble House has officially closed to make way for a brand new building.



We were there a few days before its official closure. The decor of Noble House is rather unique, and after its closure, only Paramount at East Coast will spot a similar design.



We each had a Crispy Deep Fried Lobster with Chilled Fruits (S$28 per person). The lobster was crispy due to the batter.



We like the soups in Tung Lok restaurants. Their Double Boiled Soup with Chicken & Fungus (S$38 for 1 pot) tasted good and did not have any "herbal" tastes which some may not like.



After serving the 1st bowl of soup, the service staff will usually "fish out" the ingredients in the soup. Here, we have a whole chicken thigh+drumstick and the fungus mushrooms used to brew the soup.



Next up, Steam Fish Slices With Tofu, Black Fungus & Brinjal (S$12 per person). Fish was fresh and tasted sweet.



The final dish was my favourite - Stir Fried Aloe Vera Noodles with Scallops (S$8.80 per person). According to the restaurant, this Aloe Vera noodles (texture is almost similar to a hybrid of mee pok and kway teow) is really made of aloe vera. The noodles is quickly cooked in hot water, and then mixed with a spicy seafood sauce.



Before desserts were served, we had their signature fruit juices served in test tubes.



Dessert consisted of the ever popular Herbal Jelly with Mango Pudding (S$10)



And a special dessert of Coconut Dessert with Tangyuan (S$16).



So it's goodbye to Noble House at UIC Building.


Noble House
5 Shenton Way
#06-13
UIC Building

Santi @ Marina Bay Sands

Unknown to many people, Santi over at Marina Bay Sands has launched a Sunday brunch at a pocket friendly price.



Available between 12pm to 2pm every Sunday, it serves some of the well known dishes available in this restaurants. Started our brunch with a bottle of sparkling San Pellegrino (S$15 for 750ml)


Having Sunday Brunch (S$88 per person) at Santi during daytime is quite an experience. As most of the celebrity restaurants are opened only in the evening, so it's quite unique to admire the day time view of Marina Bay Sands from the restaurant.



Started our brunch with Roederer Brut (S$36 per glass) and Roederer Rose (S$42 per glass) .



I like how they served the sparkling wine on a wine tasting table.



Bread sticks were served with the sparkling wine.



The breads were a bit cold since it was left on the table. But the cold bread was redeemed by the wonderful olive oil that was served together with creamy French butter. The olive oil had a nutty and full taste, and was excellent with the breads.



We had a complimentary amuse bouche of Tomato Gazpacho plus a tuna appetizer. The tomato gazpacho was cold and tangy, and it "opened" our appetite for more delicious food to come.



The first appetizer was Calamari "a la plancha" amb romesco sauce and leeks. It's basically calamari cooked on a metal plate, and is a popular Spanish way of cooking calamari meat. The leeks are battered dipped and fried till crisp.



The Scrambled eggs with asparagus, eggplants and chorizo was an instant hit. The creaminess of the eggs with all the ingredients.



The salt and paprika powder containers.



Next was the Traditional mushroom rice with prawns. The prawns still retained the crunch, and the rice had absorbed the mushroom flavours.



Traditional Cannelloni Catalan style with Bechamel sauce, which is cannelloni pasta cooked with traditional French white sauce. Lot's of different ingredients and flavours.



Midway through our brunch, we ordered the Emilio Lustau East India Sherry – Jerez – Xérès – Sherry, Spain (S$25 per glass)



The main course. A popular selection here is the Catalan fish stew with Iranian Saffron. The fish was really tender after being stewed for hours. The gravy had a very nice and beautiful aroma.



Smoked chicken with potato and cabbage cake. Although the chicken was tender and juicy, but I find it paled in comparison to the fish stew.



Desserts were finally served. First was the Apple tart with caramel and cinnamon ice-cream.



I prefered the 2nd dessert of Roasted pineapple with coconut and mango. The pineapple was very sweet after being roasted as the sugar inside had caramelized.



Petit Fours was also served as we ordered tea after our brunch. I was surprised (in a good way) that Santi had used Oreo cookies as the main ingredient for one of their petit fours.



The Black Nectar Tea (S$12) was served in a very classic Narumi cup, saucer and plate. Also had Espresso (S$8) too.



Overall, a very value-for-money Brunch at one of Marina Bay Sands' celebrity chef restaurant. Although Chef Santi has left this world, but his chef has managed to maintain the excellent standard of the late chef.


Santi
10 Bayfront Avenue,
#L2-03,
Casino Level 2,
Marina Bay Sands

Old Hong Kong Legend @ Raffles City Shopping Centre

When I saw the name "Old Hong Kong Legends", the 1st thing that came to my mind was that is this another HK Cafe kind of place serving Instant Noodles + Luncheon Meat or Pork Chop Rice?



Apparently, it's from this Old Hong Kong group of HK cafe, but this particular one at Raffles City serves totally different food.



In fact, there is nothing "Hong Kong Cafe-ish" about this place. Decor is like a Chinese restaurant, food too, and so are the prices.



The restaurant doesn't serves braised peanuts or candied walnuts as appetizer, but a Korean kimchi (S$0.80) instead.



Started our dinner with this cold appetizer: Black Fungus with Vinegar (S$8.80) - It's basically crunchy black fungus marinated with vinegar, coriander and spring onions, served cold.



We also enjoyed the Double-Boiled Sakura Chicken Soup with Snow Lotus (S$28). However, it's quite pricey as S$28 is only enough for 1 diner. In other restaurants, a S$50 portion can feed 4 diners comfortably.



One of their signature appetizer is the Chinese Yam Paste 山药 with Blueberry Sauce (S$9.80 for plate of 3). We think that this is a unique dish from Old Hong Kong Legends, and that "whipped cream" is actually a thick Chinese yam paste. To counter the creamy and dense yam, blueberry sauce is used to balance it. Of course, the crunchy and juicy watermelon base also helps too. Worth a try if you have never tried before.



Seeing that the Triple Delights roasted Peking Duck (S$20 for half) is available for a special price, we decided to order one.



However, we were quite disappointed with it. The skin was not as crunchy as the better ones served at Imperial Treasures at MBS and Paragon. The wrapper was too thick and dry.



We also had the normal staples like this Peach Sweet And Sour Pork (S$13) - Quite good.



But the star dish for the night was this Stir Fried Fresh Milk with Scallop and Crab Roe (S$24). It was creamy, milky and the sweetness of the seafood was brough out by the milk. It was served on a bed of deep fried vermicelli.



Another of their most popular dish is the Flaming Kurobuta Pork with Special Sauce (S$26). Beware as the waiter will "light up" the dish on your table. But after all the drama, this dish tastes and looks like your ordinary black pepper pork.



Didn't ask them to stir fry the duck meat with noodles, so we had them as a meat dish. The meat was quite tender, but lacks flavour.


Old Hong Kong Legend
252 North Bridge Road,
#02-18
Raffles City Shopping Centre

CUT @ The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands

It's been almost a year since we last visited Cut over at Marina Bay Sands. A steak restaurant by famed chef Wolfgang Puck, many diners in Singapore now ranks Cut as among the best steak restaurant in Singapore.



Nothing has changed since the last time we were here, except that it has gotten more crowded over the months. Hence, reservation is essential to get a dinner table.



It's pretty dim inside the restaurants. Diners need a few minutes to get used to the dimmed lights after coming in from the brightly lit shopping streets in Marina Bay Sands. We were ushered to the back end of the restaurant, where it is much quieter and has beautiful mirrors and wine cabinets on its walls.



We were served 3 kinds of breads before our orders came. First, were these little pastry breads with some meat fillings inside. Next were the bread baskets. I love the one with cheese. But pity they were all served cold.



We were also served cheese sticks. Unfortunately, they were removed before we had the chance to try them. Ordered a bottle of Voss Sparkling (S$18).



2 of us shared an appetizer salad of Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Roasted Pear (S$32). The roasted pear and prosciutto was a good combination. And cheese lovers would surely like their goat cheese with the salad.



Before all steaks are served at Cut, the service staff will bring out 5 condiments to go with your steak, such as sea salt and mustard.



One of the steam we had was the Angus Kobe Style Beef from Snake River Farm, Idaho (S$195 for 230g New York Sirloin) with Black Truffle shavings (S$18) and Armagnac & Green Peppercorn sauce (S$5). The truffle they had wasn't the best we had before, but it went well with the steak. And talking about the steak, the Kobe angus was one of the best steak served here in this restaurant. And we agreed the flavour and marbling of the beef is well worth the price.

For our sides, we shared the Soft Polenta with Parmesan (S$18) and Brussel Sprouts with Smoked Bacons and Onions (S$18). The polenta with parmesan resembles mashed potato, but it is actually made of cornmeal, hence the texture was creamy and thick. The service staff also strongly recommended us to select the brussel sprouts with bacon. I find the brussel sprouts rather good after cooking it in the bacon fat.



Another steak we had was the USDA Prime, Illinois Corn Fed, Aged 21 Days (S$98 for 395g Rib Eye Steak). Comes with House Made Steak Sauce (S$5). Done medium rare, the meat was juicy and tender.



Ended our dinner with a glass of sherry (S$27)



As it was a birthday celebration, the staff presented us with a lovely birthday dessert made of homemade ice-cream.



Before we left, we also ordered a cocktail to try out. The "She So.... Honey!" consisted of Old Raj Gin, Ume Shu Extra Shiso, Japanese Cucumber, Honey, and it's definitely for the sweet tooth. Price of this is about S$25


CUT
10 Bayfront Ave,
#B1-71
The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands