Hung Ping Lee, Author at SALT Magazine

15May 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

5 new afternoon tea experiences to check out in Singapore

[caption id="attachment_12121" align="aligncenter" width="810"] Intercontinental Singapore's Classic Afternoon Tea - Secret Garden[/caption] The Lobby Lounge, InterContinental Singapore Inspired by the children’s classic The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, InterContinental Singapore showcases The Classic Afternoon Tea: Secret Garden ($78 for two persons), which brings diners on a sensory adventure through the sweet, savory and smoky. Savouries are housed in a three-tiered stand, and include the likes of smoked duck with osmanthus jelly, tamago furikake egg sandwich, and smoked salmon mousse and chrysanthemum mantou bun. Sweet treats are where things get a little unique, with desserts such as vanilla tart with passionfruit-verbena coulis presented in a little box filled with earl grey-infused smoke, permeating the desserts with the tea's scent. A standout is the earl grey chocolate mousse with apricot compote…

02May 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

Akira Back On His Snowboarding Past And Being On Iron Chef America

#featurefriday, People, Profiles, Restaurants

Japanese restaurant Akira Back is a familiar name in some parts of the world for its take on modern Japanese cuisine, with branches in New Delhi and Jakarta as well as additional locations opening in Toronto, Dubai and Bangkok. With Korean and Western influences, Akira Back aims to challenge boundaries in Japanese food, with a list of creations that go beyond the classic offering of sushi and hand rolls. [caption id="attachment_11975" align="aligncenter" width="810"] (From left) Toro Caviar, 48 Hour Tajima Short Rib and the Wagyu Tacos[/caption] Among the dishes being served up at this location are the Toro Caviar, 48 Hour Tajima Short Rib and the Wagyu Tacos. Seasonal and fresh produce is key to the menu offering, while beverage options will include wine selections as well as Akira Back branded sake…

27Apr 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

Feast with your Mom at these 10 restaurants

Food, Restaurants

[caption id="attachment_11989" align="aligncenter" width="808"] LaBrezza's Alfresco Dining Area[/caption] LaBrezza Set against the calming backdrop of the pool, St. Regis Singapore's LaBrezza offers up a more relaxed way to celebrate Mother's Day. Chef de cuisine Armando Aristarco has come up with a specially curated five-course degustation menu for lunch and dinner ($108 per pax), with plates such as Carnaroli Risotto with Saffron and Braised Beef Cheek, and Pan-seared Atlantic Black Cod with Purple Potato Mash and Brown Anchovy-Lemon Sauce. This menu will be available only on 13 May 18, for lunch and dinner. St. Regis Singapore's Remède Spa is also offering a 20% discount for all gift card purchases in the month of May, and will feature a special Mother's Day greeting printed on the certificate. 29 Tanglin Rd, Singapore 247911. Tel: +65 6506 6884 [caption…

27Apr 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

New Brunches: April

Features, Restaurants

[caption id="attachment_11927" align="aligncenter" width="810"] The Beef Carving station, part of Melt Café's Sunday Champagne Brunch[/caption] Melt Café Mandarin Oriental Singapore's Melt Café is now offering its signature Sunday Champagne Brunch at $118 per pax. Known for its sumptuous buffet spread of meats, seafood and desserts, Melt Café is serving up cuisine from all over the world with counters specialising in Japanese, Indian, European, and Asian foods. Highlights include three different types of oysters, Alaskan king crabs, and Boston lobsters at the seafood station; whole spring lamb at the Indian station; and even a nice barbecue set-up in the alfresco dining area for guests who would like a piece of the action. For dessert, things are getting smoky with the new Amaretto Sabayon with Red Fruit Compote. Smooth and light, the treat…

23Apr 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

Of Flowers and Food: Edible Beauty at Hilton Singapore

Features, People, Profiles

Fresh food and healthy eating concept Verde Kitchen at Hilton Singapore has been open for several months now, serving up punchy dishes which show that things don't have to be dull when you're going healthy with your meals. We've covered Verde Kitchen before (here's a link if you missed it), and praised them for their commitment to using sustainably-sourced ingredients and presenting farm-to-table cuisine. Now, Verde Kitchen is engaging in a collaboration with local botanical watercolour artist Lucinda Law in an exhibition named Edible Beauty. The exhibition is a gallery of watercolour pieces that depict, in stunning fidelity, the botanical wonders that make their way into our diet on a daily basis. Yes, I'm talking about greens: fruits, vegetables, and roots! The exhibition was launched this month on 4th April 2018,…

18Apr 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

Where’s the Food: April

Restaurants

[caption id="attachment_11822" align="aligncenter" width="810"] SKIRT is offering a variety of new dishes as part of its menu revamp.[/caption] SKIRT SKIRT is mixing things up this month, and moving away from being a conventional steakhouse. Now featuring a refreshed menu boasting modern European cuisine with Asian influences, SKIRT is showing that you don't have to splash out on quality meat. Grazing Around ($68/pax), a curated set meal, allows diners to sample a repertoire of meaty offerings, with a choice of a prime cut or seafood as the main. Traditionalists can rest assured that SKIRT's classic offerings, such as Cape Grim Beef Tomahawk, Whole Cape Grim Butcher's Cut SKIRT Steak, and Slow Cooked Lamb Belly, still remain. W Singapore - Sentosa Cove 21 Ocean Way Sentosa, Singapore 098374. Tel +65 6808 7278 …

12Apr 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

Singapore Cocktail Festival 2018: A Survival Guide + Ticket Giveaway

Boozy, Contest, Drink, Hot Deals, Trending

[caption id="attachment_11790" align="aligncenter" width="810"] Singapore Cocktail Festival is the biggest cocktail event in Southeast Asia.[/caption] Singapore Cocktail Festival, the biggest cocktail event of Southeast Asia, is back by popular demand. On the agenda: drinks, drinks, and more drinks. This time, the festival is aiming to educate as well is inebriate, with its 2018 theme: "Taste, Learn, Play". No, the festival hasn't turned into an academic course overnight, but it has brought in elements like interactive workshops to give festival-goers a better understanding of their favourite tipple. The island-wide event will be launched at Empress Green on 4 May 18, and end on 13 May 18. Given the disarmingly wide array of things to do, we figured that it might be helpful to have a guide through all that alcoholic goodness.…

11Apr 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

New Restaurants: April

New Openings, Restaurants

HRVST [caption id="attachment_11768" align="aligncenter" width="810"] HRSVT's eryingii "scallops"[/caption] As part of a fitness-lifestyle concept Kilter Avenue, HRVST proves that vegan food doesn't have to just be beehoon or burgers. At the helm of the kitchen are head chefs Addis Tan and Dylan Chong, who have been through the kitchens of restaurants like Tippling Club, Esquina, and Cheek by Jowl. Expect clean, elegant plates of a mix of European and Asian-style dishes, modernised and vegan-fied. Highlights include king "scallops" ($12) made with eryngii stems, and served with sweet vegetables, spinach puree, toasted hazelnuts, and garlic powder (made with maltodextrin), enlivened with lemon zest; and hearty pumpkin fettucine in a crazy-addictive tom yum broth topped with coriander oil, shimeiji, baby corn and Japanese cucumber. For those with other dietary restrictions, they also offer…

21Mar 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

FOC PIM PAM’s La Boqueria Market Brunch is plate-shatteringly good

Food, New Openings, Restaurants

[caption id="attachment_11732" align="aligncenter" width="810"] A sumptuous spread of tapas greets you as soon as you walk through FOC PIM PAM's doors[/caption] If there were ever to be a perfect match between a song and a dining experience, it would have to be Barcelona by Ed Sheeran and FOC PIM PAM's La Boqueria Market Brunch ($88 per pax, $128 for free flow premium drinks). Between the alluring display of tapas, caricatural effigies of Spanish figures, and improvised music, the festive vibes at this market-style dining concept had me "somewhere where the sun is shining bright". The venue has a market-meets-restaurant concept that incorporates a fusion of timber finishes and metal accents. Partition walls, display shelves, pillars and counter tops take on rounded corners and languid lines. The place just contains a sort of…

19Mar 2018 by Hung Ping Lee

What To Eat For Easter

Drink, Food, Restaurants

Alley on 25 For Easter brunch, Alley on 25 at Andaz Singapore will be offering an extensive Easter buffet spread, incorporating signatures from the various shophouse concepts. Festive highlights include baked shakshuka, prime rib-eye, coq au vin, herb-crusted lamb rack, Mediterranean sea bass, and a range of whimsical Easter chocolates. Seafood lovers will enjoy hanging around the seafood bar which boasts a continuous flow of fresh seafood on ice, with offerings like oysters, Scottish smoked salmon, and Canadian lobsters. Alley on 25's innovative dining concept allows diners to walk through various theatre kitchens, as though they were exploring various shophouses and meandering down lost alleyways of yesteryear. Their Easter Sunday Champagne brunch ($59 per child, $168 per adult) comes with free-flowing Delamotte champagne, wines, and their custom-brewed Andaz Pale Ale. For adults only, of course.…