Basilico @ Regent Singapore: Flavours of Northern and Southern Italy

 Whenever I am asked to recommend a good Italian restaurant in Singapore, the first place that came to mind is always Basilico at the Regent hotel as I have never forgotten the wonderful dining experience with my mother here several years ago. Featuring an antipasti and dessert buffet that comes along with ala carte main course options, this award-winning restaurant continues to captivate the taste buds with its latest installation "Viaggio Italiano", a unique year-long gastronomical journey through Northern and Southern Italy!

Diners can look forward to a unique selection of ala carte main courses, which will add on to the existing ala carte menu alongside the buffet of delicious antipasti and desserts for $88++. Keeping in line with the changing theme every quarter of the year, Executive Sous Chef Angelo Cicconetraces back to the roots of his birth town, Puglia, by showcasing the authentic flavours of Southern Italy for the period of July 1st to September 30th.

You can tell that the chef and his team truly put in a lot of effort to highlight the best seasonal ingredients. Take for example the Garlic Orecchiette Pasta, with Anchovies, Chilli Sauce and Tiger Prawns, Anchovies and Chilli Sauce. While some may associate sea urchin with Japanese cuisine, do you know these spiny creatures known as ricci de mare are actually seasonal delicacies in Puglia where families hunt along the beaches? I love how the chef has balanced the creamy texture with lovely spices and chunky meat while retaining the subtle sweetness and complex sea taste.

The 12 hours slow-braised beef sirloin roll is yet another well-executed where you can see the hidden artistic talents of the chef converge on the plate. Stuffed with Pecorino Pugliese Cheese in tangy tomato and red wine sauce, the tender beef was cleverly paired with dry fava beans puree and heirloom carrots, which lent a rustic countryside touch that made me chuckle unexplainably in sheer delight.

The special dessert for the third quarter is a simple yet elegant Amalfi Limoncello Neopolitan Baba with Amarena Cherry, which was also by no means, a successful interpretation of the French classic. It was extraordinarily light and not drenched in too much sugary liquid.

Moving on to the final leg of the voyage from October to December, Chef Angelo assembles the best of Northern Italy cuisine, which is characterized by a lesser use of olive oil tomato sauce or pasta and a higher frequency of using butter and corn. Hence, diners can look forward to the classic "Milanese style" saffron risotto, served alongside the braised beef shank Ossobucco with Gremolada oil and Bone Marrow Gratin. Yes, no one will dispute the fact that bone marrow is utterly rich and creamy but it was exceptionally soothing to the tastebuds when you have it together with the risotto.

Meanwhile, there is also the Dry Salted Cod Fillet "Vicentina Style" served on a bed of soft herbs polenta, roasted beetroot and turnip. Not all might be used to the fish texture which was chewier and former on average but I really love this dish. There is an understated elegance to this "poor man's fish" which makes for an unforgettably satisfying taste when eaten with the polenta. 

Most of the desserts I tried from the dessert table were undoubtedly but it was the Dark Chocolate Grand Cru Piedmont Binet with Ameretti almond crumble that got my resounding vote of confidence. Compared to the luxurious Amedei Chocolate Mousse cake, this superbly decadent chocolate treat exudes another form of cacao charisma; stronger bittersweet nuances and less milky. Gorgeous and somewhat magical.

Apart from the seasonal dishes from this "Viaggio Italiano", the epicurean journey extends to the antipasti and dessert buffet, where one can savour sweet datterini tomatoes, marinated artichokes and desserts featuring Bronte pistachio, exotic wild blueberries and my all-time favourite Amedei chocolate. You will be pleasantly surprised with the gelato and sorbets as well; all made in-house with interesting combinations such as Orange and Prosecco Wine.

Priced at $88 ++ for both lunch and dinner, Basilico continue to stay true to its Italian heritage, offering an authentic and excellent experience that one will never forget. Good to know that the dessert buffet is also available at only $24++ ,  a very wallet friendly deal considering the premium ingredients used.

As I returned home and reflect on the meal filled with genuinely enjoyable good food, I beamed in delight and looked highly forward to the next visit.

Basilico
Regent Singapore, 2F
1 Cuscaden Road, Singapore 249714
Lunch 12pm-2.30pm (Mon-Sat) / 12pm-3pm (Sunday)
Dinner 6.30pm to 10pm
Priced at $88++ per person
Tel: +65 6725 3232/3
For email reservations: basilicogrm.rsn@fourseasons.com
Visit https://www.facebook.com/regentsingapore or http://www.regenthotels.com/EN/Singapore/Cuisine/Basilico for the latest updates

Celebrate SG50 @ Artisan Boulangerie Co: WIN $250 vouchers and EXCLUSIVE invite to launch party!

What is your idea of a uniquely SG50 pastry?

 

 A Durian Croissant?

 A Chilli Crab baguette?

If you are have any ideas of pastry inspired by Singapore local ingredients, simply submit them on the facebook contest page from NOW to 31st May and stand a chance to develop your idea into reality with celebrity chef Eran Mayer and Artisan Boulangerie Co. ! Be it sweet or savoury, the pastry can be a fusion of popular SG ingredients or even your grandma or grandpa's heritage recipe!

How about a Kaya Butter Eclair?

The winners will not only get to WIN $250 worth of ABC vouchers, but also WORK with Chef Eran in the concept kitchen for a pre-launch tasting before attending the exclusive launch party to be held in July!! Remember to SHARE your ideas with your friends to increase your chances of winning!! Enter your idea now on http://on.fb.me/1H9WYM7 before 31st May now!*

*Terms and Conditions Apply 

For more details, visit here for more details.
This post is brought to you by Artisan Boulangerie Co.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artisanboulangerie 

Rive Gauche Singapore : The Royal Guanaja

Way before Cake Glacé, Flor and Chef Yamashita opened in Singapore, I think Rive Gauche is one of the few that established itself as patisserie that sells French-Japanese fusion cakes. There are many chocolate royaltine or crunch cakes around but I think the signature Guanaja qualifies as the cream of the crop in Singapore.

With a deep mellow chocolate ganache over a crisp and sharp feuilletine, this is the only cake here in which the chocolate components are blessed with the premium Valrhona genes. 

The Strawberry Shortcake reined in on the excess of sugar  but I thought the texture of the sponge could be more exquisite.There was no major flaw with the Cheesecake, but neither did it arouse any huge excitement in me. This was a typical baked cheesecake which I thought could be tweaked for greater complexity. 

The milk chocolate mousse might override the earl grey components with its sweetness as the tea flavour was rather elusive. Nonetheless, this Earl Grey Tea Cake is still pretty arresting when it comes to the textural contrasts in the crunchy caramel biscuits, even though it might not be the most eye-catching item on the shelf. 

The banana omelette is a large crepe wrap filled with lusciously light and fresh cream around banana but I wished there were some sponge cake elements ambush within to relief the creamy uniformity. Likewise for the giant cream puff whose custard filling was rather clumpy.

That said, the Matcha Swiss roll was quite a beauty, not because I am partial towards green tea, but simply due to the discernible tea fragrance and the right amount of sweetness. Both the raspberry and almond cookies are shatteringly crisp and good but the raspberry cookies surpassed the latter with its the extra buttery-ness and tartness.

Prices go quite friendly on the wallet at an average of $6. Most of the cakes here belong to the classics but to fight a pie in the competitive cake scene, I think the range of creations can be further explored to spark fresh interests.

Rive Gauche

Takashimaya Outlet

391 Orchard Road

#B207-9-2 Food Department

For details of other outlets, visit: http://www.sapporolionsg.com.sg/rive-gauche/

Mezza9 Revisit : Popeye would love it here!

Popeye would be delighted to come here because the creamed spinach is SO GOOD. 

 

We decided to go "healthy" by ordering the Creamed Spinach ($9), only to realize upon serving that the portion was extremely huge (equivalent to nearly two bowls of rice). However, we had no problem finishing it with the in-house bread because it was so delish, as if we were having cream-based pasta without the carbs. The greens were cooked to the perfect softness, not too mushy, mixed with cream of just the right amount and consistency.

The Nicoise Tuna Salad ($22) is many times more expensive than an average salad but the premium ingredients used justify the cost. The seared tuna was dabbled in some mild spices that were neutralized with the tart lemon vinaigrette and savoury olives. 

The cakes from the pastry boutique surprised us because it was much more affordable than the average price of the cakes outside. My friend enjoyed the New York Cheesecake, which was gratifyingly dense like an authentic version. I prefer the Mango Tart ($6) and the Passionfruit Eclair ($6), which are both refreshingly light and savvy sweets that chased away any working blues.

And the Salted Caramel ($6) turned out to be quite unexpectedly wonderful. The subtle burnt caramel notes were brought out by the salt and best of all, a delightfully crunchy layer that made this seemed like a deluxe caramel flavoured Kit Kat Bar

Read about previous visits to Mezza 9 here, here and here  

Mezza9 @ Grand Hyatt Singapore

Lunch: 12pm-3pm, daily
Dinner: 6pm-11pm, daily
Sunday Brunch: 11:30am-3pm, last pour at 2:45 pm