Violet Oon (Ion) - Showcasing Singapore Culinary Treasures

Violet Oon is a household name known for being the Singapore ambassador for local cuisines. The founder whose name is the inspiration behind Violet Oon Singapore, The Restaurant Group, was once named Chef de Mission to lead team Singapore at the Worlds of Flavours Conference and Festival in 2004, 2007 & 2009. The Restaurant Group itself prides its commitment to showcase Singapore food and heritage in the form of Nonya, Chinese, Indian and Malay cuisines.

It is also because of this specialization that I made the decision to bring my mom here for her birthday celebration. I say this because I'm not a big fan of Peranakan, Nonya cuisines where coconut is mainly used in most of the dishes. In fact, I typically steer clear of such food. If not because my mom enjoys local cuisines, I wouldn't have had this Singapore High Tea Set ($58 for 2 pax) experience which I thoroughly enjoyed!

The meal kicked off with a pair of scones served with cream and jam. The pair came with one plain and the other drizzled with gula melaka sauce. While the scones were buttery and crumbly, I felt that its brittle nature made enjoying the scone messy and difficult. Having said that, I like it that the portion was just right because it gave sufficient room for the other dishes.

The first tier of our high tea set came consists of Kuay Pie Tee with julienned bamboo shoots with turnip poached in a prawn bisque, traditionally steamed Yam Cake topped with dried prawn, chinese sausage, dried mushroom, minced pork, five spiced powder and fried shallots and Chilli Crab Tartlet with Quail Egg. I've got to say that the flavours were all on point and they were all easy to eat. The Yam Cake is one of my favourites despite me usually avoiding yam.

The second tier of our high tea set consists of Cream Cheese and Cucumber Openface Sandwich, Egg Salad Tartlet with Pineapple Patcharee, Coronation Chicken on Crispy Wanton Skin and Otak on Belgium Endive. I'd say that the execution of all the items were excellent. Having said that, I felt it'll be perfect if the cream cheese sandwich and egg salad tartlet had been replaced with more localised items. Eating the Otak on Endive and Chicken on Wanton Skin really made me appreciate the genius of the Violet Oon creations. Sometimes you pay a premium for food and have no idea why. I think the creativity on how food can be presented really justifies every cent I pay for this meal.

The third tier is where I sacrifice for my mother because of my dislike for coconut. It consists of a Financier which is an Eurasian moist cake of semolina and ground almonds laced with brandy, Kueh Ko Sui which is a steamed cake made with pandan and coconut infused rice and tapioca flour coated with freshly grated coconut, Kueh Dah Dah which is grated coconut cooked with gula melaka syrup and coconut milk wrapped in a pancake, BuBur Cha Cha Panna Cotta which is coconut panna cotta topped with sweet potato, yam, agar agar, gula melaka syrup and Kueh Lapis which is a multilayered steamed cake. Needless to say, I took an arbitrary bite of most of the food and didn't finish. The Financier and Kueh Lapis were my favourites in this tier but of course I'm biased.

The overall experience dining at Violet Oon (Ion) has been great. Despite not liking nonya food, I enjoyed my time there. It might be interesting to note that the overall dining crowd were relatively sophisticated and you can tell most of them enjoy the finer things in life. There's even a guy who sat next to me who was dressed in plain white t-shirt and FBT shorts with slippers. I reckon his house is walking distance and this is probably his 'Ya Kun'. I guess it's no surprise that Violet Oon (Ion) just got featured on Tatler Singapore days before I visited. So if you want to know how Crazy Rich Asians look like, you might want to have a meal there.

Violet Oon (Ion)
Ion Orchard, #03-28/29, 2 Orchard Turn, S238801

Tarte by Cheryl Koh - Delectable pastries at the heart of Orchard

Tarte by Cheryl Koh is a patisserie based on the 2nd story of Shaw Centre. The concept originated as a takeaway kiosk selling pastries by Les Amis Pastry Chef, Cheryl Koh. Chef Koh won the 'Asia's Best Pastry Chef' in the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards in 2016.

I've long heard about this patisserie and it's been sitting on my shortlist for the longest of time. I'm really glad to have finally made this trip with a friend and try out some of the much acclaimed pastries.

I'm totally not a fruits person so all the fruity selections are by my dining companion. Sometimes it's great to dine with different people because it brings out the adventurous side in me. Being a sport, I agreed to share. This is the Fresh Passionfruit Curd ($10) which is really creamy in texture and carries a zesty fruity flavour. Our general consensus is that it is too sour for our liking however I feel it's a matter of preference and not so much of bad execution.

I went for the Pistachio Tart ($10) which greeted us with a challenging hard-rock appearance when I couldn't knife through the pastry with my fork. Despite the not so impressive first impression, we unanimously agreed that it is good. We like it that the tart isn't too sweet and the flavour is not overpowering. The balance is just right.

The Earl Grey tart ($10) is another winner. It is a creme bulee infused with artisanal crafted ceylon teas with bergamot and citrus. The flavours are all very distinct and on point. I enjoyed the tart a lot especially when it isn't excessively flavoured. Judging from my limited experience trying out tarts, I know that these are the best I've eaten so far. In fact, my bad experience with lousy tarts are partially a reason why I tried so little.

My friend was very drawn to the Fraisier ($10). That was her first choice when we made our selection. The cake is made of light sponge with creme mousseline and French strawberry. It is very good! As someone who doesn't like fruits in my food, this is something I am willing to take a couple more bites. The sponge is really light and you don't get tired eating it at all. The strawberries are not the least sour and they are sliced with the absolute right proportions that goes exceedingly well with my fork full of sponge cake.

The entire dining experience was wonderful and I'm very impressed. So this is what it is like to eat tarts from an award winning pastry chef! If you are looking for a coffee place to rest and chit chat in Orchard Road, this is The Place for you.

Tarte By Cheryl Koh
1 Scotts Road, #02-12 Shaw Centre, S228208

Arteastiq Signature Teasury

This week is another incredibly busy week at work. I haven't even had time to send my family to the airport. Brother and Mom holidaying in Korea now :) I spent my weekend chilling and catching up with my very good friend at Prive Cafe. While the service, ambiance and drinks are great but the food really needs improvement. Carpark cost $8 for 3 hours. Think I'll only be back when I'm rich enough to play on a yacht.

Since Prive was a disappointing visit, I decided to feature somewhere I went with Supercai a couple of weeks back in our weekday indulgence. Arteastiq Signature Teasury ($48 for 2) makes a decent entry level high tea experience. It's Supercai's first ever high tea so I felt we should start off with somewhere more affordable.

The set comes with 2 specialty teas of our choosing but be warned that it's non-refillable. Alcoholic teas are also excluded. I must say that the quality of the teas are surprisingly refreshing and I kinda like their selection better than TWG teas. The cookies on the side are really good too. Much better than a range of other high teas I've tried.

The bird cage carries the savouries and sweets. The selection is honestly not meant for a full-meal, rather it's more suitable for afternoon snack with a place to chit chat. Supercai was complaining she's still hungry after the meal... whoops.

The Savouries selection consisted of Vol Au Vent, Panini Morsi, Smoked Salmon and Viva Duck. It's delicious and easy to eat. Nothing fancy so if you have been going for higher end high teas please manage your expectations. I'll say the selection here is more suitable for value and an inexpensive introduction to English High-tea.

As for the Sweets, there's matcha cheesecake, pineapple upside down cake, chocolate truffles and macarons. To be honest, it's one of the rare high-teas I finished the sweets portion because it isn't too sweet and filling. I quite enjoyed the experience because I don't have to endure the guilt of wasting food. I really don't like to waste food that doesn't taste horrible.

Summing up my experience at Arteastiq, I would bring friends here to catch up and have some small bites. The ambiance is considerably comfortable. It's surprisingly popular on a weekday. I felt the service has a lot of room for improvement but you pay for what you get. I'll recommend this place if you are looking for somewhere accessible to chillax for 2-3 hours with food and drinks without breaking the bank.

Arteastiq
333A Orchard Road, #04-14/15, Mandarin Gallery
If you need an activity, you can paint there too but you will need to check the available slots and book in advance.

The Westin - Lobby Lounge

My weekends this week was great because of the company. Unfortunately I found the food at Populus Cafe not worth blogging about so I'll share with everyone somewhere else I dined at sometime this month which was another pampering experience.

I picked the Westin Lobby Lounge Seafood High Tea ($85++ for two) as a way to thank my Tai Tai friend for recommending me my latest job which I'm extremely happy with. Believe me, it's a very pampering experience with 2 champagne flutes, seafood platter, fresh lobster and oyster and desserts.

I just want to add that I thought this high tea set is extremely value for money because how often you get seafood and champagne for 2 at less than a hundred? 

I'd like to add that we met up for this high tea on a weekday afternoon. Believe me when I say that the feeling is awesome. Everyone else present from the business associates discussing their grand plans over food or the rich Tai-tais enjoying their regular afternoon teas to the young girls enjoying their girlfriend time while the rest of the world is working helps you enjoy your afternoon better. At least I did. Tai Tai friend was very satisfied with the entire experience too.

I strongly recommend giving the Westin Lobby Lounge Seafood High Tea a shot when you are on leave and want to have a pampering afternoon on a weekday. You'll appreciate the experience better.

Westin Singapore - Lobby Lounge 
12 Marina View, Asia Square Tower 2