American Express Launches Brand New Love Dining Celebrity Edition
For the first time, as part of the American Express Love Dining program—think of it as an improved Palate program, offering up to 50% off dining bills with American Express Platinum Credit Card and Centurion cards at over 60 restaurants and some of Singapore’s best hotels—they’ve launched an extremely special series of menus in collaboration with celebrities!
The brand new Love Dining Celebrity Edition partners four renowned celebrities, and their passion for food, with top hotel chefs to create four diverse, limited edition menus. Hurry, these menus are available from 4 March to 3 May 2017 only - and American Express Platinum Series card members get to enjoy savings of up to 50%, as part of their Love Dining privileges.
Your World, Your Colours - Pastry Chef Janice Wong in collaboration with Executive Sous Chef Christopher Ronald Hibbert at SKIRT, W Singapore Sentosa Cove
Set in the equally imaginative W Singapore Sentosa Cove, Pastry Chef Janice Wong presents a vibrant play on colour, teamed with some clever flavour combinations at SKIRT with Executive Sous Chef Christopher Ronald Hibbert.
Chef Janice's American Express Love Dining Celebrity Edition menu: - Crab & Avocado Kaffir Lime, Bloody Mary Gel, Micro Salad - Lobster Mai Tai, Smoked Sweet Potato Paprika, Lobster Espuma, King Prawn Kataifi - 6-Spiced SKIRT Steak with elements of Mushroom & Mustard - Rhubarb Compote & Pistachio Custard with Champagne Rose Jelly *Available all day at $148
The adventure kicks off with an amuse bouche of Smoked Chocolate Praline, topped with bone marrow and caviar. Chef Janice recommends savouring the bone marrow and caviar first; it's rich, buttery and umami all at once, before a pop of the brown treasure box morphs it into a smokey sweetness.
My personal favourite is the perfectly executed Spiced Skirt Steak, given depth with mix of mustard, smoked mushrooms and a full-flavoured 6-spice rub, or if you prefer something lighter, go for the Crab & Avocado Salad, brightened with kaffir lime and apple.
End off the meal with a dessert of Rhubarb & Pistachio. Rhubarb is not the easiest ingredient to work into dishes, but Chef Janice balances its tartness with strawberries, supple pistachio custard and champagne rose jelly.
An Oriental-Peranakan Fairy Tale - Jeanette Aw in collaboration with Executive Chinese Chef Brian Wong of Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza
Legit Peranakan Jeanette Aw—not just because she acted in local drama series The Little Nyonya—showcases the best of two heritages with a beautiful ensemble of Cantonese fare by Executive Chinese Chef Brian Wong of Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant with quintessential Nonya influences weaved in.
Jeanette Aw's American Express Love Dining Celebrity Edition menu: - Double-boiled Salted Preserved Vegetable with Duck Soup & Bird's Nest Dumpling - Baked Cod Fish with Pineapple Nonya Sauce and Deep-fried Tiger Prawn with Chef’s Special Minced Fish - Braised Chicken with Buah Keluak and Blue Pea Flower Fried Rice with Egg White & Scallop - Baked Lava Cake with Gula Melaka with Coconut Ice Cream *Available all day at $138
A most definite highlight, and also crowd favourite, is their dish of Double-boiled Soup with Bird's Nest Dumpling. The simply slurp-worthy soup not only tastes amazing, but also looks impressive with a ‘chrysanthemum’ meticulously carved out from tofu.
Instead of the everyday presentation of classic Ayam Buah Keluak, chef scoops the black, nutty goodness out of its shell and mixes it with minced chicken meat into bite-sized balls. For candlenut-virgins, the mix of chicken also brings down that distinctive bitterness a notch.
I also enjoyed the course of Baked Cod Fish with partner of deep-fried tiger prawn. The paste wrapped around the tiger prawn is handmade from a blend of Hokkaido scallop and fish, which give it that extra springiness and bite.
Dessert is a rich Baked Lava Cake, drizzled with Gula Melaka sauce and matched with a delicate coconut ice cream.
Dear Memory - Pornsak in collaboration with Chef Davian Santang, Sous Chef of The Line at Shangri-La Hotel Singapore
Inspired by the memories of his childhood and his mother, Pornsak works with Chef Davian Santang, Sous Chef of The Line, to present a glorious feast featuring sweet and sour pomelo and bold, tropical Thai flavours.
Pornsak's American Express Love Dining Celebrity Edition menu: - Crab Meat & Pomelo Salad - Curry Seafood Velouté - Barramundi with Green Peppercorn & Kaffir Lime - Soursop & Raspberry Pudding *Available only on Mondays and Wednesdays as part of the lunch buffet at $62 and dinner buffet at $79
Personal highlights were the Curry Seafood Velouté—a rich and creamy soup, generous with ingredients and fresh seafood flavours, made robust with heat from curry spices—and the Crab Meat & Pomelo Salad, unselfish with ample Sri Lankan crab meat and a hint of bird’s eye chilli for piquancy.
Pornsak goes full-blown summer with his smile-inducingly delightful dessert of Soursop & Raspberry Pudding. Silky soursop pudding, given an extra zing with sweet-tart raspberry crystal jelly and summer berry compote.
East Meets West: Purity - Lennard Yeong in collaboration with Chef Armando Aristarco, Chef de Cuisine of LaBrezza at The St. Regis Singapore
Borne from his well-eaten path around the world, Lennard Yeong has partnered with LaBrezza Chef de Cuisine Armando Aristarco to create a menu that combines the best from the two cuisines that has constantly impressed him: a fascinating fusion of Italian and Japanese.
Lennard's American Express Love Dining Celebrity Edition menu: - Tonno, Alghe & Bonito - Minestrone & Brodo Di Dashi - Spaghetti, Vongole & Sake - Tagliata Di Manzo, Soia & Sesame - Savoiardi Al Thé Verde & Mascarpone *Available only for dinners at $138; wine pairing option available at $188
For starters, go straight for the Tonno, Alghe & Bonito—simple yet delicious, fresh yellow fin tuna tartare, masterfully accentuated with crisp Wakame salad, with bonito flakes and a special bonito-soy dressing for that umami kick.
Lennard matches glorious, beefy flavours of the 120-day Grain-fed Angus Beef Striploin with tangy Japanese Wafu (Soy-Sesame) sauce and a stunningly juice side of "Datterino" tomatoes crowned with shaved Parmigiano.
Matcha-lovers will love the Savoiardi Al Thé Verde & Mascarpone, where the usual coffee elements in Tiramisu are switched out for Matcha. Matcha ladyfinger biscuits are soaked in green tea syrup and topped with Mascarpone mousse, then teamed with matcha pudding and a contrasting Sakura gel for zing.
The Love Dining Celebrity Edition menus are available from 4 March to 3 May 2017 to all diners starting from $62. American Express Platinum Series Card Members can enjoy savings of up to 50% as part of their Love Dining privileges. Terms and conditions apply - http://amex.co/lovedininghotelstnc.
This was an invited media tasting session, though all views expressed are my own.
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