FESTIVE FEASTS

Holiday celebrations will be cosier and more intimate this year but no less merry – especially with sumptuous spreads like these. Annabel Tan recommends some of the best festive feasts for dining out and to enjoy at home.

REGENT SINGAPORE

There may not be any traditional self-service buffets this year, but Basilico at Regent Singapore is still pulling out all the stops with feasts starting as early as November until New Year’s Day. From now to the end of the month, guests can enjoy Festive Basilissimo lunches and dinners featuring a choice of three courses: plated antipasti, mains like parma ham-wrapped turkey ballotine stuffed with foie gras, and delectable desserts such as an Alphonso mango cheesecake nestled within a coconut snowball. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the spread is elevated with myriad traditional Italian cold cuts, fresh creamy burrata and mozzarella, aged balsamic vinegar and heirloom tomatoes. There will also be mains like poached Boston lobsters and cotechino, a slow-simmered pork sausage typically served with lentils. To make it an enjoyable family affair, a kid’s corner will keep the little ones entertained with festive goodies, a bouncy castle, game consoles and craft activities. Special guests will also pay a visit, including a magician and Santa Claus himself. For couples and groups of friends, Manhattan, the hotel’s award-winning bar, has a Festive Adults-only Sunday Cocktail Brunch. Expect Gin and Tonic, Bloody Mary and Garibaldi trolleys that make their rounds for tableside pours as well as unlimited servings of festive hot plates.

For reservations at Basilico, call 6725 3232 or email basilico@ regentsingapore.com.sg. For reservations at Manhattan, call 6725 3377 or email manhattan@regentsingapore.com.sg.

CAPELLA SINGAPORE

Escape to Sentosa on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at The Knolls, the resort’s all-day dining restaurant, for a set lunch or dinner. Start with a warm vichyssoise velouté which is a creamy leek and potato soup served with tender Hokkaido scallops, leek compote, Lardo di Colonnata and herb oil. We also enjoyed the salad of Alaskan King Crab, where sweet shredded crab meat is tossed with savoury plankton and topped with sweet prawn gelée, cilantro, cauliflower mousse and Oscietra caviar. Unlike the standard roasted turkey, the bird is prepared two ways here. The breast of the honey-rosemary brined turkey is slow-cooked using sous vide for a fork-tender texture, while the leg is done confit style. Accompanying the turkey are sides of roasted vegetables, pine nut-sage and onion bread stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy. Vegetarians have a dedicated festive plant-based menu featuring dishes like porcini and cheese ravioli with black winter truffle, spinach, asparagus, green peas, arugula and parmesan cheese. For those that fancy Cantonese cuisine for Christmas, Chinese restaurant Cassia offers specialities like the baked spare rib with champagne sauce and braised bird’s nest with crabmeat in superior broth.

For bookings, visit capellahotels.com/singapore, 6591 5046 or email gr.singapore@capellahotels.com.

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FOUR SEASONS HOTEL SINGAPORE

Celebrate with a festive six-course menu at Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Jiang-nan Chun. Available at lunch and dinner, the menu starts off with a chilled lobster jelly with white radish and fresh yuzu, and follows with dishes that best represent the land and sea such as braised cod with eggplant in kung pao sauce as well as wok-fried Australian M7 Wagyu beef with mushrooms and basil. If you’re staying home for the holidays, the restaurant has curated a takeaway set that feeds approximately eight people. It features a spiced roasted Challans duck with kumquat compote, honey-glazed pork collar, crispy pork belly, deep-fried Soon Hock with sweet and sour sauce, double-boiled superior stock with abalone and cordyceps and more. The set also includes a dessert of Manjari chocolate hazelnut royaltine and Amarena cherry Yule log. Over at modern Asian brasserie One-ninety, semi-buffet brunches, lunches and dinners are focused on traditional fare like roasted honey mustard-glazed ham along with a spread of delectable appetisers, imported cheeses, charcuterie and handcrafted desserts. Takeaway bundles are also available for various group sizes, with all the must-haves from roasts to sides and desserts. This year, guests can choose to order a regular roasted turkey that comes in both 5kg and 10kg or a 3.8kg organic one. These come with cranberry sauce, turkey jus, bread and chestnut stuffing.

For reservations, call 6831 7250 or email one-ninety.sin@fourseasons.com. To order the festive takeaways, call 6831 7253, email festiveseason.sin@ fourseasons.com or visit fourseasonssingapore.oddle.me.

THE ST. REGIS SINGAPORE

At Brasserie Les Saveurs in The St. Regis Singapore, executive chef Thibault Chiumenti presents an impressive gourmet spread with touches of French flair. Highlights include luxurious treats like the cold crabmeat salad with chives and shallots, finished with Baerii caviar and gold leaves as well as the autumnal entrée of pan-seared foie gras served with pumpkin compote and a sweet gingerbread coulis. For the mains, don’t miss the Beef Wellington – a showstopper that looks impressive and tastes even better. The middle is made up of a beef tenderloin, coated with spinach and mushroom duxelles, that is wrapped in a layer of Parma ham and then covered in a flaky puff pastry. To end the meal, a wide selection of desserts are available from classic logcakes to fruit tarts and rolls, and our personal favourite, fluffy panettone with mascarpone cream and a scoop of mulled wine nitrogen ice cream. The hotel’s take-home offerings are equally delightful, with hearty roasts like the côte de boeuf with roasted potatoes and cold entrées like foie gras terrine and the signature smoked salmon infused with The St. Regis Singapore Tea Blend.

For reservations, call 6506 6860, email bls@stregis.com or visit brasserielessaveurs.com. To order, shop online at festive-stregissingapore.oddle.me, call 6506 6813 or email festive.sg@stregis.com.