Invited Session: Oasis @ Grand Hyatt

This is the very last invited session that you will be reading on this blog. Thereafter, this blog will no longer be taking any more food tasting invites, for reasons that would be explained in further detail very soon. Interestingly though, I'd never meant to go on a tasting session at Oasis. It actually began with an e-mail reservation for an ala carte dinner for two, but it turned out that the Hyatt staff got wind of me and Glenn's Hyatt series posts and we were subsequently invited for Oasis' weekend grill buffet.


Poolside dining here at Grand Hyatt Singapore's Oasis Restaurant, with all the peace and quiet that you can ever ask for. Watch as this place gently descend into the night amidst the backdrop of jazz music, the soft lapping of waves, and the clinking of wine glasses.


And if you're the sort who worries about the rain spoiling your meal, rest assured, there's shelter as well as indoor seating available. Overall, Oasis is another testament to Hyatt's unpretentious dining environment, with only good food and good service to be found here. You can say I was quite impressed already.


And so, ladies and gentlemen, let us begin with dinner :)

Complimentary Garlic Bread, Cold & Hot Appetisers and Sides






There's such a range of appetisers here that I have no idea where to begin. The Toasted Garlic Bread was really good - light, crisp and flavoured as I like it to be, and it went pretty well with the Grilled Skirt Steak with Beansprouts. Glenn particularly adored the Smoked Ocean Trout which was very fresh and delicious indeed, but I stuck to my simple but satisfying Baked Potato with Turkey Bacon Bits.

There's Vegetable Fried Rice and Fried Kway Teow here as well, but seriously, who would want to load up on the carbs when you got grilled seafood and meats in waiting? And yes, there's Fresh Greens too for those who like to pretend that they're on diet.

Grilled Seafood Platter



Oh my, this is like a platter from the heavens, just like the meat platter coming up next. I honestly wanted to pay for this meal because I just want to rave, rave, and rave about it, but to insist on the bill at the end might have seemed rude, especially when it was so nicely arranged by Ms Rina, the marketing manager for Grand Hyatt Singapore.

The Grilled Squids and Prawns were really large and juicy, but the highlight definitely has to be the amazing Grilled Salmon Skewer which was done to perfection - fresh, sweet and oh so tenderly moist. The Grilled Seabass was good stuff too, chunks of delicious white meat that you just want to have more and more.

Grilled Meat Platter



There were undeniably some hits and misses on the meat platter. The Grilled Steak and Grilled Chicken were quite ordinary and in fact were really quite dry on some parts. The Lamb Chops and Chicken Sausage were alright, but the real and main highlights really were the Beef Sausages and most especially the Marinated Beef Ribs. If I'm back here again for dinner, I would just eat the salmon skewers and beef ribs the whole night long I tell you.

The beef ribs were so tender that I constantly amused myself tearing at the meat with the slightest of touches with my fork, while the beef sausages had herbs in them that made each bite bursting with flavours. You can't really see the sausages in the pictures because they're hidden under the thick slabs of meat, but they're definitely worth that precious tummy space.

Desserts






Speaking of tummy space, there's quite a fair bit of desserts on offer too. The Caramel Custard Pudding and Marble Chocolate Cake though were too simple and should not be allowed to take up even a millimetre of space in you. Try instead either the Blueberry Crumble Tart or the Baked Apple Tart, both of which fared way better on taste, texture and sweetness. Last but definitely not least, treat yourself to some Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream, or better still, my personal favourite Raspberry Sherbet that was so wonderfully light and refreshing.

I don't normally rave in such a manner for an invited tasting session, and you can imagine my dilemma when I was holding on to my wallet eager to take out my card to swipe for this well-deserved $80 meal ($68++). Nevertheless, it was a very satisfying meal indeed, so satisfying in fact that me and Glenn had trouble walking comfortably to Wheelock's Borders nearby because we were just so full. For this one and only exception, I'm going to add Oasis to the hall of fame in my precious A List.

Sincere thanks must definitely go to Ms Rina and Grand Hyatt Singapore once again for the generous invite to Oasis. I'm actually turning down the follow-up invite to Straits Kitchen (no offence Ms Rina!), and this is only because I would like to pay for my own meal as any respectable food blogger would. I know I will enjoy Straits Kitchen's buffet dinner for sure, so it makes it all the more necessary that I pick up the tab and present to you a fresh, non-invited post. If you are keen to know the reasons behind this new direction, stay tuned for that, it's coming up next :)

Price
$68++ for the weekend dinner buffet, inclusive of beer, wines and margaritas.

Place
Grand Hyatt Singapore, Level 5.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.