Swissotel, The Stamford

Hey Everybody! Hope everyone is doing great!

It's been quite a while since this blog has seen a new entry, in part because school has just started for me and there's been quite a bit (an understatement, surely) of work that has been screaming to get my time and attention. I do have a couple of dinner appointments lined up in the week ahead, so stay tuned for posts on those ya!

Here's a post about room-service dinner from Swissotel, The Stamford, where me and Daphne stayed over during the National Day weekend.

Complimentary Bread


The buns were alright, but we thought the wholemeal raisin slices were a bit too dry for our liking. We dipped the buns in the smooth and buttery mashed potato (came as a side to my main course) and it worked wonders.

Mushroom Spring Chicken: 4.25/5


A well-fed bird, this spring chicken definitely filled me up for the night. The meat was tender and evenly cooked, with a hint of light mushroom sauce. The fries were thick and potatoey, which was nice.

Char Kway Teow: 4.25/5


Daphne wanted something less-Western, and I suggested that she order this so I could share the chicken with her. The noodles came in a large, hearty portion, but without the usual oilspill that's typical of the char kway teows sold at hawker centres. Adequate portions of ingredients too. It may be a bit pricey for a plate of fried noodles, but well, this is how in-room dining is.

Chocolate Fondue


We had chocolate fondue the following afternoon at the lobby lounge, and I have to admit I had high expectations for this largely because I associated the good, dark chocolate fondue from Swiss Culture to a hotel with well, similar origins. Alas, the chocolate fondue here was more of a milk chocolate variation, and it wasn't heated up that much. I would definitely prefer the addition of tealight candles (to keep the chocolate warm), marshmallows, cookies and maybe a bit of ice-cream as well please!

Price
About $65 for the dinner, including taxes.

Place
Swissotel, The Stamford.

New York New York II

The New York New York branch at Lot 1 (Choa Chu Kang) is the only New York New York branch that has a "no pork, no lard" menu but I doubt this is anything of a move towards eventual full Halal-certification across its outlets. Non-Muslim folks who aren't too aware of the difference(s) between Halal and "no pork no lard" should always consult their Muslim friends first before making any prior meal arrangements, because few actually would accept the latter.

Rotisserie Spring Chicken: 3.75/5


This turned out better, and certainly larger, than I had expected it to be. I thought it would be pretty small like those at the food-court "Tenderfresh" stalls and was not prepared for a big, well-fed bird to be on the plate in front of me. There were two orders for this, and the both of us took quite some time (and quite a bit of arm/wrist strength) to get through the chicken with our forks and knives. On taste, it was quite good actually, not too dry and almost evenly marinated.

Giant Meatball Spaghetti


I can't remember the exact name to this dish, but it came with two to three large-sized meatballs that were quite dry and tasteless. My friend also commented that the spaghetti was a bit too hard for his liking.

Baked Sausages with Cheese


Whoops, didn't get the name of this dish too! My friend quite liked it but I think he thought I had the better deal with the chicken. The sausages were medium-sized and I would think it's a wee bit over-priced.

Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken


Almost standard type of chicken chop.

Service
Very good.

Price
$15.90++ for the rotisserie spring chicken

Place
Choa Chu Kang Lot 1 Shoppers' Mall, #01-05/06/07.

Mykii

Placed on the quieter end of the Holland Village stretch, Mykii (pronounced as "mee-kai") promises not only a getaway from the hustle and bustle of urban life but also a getaway for the tastebuds with its fusion cuisine. I've always wondered if you could really call fusion food part of a cuisine by itself, then I looked it up on Wiki and got a simple answer - "fusion cuisine combines elements of various culinary traditions while not fitting specifically into any". Probably that's why the best friend says fusion food doesn't do much justice to cuisines, I suppose she likes her food in their... purer form.


Me, I've always looked to fusion food with a certain type of interest, and with a certain type of expectation. You never really know what you're going to get (like Forrest Gump would say of a box of chocolates) but you hope that the mix would be good, that it would yin-yang sort of good and not some weird mismatch of tastes. At least in Mykii, while you're going through the menu and pondering over what to order, you're treated really well by the friendly and polite staff, so that eases you a bit. And then you order. And then you wait patiently and see what the chefs whips up for you...

Seafood Linguini with Laksa Pesto: 4/5


I could tell the best friend wasn't impressed, but to be honest, I liked this linguini-version of laksa (for those wondering what this is, it's a type of spicy, coconut-based noodle soup). It's less watery than our typical laksa, certainly more like a spaghetti gravy, but spicy and flavourful nevertheless. There was an over-dosage of laksa leaves (otherwise known as Vietnamese coriander) that I thought the dish could do less with. Perhaps a couple more prawns would be nice too. I'm already thinking of using spaghetti, linguine or even fusilli the next time my mother cooks laksa!

Seafood Curry with Tomato Cheesy Pie


In short, seafood curry with plain pizza. It looked quite plain when it arrived and for a while I felt bad for suggesting to my friend to try this. He said it was not too bad though, but noted that there was not much "fusion" going on between the pizza and the curry. He would prefer the cheese blended into the curry, somewhat like the Cheese Curry Udon at Wakashachiya.

Pot Roasted Chicken


The chicken is described as being slow-cooked with Mediterranean vegetables and served with olive and almond pilaf rice, and to me it looks like a Mediterranean version of the Indian briyani rice. Tyler didn't say much, so I'm guessing it was alright but not exactly impressive.

Service
The service was a winner here. A couple of us came earlier and they sat us down with glasses of iced water and politely offered to go through the menu should we need any help. Our glasses were consistently filled throughout the meal too.

Price
$15.80 for the seafood linguine with laksa pesto
$15.80 for the seafood curry with tomato cheesy pie
$14.80 for the pot roasted chicken

* Prices subject to the usual 7% GST and 10% service charge.

Place
17D Lorong Liput Holland Village.
Opposite Subway, next to Petit Provence.