Christmas Feast at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Singapore
My favorite time of the year is finally HERE!
Okay, so I have officially became more of a giver than the recipient of Christmas gifts but seeing the happy look on the faces of my family and friends especially the little ones never fails to melt my heart. I'm lucky that Paul also shares the same love for this festive holiday so we enjoy doing our Christmas shopping together. Ho ho ho!
Aside from the gifts, I'm also excited for the Christmas dinners that we will be attending very soon. It's the season of reuniting with dear old friends and catching up with them too. So far, my December calendar is starting to get filled up with potluck dinners, lunch meet-up, coffee chats and even our regular mother-daughters breakfast bonding. So, the inevitable question this season is "where to eat?"
Starting this month with a series of Christmas Feast options for you to consider when planning your family dinners. Let me begin by telling you about this very festive dinner that Paul and I had a week ago at Crowne Plaza in Changi Airport. I know the location is quite far from the city but it's definitely a go-to place for people residing in the east (of Singapore) and even transit passengers too. The hotel is adjacent to Changi Airport's Terminal 3 so should you have a long layover, I highly recommend for you to visit the hotel for a good, delicious meal.
Remember my gastronomic dinner at Azur a few months back? Starting today, the buffet spread will be a little more festive and Christmas-y with the addition of these yummy dishes:
Prime Rib Eye of Beef
For me, Christmas dinner is not complete without steak. I guess I took after Papa, who's a big steak fan, for this belief. Seasoned with Provencal herbs, truffle salts and served with mustard, it's perfectly grilled that leaves the outer layer a bit crisp while the inside so tender. There was an extra piece of steak on the plate after everyone got their share and after asking around and seeing that everyone didn't want a second piece, I unbashfully went for it. Yum!
Festive Baked Turkey with Angelica Root
Who said that you can only have turkey during Thanksgiving? Well if you're a turkey fan you can go ahead and have it every single day! I noticed that here in Singapore, turkey is always present in most Christmas spread and if you have chefs who can perfectly baked it making the meat oh-so-juicy and delicious, then I totally understand why it's such a popular choice. Take for example Crowne Plaza's Festive Baked Turkey, it's stuffed with sweet corn, mei cai (mustard greens) and blood sausage which gives it a very Oriental flavor. Served with cranberry and orange marmalade which gives a nice comforting citrus kick in every bite. I just had a little of this as I saw that they have included corn embedded on the turkey meat. Seeing my tablemates' reactions though, it seems like the turkey was a hit!
Pan Seared Scallop with Warm Butternut Squash and Arugula Salad
This was my #1 favorite dish that evening. Who can ever say no to plump, juicy scallops right? Take a good look at it, now do you feel you mouth starting to water? :P
Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Gratin
That evening, I had a realization. While I love sweet potato and marshmallow a lot. I wasn't too wild with the combination of these two together. It was an interesting dish but it tasted a bit too "exotic" for me. Next!
Chopped Salad with Smoked Turkey Ham and Cheddar Cheese
If you're someone like me who never fails to have a plate of salad in every buffet meal, then I recommend that you try the Chopped Salad with Smoked Turkey Ham and Cheese. It's a simple mix of fresh greens, long beans, chunks of smoked turkey ham, cheddar cheese, onions and carrots. You'll love the slight salty taste of the ham and cheese which gives a more interesting angle to the veggie mix.
Festive Apple and Pomegranate Salad with Crushed Pecan Nuts
Another salad offering this time for those who wants to have a more fruity start to their meal.
Christmas is all about sharing the love, spreading the joy and eating all the delicious sweets to your heart's desire. So, here's how our Christmas preview dinner ended that evening:
Yuzu Infused Log Cake
Yuzu (Japanese Citrus Fruit) is so much in trend since last year! Ever since I moved here, I've been seeing yuzu fruit juices, yuzu flavored mooncakes, yuzu infused ice cream and this Christmas, we have Yuzu cakes and desserts!
Okay, enough about the trend talk. Let me tell you about the cake in one word -- Amazing. I love citrus-flavored cakes but what blew me away was the various texture that you'd get in one simple slice. It's made with Valrhona Dulcey Chocolate, a soft and fluffy meringue sponge and caramel crunch. The combination of the decadent chocolate and the light citrus yuzu was spot on perfect. I highly recommend this! It's also available for take-out for S$62.
Eggnog Panna Cotta
Eggnogs are always part of Christmas evenings. Perhaps in the olden days, I'd imagine people enjoying warm mugs of eggnogs while roasting some chestnuts on the open fire. Forgive my crazy, vivid imagination. :) Anyway, this classic dairy and alcohol mix has been made modern in the form of these pretty panna cottas in shot glasses and are available in the Festive Buffet spread in Azur.
There you have it! A very merry Christmas spread to enjoy with your friends and family this December. The Festive Buffet Spread at Azur will run from December 15-21, 2014 while the Turkey, Rib Eye of Beef and the Log Cakes are available for Takeaways starting December 1-25, 2014.
Here's the price list:
Festive Buffet Lunch (15-19, 22-24, 26, 29-31 December): S$42++ (adult) / S$21++ (child)
Festive Buffet Dinner (15-23, 25-30 December): S$60++ (adult) / S$30++ (child)
Festive Weekend Brunch (20, 21, 27, 28 December): S$52++ (adult) / S$26++ (child)
Christmas Eve Dinner (24 December): S$75++ (adult) / S$37.50++ (child)
Christmas Day Brunch (25 December): S$60++ (adult) / S$30++ (child)
*photos by Paul Ang
Visit Azur at located at the 2nd level of Crowne Plaza Changi Airport (75 Airport Boulevard, Singapore). Call them at 6823-5354 for reservations.
Aside from the gifts, I'm also excited for the Christmas dinners that we will be attending very soon. It's the season of reuniting with dear old friends and catching up with them too. So far, my December calendar is starting to get filled up with potluck dinners, lunch meet-up, coffee chats and even our regular mother-daughters breakfast bonding. So, the inevitable question this season is "where to eat?"
Starting this month with a series of Christmas Feast options for you to consider when planning your family dinners. Let me begin by telling you about this very festive dinner that Paul and I had a week ago at Crowne Plaza in Changi Airport. I know the location is quite far from the city but it's definitely a go-to place for people residing in the east (of Singapore) and even transit passengers too. The hotel is adjacent to Changi Airport's Terminal 3 so should you have a long layover, I highly recommend for you to visit the hotel for a good, delicious meal.
Remember my gastronomic dinner at Azur a few months back? Starting today, the buffet spread will be a little more festive and Christmas-y with the addition of these yummy dishes:
For me, Christmas dinner is not complete without steak. I guess I took after Papa, who's a big steak fan, for this belief. Seasoned with Provencal herbs, truffle salts and served with mustard, it's perfectly grilled that leaves the outer layer a bit crisp while the inside so tender. There was an extra piece of steak on the plate after everyone got their share and after asking around and seeing that everyone didn't want a second piece, I unbashfully went for it. Yum!
Who said that you can only have turkey during Thanksgiving? Well if you're a turkey fan you can go ahead and have it every single day! I noticed that here in Singapore, turkey is always present in most Christmas spread and if you have chefs who can perfectly baked it making the meat oh-so-juicy and delicious, then I totally understand why it's such a popular choice. Take for example Crowne Plaza's Festive Baked Turkey, it's stuffed with sweet corn, mei cai (mustard greens) and blood sausage which gives it a very Oriental flavor. Served with cranberry and orange marmalade which gives a nice comforting citrus kick in every bite. I just had a little of this as I saw that they have included corn embedded on the turkey meat. Seeing my tablemates' reactions though, it seems like the turkey was a hit!
This was my #1 favorite dish that evening. Who can ever say no to plump, juicy scallops right? Take a good look at it, now do you feel you mouth starting to water? :P
That evening, I had a realization. While I love sweet potato and marshmallow a lot. I wasn't too wild with the combination of these two together. It was an interesting dish but it tasted a bit too "exotic" for me. Next!
If you're someone like me who never fails to have a plate of salad in every buffet meal, then I recommend that you try the Chopped Salad with Smoked Turkey Ham and Cheese. It's a simple mix of fresh greens, long beans, chunks of smoked turkey ham, cheddar cheese, onions and carrots. You'll love the slight salty taste of the ham and cheese which gives a more interesting angle to the veggie mix.
Another salad offering this time for those who wants to have a more fruity start to their meal.
Buttered Winter Vegetables
Christmas is all about sharing the love, spreading the joy and eating all the delicious sweets to your heart's desire. So, here's how our Christmas preview dinner ended that evening:
Yuzu (Japanese Citrus Fruit) is so much in trend since last year! Ever since I moved here, I've been seeing yuzu fruit juices, yuzu flavored mooncakes, yuzu infused ice cream and this Christmas, we have Yuzu cakes and desserts!
Okay, enough about the trend talk. Let me tell you about the cake in one word -- Amazing. I love citrus-flavored cakes but what blew me away was the various texture that you'd get in one simple slice. It's made with Valrhona Dulcey Chocolate, a soft and fluffy meringue sponge and caramel crunch. The combination of the decadent chocolate and the light citrus yuzu was spot on perfect. I highly recommend this! It's also available for take-out for S$62.
Eggnogs are always part of Christmas evenings. Perhaps in the olden days, I'd imagine people enjoying warm mugs of eggnogs while roasting some chestnuts on the open fire. Forgive my crazy, vivid imagination. :) Anyway, this classic dairy and alcohol mix has been made modern in the form of these pretty panna cottas in shot glasses and are available in the Festive Buffet spread in Azur.
There you have it! A very merry Christmas spread to enjoy with your friends and family this December. The Festive Buffet Spread at Azur will run from December 15-21, 2014 while the Turkey, Rib Eye of Beef and the Log Cakes are available for Takeaways starting December 1-25, 2014.
Here's the price list:
Festive Buffet Lunch (15-19, 22-24, 26, 29-31 December): S$42++ (adult) / S$21++ (child)
Festive Buffet Dinner (15-23, 25-30 December): S$60++ (adult) / S$30++ (child)
Festive Weekend Brunch (20, 21, 27, 28 December): S$52++ (adult) / S$26++ (child)
Christmas Eve Dinner (24 December): S$75++ (adult) / S$37.50++ (child)
Christmas Day Brunch (25 December): S$60++ (adult) / S$30++ (child)
*photos by Paul Ang
Visit Azur at located at the 2nd level of Crowne Plaza Changi Airport (75 Airport Boulevard, Singapore). Call them at 6823-5354 for reservations.
