Romantic Christmas Date at Caffe B at Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands
WOAH! December is zooming by so far! Would you believe that Christmas is exactly 9 days away? That also means that I'll soon be flying home for the holidays in less than a week's time. Yahoooo!
Anyway, before Paul and I get into the massive holiday frenzy back home, we're so lucky to be able to have an early Christmas dinner here in Singapore. Make it a month in advance to be more exact. Rest assured that this won't be the one and only dinner date that we'll have to celebrate the season but at least we got the chance to do this before our schedules start going c-r-a-z-y.
We first discovered Caffe B exactly a year ago where we were invited to try their Christmas menu. What followed were several return visits to try their special menus to celebrate Valentine's Day, their lunch sets and even for Mother's and Father's Day. To be honest, what makes us look forward to returning to Caffe B is the great service rendered every single time. We've met quite a number of dining staff already and the service is very consistent all through out. They're just so attentive to your needs yet at the same time, they give you the privacy to enjoy your meal without any unnecessary interruption. Thus making Caffe B one of the best dating restaurants, in my opinion.
We were able to sample the menu for Caffe B Restaurant and Caffe B Bar that evening. Let us start with the 3 course set menu (S$68++) from Caffe B Bar.
Antipasto : Smoked Salmon and Tomato Salsa
I really enjoy the kitchen creations of the Bar as they always manage to make it look so fun and tastes so good. We both enjoyed the generous portion of smoked salmon with tomato salsa encased in a crunchy mini taco shell and drizzled with dill mayonnaise. My only request is for them to chopped the salmon instead of serving it in small strips as I think I've inhaled all the salmon on my first bite.
Piatto Principale (Main Dish) : Roasted Young Tom Turkey Breast and Roasted Striploin of Beef
Why settle for one when you can have two! Christmas is all about indulging in meat and we loved the combination of roasted turkey and striploin in this dish. It also came with caramelized pineapple rings which was such a yummy discovery. Over-all this dish was pretty good save for the chateau potatoes which I found to be quite bland. If they have probably seasoned this much better then it would go very well with the steak, most especially.
Dolci : Vanilla Gelato Casatta
I have to admit that I've never been a fan of Caffe B's desserts. They do appetizers, salad, soup and main course very very very well but it has been a while since I was blown away by any of its dessert creations. Take this one for example, I find it to be too creamy that one spoonful was just enough to tell me that it was just too much. It's such a waste though as the thought of having hazelnut sponge with vanilla gelato and wild berries and raspberry coulis sounds good. This is probably the only thing that I'd skip from this set menu.
Now, we move on to Caffe B Restaurant's 6-course Menu (S$148++) :
Antipasto : Duck Liver Terrine Crocrante
Oh this one was the bomb! How can I ever say no to foie gras and I actually had a revelation while enjoying this starter -- grilled yellow watermelons tastes really good! I couldn't get over how yummy it was and despite being cooked, the watermelon stayed juicy.
Zuppa : Chef's Fresh Pot of the Day
That day, we had Mixed Veggie Bean Soup which was light and made a good balance to our meal. Not a fan of tomato-based soup though so I can't really say much.
Risotto : Sakura Denbu Risotto
Hold on a sec, THIS is a risotto? Why does it look like a giant sushi roll? Caffe B is a Japanese-Italian restaurant and I guess this dish perfectly showed the marriage of these two cuisines. It's Italian risotto meets Japanese maki. The outcome? I honestly felt a bit lukewarm about this as I found the bonito flakes, which was supposed to just top the entire dish, a bit too strong that it masked all other intended flavors.
Pesce: Poached Lemon Sole & Truffle Cream
This was my favorite! I got to admit that I tend to choose seafood and fish as I love these more than meat but truthfully, I love how the sole was perfectly poached and the flavors all came together perfectly. It has a nice creamy touch with a bit of tangy flavor from the lemon. It's garnished with deep-fried julienned vegetables which tastes very much like a veggie tempura.
Carni : Duo of Lamb Loin
Another winning dish which follows the fish just perfectly. Two bite-sized pair of loin roasted in marinated herbs and mustard. It comes with fried sesame and layered tomatoes with ricotta cheese, parmesan and basil. It tastes very much like a caprese salad and it was just as refreshing too. As for the lamb, it was free of any gamey scent or flavor and to be honest, I loved the thin layer of charred fat giving it a more interesting dimension.
Dolci : White Forest Verrine Style
Oh wow! Now, this what I'm talking about! Really good dessert creation which consists of white chocolate mousse with sour cherry compote, mascarpone cheese, matcha chantilly and matcha soil. It's a very interesting combination but what matters is it works really well. I also love how it was designed making it a perfect date topic should you suddenly run out of what to say.
Check out Caffe B Restaurant and Bar at 2 Bayfront Avenue, #B1-15 / 01-83 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Marina Bay Sands 018972.
Anyway, before Paul and I get into the massive holiday frenzy back home, we're so lucky to be able to have an early Christmas dinner here in Singapore. Make it a month in advance to be more exact. Rest assured that this won't be the one and only dinner date that we'll have to celebrate the season but at least we got the chance to do this before our schedules start going c-r-a-z-y.
We first discovered Caffe B exactly a year ago where we were invited to try their Christmas menu. What followed were several return visits to try their special menus to celebrate Valentine's Day, their lunch sets and even for Mother's and Father's Day. To be honest, what makes us look forward to returning to Caffe B is the great service rendered every single time. We've met quite a number of dining staff already and the service is very consistent all through out. They're just so attentive to your needs yet at the same time, they give you the privacy to enjoy your meal without any unnecessary interruption. Thus making Caffe B one of the best dating restaurants, in my opinion.
We were able to sample the menu for Caffe B Restaurant and Caffe B Bar that evening. Let us start with the 3 course set menu (S$68++) from Caffe B Bar.
I really enjoy the kitchen creations of the Bar as they always manage to make it look so fun and tastes so good. We both enjoyed the generous portion of smoked salmon with tomato salsa encased in a crunchy mini taco shell and drizzled with dill mayonnaise. My only request is for them to chopped the salmon instead of serving it in small strips as I think I've inhaled all the salmon on my first bite.
Why settle for one when you can have two! Christmas is all about indulging in meat and we loved the combination of roasted turkey and striploin in this dish. It also came with caramelized pineapple rings which was such a yummy discovery. Over-all this dish was pretty good save for the chateau potatoes which I found to be quite bland. If they have probably seasoned this much better then it would go very well with the steak, most especially.
Dolci : Vanilla Gelato Casatta
I have to admit that I've never been a fan of Caffe B's desserts. They do appetizers, salad, soup and main course very very very well but it has been a while since I was blown away by any of its dessert creations. Take this one for example, I find it to be too creamy that one spoonful was just enough to tell me that it was just too much. It's such a waste though as the thought of having hazelnut sponge with vanilla gelato and wild berries and raspberry coulis sounds good. This is probably the only thing that I'd skip from this set menu.
Now, we move on to Caffe B Restaurant's 6-course Menu (S$148++) :
Oh this one was the bomb! How can I ever say no to foie gras and I actually had a revelation while enjoying this starter -- grilled yellow watermelons tastes really good! I couldn't get over how yummy it was and despite being cooked, the watermelon stayed juicy.
That day, we had Mixed Veggie Bean Soup which was light and made a good balance to our meal. Not a fan of tomato-based soup though so I can't really say much.
Hold on a sec, THIS is a risotto? Why does it look like a giant sushi roll? Caffe B is a Japanese-Italian restaurant and I guess this dish perfectly showed the marriage of these two cuisines. It's Italian risotto meets Japanese maki. The outcome? I honestly felt a bit lukewarm about this as I found the bonito flakes, which was supposed to just top the entire dish, a bit too strong that it masked all other intended flavors.
This was my favorite! I got to admit that I tend to choose seafood and fish as I love these more than meat but truthfully, I love how the sole was perfectly poached and the flavors all came together perfectly. It has a nice creamy touch with a bit of tangy flavor from the lemon. It's garnished with deep-fried julienned vegetables which tastes very much like a veggie tempura.
Another winning dish which follows the fish just perfectly. Two bite-sized pair of loin roasted in marinated herbs and mustard. It comes with fried sesame and layered tomatoes with ricotta cheese, parmesan and basil. It tastes very much like a caprese salad and it was just as refreshing too. As for the lamb, it was free of any gamey scent or flavor and to be honest, I loved the thin layer of charred fat giving it a more interesting dimension.
Oh wow! Now, this what I'm talking about! Really good dessert creation which consists of white chocolate mousse with sour cherry compote, mascarpone cheese, matcha chantilly and matcha soil. It's a very interesting combination but what matters is it works really well. I also love how it was designed making it a perfect date topic should you suddenly run out of what to say.
Check out Caffe B Restaurant and Bar at 2 Bayfront Avenue, #B1-15 / 01-83 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Marina Bay Sands 018972.
