As with most other aspects of 2020, this year’s Christmas season is going to be quite a bit different. Gone are the days of jetting off to far-flung winter destinations for a little bit of snowboarding and a whole lot of après-ski; of jostling with the crowds along Orchard Road to take in the famed Christmas light-up in all its colourful glory; and of gathering in big groups to exchange gifts, sip on steaming cups of eggnog and regale each other with delightful tales of the year nearly gone by.
But while Covid-19 has forced us to alter many of our holiday plans, it certainly won’t stop us from the requisite Christmas noshing. From classic British Christmas roasts to modern Cantonese delicacies, multi-course dine-in menus to delivery services that include all the trimmings, these stellar Christmas feasts in Singapore are here to ensure that your bellies are full and your hearts are warm this holiday season.
1. Delicious dining for a cause at Oxwell & Clan
Still mourning the recent closure of Oxwell & Co? Fret not, for the popular British gastro-pub has launched a festive pop-up (11 November to 31 December) at the Straits Clan’s ground-floor Clan Café. Expect the best of British flavours, with mains such as 200-day grass-fed roasted beef sirloin and grilled Dorper lamb chops with a zingy mint sauce in its Christmas set menu. Sides include maple-roasted Brussels sprouts with smoked bacon and heirloom baby carrots with brandy butter, while the sticky date pudding with toffee sauce is a must for dessert. As for the requisite tipples, we recommend the Spiced Pear Spritz – a refreshing concoction of vodka, prosecco, baked apple and pear, Sichuan pepper and vanilla. In the true giving spirit of Christmas, Oxwell & Clan has partnered with Food Bank SG to donate a meal to someone in need with every meal purchased. Daily lunch and dinner services are available, as well as the Boxwell & Co delivery service if you prefer to enjoy your celebrations at home.
2. A jolly German Yuletide feast at Frieda
Christmas is a huge deal in Germany, where the country’s world-famous Christmas markets are normally thronging with tourists sipping on mulled wine and spiked apple cider as they peruse the various stalls, stands and attractions. While you may not be able to travel there for yourself this December, you can experience the next best thing at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore’s Frieda restaurant. Chef Richard Frick has prepared a veritable feast of German favourites, available as either a three-course set lunch or four-course set dinner from 1 to 25 December. You’ll find authentic Bavarian dishes such as crispy rosti potato and pumpkin cream soup featuring on the lunch menu; while the dinner menu offers soused herring with champagne sauce, chestnut soup, duck breast and spice-crusted salmon trout.
3. Celebratory Cantonese delights at Hai Tien Lo
Who says that Christmas menus can’t extend to Chinese restaurants? Certainly not the folks at Hai Tien Lo, which is offering a Christmas festive menu with a modern Cantonese twist. Dine at the restaurant’s Pan Pacific Singapore location between 21 December to 1 January 2021 to indulge in decadent treats dreamed up by executive chef Ben Zeng. You can take your pick from two festive set menus – both available at lunch and dinner with a minimum of two diners. Dishes include the likes of double-boiled lobster dumpling with turkey in supreme stock; deep-fried crispy red snapper fish fillet with a sweet-spicy pineapple chilli sauce; and barbecued suckling pig stuffed with glutinous rice, wild mushrooms and truffle.
4. Contemporary Aussie classics at Salted & Hung
Ring in the holiday season with Salted & Hung’s Feed Me festive tasting menu, which will be offered for lunch and dinner during the entire month of December. There are four iterations of the menu for guests to choose from, with certain signature dishes offered across the board. Depending on your menu of choice, you’ll be treated to mouth-watering contemporary Australian-style dishes such as IPA sourdough with creamy whipped lard and umami-rich wakame butter; Jerusalem artichoke with confit egg and mushroom dashi; Miyazaki grape-fed pork loin with turnip and sweet apple butter; and tender Japanese A4 Wagyu with melt-in-the-mouth bone marrow and ash. Be sure to leave enough room for the Gold’n Gaytime dessert course, a play on the popular Aussie ice-cream treat that features chocolate, umami and toffee.
5. Modern Middle Eastern nosh at Fat Prince
If you’re in the mood for contemporary Middle Eastern-style fare this holiday season, make a beeline for Fat Prince. The Peck Seah Street restaurant has rolled out a Christmas set menu from 14 to 24 December that includes a host of tasty specials to get you into the Christmas spirit. Diners will each receive a mezze (flame-grilled Argentinian red prawns with green gazpacho), side (fennel and pomelo salad), main course (spiced roasted duck breast with caramelised endive and pumpkin puree) and dessert (Turkish lemon tart with za’atar milk crisps), as well as a glass of cava. As an add-on, you can choose to accompany your meal with the restaurant’s Christmas cocktail called Hold the Pudding! that features signature pudding-infused rum with bitters.
6. Classic Christmas fare at The English House
Transport yourself to England with a traditional Christmas roast at The English House by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White. Just for the month of December, the restaurant will be serving a Festive Roast Menu that includes a range of hearty appetisers and mains that are sure to tantalise your taste buds. For appetisers, we recommend selecting the Foie Gras Terrine Seasonal Truffle, which comes with a piquant onion chutney and toasted sourdough; the Baked Aubergine with creamy smoked burrata cheese; and the Classic Beef Carpaccio served with a peppery rocket salad. As for mains, you can’t go wrong with the Roast Turkey, which features traditional bread stuffing and a homemade cranberry sauce, plus trimmings such as Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
7. Festive surf and turf offerings at Osia Steak and Seafood Grill
From now until 3 January 2021, Resorts World Sentosa’s Osia Steak and Seafood Grill is serving up a special range of sharing platters (that can feed two to three people) to commemorate the festive season. For lunch, there’s the Sharing Seafood Platter, which stars succulent tiger prawn casserole cooked with chorizo; mud crab cake; and smoked salmon trout with celeriac remoulade, herb butter and kohlrabi pickles. If you find yourself here for dinner, you have the option of the Sharing Meat Platter, which comes with grain-fed Black Angus Australian ribeye, braised beef cheek; Iberico pork rack and pasture-fed lamb alongside hand-cut fries and assorted vegetables. Cap off your evening meal with the Pear Mont Blanc dessert platter, which comprises an iced chestnut pear yule log, yuzu meringue; warm molasses apricot pudding; and macadamia nut streusel.
Please check the establishments’ respective websites for opening hours as well as booking and seating requirements before visiting, and remember to adhere to safe-distancing measures while out and about.
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