A Singaporean Foodie Getaway in Oman! + Competition

Iv always been a fan of Asian food, and living in Australia for a while, got me exposed to Singaporean food a lot! (there is large Singaporean community in my city). When I got invited to taste the food at ‘Asia’ in Shangrila with two acclaimed Singaporean guest chefs on board (Amer Hashim and Andy Ho) , I instantly got excited to relive my Australian memories of having Singaporean Chili Crab.
 
After a long day of work I was pretty happy to see prawn crackers! I don’t need to say much about em because well….prawn crackers!

And no Asian meal should go without a warm yet refreshing cup of Asian tea!

We started off with a lovely dish, prawn with mango, coriander and chili….the tangyness of this dish mixed with the spices were perfect for me but if you aren’t a big fan of spicy food then make sure you ask them to reduces the spices….make sure you order this though because this is a real treat! (second photo cred: Anna Chesalina)

Next was a Oxtail soup! its as strange as it sounds and it shows how these chefs aren’t afraid to bring in real authentic things to our tables!

One thing you CANT miss out on, is the one thing that I was really hoping I would see! the Singaporean crab was just divine! again it was on the spicier side but I love it that way…….and when you do go, don’t bother with a fork and knife! just dive into it because you just wont enjoy crab as much with a fork and knife!

The crab is very well done and I suspect that ill be back there again with my family before the end of the week!

Also, I couldn’t help but include the only photo of me that I took…with heather’s expression, I had to :p

One last thing! There is a pretty cool competition that they are running and the prize is a three nights stay in Singapore!! I have been looking for a holiday spot so cross your fingers that my name gets picked! 😛

An experience with Alfredo Russo

Im a foodie…..iv always loved everything to do with food! cooking it, watching people cook or going out for a meal! so when I heard that chef Alfredo Russo is coming to town I jumped up and calculated my salary to book my experience!

A good evening for me is enjoying a nicely cooked meal with good friends and I do love going to the fine dining establishments every once in a while….but fine dining and experiencing meals from a Michelin star rated chef are two different things!  When I wrote the first draft of this blog I thought….nah I cant publish it, I feel like I might have enjoyed this too much! but when I talked to the people who I went with, I heard the same words.

Chef Russo got it down to a science, each bite was a real experience on its own as each flavor mixed….see what I mean when I said that it felt like I was going mad?

We arrived at the Husn hotel at Shangrila…a place I haven’t been to yet and entered Sultana which I will go to again for sure!

overlooking the rest of the resort with a beautiful glass wall and an even nicer balcony….it was the perfect spot for chef Alfredo to show off his magnificent food.

Lets start with the …well….starters 😛

The veal wrapped tuna was so refreshing and unique in taste….the tuna was so smooth and it mixed perfectly with the sauce and the veal! a very unique blend of flavors which I didn’t think should mix but it was a perfect match! it was matched by the royal service…..all the waiters came at the same time! a whole bunch of them! they all served the dishes like it was orchestrated… but you know….pictures speak louder than words!

Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised! then the next dish came and it was as if Alfredo Russo knew my taste! it was a beautiful polenta, a north Italian dish that is crispy from the outside and soft on the inside, which was laid on a bed of mushrooms and a delicious sauce……i smelled the cheese before the dish arrived!

Cheese, mushrooms, crispy outside and soft inside……how can you go wrong?! well you cant and each plate was polished off as we all got some bread and didn’t waste a bit of the sauce!

The next dish was the most unique in my opinion…..it was a zucchini lasagna with Parmesan cheese but oh wow how much flavor can be brought out from a zucchini!!! it wasn’t your typical lasagna and the hints of Parmesan cheese just complement everything, that sauce was just the perfect amount to not overpower the other flavors and give enough attention to the cheese and zucchini!

Has anyone ever asked you: if you had only one dish that you are allowed to eat forever….what would it be?

well my answer came in the next dish; a roasted lamb shoulder with pink peppers and potato cream!

By far the best thing I have ever tasted in my life……the top of the lamb was so crispy and nice but as you dig through it falls apart….it melts in your mouth!

the cream was just the best sauce for the lamb so I was confused….I loved the lamb alone and I loved it with the sauce…I never ended up making my mind!

I have a thing where I look for the best part of a meal (the best mix of pepperoni and sauce on a pizza for example) and leave it for the last bite so I can keep that best bite for last……with this dish I couldn’t….it was all just perfect!!

At this point…..I would realistically pay 100 riyals just to have this dish again…..im not uber rich so ill have to live off instant noodles for the rest of the month but it will be worth it!

Chef Russo couldn’t have hit the spot more if he had asked me for my favorite tastes before hand….but you know…there was dessert too!! A chocolate millefeuille with mint……now im not a huge fan of chocolate but this was nice, a good blend of chocolate and mint and that bit of ice cream in the middle was just right! chocolate lovers, this will be your heaven!

The chef came to us at the end of the meal and he got the applause of a performer on stage! I wouldn’t have expected less!!

By far, this was the best dining experience iv had and ill be looking forward of seeing what the shangrila will bring next!

 

A Ridiculously Romantic Dinner At Shangrila

You know……I really wouldn’t have thought that a traditional Arab country like Oman would be a seriously ridiculously romantic country?? But you know what…..it really is!!

Don’t take my word for it, I went to the Shangrila hotel for their full moon dinner event…..It was one of the highlights of this year for me!!!

We got there and we immediately were impressed by the beautiful lighting and setting… everything was just a wow factor…..we even had a table right in front of the band!!!

The service was really good, waiters came straight away and full of smiles! we even had a few interesting conversations with the staff there who were into photography!

And then the band started setting the mood for the ridiculously romantic evening! soft jazz and some great vocals, many people couldn’t resist taking off their shoes and slow dancing on the sand under the full moon! ….want a little hint? next time they do this take a few moments away and step out behind the bar….you can hear the beach and the jazz and you will really feel like you are in some sort of movie!

The food and drinks are what you would expect out of shangrila, nice and fresh but the my favorite by far was the steak with the mushroom sauce!! The deserts were really nice too!

Oh and the waiters don’t skimp out on drinks……they keep coming to refill!

When the moon came out again it was just an amazing view…….food, jazz, a full moon….

After the dinner we decided to go for a walk by the beach, it was a little humid but the slight breeze was nice 🙂

I have to confess, I don’t usually go to the Shangrila because I often think that its too far, but after the full moon dinner, ill be making it a tradition to go there once every month on the full moon!