The Dining Room @ Sheraton Towers Singapore.

The Dining Room @ Sheraton Towers Singapore.

Just a couple of weeks back, a new menu was launched at The Dining Room @ Sheraton Towers Singapore, a 5-star hotel restaurant. This menu, titled Taste of the World, features, no prizes for guessing it right, food from around the world. To be specific, 12 dishes from 12 different countries were conjured by the restaurant for the launch. While the restaurant serves ala-carte menu from Monday – Tuesday, and buffet from Tuesday – Sunday,  this ala-carte menu is available all day of the week. Option to add-on for their desserts buffet is available, at $17++ and $22++ for lunch and dinner respectively.

Complete with waterfall feature.

This dining room has a backdrop of cascading waterfall and lush greeneries, one that not many people’s dining room has. While making a reservation, you can attempt to reserve the table next to the waterfall.

VIETNAMESE Spring Roll :: $14++

VIETNAMESE Spring Roll ($14++) :: I was in Vietnam for 2 weeks in late 2013, and I think I have a reasonable knowledge of how the food there taste. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed their interpretation of the spring roll here; enveloped in the thinly-prepared rice paper are prawns, rice vermicelli and herbs. I daresay they make it better than most street cafes / restaurants in Vietnam. The thing with Vietnamese rolls is that their greens are funkier than usual, which makes it uniquely them. I grew to love them. It is served with ground peanut and fish sauce – a mixture of sugar, chilli, coriander, lime sauce and vinegar. The roll is refreshing to the palate and serves its purpose as an appetiser.

(FRENCH) Duck Leg Confit :: $31++

(FRENCH) Duck Leg Confit ($31++) :: Being oven-roasted to a perfectly golden-brown crisp skin, this French delicacy is a pleasure to look at to begin with. The meat followed up with the right note, just the way I like it – not overly delicate and salty. It is accompanied with braised red cabbage and German sautéed potatoes. Quite a wholesome course in a nutshell.

(CHINESE) Xing Hua Bee Hoon :: $31++

(CHINESE) Xing Hua Been Hoon ($31++) :: Hailing from Xinpo, China, one of the chefs promises to bring the authenticity of the bee hoon over to Singapore. Look through the fat, sweet prawns and notice the extraordinary thin noodles used. The same is cooked to a really moist texture, and one that readily falls through your chopsticks. Without exaggeration, this is my favourite of the evening (save for the Vietnamese Spring Roll that stands on equal rank). The simple wok-fried rice vermicelli is packed with mild but savoury flavours, and comes with oysters, prawns, pork and vegetables. Notwithstanding that, unless I am feeling rich, I do not think I am ready to pay $31++ for it.

(KOREAN) Dolsot Bibimbap :: $31++

(KOREAN) Dolsot Bibimbap ($31++) :: This hot stone bowl rice is the only vegetarian course in the newly launched menu. The kitchen lends the specialty of a Korean chef in their team, who is the man behind the homemade bibimbap sauce, a very vital component of the dish. Not only is it beautifully plated, the slices of greens are substantial and crunchy and likely because of that, I did not find it to be boring (where usually I would be without the presence of meat).

GERMAN Pork Knuckle :: $45++

GERMAN Pork Knuckle ($45++) :: Find a like-minded foodie and order this Pork Knuckle, easily for 2 persons to share. Share the cost and it looks pretty reasonable. Their rendition here is uniquely different – weighing at 1.5kg, it is boiled for 10 hours, marinated for 1.5 days, and then later oven-roasted when order is placed. Thus, the meat retains its moisture relatively better, and skin crispier. It comes with the familiar sauerkraut (fermented / sour cabbage).

(AMERICAN) Chicken Fajita :: $32++

(AMERICAN) Chicken Fajita ($32++) :: While the flavours of  the onion and bell peppers were sufficient, I thought the grilled chicken slices were on the dry side. It comes with flour tortillas and condiments like salsa, guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce and cheese jalapeno pepper, which actually, help cope with the dryness of the meat. Interestingly, contrary to popular beliefs, Fajita does not originate from Mexico. It’s an American thing.

HUNGARIAN Goulash :: $31++

SPANISH Paella (serves 2) :: $46++

IRISH Mutton Stew :: $31++

ENGLISH Fish & Chips :: $31++

RUSSIAN Beef Stew :: $31++

There are a total of 12 new dishes from the Taste of the World menu. Given the limited space in our stomach, we only had a go at the first 6. The rest of the 6 are:
RUSSIAN Beef Stew.
THAI Phat Thai.
SPANISH Paella (for 2, takes 45 minutes to prepare).
HUNGARIAN Goulash.
IRISH Mutton Stew.
ENGLISH Fish & Chips.

What’s worth paying for:
Vietnamese Spring Roll.
French Duck Leg Confit.
Chinese Xing Hua Bee Hoon (if I succumb to temptation).

Special gratitude to Zareen, Tracy, Cheryl and The Dining Room, Sheraton Towers Singapore team for the hospitality and hosting the media session.

Photos by Kathleen.
Address: 39 Scotts Road, Lobby Level Sheraton Towers Singapore
Telephone: 6839 5621 (takes reservations)
Opening Hours: 6.30pm – 12am (for the above menu) (Daily)