Brunching at The Ritz |
The Moet Vintage 2000 is on "free flow" – the only place in Singapore where this happens, we are told – and everything else is going pretty smoothly too, we notice as we take a seat. Welcome to one of the world's best ways to spend a Sunday – brunching at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore on poached lobster, foie gras and almost anything else your little heart could imagine. The aptly named Greenhouse, the hotel's glass-domed all-day dining outlet which seats 240, takes up much of the lobby level. Its floor-to-ceiling windows add the airy sunniness of a conservatory to European country-house style. For this meal, oak tables are elegantly set with cream linen placemats and fingerbowls, the cutlery laid French style (fork tines pointing downwards). We take our place as the restaurant fills, almost as soon as it opens at 11.30am. There are couples and family groups, plenty of children made to feel welcome. No way of telling who is an in-house guest or has come, like us, just for the experience of a lifetime. Inside this 32-storey hotel set in expansive gardens it is hard to believe that Singapore's bustling Marina Quay is just beyond the gates. Opened in early 1996, the hotel offers 608 guest rooms of the highest standard. A stroll around the multitude of buffet tables reveals plates of foie gras with citrus, scampi-sized oatmeal prawns, a range of salads, eggs benedict, poached Boston lobster fresh from the tanks, up to eight varieties of freshly shucked oysters (including Australian, Asian and belon from France), and other seafood, sushi and sashimi. It is easy to see why this has been Voted the Best Brunch in Singapore by IS magazine and Best Luxe Brunch by Singapore Women's Weekly. One chef, rushing to check that everything is in order, pauses for a photograph and we discover when we ask his name that he is an Australian, Nicholas Anthony (ex-Ezard in Melbourne and other Ritz Hotels). Beside the decadently elaborate dessert table, complete with a tower of chocolate-dipped strawberries, a string ensemble sets the mood with light background music which blends with the clink of glasses and hum of conversation. Those who wish can order a chocolate soufflé and spend the 15-minute wait relaxing with a drink and enjoying the music. Pure indulgence. There's a cocktail station too, serving muddled mojitos and caipirinhas and caipiroskas although I notice many people opting for therapeutic Bloody Marys. Nearby, a pasta station serves fresh pasta to order with a range of sauces, alongside banks of freshly cut fruits, a magnificent array of 45 (I counted them) cheeses, most of them farmhouse artisan cheeses imported from France and flatbreads, rolls, breadsticks and crackers – even French butter. In all of this worldwide wealth of produce it is satisfying to sight some Cobram Estate EVOO at the pasta station. In another corner roasts are being carved and served: Peking duck, chicken, pork, roast rib of beef and lamb. The comprehensive menu has more than anyone, from any nationality, could possibly consume, even in the more than three hours available. It's all here in astonishing abundance. As the sunlight streams through the mother-of-pearl dome on all of us happy brunchers and some of the best food in Singapore, the subtext of this meal is totally obvious. An occasion to be savoured and remembered – forever. Sunday Champagne Brunch, 11.30am-3pm, single sitting, S$138 per adult plus 10 percent service charge and prevailing government taxes, (approximately AUD 130). Lobby Level, The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, 7 Raffles Avenue, Singapore, 039799, www.ritzcarlton.com.au
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