SINGAPORE (July 24): Award-winning culinary doyenne Violet Oon has devoted her life to curating great food in Singapore and even at 70 years old, she still shows no signs of stopping. She recently received the Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), shortly after the opening of her latest restaurant outlet in Jewel Changi.
Now, Singapore’s distinctive and much beloved cuisines can be savoured by travellers and locals at the Violet Oon outlet at the airport. The 3,800 sq ft outlet is the restaurant group’s largest and most dazzling outlet to-date.
Stroll in the main entrance and you will be in the main dining room, where the interior a refined mix of emerald green, black and gold with the floor tiled with Peranakan motifs, radiating a classic yet elegant vibe.
A little further up is the adjoining hallway that houses the private dining area that seats up to 10 guests in a plush half-circle booth. And further up from that is the indoor terrace, the highlight of Violet Oon in Jewel. The intimate indoor terrace opens to a spectacular view of the beautiful HSBC Rain Vortex, the world’s largest waterfall and Jewel Changi’s star attraction.
After being awed by the sheer beauty of the outlet’s interior, it’s time for the food to have its turn in the limelight.
Manoj M Murjani, CEO of Violet Oon Singapore and owner of Group MMM says, “The vision for Violet Oon Singapore at Jewel is about coming together to celebrate with food while creating indelible memories of Singapore in a gorgeous space. So we brought together different elements from our four other restaurants, and specially created dishes exclusively available here.”
The Violet Oon Singapore Group is co-owned by Group MMM and Violet Oon and her family.
One such example is Poh Piah-themed parties that are celebrated in many homes in Singapore. It is a communal meal that brings people together and represents the finest in Singapore hospitality. To celebrate this togetherness, Violet Oon has introduced the DIY Nyonya Poh Piah Party ($58) (main image) that allows everyone at the table to get their hands dirty creating their own Poh Piah.
Only available in the Jewel outlet, this dish features six pieces of handmade Poh Piah skins and more than 12 different fillings and condiments including braised bamboo shoots, Jicama and beancurd in a savoury tau cheo and prawn bisque, steam prawns, Chinese sausage and flavour bombs such as finely pounded dried sole fish and golden fried garlic sprinkles. A vegetarian set is also available.
People come together especially when they are sharing food. Jewel’s Violet Oon encourages patrons to order small plates to share, such as the Crispy Kurobuta Pork Fingerlings with Garlic and Curry leaves ($18). Here, pieces of juicy Kurobuta pork are marinated in a delicately spiced batter and deep fried to a tender crisp. Don’t forget to dip the meat in the garlicky chilli sauce served on the side.
Order a bowl of rice and enjoy it with the BBQ Eggplant with Sambal ($13). A rather popular dish in the region, here you will find eggplants grilled and topped with green sambal hijau (green chilli) and spicy Goreng Chilli sambal. Be warned though, this is not for those who cannot handle spicy food.
Cool down from the spice with some of Violet Oon’s famous desserts: Try the Jewel-exclusive Sugee Cake with Calamansi Drizzle and Ice Cream ($15). The traditional Eurasian Sugee cake made with semolina and ground almond is given a tangy twist with a lime drizzle and served with vanilla ice cream on the side.
Fans of Nyonya kuehs will love the Pandan Gula Melaka Cake ($13), which features a light and airy sponge cake infused with fresh pandan juice and layers of buttercream frosting and desiccated coconut tossed in gula melaka syrup.
All the dishes mentioned above are exclusive to the Violet Oon outlet at Changi Jewel.
Violet Oon introduces world’s first Impossible Satay
Violet Oon is jumping on the sustainable plant-based meat trend in Singapore and using Impossible Foods to bring you the world’s first ever Impossible Satay ($17).
“The Violet Oon Singapore Impossible Satay perfectly marries tradition with the future of food consumption. It demonstrates how local heritage dishes can be modernised without compromising the original taste and texture, creating a new chapter in the Singapore food story,” Manoj shares.
Bite into the satay and you will easily mistake it for regular beef. The Impossible Satay is infused with Violet Oon’s signature sweet satay marinade and spiced with freshly ground lemongrass, chili, shallots, coriander powder and cumin powder. This is then barbecued over charcoal to give it a caramalised char and a smokey flavour.
The satay is then served with a side of Violet Oon’s homemade richly grounded peanut sauce topped with fresh pineapple puree, steamed rice cakes, fresh cucumbers and raw red onions.
Violet Oon’s Impossible Satay is exclusive to Violet Oon Singapore Satay Bar & Grill and Violet Oon Singapore at Jewel.
Violet Oon Singapore at Jewel
Jewel Changi Airport,
78 Airport Blvd,
Level 1, #01-205 / #01-206
819666 Singapore
Tel: +65 9834 9935
Opening hours:
9am – 11pm (Monday - Sunday)
Breakfast : 9am - 11am (Drinks & cakes only)
High Tea: 3pm - 530pm
All day dining: 11am - 11pm (Last order at 930pm)
Violet Oon Singapore Satay Bar & Grill
3B River Valley Rd, Clarke Quay
#01-18
179021 Singapore
Opening hours:
6pm – 12am (Monday - Sunday) (Last order at 930pm)
