This year is an unprecedented year — and it might have gone by in a flash, but a lot has happened. We all may be still stuck in the country for now, but we still have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. And what better way to express your gratitude than to enjoy a decadent Christmas feast with your loved ones? Celebrate with some of these seasonal delights that are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face this holiday period. Here are some takeaway specialties to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
Resort World Sentosa (RWS)
Start off your holiday meal with some festive roasts, including RWS’s signature Turkey Wellington ($238+, 3kg for 10–12 persons). This seasonal specialty features an impressive roulade of moist turkey breast, portobello mushroom and prosciutto wrapped in puff pastry. It is accompanied with honey-glazed carrots, parsnip, celeriac, brussels sprouts, bacon-wrapped chipolatas, herb-baked ratte potato, chestnut, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce. Then, finish off the meal with a ball drop. Not like the one in New York, but a sweet dessert that signals the start of the festive season. The Elderflower Festive Ball ($88+ , 700g for 6–8 persons) is a gorgeous interpretation of a Christmas Noël Ball by award-winning RWS executive pastry chef Kenny Kong. The red coconut praline shell, made using luscious French Ruby Chocolate, opens to reveal a trove of sweet treats — elderflower-infused sponge, almond biscuits, crunchy nutty streusel, custard, a confit of red fruits and more.
York Hotel
Have a hassle-free celebration and bring the holiday cheer right to your dining table with tasty Christmas treats from York Hotel’s highly popular Yuletide’s Delight set ($150 nett for 4–5 persons). Expect a delightful ensemble of scrumptious gourmet delights perfect for the bountiful feast at home or at the office. The set includes a whole roasted chicken (roasted rosemary chicken with lemon and garlic or roasted Thai marinated chicken), slowsmoked barbecued pork rib, sautéed seasonal vegetables with smoked duck, homemade mushroom soup with elba truffle oil, roasted potatoes with caramelised onion and soft roll buns.
Mandarin Orchard
What’s Christmas without some ham? Mandarin Orchard’s Premium Honey-glazed Gammon Ham ($268 for 4.5kg) is back this year. Marinated in a special mix of premium honey and cloves, the tender gammon ham is roasted to juicy perfection. Perfect for sharing between a group of six to eight, this dish is bound to steal the spotlight (and tastebuds) at the dinner table. This mouthwatering treat is best paired with some Roasted New Potatoes with Truffle Oil ($20 for 500g) and Assorted Festive Seasonal Vegetables ($20 for 500g).
Leave some space for dessert and indulge in Mandarin Orchard’s Raspberry Namelaka Yule Log ($80 for 1kg), a perfect blend of tart raspberries and sweet chocolate. Luxuriously covered with a thick layer of silky dark chocolate ganache and topped with gold flakes, this cake is a must-have for all chocolate-lovers.
Seasonal treats
In the spirit of Christmas, many restaurants are also offering seasonal specials in their menus. Come for the food but stay for the festive ambience at these restaurants that Options has shortlisted for you.
Gaig
In Spain, the festivities of Christmas begin in December and cross over to the new year, concluding in January. And since we can’t fly to Spain now, enjoy authentic and decadent Spanish festive fares such as roast meats for sharing, an abundance of seafood, and nougat candies at Gaig.
This year, the team at Gaig is marking this beloved holiday period with a sumptuous seven-course set menus of Catalan flavours for Christmas Eve ($118++ per person) and New Year’s Eve ($150++ per person), available for dinner. The Christmas Eve set features specials such as Gaig’s traditional cannelloni stuffed with beef and pork, topped with truffle bechamel sauce, as well as the robust monkfish suquet, a must-have seafood stew for many Catalan families’ celebratory feasts. The New Year’s Eve set boasts the carabinero paella that is inspired by the Spanish tradition of enjoying prawns on New Year’s Eve along with several other timeless Spanish favourites.
Oxwell & Clan Festive Pop-Up at Clan Cafe
Nothing short of a Christmas miracle, Singapore’s Oxwell & Co — which broke the hearts of its many fans when it shut its doors this summer — is returning this Christmas with the launch of Oxwell & Clan, a sixweek Christmas party open to the public on the ground floor of Straits Clan’s Clan Cafe. Alongside this pop-up event, Oxwell & Clan will also be partnering with Food Bank SG to provide “One-for-One Meals” (with a minimum of 5,000 meals), to people in need in the local community. From now till Dec 26, the Oxwell & Clan festive menu offers a bounty of Christmas-inspired dishes, such as the Turkey Roulade and Crackled Belly of Pork.
Accompany your mains with some yorkshire pudding, brandy baked carrots, brussel sprouts with bacon and maple, baked cauliflower cheese, roasted potatoes, and roasted parsnip, turnip, and swede.
Aqua Gastronomy
Experience an exquisite and luxurious dinner at Aqua Gastronomy, where you can dine in an igloo-like pod offering sweeping panoramic views of over 40,000 marine animals. From Dec 19 to Jan 3, indulge in Aqua Gastronomy’s five-course festive menu ($138++ for members; $168++ for non-members) that features 100% sustainable seafood. Each course is served in tandem with dreamy lighting effects, oceanic soundscapes and dive performances. The festive menu also includes a complimentary Champagne cocktail for all diners. This festive menu starts off with the Misty Christmas Morning, a dish of giant clam and french oyster; and moves on to the Instagram-worthy main course, Starry Starry Night, a chargrilled Iberico Secreto with Charsiew Glaze and Shiny Stars, served with Japanese-style wakame hoshi-ebi pearl rice.
Pure Indulgence
Buona Terra
Fine Italian dining restaurant Buona Terra brings pure luxury to the table with the highly-prized, highly coveted and exquisite white Italian truffle. In the hands of resident chef Denis Lucchi, these exquisite ingredients are celebrated in innovative and contemporary culinary works of art that intrigue with reinterpreted Italian flavours. Harvested from October to December, white Italian truffles are famed for its distinct aroma and earthy flavours; paired best with pristine flavours in dishes like Buona Terra’s signature egg souffle, handmade pasta in butter, creamy risotto and salted milk ice cream. To elevate the gastronomic experience, white truffles can enhance any dish with tableside shavings at $88 for 10g or $10/g. For lunch, there are three-, four- or fivecourse Carta Bianca menus priced at $88, $108, $128 respectively, with two- or three-glass wine pairing options at $58 and $88 respectively. For dinner, get the Buona Terra Experience with multi-course options at $178 onwards, with wine pairing from $138 and an exclusive whiskey flyer pairing at $398 per person.
A special gift
1855 Gourmet
Send good thoughts to every corner of Singapore with 1855 Gourmet’s festive hamper packed with epicurean treats, selected with love, from Nov 20 to 31 Dec 31. Jazz up tea time with the Silver Bellz Hamper ($88 nett) containing classic Christmas treats — panettone, fine selection of French macarons, single-origin dark chocolate, homemade Earl Grey cookies, and Perch’s specialty house-blend coffee beans. For those looking for more pizzazz, the coffee is replaced with Veuve du Vernay sparkling wine and homemade spiced nuts in the Golden Glitz Hamper ($128). Pre-order starts on Nov 9 via an online Google form. Island-wide delivery is priced at $10 nett per location
SEE:Christmas memories
