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Halia is one of the restaurants which is close to my heart. Therefore, my hubby and I decided to celebrate Christmas Day at Halia at Raffles Hotel. We had a wonderful time indulging in the brunch buffet after Christmas service at St Andrew’s Cathedral.
The Halia group was established in 2001 with the award-winning flagship Halia restaurant at The Singapore Botanic Gardens. Halia which means Ginger in Malay, is tucked away in lush foliage and serenity of the Ginger Garden. Renowned for its contemporary European cuisine with Asian touches, the restaurant has garnered several accolades for its food and service quality and unique ambience.
The Halia Group introduced the Raffles Hotel outlet, at the location of the former Seah Street Deli in November 2012 specialising in contemporary European cuisine. I have been to the Raffles Hotel branch a few times since its opening and have always liked the food.
The Christmas Brunch was very tempting with popular brunch items and festive favourites. Although the spread was not as extensive as some hotel buffets, the food was impressive.
There is also a specially crafted festive cocktail list for your selection. Some of the highlights include The Grinch (Midori, lime juice and sugar syrup - $20++), White Christmas (Bailey, Kahlua, Apricot Brandy, milk and sugar syrup = $18++), Candy Cane (sweet and sour, angostura bitters, Grenadine, Sprite, mint tea = $12++). Athough, the cocktails look interesting, we did not try any of them as we wanted to save our stomach for the food.
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Assorted cold cuts
We commenced our festive feast with the lightly smoked salmon pate, tomato, cucumber, Hendrick’s gin, yellowfin tuna, smoked avocado purée, preserved lemon and quail’s egg and a selection of pastrami, chorizo, Parma ham and salami.
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Yellowfin tuna, smoked avocado purée, preserved lemon and quail’s egg
I love the yellowfin tuna which was thinly sliced and well- presented and the quail’s egg was an interesting touch and added colour and texture to tuna. The smoked avocado purée was complemented the tuna very well.
The goat’s cheese mousse with crisp brioche and heirloom tomato salad were also very appetising.The goat’s cheese was savoury, sweet and creamy and tasted excellent with the brioche.
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Baby asparagus, roast mushrooms, spinach and lemon
The buffet also had a lovely selection of salads including the potato salad with Dijon mustard, herbs and soft boiled egg. baby asparagus, roast mushrooms, spinach and lemon and mesclun salad, balsamic vinaigrette and ginger flower dressing and baby asparagus, roast mushrooms, spinach and lemon.
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Assorted cheeses
Avid cheese lovers will be pleased with the delightful selection of assorted cheeses.
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The carving station
The carving station features a generous selection of meats including grass fed tenderloin, honey baked ham and boneless turkey breast.
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Turkey breast, grass fed tenderloin and honey baked ham
The turkey breast was surprisingly tender and juicy and the tenderloin oozed succulence in every bite. The honey baked ham was tantalising too. You can also help yourself to the accompaniments such as brussel sprouts, cinnamon confit carrot and spring onion mashed potatoes.The mashed potato absolutely irresistible, it was so creamy, smooth and tasty and it was probably the best mashed potato that I have had so far.
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Chef's signature sticky toffee pudding
For the desserts, we were given a choice of one from the dessert menu. I selected the Chef’s signature sticky toffee pudding which was wickedly delish. It contained just the right degree of sweetness and the combination of the dates, butterscotch sauce and the vanilla ice cream was just amazing.
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Flourless orange cake
My hubby had the flourless orange cake which was a healthier version of the traditional orange cake. It was dense and the citrus flavour was very intense due to the generous orange zest used in the cake. The pistachio ice cream added a refreshing and unique taste to the cake.
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Overall, Halia's Christmas brunch buffet was excellent. The variety may not be large but all the items were well executed. We will definitely be back to try more the other dishes on the à la carte menu.
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Halia is located at Raffles Hotel #01-22/23 (1 Beach Road). For reservations, please call 96391148.