Lunar New Year is the time to feast, celebrate and re-unite and spend quality time with family members, relatives and people who are important to you. From now till 19 February 2019, you can enjoy Ellenborough Market Café’s Prosperity Buffet and Prosperity Takeaway Treats. The restaurant is renowned for its Peranakan, local and international delights. During this CNY season, the culinary team has curated an extensive buffet menu comprising auspicious creations and perennial Straits Chinese favourites, offering a symphony of different flavours and textures.
The restaurant’s ambience is inviting with its heritage meets contemporary décor, spacious interior and cream and aquamarine accents.
It is divided into three zones, namely the main dining hall with its high ceiling, koi pond and diamond-cut glass wall features, mezzanine area with its restored stained-glass skylight and the dining area resembling a cross between a Hampton and Peranakan home.
For the CNY highlights, I recommend the nourishing Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Cordycep Flower and Sliced Abalone which is comforting and nutritious. Filled with generous servings of chicken, dried scallops, abalone mushroom and longan, every mouthful is gratifying.
Fish is a must-have for any CNY meal as its Chinese name is “yu” which sounds like surplus, symbolising abundance and wealth throughout the year. The Steamed Garoupa “Teochew Style” has a light and fresh taste. It is steamed with sour plums, mustard greens, shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, water, ginger and parsley, resulting in a gravy that is savoury, tangy and sweet at the same time.
The Black Moss in Tianjin Cabbage is a quintessential CNY dish, featuring black moss, braised luscious oysters and stewed cabbage. The gravy is rich and flavourful, making one crave for more.
Roasts are always popular with diners. Ellenborough Market Café’s Roast Combination Platter is available on the buffet or as a Takeaway Treat. The Chicken is roasted to a golden hue and the Pork Belly is crispy and savoury. The Roast Duck with Plum Sauce is another hot favourite which brings delight to my taste buds.
If you have an inclination for spicy food, you must not miss the Stir-fried Asparagus with Scallop in XO Sauce. The crunchy asparagus, succulent scallops and piquant XO Sauce combine seamlessly to bring out a mix of savoury, spicy and sweet flavours.
In addition to the festive favourites, you can also help yourself to the Peranakan classics such as Kueh Pie Tee, Ayam Buah Keluak and Babi Pongteh.
For a sweet finale, go for the Steamed Nian Gao with Grated Coconut, Orange Pound Cake, Assorted CNY cookies and the signature Durian Pengat.
The Prosperity Buffet is priced at S$68++ for lunch and S$88 for dinner. Children enjoy half price.
Prosperity Takeaway Treats
Skip the hassle of cooking and whip up a feast with a selection of thoughtfully curated festive goodies. Ellenborough Market Café has introduced the Prosperity Smoked Kurobuta Pork Yu Sheng (S$88 nett) which consists of crispy Smoked Kurobuta Pork bits, Smoked Salmon, Pickled Melon, Vegetable Cucumber, Crunchy Peanuts, Sesame Seeds, Pomelo, Shredded Carrot, White Radish, Green Radish, Purple Cabbage and Pok Chui (Prosperity Crackers).
If you prefer something traditional, you can opt for the Prosperity Abalone Yu Sheng (S$98 nett) or Smoked Salmon Yu Sheng (S$68 nett).
My all-time favourite is the Braised Buddha’s Temptation Claypot (S$428 nett for 10) which brims with luxurious ingredients including Baby Abalone, Sea Cucumber, XO Chinese Sausage, Dried Oyster, Roasted Pork Belly, Fatt Choy, Dried Scallop, Dried Chinese Flower Mushroom, Tiger Prawn and Chinese Cabbage. The broth is rich and flavourful with premium ingredients symbolising prosperity tucked into one dish.
The Roast Combination Platter is priced at S$78 nett with a choice of three items. You can select from roast items such as Roast Duck with Plum Sauce, Roast Pork Belly, Roast Honey Char Siew and Roast Chicken.
Ellenborough Market Café’ is located at level one, Swissôtel Merchant Court, Singapore.
For enquiries and reservations, please call 6239 1847/1848 or
email dining.merchantcourt@swissotel.com
Alternatively, please visit here.