Halia Restaurant in the Botanical Gardens
As I got out of the taxi at Tyersall Avenue, I could smell the wonderful smell of ginger – not the kind you get from baking ginger cookies but more so, the smell of raw ginger and ginger leaves. It was a very exhilarating walk - just after a rain, the whole place smelled so nice, the surrounding all green with flowers here and there, nice cool evening breeze, sound of water from a waterfall nearby, the restaurant lit by lamps, candles and moonlight – the perfect romantic place for couples and friends to share a meal together!
Halia Restaurant (Halia means ginger in Malay) is located in the Ginger Garden of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It seems there are over 250 species of gingers with their stunning foliage and colorful flowers thrive here. It is a really a shame that I was not aware until my visit to Halia that there are so many types of ginger available! The restaurant has indoor and al fresco seating and I certainly liked eating outdoor that night. Halia Restaurant includes Villa Halia. Villa Halia consists of the Wine Bar, the Courtyard, for those who enjoy being surrounded by the lushness of the Garden; and the Gallery Room, suitable for private dining where privacy is guaranteed yet patrons are still able to enjoy the expansive beauty of the Garden. I was warmly received by one of the directors, Mathew Tip and his wife Jane.
I tasted four different appetizers and my favorites were the Chilled White Asparagus, Truffle Ice Cream with Truffle Vinaigrette. The chef was certainly creative – instead of the normal asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce, he had chilled the plump seasonal white asparagus; made a savory ice cream with truffle – this was really a hotch-potch surprise to the taste buds and really flooded the palate with a harmony of flavors, especially so with a bite of the asparagus and that truffle vinaigrette.
The Deep Fried Zucchini Flower stuffed with Cheese, Young Zucchini, Vine Cherry Tomato and Gazpacho Granite is something worth trying especially so in that garden setting. I learnt something from Mathew Tip that night -that only the male zucchini flowers were used for frying. How can you tell the difference between the male and female blossoms? You just need to take a look under the blossom itself. At the base of the blossom (where the blossom attaches to the stem), if you see a bump below the blossom, that is a female blossom. If there is no bump and the stem is just straight and skinny, this is a male blossom. Male blossoms are usually used for cooking and the female blossoms become zucchini. I Have eaten many fried zucchini flowers in my life and they all tasted about the same but at Halia the icy cold, savoury Gazpacho Granite that accompanied the fried flowers made the difference! The Crisp Black Pepper Soft Shell Crab with Wasabi Aioli was a good appetizer and the sprinkle of coarse ground black pepper and the light pungent wasabi aioli highlighted the natural sweetness of the soft crispy shell crab.
Imagine how tasty itwould be if you could seal away a preferred main-ingredient with irresistible flavorings in one neat package and quickly bake it to a delicious conclusion!! Well, at Halia restaurant, I had just that - Sea Perch Fillet en Papillote, sesame Japanese rice, Truffle Aioli and Wakame Salad. The waitress brought the papillote to the table and then opened up the package right in front of us to reveal, delicious hot fish fillet, and release the wonderful aromas trapped inside. The sesame Japanese rice that accompanied it complemented the papillote . The Roasted Rack of Lamb marinated in Javanese Spices, Ratatouille, Potato Cutlet and Calamansi Bell Pepper Coulis was cooked just right. Thebright red bell pepper coulis is a nice accompaniment and made a tasty and colorful garnish too. I also tried the Braised Wagyu Oxtail, Shitake Mushroom, Young Vegetables and Mashed Potato Puree and the Hokkaido Scallop & Prawn Linguini with oven dried Cherry Tomato, Asparagus, Salmon Roe and Basil Leaf Light Cream Sauce.
Whether its eggs or maple syrup-drenched waffles with crispy slices of bacon to begin the day, a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich or a simple asparagus wrapped with bacon dish, I love the combination of salty, sweet, smoky and ever-so-slightly bitter tastes of bacon on my taste buds. And therefore the Freshly Baked Fig Tart, Bacon Pear Ice Cream, Almond Date, Brie Cheese, Sour Cream Sabayon and Wild Mountain Honey dessert at Halia Restaurant naturally became my favorite dessert. This dish had many components and each of it complemented the other. The almond date was a confection I could eat as a snack on its own.
The Caramel Tea Crème Brulee with Ginger Sorbet was created to the simulated the “teh halia” – our local ginger tea with milk. The ginger sorbet could do with a bit more gingerly taste. Desert Devil had a feast of desserts at Halia restaurant. I also tried the Young Ginger Nougat Parfait with Roasted Fresh Pineapple and Spice Pineapple Sauce and Warm Chocolate Torte, Melted Valrhona Centre, Vanilla Ice Cream, Kirsh-marinated Strawberries
The restaurant offers affordable, good food and the staff are pleasant. The menu had both Asian and Western dishes. I bade farewell to my hosts and told myself, “I will be back” soon.
1 Cluny Road, Ginger Garden
(enter via Tyersall Avenue)
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Tel: 6476 6711