Summer has arrived at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel’s Lobby Lounge, which has introduced a refreshing new Tropical Summer Afternoon Tea affair.

Dive into delicately plated sweets inspired by tropical fruits such as passionfruit, coconut, cempedak, soursop, and banana. Think delectable bites like Passionfruit Eclair and Key Lime Meringue Tart, Cempedak Creme Brulee, and Palm Sugar Financier with Banana Chocolate Chantilly. For savouries, there are the likes of Lobster Croquette, Cod Brandade with Caviar Pani Puri, and Black Pepper Chicken Puff.

And if you head there on a weekend, you can look forward to a serving of Caviar and Blinis paired with sour cream, scrambled egg yolk, egg white and potato salad, as well as a flute of champagne.

Available from now till July 21, 2023. $48++ (Mon to Thurs, 3pm to 5.30pm) or $58++ (Fri to Sun, 2pm to 3.30pm or 4pm to 5.30pm) per person with a free flow of TWG teas and coffee. Visit Lobby Lounge’s website, call 6831-4605 or e-mail
mhrs.sindt.fb.reservations@marriotthotels.com for reservations or more information.

The World Meat Series is back for its second edition at Bedrock Bar & Grill. The quarterly showcase highlights premium and lesser-known meats from different parts of the world, and this time, the spotlight is on 100% Fullblood Tajima Olive Fed Black Wagyu from Umami Olive Fed Wagyu farm in East Texas, America. Already prized for a high degree of marbling, the cattle enjoy a proprietary olive feed for 120 days, which lends to distinctly umami meat with a subtle sweetness.

The five-course menu opens with a Smoked Beef Carpaccio with thin slivers of beef brisket, served with rich house-made barbecue sauce, grilled corn, pickled red onions, and toasted pine nuts offering a medley of textures.

Moving on, the Slow-Cooked Beef Fingers Rib treats diners to a comforting bowl of juicy beef finger rib chunks, grilled over applewood fire. It sits in a rich red wine sauce with small dollops of creamy burrata, and is lifted with herbaceous house-made basil pesto and a balsamic glaze. The Grilled Marinated Skirt comes next, marinated with brown sugar and pepper for a caramelised crust that gives the dish a sweet savoury (almost char siew-like) flavour.

The star player is the New York Sirloin Steak (100g), with the tender cut simply grilled over an applewood fire so you can fully savour the beef’s natural flavours, amped up with red wine sauce and a mellow wholegrain mustard sauce. The garlic butter potatoes on the side are divine — first steamed, then smashed and deep-fried to yield a crisp exterior and fluffy insides.

The meal ends on a sweet indulgent note with an airy Brioche Doughnut that’s piped with creme diplomat and drizzled with a bright strawberry sauce.

Diners can top up $68++ per person for a glass of welcome wine and a four-wine pairing, which we highly recommend.

Available from now till Aug 16, 2023, Sun to Thurs only, for dine-in reservations made from 6pm to 8.30pm. A one-day advance reservation is required. $168++ for a five-course menu, with an additional $68++ for a welcome wine and four-wine pairing.

Bedrock Bar & Grill is at 01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, 96 Somerset Road, Singapore 238163. Visit its website for reservations or more information.

One of the newest additions to Chinatown’s buzzy cafe scene is FiftyFive Coffee Bar, a 46-seater that occupies two stories of a shophouse space along Neil Road. Inside, you’ll find soothing sea-themed interiors, with landscaping and soundscaping elements such as cascading fishnets, sandboxes, driftwood, and projection mappings.

It serves specialty coffee and tea beverages during the day and transitions into a cocktail bar at night. That’s not all, the space also presents a blank canvas for the likes of creative collaborations, exhibitions, events, performances, and poetry readings.

For coffee, the bar offers espresso-based, filter and cold brew options as well as tea. Signatures include the Strawberry Pipagao Latte ($7.50 hot, $8.50 cold) crafted with the iconic cough syrup alongside handmade strawberry jam and espresso, as well as Sticky Chai ($8, cold only), a non-dairy cold brew tea.

After a soft launch earlier this year, it has also unveiled a new cocktail menu that’s a collab with a local artisanal cocktail consultant. Broadly inspired by the seven seas – that’s the Caribbean, Atlantic, Indian, Mediterranean, Pacific, Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico – you can expect concoctions with unusual ingredients, all priced at $22++ each.

Caribbean, for instance, is a fresh and herbaceous tipple of rum, cedarwood and vetiver, while Indian presents an earthy blend of Chinotto Liqueur, sansho pepper and bark tonic. The Gulf of Mexico will have you sipping on a smokey and light-bodied mix of mezcal, gentian liqueur and pink grapefruit tonic. Cocktails are available from 7pm onwards, Fri and Sat only.

For bites, it has also teamed up with chef-owner Ben Lai of @ooomahmee as part of its Chef Artist-In-Residence programme to offer a limited-time menu of four Japanese-inspired seafood-based bowls. There’s the Ooomahmee ($30++), a cold truffle oil cappellini, Hokkaido hotate and ikura, as well as Barachirashi ($30++), which features seafood like trout, swordfish, and boiled octopus seasoned in a blend of ponzu shoyu.

FiftyFive Coffee Bar is located at 55A Neil Road, Singapore 088892. Visit its website for reservations and more information.

Hendrick’s Flora Adora gin has arrived in Singapore. Inspired by and crafted with a secret floral bouquet, the fresh botanical notes play up its signature juniper and coriander backbone.

Apart from getting your hands on a bottle, you can also savour the gin in three specially created cocktails by Caffe Fernet, from now till June 25, 2023. The two-month pop-up at Caffe Fernet sees the space dressed in whimsical floral decor so you can get those pretty snaps as you enjoy the tipple.

Take your pick from the aperitivo-inspired Hummingbird ($23++) made with classic Italian bitters, zesty pink grapefruit juice, and banana juice, or the refreshing Blossom ($25++) with a distinct Sakura tea infusion, and fruity flavours from peach and sparkling strawberry wine. If you prefer something lighter on the palate, try the Butterflies & Bees ($23++) which takes inspiration from the classic Gin Sour and is imbued with a house-made orange peel-infused jasmine honey, and apricot liqueur.

While you’re there, you’ll want to order bites to go with the booze. There’s no going wrong with the Burrata ($29++), with creamy cheese atop a fruity base of macerated strawberries and cherry tomatoes in a citrus-balsamic sauce, sprinkled with toasty pine nut granola. For mains, the pan-seared Golden Pomfret ($48++) serves up tender flaky fish with a lightly crisped exterior, coated with a hearty, spicy Calabrian pepper spread and bits of earthy Kalamata olive crumble. If you have room still, make dessert the velvety Rhubarb Panna Cotta ($16++), made with Hokkaido milk, topped with orange-marinated rhubarb and toasted Sicilian pistachio.

Guests may redeem a complimentary and exclusive Rosewood diffuser from local aromatherapy studio Hyuuga Artisans for every three Hendrick’s Flora Adora cocktails ordered. The diffuser has been imbued with an essential oil specially customised for the launch.

Caffe Fernet is at #01-05 Customs House, 70 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049323. For more information about Hendrick’s Flora Adora, visit Hendrick Gin’s website. 

Nando’s now serves plant-based dishes courtesy of a limited-time menu collab with Indonesia’s leading plant-based alt-protein brand, Green Rebel.

The chicken in Nando’s signature Peri-Peri Chicken dishes can now be swapped with Green Rebel’s Chick’n Fillet soy-based protein. Your options include the Chicken Wrap, which comes with generous meaty chunks as well as the Classic Thigh Burger, with a hearty Chick’n Fillet patty doused in lashings of spicy Peri-Peri sauce. Then there’s also the Classic Chicken Pita.

Available at all Nandos outlets island-wide. Visit Nando’s Singapore’s website for a list of outlets.

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