Last Thursday, The Boy and I were invited by Charlene Hendricks who's the Catering Sales Manager for Capella Singapore, to dine at one of Singapore's finest Mediterranean restaurants -
The Knolls.
The Boy and I arrived at 7:00pm and I decided to sneak in a little photo shoot along the beautiful colonial corridors of the hotel.
Dress: Almost Famous; Shoes: online shop; Gold watch: Guess
We caught up with Charlene in her office and made a beeline for Bob's Bar for cocktails. Day-beds, jazz trio and the relaxing atmosphere, the hustle and bustle of the day was soon forgotten. Soon it was time for dinner and we were told that our drinks can be brought to the restaurant. What amazed me was the attentiveness of the wait staff who delivered our drinks as we sat down, without ever asking which drink belonged to whom.
Inside the Knolls
Oh let's just skip straight to the food talk alright? ;)
We nibbled on a selection of bread while deciding on our dinner.
For starter to share, we had:
Toast of tomato and iberian ham "reserva"
Gorgonzola Croquettes
Gratinated stuffed blue mussels
The ham tapas was delicious and is my favourite. It wasn't too salty and there's a right balance of fats and meat in the ham. The croquettes look plain at the first glance but one bite into the golden ball and the warm cheesy filling floods the senses. I love seafood hence it's the mussels for my choice of starter. The mussel bits were sweet and the creamy filling was not overpowering. Although both the croquettes and mussels were deep fried, it wasn't as oily as I thought they would be.
The main courses were amazing!
Grilled Salmon
I had the grilled salmon which was sweet and grilled just right - crispy skin and soft fish meat. Hidden underneath the fish was spinach which goes well with the fish and risotto.
Pan Seared Sea Bass
I love the sea bass which Charlene had. The meat was sweet and succulent, and there was no overpowering fishy smell.
Slow cooked beef cheek
*Sorry, picture's a little blurry as my hands were trembling with excitement at the thought of stabbing my fork into that beef*
The Boy had the beef cheek. It was the softest, most tender, and juicy beef I've ever had. Here's The Boy's review of his main, in his own words:
"Being a regular carnivore my 1st thought was to go for the Grilled Wagyu Rump but then Charlene suggested I try the Slow Cooked Beef Cheek instead... Cooked to perfection, the meat came off the knife with slightly more force than gravity and just melted in my mouth. Full of flavour with every bite, an absolutely amazing main!"
After our empty plates were cleared, tea was served. The Boy and I went for the full-bodied English Breakfast while Charlene ordered a white tea, which she encouraged us to try.
English Breakfast tea
The tea she ordered is named Nymph of the Nile, a light fragrant white tea with a hint of sweetness when drank on its own. Those with sweet tooth may want to add honey to it. Apparently, this tea is also soothes the throat, which is good for The Boy who's been clearing his throat nosily for the past 3 weeks. Delicious!
Personally, I love drinking the tea on its own and I think it's a great drink to have each night, to wash away the stress of the (work) day.
Nymph of the Nile
And then it was time for dessert... ;)
Chocolate Fondant
Churros
Lemon Tart
The Chocolate Fondant was amazing. One cut into the chocolate cake, and the rich, warm dark chocolate bled out. 64% Manjari chocolate with a scope of maple ice cream and garnished with berries. In a word: orgasmic...
The Churros were light and fluffy, dusted with a layer of fine sugar, and served with vanilla, lemon and chocolate dips. I would have grabbed 'em all for myself if I had the space for more food!
The Lemon Tart was like a crème brûlée on a biscuit with refreshing mint and grapefruit sections served with a healthy scoop of wonderfully orange and cava sorbet on a bed of tiny sugar palettes. I think it's a little too sour for my liking, nonetheless, a delicious dessert for those who like citrus.
This pretty much sums up our wonderful dining experience at Knolls. Kudos to the Charlene for her invitation and recommendations. The Boy and I couldn't have asked for a better evening! :)
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