Sparkling cuisine at Diamond Kitchen
Diamond Kitchen celebrates its birthday with new dishes
Has it already been three years since Diamond Kitchen made its debut at Laguna Park?
Three years down and branch No. 2 at Science Park Drive has survived 18 months, another feat in the volatile food and beverage market.
So it is not a surprise Diamond Kitchen wants to celebrate its birthday in a big way - with new dishes.
The newbies do not step far from the Chinese fare they have become known for. It's a safe but smart way to keep your customers happy.
But it may come across as boring.
Perhaps on its fifth birthday, Diamond Kitchen will be bold and try crazy new things.
For now, what is on offer is good enough.
It has become a dependable go-to restaurant, and the new dishes generally do not betray that trust.
What's more, all new dishes are at 15 per cent off till the end of the year.
This is the sort of birthday celebration I like.
The star of the new dishes must be the Diamond Sauna Treasures (from $188). This is only available at the Oasis branch. It is basically a steaming tub of seafood, including lobster, snow crabs, red prawns, scallops, mussels, squid and clams. There are four sauces, but you'll want to eat these fresh seafood straight, and for an authentic experience, with your hands.
Diamond Kitchen's popular Gan Xiang rice has a new sibling - the Gan Xiang Bee Hoon ($25). The spicy savoury paste works well with the rice noodles. You get prawns, pork belly and mussels on top. It's a simple, hearty dish.
Some may not like herbal chicken but the Diamond Herbal Chicken ($38) is more savoury than medicinal. The kampung chicken is tender but it's that thick soup that I fell in love with.
So sinful, but the Kong Bak Pau (from $18) was worth the guilt. The pork was amazingly tender, with just the right amount of saltiness from the braise. You could eat it with the man tou but why waste calories? The pork is good on its own.
PHOTOS: DIAMOND KITCHEN
The only dish I did not take to was the Ba Ba Pomfret ($38). The spicy tamarind sauce overwhelmed everything. The pineapple in the sauce had to work hard to balance out the spiciness but it failed.
WHAT
Diamond Kitchen
WHERE
#01-01 Oasis, 87, Science Park Drive
WHEN
Daily 11am to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 10.30pm
CALL
6464-0410
Bite sized
CRAB AT YAN TING
Eat hairy crab in a variety of styles at Yan Ting (The St. Regis Singapore, Tel: 6506-6887), as well as two seven-course set menus.
The menu offers dishes such as slow-cooked crab claw served in pumpkin ($38), and seafood dumpling wrapped with bean curd skin ($26). Or you can have it in the traditional way - steamed ($98).
TRUFFLE TIME
White Alba truffles sourced from Piedmont, Italy, make an appearance this month at Gordon Grill (Goodwood Park Hotel, Tel: 6730-1744).
Dishes that complement freshly shaved white truffles ($26 for two grams) will be served, such as chawanmushi with crabmeat ($25) and asparagus risotto with peppered pecorino cheese ($22).
CHARITY ICE CREAM
Creamier Handcrafted Ice Cream And Coffee is offering limited-edition flavours made in partnership with chefs and bartenders, with proceeds going to the collaborator's charity of choice.
Chef Ming Tan of Park Bench Deli (his charity is Food Bank Singapore) offers the spicy torched pineapple sansho pepper sorbet ($4.50 a scoop or as a beer float at $16), sold at Creamier in Toa Payoh, Gillman Barracks and Park Bench Deli.
Hot dish
Anti:dote (Fairmont Singapore, Tel: 6431-5315) has a new head craftsman Gina Kent, and with head chef Tryson Quek, there are new goodies to try.
I love Ms Kent's unusual drink Rappaccini's Daughter ($23), with tequila, homemade violet liqueur, orange bitters, soda and blackberry rosemary shrub.
And from Chef Quek, the dramatic and delicious Burnt Corn Taco ($8), with smoked ricotta cheese.
Together, the duo will help keep Anti:dote on the list of the best bars in Singapore.
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