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Sunday, June 08, 2014

Birthday Dinner at Sky on 57

My actual birthday 2 Sundays ago was spent cooped up at home for most part of the day. Kh made a reservation at Sky on 57 saying that even if I planned to coop myself at home feeling sickly, crampy and miserable, I still had to have dinner. Making up and dressing up certainly sprinkled some sort of magic dust on me in the process. The pain and moodiness dissipated with each wave of the mascara wand, each glide of BB cream, each curl of hair (bimbocity continues...) Oh, if only the magic was dusted much earlier in the day.




Sky on 57 is located at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) SkyPark, on level 57 which is the highest point of MBS. The restaurant, helmed by celebrity chef Justin Quek, offers a delectable array of modern Asian cuisine with French culinary influence. All of these delivered in a setting that offers a bird's eye view of our beautiful city.




The above image was taken from http://www.yoursingapore.com/. Our view from the table was great except that we would be overlooking the outdoor terrace through the glass with loving couples standing in our line of vision to the panoramic city scape.




I'm someone who loves my cheap hawker food so when I saw the sky-high price of Chef Justin Quek's (JQ) acclaimed Hokkien Mee, my jaws almost dropped. Yes, lobster would be used instead of prawns but would that cost about $50 extra? I was undecided on my mains so we decided to opt for the degustation menu. There were 2 Gastronomic Menu options to choose from of which, one was a seasonal bespoke creation -- a menu created on the spot based on our dietary preferences and food allergies. Kh decided on that for the both of us and told the waiter, "Surprise me."




Still sceptical about spending so much on Asian food which we could get from hawker centres and Chinese restaurants, I decided to read up some reviews. The mixed reviews ranged from 2.5 to 4 stars out of 5 and I was eager to give my take on this restaurant and JQ's culinary skills. The variety of bread had us spoilt. I must say that the truffle butter served with the complimentary bread had already teased my taste buds and heightened my expectations for JQ's cuisine. I had to request for another piece of truffle butter to go with the 2nd bread.




This lovely crispy seaweed on the house further whetted my appetite. I really could not wait to be further surprised. I really dislike not knowing what would be served but this time round, I found excitement in it all.

Before I proceed further, may I ask all vegetarians, detractors of fine dining and people who think people who spend too much on food are dumb, to stop scrolling and come back for my next post?




1st course:

~*French Oyster*~
Tomato gelee and ikura roe

I didn't even know how I should describe this oyster. It was like kissing the sea softly on the lips. It was salty, sweet, briny, firm, chewy all at the same time -- a fresh burst of flavours. American chef and food writer James Beard described oysters as simply “one of the supreme delights that nature has bestowed on man". I would steal his words for this delightful little tart of an oyster.




2nd course:

~*Hokkaido Scallop*~
Ceviche with Oscietra caviar, lemon vinaigrette and micro greens

At the 2nd course, I confidently declared to kh that "this is only the 2nd course but it is my favourite fine dining place already." This dish took me right back to our Maldives holiday when I was hooked onto fresh, raw seafood, tataki, tartare etc seasoned with vinaigrette.




By our 2nd course, the terrace was more empty. This couch was right beside/under us and I'd thought of sitting there for a while to enjoy the breeze after our dinner.




One of the best white wine ever. From JQ's selection-- Schloss Vollrads Riesling, 2012. The aroma was like fresh grapes and apples, and the taste clean and fresh. It was not acidic at all and a great pleasure to drink.




3rd course:

~*Amadai*~
Crispy scales, curry mussels

This fish wasn't descaled. The scales in fact was the main recipe for its crispiness. I love the cripy skin with the tender flakey meat.




Me love fish. Me just want an excuse to take photo.




4th course:

~*Pigeon*~
French pigeon confit, braised abalone, Chinese sausage and risotto

Initially, I was confused between which was the abalone and which was the pigeon. I don't think I've ever eaten pigeons before and was trying to discern a poultry texture from the pieces of unknown. I usually dislike Chinese sausage but this one tasted good. It seemed to have a hint of liver. Hubby usually do not like risotto but felt that the risotto in this dish was good.




5th course:

~*Omi Beef*~
Wok fried in black Asian pepper sauce vegetables

To me the term "wok fried" reminds me of Chinese cuisine, of zi char, of delicate smokey wok taste. I almost could not believe these wok fried chunks of Omi beef could taste like French cuisine. I loved it! I'm craving for it while I'm typing this.




6th course:

~*Langouste*~
Superior broth soup

OUR ultimate favourite dish for the night was this langouste bee hoon! I had craving for the broth for the next few days and kh was upset that this isn't available on their à la carte menu. I simply do not know how to describe this dish. Yes it is bee hoon only ma... Something so easy to cook, something that could be gotten from hawker centres and even in instant mee packets but this bee hoon is just so DAMN GOOD that I do not have refined words to describe this dish. Think of it as a bee hoon that is more delicate, more refined and clean. Think of it as a soup without the oily feel yet so full of robust flavour that is savoury yet not salty. Think of it as a superior broth made using the freshest ingredients that is so full of natural goodness.




7th course:

~*Red Fruits*~
Pink champagne jelly, vanilla ice cream

You know when it comes to desserts, I often pick one fruity one and one chocolatey/creamy one for the both of us to share coz I love both fruity tarty and creamy sweet. I'm glad I did not get to choose for this menu coz I'm usually undecided. The red fruits paired with champagne jelly and vanilla ice cream was just the perfect combination of zesty and sweet to end off the meal. Oh, and check out the edible gold speck.




When we were still at home, Kh told me that there would not be special arrangement for birthdays as he did not call in advance. I voiced out that for such an expensive restaurant not to have birthday arrangement is indeed a shame. Hence, I was really surprised when our waiter brought out a birthday dessert with a few others singing the birthday song.




This is the most unique dessert ever. Our good ol waiter told us that it is a dessert that you either love it or hate it. The macarons are gula melaka flavoured. I'm not quite a fan of gula melaka. The 2 white balls are truffle white chocolate balls. "Truffle" as in not chocolate truffle but the fungi truffle. Like my favourite truffle fries "truffle" and the truffle butter "truffle" earlier on. Yes, salty truffle.




This was the brightest photo for the night coz I intentionally illuminated myself with the candle flame. I was really quite miffed that the place was so dark to snap any photo that did justice to the food. All the photos in this post except for this had been edited by adjusting the brightness, contrast, saturation and colour curves. The graininess of the photos is so bad but I'd to make do with them or to present dark photos.




A shot of us in the restaurant before we headed out to the terrace.




I love our waiter and I feel like kicking myself for not remembering his name now while crafting this post. He provided the most impeccable service ever. It was professional yet casual all together and he got us laughing quite a few times. When I asked if he could do me a favour of writing down our bespoke menu for ease of blogging, he told me that he would try his best though it would not be a full description. Imagine my delight when he presented 2 of these to us, informing us that he had gotten his colleague to print it out.




By the time we finished our meal, the terrace was almost ours. The table behind kh was where we were sitting just now and the guys actually knocked on the glass to wave to us.




Our beautiful night city scape panning from right to left... all blurry and unfocused no matter which mode I chose. Time to get a new camera.








It was just too difficult to get a good shot without flash.




This was the most unblurry one of us and the stunning view.




It was a lovely dinner at Sky on 57. Indeed my favourite fine dining place to date. What you don't see in this post is how I... pardon my language... pissed through my ass thrice through the night. Kh had no problem at all and I guess it was because of my weak gastrointestinal health. I still love the whole experience and would definitely be back again. Thank you dear hubby for the pleasant birthday dinner.




It's already a week past June and I've yet to meet up all my friends who arranged to meet up with me. I've got a lot more photos of birthday meet ups and pig outs these past 2 weeks to stay tuned!

44 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading your post Jo. I am glad that you had a wonderful time spent on your special day. I hope all is well at all times with you and your family. :)

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    1. Thank you so much for your well wishes, Marykyut. I hope you have a good weekend ahead!

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  2. happy belated birthday hun! looks like such a nice place, love the view!


    mizzsandychau.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you, dear Sandy! I'm always very awed by our night cityscape.

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  3. Dear Jo, Im sorry you cooped up at home in your bday but at least your hubby did such a sweet and super romantic surprise to you, you both are such a beautiful couple! The restaurant looks incredible chic and polished, Im as u regarding the food so I really get your reaction when you saw the meny and the price lol!:) Btw, Im vegetarian but I do eat fish so many dishes made me hungry, and the dessert was for sure the best. The photos in the terrace are gorgeous, what a view! Would like to visit ur city, must be really great!:) And, despite your health trouble that day, you were too pretty!:) Have a nice week ahead, many hugs! xo (ps yep, I had a beach holiday, first in Madrid and then in Fuerteventura, first time in both places to me..they are breathtaking, especially the Canarian Island!:*)

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    1. Thank you for your many many lovely words, Lilli. You're always so sweet to make me smile reading your comment. Ooh, I'm always very proud of Singapore's night cityscape esp when we were the first country/city to appear on the F1 night race a few years back. That certainly brought our cityscape to the knowledge of many.


      Ah yes, I know you don't eat meat but I'm not sure if you were a strict vegetarian prior to this info. Are you purely a pescetarianism? Do you avoid eggs and dairy products too? I'm always very interested to know why people go vegetarian as I have a few vegetarian friends though mainly coz of religion. Seldom do I have Asian friends who are vegetarian by choice so it is always interesting to know more about why they chose to be a vegetarian.

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  4. Hi Jo. Even though is already late, I just still wanted to say "Happy Birth Day" to you. Hope you had the wonderful time. The sky on 57 is looking paradise restaurant to visit. You looks lovely on your special day, the food looks so delicious. And It's pleasure to meet you and thank you for the lovely comment on my blog. I appreciated it a lot:). Enjoy the rest of your weekend and a wonderful week ahead.

    http://www.attraction2fashion.com

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    1. Thank you for your belated wishes, Tanya. It's never too late. Thank you for your thoughtful comment too. It is always nice to read such comments from (relatively) newcomers to my blog since most people are usually always stopping by to ask for a follow for follow. Have a gorgeous week ahead!

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  5. Aaaah! That sounds like it was such a wonderful surprise. I agree with Lilli--you two are such a darling couple and I just love seeing pictures of you both on Facebook, hehe. That restaurant looks absolutely fancy! And just look at that nice view. How awesome that you practically got the terrace to yourself. :)

    Happy Belated Bday!!! <3

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    1. Thank you for your wishes and sweet sweet words, Ali. You're always such a darling. Even though we practically got the whole terrace, we didn't stay out much since it was sweltering hot after a while and we had to work the next day.

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  6. What a lovely birthday dinner! Happy Birthday! I hope you feel better, it is never pleasant to experience sickness like that after a beautiful dinner -___-; I have poor stomach health as well. lol My hubby "can't take me anywhere" he always feels bad when we eat out, because I can get sensitive sometimes haha. Hope that you are feeling better Jo!

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    1. Thank you for your wishes and comment, Anna. I didn't know about your stomach health so thanks for sharing. Do you suffer from IBS? Mine is unknown. I heard from the specialist that when gastrointestinal problems remain unsolved, they would just term it as IBS. It sux not to be able to eat many foods w/o having problems.

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  7. I'm glad getting out perked you up. That is a very special restaurant, a wonderful way to celebrate your birth. That's something that deserves to be celebrated properly. I was thinking 2 and 4 would be my favorites courses, but it's impossible to be sure.

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    1. Thank you for your sweet words as always, Rick. Nah... I still think that birthdays are nothing special but a fine chance to pig out and meet up which is a really good thing. 2 is really good if you're those who like raw stuff, tataki, tartare and the likes with tangy seasoning. Have you eaten pigeon before? I didn't quite like the texture.

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  8. Belated happy birthday Jo! That is one helluva restaurant and view! Glad you had such a wonderful time and I must say your hubby is a sweetheart! You look lovely!
    Keep in touch
    xx
    www.JuneWantsItAll.com

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  9. You look so lovely and radiant! The food is shown beautifully and the city is inspiring and amazing. So glad you had a healthy, happy time. Makes me smile to know it :)

    http://downwithpants1969.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thank you, Rick. Always kind and sweet as always. Hope you get to visit Singapore soon!

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  10. This place looks so wonderful. Shame you were cooped up on your birthday, but this place definitely makes up for it. What a wonderful view and delicious foods as well. And you looked gorgeous, am happy you had a great time. Have a great week :) xx

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    1. Thank you for kind and sweet comment, Kizzy. Yes, everything about the dinner makes up for it.

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  11. That sure sounds like quite the fancy place! I've never been to a restaurant like that (in Asia, especially, I've always stuck to my favorite hawker stalls--they have some good food!) But it's fun to do something different like this once in a while!

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    1. It sure is fun to do this once in a while. What I like about Singapore/Asia is the cheap and good hawker/ roadside stalls and yet there are also the good middle tier food places and the award-winning fine dining restaurants so we are always spoilt for choices.

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  12. Belated happy birthday, Jo. :) That view looks stunning. Glad you enjoyed your little celebration.

    x

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    1. Thank you for your wishes, Jae. Love seeing new people here.

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  13. What an amazing way to celebrate your birthday!

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  14. Sorry you didn't feel that well but at least it was such a lovely birthday diner surprise from your hubby. The food looks soooo delicous and posh I'd love to try it. Hey it's your birthday every penny is well spent (the more the merrier). I think it's really important to spend a lot of money on good food cos it's even more important than our clothes. Btw I will try that wine (Riesling). Actually I can't wait. So thanks for the recommendation Jo and I almost forgot the view is breathtaking. Have a happy Monday sweetheart :D

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment, Mira. Hubz and I would check out fine dining places during special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. It's good to splurge on food for the gustatory pleasure and experience once in a while and I'm glad to hear from another like-minded person like you. I have a problem with tannic and acidic wines so any wine that allows me to drink smoothly would be fondly remembered.

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  15. I'm so glad you got to enjoy such a wonderful dinner with such incredible views on your birthday even though you weren't feeling your best Jo. It certainly doesn't look it from your photos and your husband is so sweet to plan this beautiful celebration for you. You are one lucky girl :)

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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    1. Thank you for your sweet sweet words, Rowena. I'm so glad that I got out of the house. Everything about the dinner makes up for it.

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    1. Thank you for dropping by, Carolyn. Love to see newcomers here and would drop by your blog too.

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  17. Ey up, well doesn't this look fancy? Sorry to hear you were pretty down on the day, but you are so right about getting ready. It totally lifts your spirits and making up your face and putting on a pair of heels almost always does the trick. Lovely to hear you had such an exciting restaurant experience. I can just imagine you waiting for every dish! I do love my Italians but something new in an exotic location like your Sky on 57 place can't hurt. Rosemary x

    rosemaryofelephants.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you for your sweet and thoughtful comment as always, Rosemary. If only I knew how making up, dressing up and yes you're right, slipping that pair of heels could be so uplifting then I would have done so earlier. But truly, before that was terrible that I could not even peel myself off the bed. Everything about the experience in the restaurant was great!

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  18. What a lovely view. We had a similar view from our room in Swissotel. The food looks great. Happy belated birthday.
    www.thoughtsofpaps.com

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    1. Good to hear from you, PAPS. Thanx for your wishes. Ah yes, coz Swissotel and MBS are in the city area. I wonder which storey of Swissotel did you stay on.

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  19. You have THE BEST husband! The place is gorgeous! So romantic and charming. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO! You looked so beautiful! LOL at bimbocity! HAHAHA
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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    1. Thank you for your lovely words. You're always so sweet, Kim. =)

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  20. omgosh this is amazing!!! happy belated birthday babe!!! you look so so gorgesous! and i so agree part of feeling better is looking it.. like they say "fake it until you make it" lol :p

    your dinner looked so amazing, and the views are absolutely breathtaking!! love the pictures of you and the hubs together so adorable!!

    is it weird i'm obsessed w/ that butter dish.. LOLS the gold dots are so pretty!

    thank you so much for sharing w/ me that you shared the blog posts w/ your girlfriend!! i really hope that it helps motivate her and encourages her.. we all need some encouragement now and again! even me lol.. i gained quite a bit of weight myself recently -___- lols need to get back on track!!

    www.lisalovescoco.blogspot.com

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    1. Always love hearing from you, Lisa, coz you're always so sweet and lovely. Fake it until you make it is really apt here. I think you would love the truffle butter too! I hope your posts brings inspiration to her. She could not wait to get home to trawl all your related posts. I think you have already did your very best to shed those weight so gaining a teeny bit more should be ok for now.

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  21. Happy belated birthday Jo! What a great place to celebrate a special event! I love how each dish was uniquely prepared. I've often read that at places that have these type of menus they tend to reuse the garnish and whatnot only changing the focal point of the dish, but here each dish was separate. I was surprised to read that the "normal" looking soup broth was the winner of the night! Oh and how kind and considerate of your server to have that special menu printed out for you, that's what I call good service. You two look adorable and so happy!

    P.S I'd kill to try some of that truffle butter!

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    1. It's always nice to see you around, Sam. Love reading your thoughtful comment as usual. OMG, I didn't know that fact about the garnish. I do know that for some places, no matter which dishes we order, the garnish would look the same but I didn't know the part about reusing. I guess the kitchen would dislike me for eating up their garnish. Hehehe... I think you would love the truffle butter too! And yes, good service goes a long way especially in creating impressions and leaving memories.

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  22. I finally sat down and read this and WOW. I've never been to fine dining before (but then again, I am young and don't have my own income) but your husband the bestest! I totally laughed at your description of the oyster, though I'm not sure if I would ever eat that myself if it was raw. (Was it raw?)
    You're definitely paying an additional $50 for that tiny gold speck...and the entire experience in general, hah.
    Most cameras usually don't do well at night....or with DSLRS anyways. We have to manual focus for night shots, basically.
    I don't know if I've said this yet, but Happy Belated, Jo!

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    1. Hey Vanessa, the hubz and I started checking out fine dining places a few years after we started working. We did so during special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. Once you start working and have your own income, you might want to try fine dining for once. You might like it. I always enjoy the experience. Hehe… But I know some people would like to enjoy their food in quantity too. Yeah the oyster was raw and really fresh. I prefer raw oysters anytime to cooked ones. Hehe… Thank you for your well wishes. I think I had a few posts which are birthday related here and on Instagram that I think I’ve confused many and myself on the wishing. =)

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