Marmalade Pantry is one of those places that I keep going back to.
I remember afternoons when my friends and I would meet at their old location at Palais Renaissance to have their Crabmeat Linguine and share their sinfully delicious Sticky Date Pudding. And the afternoons when we would treat ourselves to the same thing for lunch over at Raffles Place where they had an branch for a period of time. Those were also the days when my colleagues would pop down to Toast (also part of the Marmalade group) at OUB Centre for cupcakes to share in the office. Obviously those were heady days when I had first started working and had money, time and calories to spare! What kept us going back was, simply, that the food was good.
So it was with great pleasure that I agreed to a dinner food tasting session at Marmalade Pantry by the Stables. Located amongst the calm and greenery of the Bukit Timah Saddle Club, it is a very different setting from the hustle and bustle of the Ion outlet. Definitely somewhere for date night or a private tête-à-tête. It's been on my own date night list for quite a while now, but with date nights being few and far between recently (ahem, husband!), we just have not made it.
Of course, the important question is: How's the food?
I've always felt that Marmalade Pantry doesn't disappoint, and I was glad that that held true for this Stables branch as well. There are a number of dishes that are only served at this branch and not at the City branch which were on our menu for the night. I cautiously stepped away from my Crabmeat Linguine-Sticky Date Pudding staples and was very pleased to discover that there were other dishes that I could consider as well.
Here's a run down of what we had.
with roma tomatoes and watercress salad
$21
This was really delicious. I haven't had haloumi before and really enjoyed this crispy yet chewy cheese. The texture reminded me of tau kwa, which I love! It went really well with the sweetness of the tomatoes and the peppery taste of watercress. The dish was drizzled a light soy sauce dressing, which is my favourite salad dressing so this was really a winner for me. The only thing is that, at $21, the price is really rather steep even if the portion is fairly large.
with crispy tortilla, avocado, spiced corn and salsa
$22
This was also really yummy. Crispy tortilla with freshly grilled corn, creamy avocado, crisp greens, peppers, beans and chickpeas made for a surprisingly tasty mix, especially when paired with the chicken. I could see this making a very good lunch for me.
(At this point, I realised that I would have to show some restraint or I would be stuffed silly by the end of dinner if I couldn't stop eating the salads.)
with celeriac and apple slaw, french mustard and natural jus.
$32
I don't think you can go wrong with pork belly, and this dish was almost addictive. The meat was crisp yet not overly dry. And maybe it was the way it was cooked, but it didn't taste oily, which is surprising for pork belly. I took some of this home to share with my husband and ended up snacking on it for supper. Yum. I didn't really fancy the slaw though, which didn't really go with the pork, in my opinion.
with horseradish mash, field mushrooms and pearl onion.
$32
This dish didn't really do it for me, which is surprising since I usually love beef. The beef cheeks were meltingly tender, which was great, but somehow the gravy mix didn't really appeal to my tastebuds. Then again, maybe they were just distracted by the pork. I did love the horseradish mash though. That's one of my favourite sides for beef.
with poached egg and parsley
$24
Oh my, this was sooooo good. I would seriously consider ordering this instead of my usual crabmeat linguine - it was that good. I am not a generally a fan of cream-sauce pastas or carbonara (which should be more of an egg sauce), but this version was amazing. You break the poached egg and the yolk runs down and coats the noodles in a delicious eggy sauce that was surprisingly not heavy. I could imagine eating the whole plate and not getting jelat.
chocolate banana cake with peanut butter frosting
$4.50
I thought I hadn't tried this before, until I tried it. Hello, old friend. I've always like Marmalade's and Toast's cupcakes because the cake is moist and not too sweet. I was told that the bakery is sited at the Stables branch so you know where to come if you want your cupcakes and bakes fresh out of the oven.
with fresh cream
$14
This was the perfect way to end off the evening. I was starting to regret not going for the sticky date pudding, but I really enjoyed this tart. It's got that right amount of tartness mixed into the custard to give it some kick, and is nicely set off but the burnt sugar crust. It's exclusive to the Stables branch so you have to come here to get it.
If you're guessing that I rolled out of the restaurant after dinner - there were only two of us eating all that food - you are not far from the truth. The food was good though, so at least I was comforted by the fact that it wasn't wasted calories! I in fact enjoyed it so much that I brought the family back for brunch in the weekend. And I left thinking that I probably should pen this down for the next date night, soon.
Marmalade Pantry by the Stables
55 Fairways Drive
Singapore 286846
Tel: 64677749 (Reservations)
* This review is written based on a Food Tasting that I was invited to. All opinions, however, are strictly my own.
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