Raisin and plain scones from The Fullerton Hotel

Raisin and plain scones from The Fullerton Hotel

The scones from The Fullerton Hotel outshines the rest for the the entire scone is glazed hence giving a more crisp and fragrant exterior than the rest. The other feature is that the texture is a little sticky, though Fen disagrees with me on this aspect. In fact, Fen felt that setting aside the glaze, it is pretty similar to the humongous scone she had from Raffles Hotel.

For me, I would say that the overall is quite similar to Goodwood Park Hotel. These scones are available for takeaway at $2+ from The Courtyard compliments with the hotel's clotted cream and mixed berries jam.

After eating several scones from the local hotels, I gathered that Fen likes her scones to be moist and sticky texture. Among the few she has tried, the ones that left an impression were the Blueberry Scones from The Regent Singapore and the Raisin Scones from Carlton Hotel.

While she is craving for her scones, I am trying to look for a recipe and strangely, my first attempt in making them turn out to be sweet and Fen described to be closer to a rock bun or a sugar-crusted cookie. In addition, judging from the photos posted for the recipes I have searched, the scones look very different from the ones served in the hotel. Is there any kind souls out there to enlighten me with some tested plain scones recipes?

The Courtyard
The Fullerton Singapore
1 Fullerton Square Singapore
Singapore 049178
Tel: 6877 8129

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The Fullerton Hotel's Snowskin Series 2011

The Fullerton Hotel's Snowskin Series 2011

One of the things I remembered greatly about The Fullerton Hotel's mooncakes is the presentation. Pastel coloured in the shape of a teardrop. To think that I just purchased one Rose Red Bean Snowskin last year and globbed it up immediately so much so Yuan could only manage a picture on his handphone before it was completely gone.

In general, the flavours for the snowskins in The Fullerton Hotel change every year. While the hotel focus on fruity flavours in 2009 and floral flavours in 2010, the hotel unveils a new range of tropical fruit snowskin this year. The theme is to bring about healthy goodness and nature's best for the Mid Autumn Festival.


Durian mooncakes have been making appearances aggressively for the past few years and just a walk through the most talkabout mooncake fair in Takashimaya will get one to sample various durian fillings from at least a quarter of the booths.

Instead of following the masses with rich durian filling, The Fullerton Hotel presents their Durian Snowskin (green) with Red Bean Paste whereby durian puree is enveloped with a thick and rich red bean paste.

Speaking of Mango (yellow), one will draw its association with the popular dessert Mango Pomelo with Sago and the hotel transforms this popular local dessert into a refreshing treat. In our opinion, this seems to be green bean paste infused with mango and pomelo.


Honey Pineapple (white) comprises of caramelised pineapple and white lotus seed paste and we have to give a big thumbs up to the smooth lotus paste and for that, we would assume the baked mooncakes to be very good. As for this one, the tangy shredded pineapple goes well with the sweet lotus paste.

Lastly, Chocolate Banana with Chocolate Chips Snowskin (pink) is a combinaion of chocolate, bananas and chocolate chips. Chocolate-banana-infused lotus paste forms the core of the mooncake and surrounding it is the same white lotus paste as the Honey Pineapple.

Most would remember the traditional jade drawer box that housed The Fullerton Hotel's mooncakes (at least I did). For this year, the hotel has launched another mooncake packaging and should you be keen on the jade drawer boxes, do check with the staff when placing the order as we were told by the staff that there will be additional cost incurred.

I will upload the new order form as the previous one is inaccurate in the prices of the mooncakes and packaging.
Both baked and snowskin moonakes are available for sale at The Fullerton Shop located at the lobby level of The Fullerton Hotel from 8 August 2011 to 12 September 2011.

The Fullerton Shop
1 Fullerton Square
Singapore 049178
Tel: 6877 8178
Website

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Fullerton Chocolate Buffet 2011

Fullerton Chocolate Buffet 2011

Fullerton Hotel's signature chocolate buffet is something most chocoholics would not want to miss. Since our last visit in 2009, this is one of the buffets that has left a very deep impression, be it the desserts, ambience and experience.


This chocolate buffet has a legacy of nine years at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore and is available on Friday and Saturday evenings at the charming Courtyard located at the hotel lobby.


These four cakes are the must-try in the entire buffet as they are the signatures of the hotel.

Starting from the left, Coffee Chocolate Fudge is a newcomer. Using Fudge Chocolate as the theme, the resulting effect is heavy but extremely smooth on the chocolate sponge. With a chocolate content of 75%, the coffee fragrance comes naturally from the cocao bean with no added coffee extracts nor espresso. In addition, the coffee glaze is prepared by boiling fresh coffee beans for 3 to 4 hours to get the coffee essence before incorporating with the other ingredients to form the glaze.

Fullerton Chocolate Cake, is a classic combination of rich chocolate ganache, crispy feuillantine, chocolate sponge, finished with a dark chocolate glaze. The richest cake among the 4 that bound to bring your level of endorphins to the maximum.

Manjari Lavender has a unique 7 layers with the focus on the chocolate mousse. To incorporate the floral beauty of lavender, fresh lavender flowers are dried and dehydrated before boiling with the cream for 3 to 4 hours. The lavender-infused cream is then used to prepare the chocolate mousse. The chocolate mousse is so smooth and melts in the mouth with a nice floral aftertaste lingering in the palette.

Espresso Coffee Cake, the creation that earns a big thumbs-up for the delicate inter-layers of soft chocolate sponge and chocolate mousse. Like the Coffee Chocolate Fudge, the cocao bean used has a natural fragrance of coffee with no added extract nor components. This 64% bitter chocolate cake is amazingly delicate and fine with its layers that it is bound to make one carve for more. To create the shiny glaze of this cake, the hotel's Executive Pastry Chef Chris Busschaert prepared clear jam (made from pure fruits) and extracted the flavour of the jam before cooking with sugar, glucose and 100% cocao powder.


Apart from the absence of artificial extracts and components, Chef Chris makes sure each of the cakes are different by adopting different recipes and techniques in making the chocolate sponge, mousse, gauche and glaze so as to ensure that each of the chocolate creations are different and not repetitive.


Assorted Valrhona pralines are also part of the buffet selection.


For those who prefers their macarons shells to be lightly crisp, floral and chewy with a thin layer of chocolate filling, do not miss them out while visiting the chocolate buffet.

Banana Chocolate Tart and Salted Caramel Tart are delicious in our opinion. While the former has a light chocolate mousse infused strongly with banana, the latter earns the nods for the molten core of salted caramel oozing out to bring out the good contrast.


While the cakes are stronger in its chocolate content, the shooters are lighter and combined with various components to savour different flavours in a mouthful. One of the shooters is even topped with wasabi sponge and served with chocolate and lime to cater to the Asian crowd of this buffet.
Others that left an impression were the Lychee Tiramisu and Salted Caramel Popcorn with the use of lighter ingredients to complement the white chocolate mousse.

The cherry component of Hazelnut Chocolate Exotic Shooter, Cherry, Pistachio White Chocolate Shooter and Chocolate Vanilla Panna Cotta with Cherry brings along some tang and twist, making chocolate not so cloying nor boring when consumed in huge quantities.


The highlight of the chocolate buffet is the Hot Chocolate Connoisseurs' Bar, where a chef creates a bespoke cup of premium hot chocolate a la minute for guests who can choose from a selection of eight different percentage of cocoa. The selection includes

• Ivory (white chocolate)
• Noisette 32% (as the name suggests, with the fragrance of hazelnut)
• Jivara 40% (with notes of malt and vanilla)
• Tainori 64% (with strong fruity overtones)
• Abinao 85% (for strong, lingering bitter intensity)
• Araguani 72% (another one with fruity overtones)
• Guanaja 70% (with floral notes)

This is one of the stations which we enjoyed for each of the chocolates are distinctive in its own way and by drinking it back to back, it does allow one to distinguish the unique characterisitcs of each chocolate. To spice up the experience, don't miss out Xocopili (Chilli Chocolate).


Chocolate fountains are also available and don't miss out on the chocolate madeleines, orange madeleines and plain shoe puff pastry for chocolate dips.


A new live station introduced to the buffet, Crepe Suzette with Caramel Orange Sauce. This is one station that served the crepe flambé with orange sauce and alcohol.


Another favourite dessert of ours, Hot Chocolate Souffle, baked a la minute. This fluffy, light chocolate dessert is only baked upon ordering and served hot to your table by the service staff. This indeed completes the entire experience with great satisfaction.

With the orchestra trio playing in the Courtyard, the experience offered is beyond words. Although the selection has reduced compared to our last visit, most of the chocolate desserts were better and have left a very deep impression. It is amazing to have several chocolate cakes eaten back to back and yet each of them are distinctive and unique. In addition, the Hot Chocolate station allows one to appreciate the characteristics of chocolate and it was only after our visit in 2009 that makes us realize that chocolates is not just sweet nor bitter.


Many thanks to Marketing Communications Executive, Ms. Denice Lim for her warm hospitality and the complementary chocolate buffet. The photos would not have been possible without all her arrangements. Special thanks to Executive Chef Chris Busschaert for his time to introduce us to his creations.

Chocolate buffet is available on Friday and Saturday evenings from 8pm to 11pm and is served with unlimited coffee and tea at $38++ per adult or $46++ with a glass of dessert wine.

North Courtyard
The Fullerton Singapore
1 Fullerton Square Singapore
Singapore 049178
Tel: 6877 8129

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Fullerton Chocolate Buffet

Fullerton Chocolate Buffet

Note: We have dropped by Fullerton once again for this splendid buffet so don't miss out on our new 2011 post.

Built in 1928, the Fullerton Building which has previously housed occupants such as the General Post Office, The Exchange, the Chamber of Commerce and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, this iconic building was transformed to what it is now, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, since 2001.


Courtyard, the sunlit atrium lobby lounge of The Fullerton Hotel Singapore is the dine-in place for the hotel's renowned chocolate buffet, which is served on Fridays and Saturdays from 8pm to 11pm.


Apart from the chocolate buffet, Courtyard offers a range of beverages, main courses and finger food.

Nivole Moscato d' asti, Michele Chiarlo, $15++ per glass

The chocolate buffet is separated into 3 sections, namely hot chocolate, chocolate fondue, cakes and pastries. Though the focus is on chocolate, there are several non-chocolate items or rather "mildly flavoured with chocolate" desserts such as Cranberry Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding, Lychee Tiramisu, Strawberry Melba and Coconut Sagu Pearl.


For the chocolate based desserts, Fullerton Hotel did a wonderful job in varying the chocolate content and pairing it with other ingredients. For instance, Alto El Sol Pineapple was a combination of pineapple puree with chocolate mousse. Ginger, Espresso, Earl Grey, Mandarin Orange, Mint, Hazelnut Praline, Raspberry and Yoghurt were splendidly introduced into chocolate cakes.


Apart from cakes, this buffet also offers a variety of French Pastries, Shortbread Cookies and Chocolate Cabosse.


For those who wants an extra doze of chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate sauce are within reach.


There is also a small section at the main entrance of the Courtyard which features Frangelico Chocolate Soup, Banana Chocolate Tart, Chocolate Pralines and Jivara Chocolate Tart. The Fullerton Hotel's banana chocolate tart is worth a mention as it was an interesting twist to the conventional chocolate banana mousse.


To fit into the chocolate theme, Fullerton Hotel paired the classic French dessert, Crème Brûlée with chocolate mousse.


The highlight of the buffet should be the hot chocolate section. With a selection of 8 different types of chocolate, namely Gianduja Noisette Noir (32%), Tanavira Lactee (33%), Grand Cru Jivara Lactee (40%), Tropilia (53%), Orange Noir (57%), Grand Cru Pur Caraibe (66%) and Grand Cru Araguani (72%), it gives an opportunity for diners to appreciate the subtle flavours of different chocolate.




Of course, a chocolate buffet will not be complete without chocolate fondue and ice-cream.


I am sure there are people like us who feel that paying $38++ to eat-all-you-can is not a very value-for-money decision and having experienced the chocolate buffet, even chocolate lovers will not be able to sample every dessert in this buffet as it is simply too heaty and sinful. Instead of having the mentality of trying every dessert, appreciate the fineness of the chocolate desserts offered at this buffet. Apart from the fine chocolate, the posh ambience and the piano pieces playing in the background provides a different level of chocolate appreciation.

For Chocolate Buffet,
Friday and Saturday - 8pm to 11pm
$38++ per pax

North Courtyard
The Fullerton Singapore
1 Fullerton Square Singapore
Singapore 049178

Tel: 6877 8129

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