If there’s ever a time to go all out on food, it’s Christmas.
More than a season of giving, the holidays are a time to let loose, kick back and enjoy after a long year. It’s also when the top restaurants and hotels start dishing up the best of what they have to offer — from decadent sit-down experiences to time-saving takeaway sets; in other words, you won’t even have to get your hands dirty in the kitchen to have a good end-of-year meal.
With so much to choose from, we’ve taken some time to round up our favourite festive eats in town this season. Whether you’re dining out or staying in this holiday season, consider this your definitive guide to a fuss-free Christmas dinner.
Goodwood Park Hotel
This iconic hotel in Orchard has made a name for itself over the years for Singaporean Christmas classics like its mao shan wang durian log cake ($156) and do-it-yourself turkey popiah ($86 for a 10-person set). These crowd favourites have returned this year, along with a number of new creations.
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On the savoury side, we like the baked potato ribbon pie ($48), which serves four. Turkey breast and thigh are combined with bacon, porcini mushrooms and a port wine sauce; this is then topped with lightly browned sliced potatoes, kissed with a touch of parmesan cheese and butter.
For something a little closer to home, the turkey butter chicken with cranberry cheese naan ($68) is a Christmassy interpretation of the classic Indian dish that serves four to six. The turkey’s stronger flavour holds its own in the rich tomato-based sauce, while the lightly sweet naan provides just enough of a foil to the spice-forward stew.
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From the dessert cart, the “Nutcracker” chocolate pistachio tart ($92) has a crisp tart shell holding a mix of roasted pistachio praline, almond sponge and chocolate mousse.
Those looking to dine in can also consider Goodwood Park Hotel’s holiday-themed buffets and set menus at its Coffee Lounge, L’Espresso and Gordon Grill eateries, running throughout December. More information on the hotel’s festive offerings can be found on its website (goodwoodparkhotel.com).
Hilton Singapore Orchard
Estate, the buffet restaurant in Hilton Singapore Orchard, is rolling out a number of Christmas-themed meals throughout December.
From Dec 1, the spread at lunch ($82++ per adult) will include green mussels from New Zealand and tiger prawns, as well as the ever-popular crispy beer pork knuckle. Starting at dinner ($118++) the same day, diners can look forward to starting off with a spread of freshly sliced seafood on the restaurant’s renowned sashimi station, followed by a trip to the cheese counter, where 10 varieties from Europe will be featured.
On Sundays in December, Estate is also offering a champagne brunch ($168++ per adult); besides the bubbles, there’ll also be a variety of meats, including roast duck, soy-glazed chicken and crispy porchetta. Of course, a brunch wouldn’t be complete without eggs benedict and omelettes on toast — the latter has been zhuzhed up with gruyere cheese and a truffle sourdough. There’s even entertainment for the youngins, with cotton candy, canvas painting and even a magician.
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All this leads up to the main event: For dinner on Christmas Eve and lunch on Christmas Day, a special buffet ($198++ per adult) will be served. The seafood theme continues with a cold seafood bar featuring Alaskan snow crabs and lobsters, among others. Hot dishes include a rich lobster chowder, tempura foie gras and tender sous vide beef cheek, as well as classic roast turkey and honey-glazed ham. Those with kids — or those a little younger at heart — will also enjoy the roving Santa Claus and carollers going around on these dates.
More information on Estate’s festive buffets is available on its website (hilton.com/en/hotels/sinorhi-hilton-singapore-orchard/dining/estate/).
Grand Hyatt Singapore
The newly reopened Grand Hyatt Singapore is going big on Christmas this year.
From The Shop comes a sweeping range of takeaway packages, featuring a number of slow-roasted dishes such as Australian Five Founders ribeye with truffle gravy ($138) and tom turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce ($198). Orders made via The Shop’s website (shop.grandhyattsingapore.com) get 20% off from now till Nov 30.
Pete’s Place, meanwhile, is serving buffets for dinner on Christmas Eve dinner and brunch on Christmas Day (both $128++ per adult), with free-flow alcoholic beverages available at a top-up of $68++ . Look forward to a live station carving up prime rib roast, as well as Italian comforts like Livorno-style seafood stew, followed by Pete’s Place’s tiramisu.
Also hosting special meals on Dec 24 and 25 is StraitsKitchen (both $118++ per adult, with free-flow alcoholic beverages available at a top-up of $68++), which is set to apply its local-infusion approach to Christmas classics from around the world. Dishes to look out for here include pineapple-stuffed tom turkey and Hainanese-style duck.
Find out more about the Grand Hyatt Singapore’s festive offerings on the hotel’s website (singapore.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/festive).
Mondrian Singapore
At Bottega di Carna in Mondrian Singapore, eighth-generation butcher Dario Cecchini and executive chef Kenny Huang have teamed up to put out a series of Christmas menus.
From now till Dec 31, the restaurant will serve a festive lunch ($42++ for two courses, $54++ for three) and dinner ($68++ for two courses, $98++ for three). Highlights here include a barolo-braised beef cheek, served with whipped potato and broccolini, from the lunch menu, and a wild-caught snapper with Jerusalem artichoke and fish bone jus, from the dinner menu.
This leads up to a five-course Christmas Eve dinner ($128++), which begins with a langoustine scampi, pork cotechino served on a bed of lentils — a traditional New Year’s Eve dish in Italy — and foie gras risotto. For mains, pick between snapper and fillet mignon, then finish off with the Snow White, a sour-sweet dessert with coconut-lime ganache, creme fraiche ice cream and an ivory chocolate crumble.
On Christmas Day, Bottega di Carna will run a brunch buffet ($118++ per adult), with options featuring free-flow Veuve Clicquot champagne ($188++) and free-flow Rulnart Blanc de Blancs ($268++). Look out for exciting live stations, serving up dishes such as foie gras and apricot compote on brioche, roasted pork pancetta, and grilled Angus ribeye. There’ll also be a spread of classic Christmas desserts, including log cake, fruit cake and panettone.
Aloft Singapore Novena
From now till New Year’s Day, halal-certified 21 on Rajah at Aloft Singapore Novena is serving up a buffet (from $52++ per adult) featuring over 20 festive dishes from around the world.
Dishes include a classic American slow-cooked, brined whole turkey with nut stuffing — lightly smoky and super tender — and a Filipino-style pineapple-glazed turkey ham that meshes salty with sweet in the best way. Moving down to Australia, we get BBQ beef ribs seasoned with smoked paprika and served alongside grilled vegetables.
One highlight is the Seven Seafood, a dish inspired by the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a meal typically enjoyed in Italy on Christmas Eve. This massive platter comprises scallops, lobster and just about everything you’d expect in something named as such.
For dessert, 21 on Rajah serves a mean fruit cake, as well as great mince pies. From Austria and Germany, we have gugelhupf — a traditional festive cake with a subtle citrus flavour — and stollen, filled with marzipan.
More information on 21 on Rajah’s end-of-year offerings can be found on its website (21onrajah.com).
Rempapa
To usher in the holiday season, chef Damian D’Silva’s Rempapa has created a festive bundle ($128++) that serves four to six.
Available from Dec 16 to 31 for both dine-in and takeaway, the spread includes D’Silva’s interpretation of debal, a classic Eurasian dish traditionally made with Christmas leftovers. Here, the stew includes roast pork belly, pork sausages and achar.
The bundle also features a Sunday salad, where a medley of vegetables, potatoes and eggs are tossed in a mayonnaise-based dressing. Closing things off is a lightly spiced bread pudding, another Christmas classic.
Pre-orders for Rempapa’s festive bundle open on Dec 1 via WhatsApp (+65 9459 1603) and email (papa@rempapa.sg).
Fat Cow
For those looking a little further than Christmas, Modern Japanese steakhouse Fat Cow presents an osechi box ($500++), a collection of 50 traditional dishes split into three tiers, meant to ring in the new year.
The first tier includes appetisers such as tazukuri, where crisp baby sardines are dressed in soy sauce, molasses and sesame seeds, as well as sous vide Toriyama wagyu, and yet more wagyu, this time pickled in miso from Tokyo.
Among the highlights on the second tiers is yellowtail teriyaki; the fish is first salt-cured before marinating with shoyu and going onto the binchotan grill. We’re told this is a classic osechi dish because consuming the fish at the start of the year is believed to improve one’s career prospects. Other dishes in this tier include candied kumquats and wagyu rolled in burdock root.
In the third tier, the box contains lighter dishes such as simmered bamboo shoots with bonito flakes; twice-simmered sweetfish with roe; and wagyu wrapped in deep-fried beancurd.
Pre-orders for Fat Cow’s osechi box are open till Dec 22 at the restaurant’s website (fatcow.com.sg) for self-collection on Dec 31.
Pullman Singapore Hill Street
On Christmas Eve, Madison’s, the American diner at the ground floor of Pullman Singapore Hill Street, will serve a four-course dinner ($88++).
The meal begins with a brussels sprout and bacon salad, which is also available as a vegetarian option, sans bacon. The well-browned sprouts add a fragrant, subtly bitter note, complementing the light feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. From there, choose either a pan-seared foie gras with berry compote and parmesan chips, or parsnip soup for a meatless course.
For mains, we like the black Angus beef tenderloin, cooked medium-rare and served with a red wine sauce, mashed potato, fried kale and baby carrots. There’s also a sous vide turkey breast roulade with parma ham, and a roasted cauliflower with blue cheese sauce. Closing off the menu is a raspberry chocolate cake, served with a berry compote — decadent, with just the right amount of acidity to balance the sweetness.
On Christmas Day, the restaurant will serve a brunch buffet ($98++ per adult). Look out for icons like roasted turkey and barramundi, as well as Asian dishes including tonkotsu ramen and sashimi. Of course there'll also be a spread of desserts, from dessert canapés to log cakes and even chocolate fondue.
More information on Madison’s Christmas offerings is available on Pullman Singapore Hill Street’s website (pullmansingaporehillstreet.com).
