The Marmalade Pantry

Alright folks, I'm back from Wallaby! As promised, here comes the much awaited food review at The Marmalade Pantry, Ion Orchard.

Our Orders:

Mark(MINE)

Blue Summer Crab & Corn Chowder ($10) - Soup 

The weighty feeling coupled with the parsley brings about a feeling toward a great start of a hearty meal. Blue summer crab so generously cooked a supple crunchy would drag you into taste paradise. A creamy base akin to pumpkin slips into a beautiful combination with the ingredients, much like it were a warm welcome provided by the chefs here at The Marmalade Pantry. Delicious. Just look at the lumps of the creamy soup base, isn't it mouth watering(really looks a whole lot like pumpkin soup eh?)

Wild Rice ($19) - Additional Appetizer 

Now this dish on the other hand, I wouldn't really recommend to those who don't... really appreciate a vinegar-soaked vegan dish. Wild Rice consists of chargrilled zucchini, granny smiths(apple slices), cranberries, sunflower seeds(fresh ones, not those you get from a pack) and mixed herbs(indeed a whole lot). It did give a very good impression when it was first served on the sparkling white plate, bringing with it its good smells. After a few bites into it, I felt my mouth going pruny though. Hmm. Vinaigrette(Vinegar-soaked) Granny Smith Apples were probably the culprits and it soon proved a chore trying to get the dish down. Forgive my lack of appreciation for a good sour vegan dish but I tried my best by ordering extra cranberries to sweeten the concoction. It was almost finished but I would honestly say, this did get my moods slightly down. My fault for being a little... no... too adventurous to getting a nice vegan dish. Just a little heads up, if you dare/still want to order this dish... add salt and order extra cranberries. Those helped a great deal, not to mention pepper!

Tagliatelle ($24) - Main

Now this, was the HIGHLIGHT of my dinner. Though the description on the menu wasn't really the one that caught my eye, I did not once regret having ordered this dish. Every downer I was experiencing immediately cleared as I took a bite out of this main course presented to me. A gentle mix of spiciness and herby feeling just took my taste buds to a different sort of heaven, a higher level at that I must say. Descriptions on the menu goes as such, "slow cooked sausage(chicken) with 3 chilli arabiatta". Get the picture? It's a Linguini(one of the pasta types-go research!) dish in spicy arabiatta sauce which is really kinda tabasco tasting. I just had to order a side of cheese to make it better tasting though so here's the parmesan!

Even the parmesan cheese comes in such a posh serving, explains why the prices are jacked up to that amount eh? Don't even get them started on their rent here, I'd expect it to be high since it's at umm... ION ORCHARD?! Anyways, I just had to add the whole bowl of cheese(it's just me and cheese, we go a long way back) into the fray. The flavour of the arabiatta did not change despite the addition. Interesting eh? This dish here my friends is simply beyond magical, it is a MUST HAVE. Do not miss this dish, whatever you do. Of course, if you can take the spiciness that is. *NOT ADVISABLE FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T STAND EVEN A NORMAL SPICY RATING ON SAY... THE CHICKEN WINGLETS FROM OVEREASY?*

Blueberry Ricotta Fritters ($12) - Dessert

I really wasn't expecting this to pop right out on my table and greet me as "dessert". From the description and my imagination, it looked nothing like the picture above. Doesn't it look like those donut balls you get from bakeries that sell in half a dozen or so sugar balls per packet? Well, it certainly did not vary very much in taste for this one. However, apart from the filling inside which was blueberry(my favourite!), the texture of the fritter was crisp. The crunch was obvious and it just melded the entire flavour so darn well. Got me tongue-tied it did. Along with the light icing sugar, it countered what would have been dry and came out smoothly. Perfect! These 7 bite-size balls come with an awesome cinnamon sauce(which I failed to notice till my 3rd one-God knows why I didn't), warm in the mouth and melts with the fragrance. Delish! Thumbs up!

Apricot & Blackberry Crumble (I don't believe it, I didn't note the price) - Dessert

This dessert you might think was also part of my huge order but it wasn't entirely mine. Yes, I'm not greedy at all. I would scream if I had actually gained weight from all of this!! Fattening~
Anyways, this here dessert(ordered by my 2 other phantom friends) did not disappoint after being second choice to the Elvis cupcake(which wasn't available, damn! shows how popular it is-reason why this dessert was ordered instead). Being second choice surely was a mistake I would say. Not that I've tried the much advertised/sold out Elvis Cupcake, the Apricot & Blackberry Crumble holds its ground as a very intriguing and powerful delight. Much like the flavour of Famous Amos cookies(only crumbled), the supposed 'crumble' suit perfectly in blend to the 2 fruits and vanilla ice cream in question. Each scoop must have the entire mix in order to understand the intentions of the meld perfected by the chef who prepared it. A feeling of utmost joy simply exudes from each spoon of this marvelous layered crumble. Don't miss it!

FRIEND'S

So here comes the orders by my 3rd phantom friend who for some reason didn't really want to order a whole bunch as he normally would. Not that you people know him though so yeah... back to the TOPIC!

Truffled Field Mushroom Risotto ($22) - Main

Main reason why my friend ordered this? Truffles. Rare he says, must try he says. Oh boy. Though I would commend him on having excellent taste or perhaps sheer dumb luck. *insert evil laugh here ~*
This dish here is delicious. A very pottage(potato-like) feel coupled with a congee(porridge-for those who don't understand) feel. The truffle fungus had already given its flavours to the body of the dish during the cooking so don't expect to taste anything from ingesting one on its own. Like most dishes, they don't come separately in flavouring. One mouthful of this dish must be a spoonful or you won't get a nice taste of it. A starchy feeling will creep up to you so if you don't like that... yeah don't order it. The fragrant fungal smell brings forth a very natural touch matching that of the unagi mountain rice I talked about in the post on Watami Japanese Restaurant. It's ye ol' Britain you would feel(or that's what I get. low brick walls and a small metal gate leading up to an old red cottage), something to look forward to if you're a food-feeler(eat and feel the food with taste, texture and imagination of its origins-I came up with this word btw.) like me. FYI, this dish is suitable for vegetarians. Yes. So here you go, one vegetarian meal without mock meat that actually is worth the price! No kidding! Take it from me! Thumbs up TTM!

Sea Salt Caramel Cheesecake ($7.80/slice) - Dessert

What can I say, I actually packed a slice home after the entire meal just for my mum and dad. Like the name suggests, sea salt over the top of a layer of caramel. One might think "ew, what?!" but you just haven't tried a mouth of this. The slight hint of sea salt flows well with the crispy layer of caramel "icing" for the cheesecake(which is in fact ordinary only boosted notches higher in grade by its great base and layered top) pairs so perfectly like two peas in a pod with its cookie base to provide a wholesome feeling in your tummy. As it slides down your esophagus(throat), the usual clotting feeling of cheesecake does not seem apparent as it descends smoothly toward digestion. A trick to the taste buds is always a delight to me, so much in contrary to lemon on meat. The superbly sweet layer of caramel with its salty twist just creates that jolt of electricity to make you go "WOW"!! However many thumbs I have, I give it all to them and I say I'll need to borrow a few more to express this great cake.

Summing up, my meal here left me greatly satisfied and I say I would close one eye to that dish I wasn't very fond of. Delicious. Certainly well recommended by my friend!

Note: The prices have not been subject to GST. So yeah... slightly steep for the avg joe, I must say but nonetheless worth every cent(penny if we weren't in Singapore). :S

Ambiance

 There really is little to comment about the ambiance here. Okay, maybe not. I would explain the ambiance to be ... on the posh/slightly high end due to it being surrounded entirely by high fashion stores and the like. However, it lacks privacy and a certain exclusivity which I was so looking forward to have experienced. Can't blame anyone but ourselves can we? Since the problem of my supposed lack of connection from the food to ambiance to my visual imagination was solely that of it being centered in a high-human-traffic mall. Ion Orchard is after all one of the most "walked into" places in Singapore. I highly doubt there's much the owner can do to remedy the situation.
Though one other thing did bother me and that be the kitchen's distance from the dining area. The serving of the dishes should in my opinion be done within the restaurant should it not? It felt weird looking at my food served to me from somewhere out of the restaurant. Yet again, this is something I can close an eye to as Singapore really has some major problems with space. Don't even talk about housing people, look at the rental area for the restaurants... they're the same thing. We have a constraint of space, that is a MAJOR problem. Not to be addressed here though. Moving on ~

Overall Review

 Well with every food review I've done, I guess this part's the most important for those looking to just see if the ratings I give are high or not. I would say after collating the entire data and sitting down to discuss with my phantom friends that "The Marmalade Pantry" is by far the best of my ventures. I award it an 7.5/10 on an overall scale(this was taken into consideration with the things I closed my eyes to.). Yes, I have a 0.5 small scale.. live with it!
I would definitely find myself returning here(when I get money) for a meal or two in future dates. Then I would request that I have my Elvis Cupcake eh? I am so going to have to investigate on that since everyone's been chirping on and on and on about how good it is. We'll see next time.. NOTHING ELUDES ME!!

Address

PANTRY IN THE CITY

03-22 ION ORCHARD

2 Orchard Turn Singapore 238801

T: +65 67342700      F: +65 6734 2279

For more enquiries, please visit,

"http://www.themarmaladepantry.com.sg/"

Or if you have TWITTER,

"http://twitter.com/#!/Marmaladesg"

In addition, you may also visit...

PANTRY AT THE STABLES

55 Fairways Drive Singapore 286846

T: +65 6467 9328      F: +65 6467 1608

Reservations: +65 6467 7748

I heard it's not so bad... Yet to try it there though. Heard the cakes here are the best and a MUST TRY! Perhaps soon!
Well guys, this just about summarizes my awesome experience at The Maramalade Pantry, Ion Orchard. I certainly enjoyed myself and am very glad to be back into blogging again.
Alternatively, please also visit my very own blog on lifestyle and discussions! Thanks for being loyal readers! Love every single one of you! You guys can actually ask me questions and post some comments. They're all but welcome!

MY NEW AND UPCOMING DISCUSSION/LIFESTYLE BLOG

http://kinoshita-masayoshi.blogspot.com/

Till next time,

"wash your hands before you eat!"