Salumeria Menu and Heirloom Creations at The Waterfall (Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore)
The Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore is one of the most luxurious hotels in Singapore and it is also home to some of the best restaurants in Singapore (e.g. The Line). Chef de Cuisine Marco De Vincentis of The Waterfall at Shangri-La Hotel has recently introduced a salumeria menu of exclusively imported cold cuts and cheeses and more importantly, 26 new à la carte heirloom creations (including five vegan dishes). Diners can now enjoy the new menu alongside the established Southern Italian signatures that feature delicious house-made pasta and the freshest seafood.
The Waterfall is by far, one of the prettiest place in Singapore that you can enjoy quality time with the people you love. If you do not like the large comfortable seats in the comfort of air-conditioning, you can also opt for the seats outside that faces the pool (great view but I'm not particularly a sit-in-the-sun sort of person).
I started my lunch with a serving of a beautiful medley of Orange, Fennel, Crab, Mixed Salad, Black Olives, Cherry Tomatoes and Tropea Onions. This dish reminds me of spring in full glory; deeply saturated colours while still remaining very light on the palate. The edible flowers and little chunks of fresh crab makes this salad one that I can easily stomach every day.
Southern Italian food generally strays away from heavy cheese which was why I was a little surprised to see this Homemade Ravioli, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Bufala Ricotta in Basil Sauce on the menu. That being said, Ricotta is a comparatively light cheese and this dish was bursting with fresh flavours from the basil and tomatoes.
If you love fresh seafood, you should definitely give the Shrimps, Prawns, Garlic, Chili, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Lemon Pasta a try. If you do not already know this, The Waterfall also houses the "Ferrari of Pasta Machines" and all the pasta served here are handmade (with the help of the machine to shape and cut) - I love the flavours and tangy-ness in this dish a lot!
My favourite dish of the afternoon has got to be the Neapolitan Style Sea Bass Cooked with Cherry Tomatoes, Capers, Wine and Basil. The dish focuses on bringing out the natural flavours of the sea bass instead of drowning it in seasonings.
For those of you looking for something healthier, the Spinach Stuffed Roasted Chicken Breast, Vegetables Caponata, Rocket Pesto Sauce is a beautiful dish. Moist chicken breast is stuffed with delicious spinach before being drenched in a rocket pesto sauce.
In between my last main course and the dessert, I decided to take a plunge and make my regular espresso shot a little more manly (in an Italian way anyway). The fragrant and grape-based Grappa is an alcoholic beverage that contains approximately 36% alcohol by volume. I probably got too excited and added a little too much to my espresso but boy was that an experience to remember - one that I will most definitely try again!
Finally a beautiful chocolate dome that houses profiteroles (Bigne Al Limone) below was served as a sweet ending to the dish. Silvery hot chocolate sauce was poured all over the dome before it was carefully cracked open to reveal profiteroles.
The Waterfall in Shangri-La Singapore continues to be one of the prettiest places to dine in Singapore and if you enjoy quality Italian food, you will not be disappointed here. Spend a lazy afternoon here at The Waterfall and give that Espresso and Grappa a chance to shine.