Review of Halia Restaurant
By: halaltag
About the Restaurant
The word halia translates directly to ginger in Malay.
Halia Restaurant at Botanic Gardens prides itself as a fine dining restaurant with permutations of ginger infused cuisines of European dishes with Asian inspirations. Chic and contemporary, Halia offers the ideal setting for fine dining, business lunches, corporate events, tea with friends, small weddings or intimate dinner dates.
Divided into 3 segments, the restaurant has an air-conditioned Dining Room, an elevated al fresco dining area aptly named the Viewing Deck and a Dining Hall more suited for larger engagements. The Viewing Deck has a wide unblocked view of the lush surroundings of the Botanic Gardens.
Having recently acquired it’s halal-certification, as recent as 1 June 2017, Muslim diners can now dine in this splendid 200-seater restaurant. We were seated in the Viewing Deck of the restaurant overlooking the lush, green foliage which surrounded us. The evening air was cool but perhaps it was the nearby fountain that made the evening even cooler.
Ramadhan Communal Special
We were fortunate to dine in for their first Ramadhan Iftar Communal Special. Priced at SGD$180 (Serves 4) and SGD$260 (Serves 6), the 2 Iftar specials come with custom menu sets for Muslim diners to complete their iftar (break fast) with family or friends.The Ramadan Communal Menu is available till 30 June 2017!
Iftar (Breaking Fast)
Breaking fast at Halia begins with the quintessential date. Fresh “honey dates” are served to Ramadhan diners complemented with a selection of iced tea, warm or iced water.
To accommodate Muslim diners’ maghrib prayers needs, Halia has generously reserved an air-conditioned room in it’s adjacent building for prayer convenience complete with prayer mats (and prayer garb for the ladies).
Soup of the Day
Pumpkin and Carrot Soup
For starters, Halia has chosen for its Ramadhan diners the Pumpkin and Carrot Soup. Each serving was poured directly from an aluminium kettle retaining the warm temperature of the soup. The smooth and creamy pumpkin soup, whets the appetite, was the perfect starter choice for the evening. The waiters would pleasantly appear and politely ask if you desired another serving or two.
Lemongrass & Ginger Prawn Salad
Fresh mango & tomato salsa, glass noodle & ginger flower dressing
The lemongrass and ginger salad garnished with ginger flower follows soon after. The fried prawns marinated in ginger are pleasantly fresh and large. The prawn salad is served with a mixture of diced mango, tomato and a generous, but not overwhelming, portion of glass noodles making it one of the most well-planned starter salads ever.
Deep Fried Salt & Chilli Squid
Spring onion, ginger-lime syrup dip & piquant mayo
Spring onion, ginger-lime syrup dip & piquant mayo
The Deep Fried Salt & Chilli Squid is served alongside the Ginger Prawn Salad. Despite being deep fried, chili squid was delightfully fresh and not oily. The piquant mayo was flavorful, creamy and mildly spicy. Every dip simply led to the next one. Served with zesty ginger-lime syrup and piqant mayo, everyone took turns to dip their squid with chopsticks and could not resist a few more rounds.
Potato Fries
With piquant mayo
The potato fries are served freshly fried with a tangy and spicy piquant mayo on the side. Crisp and cut to just the right size and length, the fries are complemented with the perfect dip. As the conversations continued, all the fries had vanished much to everyone’s surprise.
Panfried Barramundi
Thai coconut cream, green asparagus, cherry tomato, pignolina, basil oil
The Panfried Barramundi was a cuisine to behold. The panfried barramundi’s skin is deep fried in basil oil leaving it deliciously crusted. The barramundi’s flesh is sweet, buttery, delicate and moist all at the same time. Almost sublime, the barramundi is served with pignolina in thai coconut cream. The pignolina (pasta) deserves special mention for being exquisitely baked and serves as the perfect companion to the panfried barramundi. Served with green asparagus and cherry tomatoes, the cuisine is as gorgeous as it is delicious.
Fresh Boston Bay Mussels (300g)
Coconut & ginger flower broth, chilli, lime & ginger focaccia
Unique to the Halia menu, the Fresh Boston Bay Mussels are served as an “In-Betweens” - a term Halia had coined for their tasteful dishes somewhere in between starters and main. The succulent mussels, cooked in coconut and ginger flower broth then garnished with fresh coriander leaves, are presented in a serving-wok. The smooth & creamy broth, reminded us once again, how Halia has mastered the art of Western-Asian fusion cuisines. The generous serving of boston bay mussels is complemented with Halia’s own oven baked ginger foccassia (Italian bread).
Slow Cooked Tender Chicken Breast & Braised Minced Leg Potato Gratin
"Wok-hei" cabbage, mushroom sauce
The Slow Cooked Tender Chicken Breast & Braised Minced Leg Potato Gratin is as Instagram worthy as it is delicious. The chicken breast is sous vide (slow cooked in vacuumed seal) making it exquisitely tender and ethereal. Lightly marinated and tender, the chicken breast meat served with "wok-hei" cabbage and dark mushroom sauce. The “wok-hei” cabbage is cleverly (and skillfully) burnt and burnt partially to giving it Chinese-wok burnt aftertaste. The Braised Minced Leg Potato Gratin is served alongside the sous vide chicken. The potato is mashed with braised minced meat then baked giving a crispy potato gratin crust. If there was a dish that was worth returning to Halia for, it was this combination.
Tajimi Wagyu Steak MBS 7-8 (180g)
Potato gratin dauphinois & mushroom jus
Just when we thought that sous vide chicken had stole the show for the evening, the Tajimi Wagyu steak was served. For its wagyu steak, Halia serves the skirt steak. An unspoken favourite of all butchers, the skirt steak is long, flat and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. The steak, airflown from Australia, retains its full flavour and juiciness. Served somewhere medium rare and well done, the steak was cooked to perfection and served with lemon, potato gratin dauphinois and mushroom sauce. True to its reputation, the wagyu skirt steak was flavourful and the chef had masterfully grilled it to perfection. The plating, portion size and colours on this was immaculate leaving us delightfully surprised.
Halia's Singapore Style Chilli-Crab Spaghettini
In spicy, sweet & tangy sauce
The highlight of the evening was another of Halia’s signature cuisine - the Singapore-Style Chili Crab Spaghettini. The pasta, well cooked and fused with a generous amounts of fresh crab meat, was drenched in the spicy, sweet & tangy sauce. Immaculately garnished with julienned spring onions, the chef had masterfully balanced the right amount of pasta and sauce in this local spaghettini interpretation. The spaghettini was shared between us over conversations of how fabulous it tasted and how we thought we had had enough of it but still wanting more.
There was a stalemate at the table if the Slow Cooked (Sous Vide) Chicken, Tajimi Wagyu Steak, Chilli-Crab Spaghettini was favourite among the diners but we soon reliased that all were Halia’s signature cuisines. =)
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Dates, butterscotch sauce, sea salt, vanilla ice cream
The Sticky Toffee Pudding was a refreshing dessert as a conclusion to our mains. The sea salt tossed over the toffee pudding perfectly contrasted against the sweetness of the pudding which made every scoop a joy. Dripped in rich butterscotch sauce, the toffee pudding is served with vanilla ice cream making the sticky toffee pudding a truly enjoyable dessert.
Die Die Must Have Chocolate
Chocolate elements & raspberry
Halia’s signature “Die Die Must Have Chocolate” is a combination of milk chocolate mousse cake accompanied with a generous helping of raspberry sorbet, raspberry sauce and chocolate marshmallows. Sweet, chocolaty, smooth and delightful. Aptly named, the chocolate is a “die die must have” and comes with a pleasant “popping” surprise with each spoonful.
Ginger Spice, All Things Nice
Coconut mousse, compressed pineapple, dehydrated coconut flesh
Concluding the dessert selections is the “Ginger Spice, All Things Nice”. The dessert is a perfect mix of coconut mousse with both fresh and compressed pineapple topped with dehydrated coconut flesh. Beautifully served in a Japanese styled bowl, the “Ginger Spice, All Things Nice” is served with grounded potachios which adds to the blend of fresh pineapple, dehydrated coconut crispness and the smoothness of the mousse.
Drinks
The 3 ginger infused house specials come highly recommended.
Ginger Jive ($7++)
Ice blend of fresh ginger, fruit punch, orange & honey
On top of the drinks menu was Ginger Jive ($7), a refreshing ice blend of fresh ginger, fruit punch, orange and honey. Halia has indeed perfected the art of ginger mocktail. A fresh perk-me-up with just the right amount of sweetness and ginger aftertaste. The detoxifying, ice-blended Ginger Jive is served with a slice of fresh ginger. The fruit punch and orange gives the mocktail a fresh, zesty taste while the added honey complimented the ginger blend giving the mocktail it’s overall “jive”. For an ice ginger blend it went down pleasingly smooth and we certainly would be back for more.
Rosemary’s Passion ($6++)
Rosemary infusion, Fresh Watermelon, Passionfruit & Kiwi Puree.
Rosemary’s Passion is a zesty mocktail of watermelon, passionfruit and kiwi puree. Infused with fresh rosemary, the iced mocktail was a headturner at the table much due to its candy red appearance. Rich in antioxidants, amino acids, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, Rosemarry’s Passion is a nutritious thirst quencher.
Halia Mint Berry ($7++)
Ginger, mint, lime, blueberry & sprite
For fans of mint, Halia Mint Berry ($7) would be the right iced mocktail for your dining experience. All azure blue, the mocktail is a combination of ginger, mint, lime and blueberry and topped off with a cherry. A refreshing drink which we enjoyed
Conclusion
Overall, Halia scores a 5\5 thumbs up for its contemporary fusion European-Asian culinary selection, fine dining experience, gorgeous plating, polite service, wide lush surroundings, restaurant aesthetics and proximity to a spacious parking area (& drop-off point). For the fine-dining halal diner, the complimentary use of a clean, air-conditioned prayer room to attend to prayer obligations is a huge plus to our overall score.Reasonably priced for a fine dining experience and unique lush surroundings, we highly recommend Halia for business lunches, tea with friends, family dinners and especially fine dining for couples.
We were delighted that Halia Restaurant has joined a long list of halal establishments to offer more diners a halal fine dining experience. With Halia that would be a fine dining experience in an exclusive garden setting with exquisite European-Asian cuisine.