Chef Sam Leong needs no introduction. He is one of the most famous local chefs in Singapore, and he has an impressive list of accolades which includes being named the Chef of the Year at the Hospitality Asia Platinum Award in 2006 and 2007, and Asian Cuisine Chef of the Year (2009) by the World Gourmet Summit. After leaving Tung Lok Group, he has joined Resorts World Sentosa to open Forest Restaurant, which serves Chinese cuisine with a Western approach (in terms of food presentation).
The restaurant’s interior design is inspired by the lush tropical rain forests, and it is definitely one of the most stunning Chinese restaurants in Singapore.
At Forest, Chef Leong acts as a consultant, and besides providing guidance for the cuisine and menu planning of the restaurant, he also conducts cooking classes with his wife, Forest. He has launched a special culinary class combined with a four-course set lunch. This means to say you can have a nice lunch at the restaurant, and then move on to the culinary class in the beautiful state-of-the-art show kitchen to learn some tips from Chef Leong.
If you just want to enjoy a leisure lunch, Forest’s four course Winter Set Lunch Menu is $48++. For those who are keen to have the full experience, the cooking class with four course lunch is $160 nett per person.
Our luncheon started with a simple, but delicious Steamed Egg Chawanmushi with Hokkaido Scallop.
Next, we had the Deep-fried Seabass with Nyonya chilli sauce. The fish is steamed, then deep-fried in 360 degree Celsius hot oil. The seabass had the perfect crisp, and it was paired flawlessly with the spicy and flavourful Nyonya chilli sauce.
Following which, we had the Wok-fried Pearl Rice with Minced Beef. The wok-hei of the fried pearl rice and the aroma of the homemade XO chilli sauce combine effortlessly. Our only grouse was the excessive use of rice crisp.
The four course menu ends with a simple and refreshing Chilled Lemon Grass Jello with Thai sweet mango, young coconut and wolfberries.
After finishing lunch, head over to the beautiful kitchen showroom and learn culinary tips from Chef Leong and his wife, who will be demonstrating some of their signature dishes.
The cooking Class (capped to maximum of ten guests) with four-course set lunch at Forest costs S$160 nett per person and is available every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (depending on demand, please call the restaurant to check the schedule). Lunch will be served from 1pm-2pm and the culinary masterclass is conducted between 2pm to 4pm.
Forest Restaurant
8 Sentosa Gateway
Level 1 Equarius Hotel
Resorts World Sentosa
Tel: +65 6577 7788
Daily: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sunday Brunch: 11.30am – 4pm
Note: This was an invited media tasting.