I know there are people who put food as the main priority and it doesn’t matter if there isn’t any ambiance. But we are talking about Christmas after-all. It’s a special occasion, so choose a nice and romantic restaurant for your Xmas Dinner. Christmas is just another excuse for us to feast like kings and queens.

Here’s a list of Romantic Restaurants to have your Christmas Dinner for 2

Krish the Restaurant

Housed in a beautiful colonial bungalow, Krish at Rochester Park is a fine dining restaurant that offers South Asia influenced European cuisine. The mains are within the $30-40 range, and they have a special Christmas dinner menu at $115++ per pax from the 6th to 27th Dec 2010.

9 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6779 4644

La Cantina in Venezia

I mentioned La Cantina in Venezia in my list of the best Singapore Italian Restaurants briefly before, so if you need a nice restaurant for a romantic Christmas Dinner, do make your reservations soon as they are almost booked for Christmas eve. They have a special Christmas Set Menu ($98+ for 7 course) on the 24th & 25th December 2010. Otherwise, order from their normal ala carte menu: pastas & pizzas are in the $20ish range.

1 Netheravon Road
#08/09-02 Changi Village Hotel
Tel: +65 6546 9190

Pamplemousse Bistro & Bar

My friend was just raving about the food at Pamplemousse Bistro & Bar at Dempsey road to me that day. Their special 7 course menu for Xmas Dinner is available from the 21th to 26th Dec 2010, at $118++ per pax. Actually, most of the Dempsey hill restaurants are nice for a romantic dinner.

Blk 7 Dempsey Road #01-04 Tanglin Village Singapore
Tel: +65 6475 0080

Spruce Restaurant Bar

Nestled in the heart of Tanglin road, Spruce restaurant is a nice charming place to have dinner after work or brunch during the weekends. The Christmas Dinner promotion menu is available from now until the festive holiday, otherwise you can choose to order from the ala carte menu: mains start from $20 for a pasta, and $30 upwards for meat.

320 Tanglin Road Phoenix Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6836 5528

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Some possible restaurants for Christmas Party Venues in Singapore:

If you are celebrating this Christmas with your family, or a group of friends, chances are, you are probably cracking your brains trying to find a place to throw a party without bursting the budget. I know exactly how you feel, because everyone has been asking me to recommend suitable restaurants for Christmas Party Venues in Singapore for 2010. 

Prive Bakery Cafe Bar

Located just 3 minutes drive away from Harborfront, Prive Bakery Cafe Bar at Keppel Island is a gorgeous place for brunch, desserts or drinks. If you are planning to throw a Christmas party for a group of friends (less than 50 pax), call them 3-4 days in advance to make a reservation. For exclusive events and special menus (like Canapés, Buffets), they need a minimum of 50 guests.

For inquiries about events at Prive/Hacienda, email: rae@prive.com.sg

2 Keppel Bay Vista
GF Marina @ Keppel Bay
Tel: +65 6776 0777

N.Y.D.C (New York Dessert Cafe)

For a long time, I thought NDYC only serves cakes and desserts. Well, you can’t blame me since they are called New York Dessert Cafe. If budget is a concern this Christmas, you may want to consider nydc’s Christmas set menu (24th to 26th Dec 2010) which comes with a festive drink, starter, a choice of entree and log cake for desserts. Otherwise, share the Jolly Max Platter (picture) which is part of nydc’s Christmas dinner promotion with a group of friends.

For inquiries about events at NYDC, email: events@nydc.com.sg

200 Victoria Street #02-47/48
Bugis Junction Singapore
Tel: +65 6333 3161

Zsofi Tapas Bar

Thinking of throwing a nice little Christmas party with some drinks and tapas for a group of friends? Little India may not be the place where you have in mind, but trust me, Zsofi Tapas Bar serves affordable and good Spanish food, and they are definitely a cool place for a nights out. Prices vary for different requirement, but to give you a better idea what to expect: a basic party package (min 30 pax) comes at $50 per guest for 3 drinks & 3 tapas.

For inquiries about events at Zsofi Tapas Bar: email: janice@tapasbar.com.sg

68 Dunlop Street Singapore
Tel: +65 6297 5875

Go for a Christmas buffet and eat to your heart’s content

What better way to end the year than to pig-out at a Christmas buffet and eat as much as you want? I always preach about eating things in moderation, and exercising regularly, but hey, this is Christmas! Give yourself a break! Be it a dim sum buffet, a Christmas Brunch, or whatever you are craving for — go for it!

Olive Tree Mediterranean Restaurant

The festive buffet at Olive Tree Intercontinental Hotel includes delightful spread includes traditional favorites such as roast turkey with chestnut stuffing served with cranberry sauce, rolled pork loin and barbecued duck with plum sauce; an array of decadent desserts such as Christmas pudding with brandy anglais, chocolate Yule log and caramelized pecan.

80 Middle Road GF
Intercontinental Hotel Singapore
Tel: +65 6825 1061
// Festive Buffet (10th to 23th Dec 2010)
Lunch $45++, Dinner $59++
Christmas Eve Buffet Lunch $55++, Dinner $88++
Christmas Buffet Dinner (25th Dec) $78++

Tea Lounge @ The Regent Singapore

If buffet is not your thing, you may want to consider going for the festive Afternoon High Tea instead. The Regent Singapore’s Tea Lounge is known to have one of the best Afternoon High Tea in Singapore. They serve the English Afternoon Tea on a 3 tier dessert Stand during weekdays, and a local-theme High Tea Buffet during weekends.

1 Cuscaden Road GF
The Regent Singapore Singapore
Tel: +65 6725 3246
// Three Tier Afternoon Tea $38++
(Monday to Friday: 12 noon – 5.30pm)
High Tea Buffet $46++
(Sat, Sun, eve of & PH: 1.30pm – 5.30pm)

Ikoi Japanese Restaurant

For those of you who never fancy turkey, and logcake, and mincemeat pies, how about having Japanese food? Ikoi Japanese restaurant at Hotel Miramar is known for their Japanese buffet in Singapore. It is a great way to end this year by having unlimited sashimi, sushi and tempura for just $33++ per pax.

401 Havelock Road #01-01
Hotel Miramar Singapore
Tel: +65 6887 3788

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I will love to give you more recommendations, but my post is getting way too long. You may also want to check out the following — for Thai food: Sweet Salty Spicy, fine dining Chinese restaurant: Yan Ting, Waterfront restaurants: Dallas restaurant & Boathouse, within vicinity of town: District 10 Bistro & Wild Rocket, Champagne dim sum brunch: Cherry Garden, nice & cozy cafe: Food for Thought & little part 1 Cafe.

How are you planning to spend this Christmas? Is it gonna be a romantic Christmas dinner for two at a nice restaurant, or having a party with your family & friends, or simply a good feast at your favorite restaurant?

They have been away for a long time now; the feel, touch, sight, smell were always in their mind, but its gradually fading away with each day passed. How they wished they could be back, but reality often gets the better of man. He missed the food, while she yearned for the familiar environment.

It struck them after entering the place, the comfortable and cozy environment, just like home. Jia Wei restaurant. How apt.

To have Christmas without the festive turkey and ham (both sets), it’ll be like to have the Mid-autumn festival without the mooncakes, or going through Halloween without pumpkins. He found the meat was too tough and dry, while there was the wasabi sauce, it was insufficient and wasabi didn’t exactly compliment the turkey meat well. Luckily there was the fresh fruits salad to save the day.

The highlight of the menu will definitely be Jia Wei Superior Shark’s Fin soup (Festive cheers menu) in hot stone pot. Thick and generous portions are discovered, the excitement just like discovering a treasure cove. The hot stone pot played a vital role in keeping the rich stock base warm and nice, a notable fact after they tried the other shark’s fin soup which wasn’t served in the stone pot. This bowl of treasure will most likely cost you a bomb if you have it elsewhere, but at Jia Wei, they do it cheap and good, its available on their a la carte menu too. Eating a Chinese delicacy for a frosty Christmas, the thought of home seem so far away.

While the superior shark’s fin soup with Conpoy (Christmas glow menu) offered the same ingredients as the previous one in hotpot, but the differential in price obviously meant that the higher priced festive cheers menu had slightly more shark’s fin. This one was lukewarm by the time they started eating, while the hot stone pot one remained piping hot. The dumpling-wannabe actually had water chestnut, vegetarian mushrooms and crab rob.

The layer of fats aroused her inner feelings. There was a struggle to ignore the calories and enjoyed the bliss. The grilled special rack of lamb (Festive cheers menu) made her succumb to temptation. If they were not to mention anything, you’ll never know the use of Chinese wine, together with a bit of Japanese Sake created a wonderful sauce which covered the usual strong lamb/mutton smell. Without the fats, the rack of lamb wouldn’t be as good, since they largely contributed the tenderness to the overall taste. And, the sweetness of the meat was actually extracted by chewing and sucking the bones. Sinful, yet so good!

One of the dish which he missed a lot from home was pork. The pan-fried fillet of pork spare-rib (Christmas glow menu) was exactly what he needed to satisfy his needs and homesickness. The special seasoning was very peculiar, the inital guess of fruits were proven wrong. Done in Japanese style, the sauce was slightly sweet and sour, which provided a tangy robust taste. The pork was pan-fried that the crispy layer was just right for the meat. It was very delicious. The downside? Portions were dainty considering it’s the main course.

While the braised bai ling mushroom with broccoli (Festive cheers menu) was what his mother used to prepare, he didn’t quite enjoyed the dish since the overall taste was a tad too subtle for his liking. Yes, although this vegetables dish was supposed to be light since the previous few dishes were rather strong in flavour, so i guess its more of different taste buds.

The similar dish on the Christmas glow menu, braised dry scallop with sea cucumber and bamboo piths. The vegetables were fresh, but being neither a fan of scallop nor sea cucumber, they didn’t know how to appreciate it.

There’s reasons for relatives to look alike. Was it baby lobster? Or is it crayfish? Gosh, wait a minute, it does rather looks like a big prawn instead! The home-made noodles were springy and smooth to the palate. The big prawns were fresh and succulent. But, there’s always the big BUT to look out for. Having used stock base for the Shark’s fin, the vegetables dish, and now the noodles. They couldn’t finish the home-made noodles with prawn (both sets) because the excess usage of stock base did seem a bit too much.

The simple, yet refreshing chilled lemon jelly (Festive cheers menu) was definitely a welcoming dessert. With the robust lemon sorbet, and the light lemon jelly, the all-lemon combination provided a sweet ending to the Christmas feast.

On the other hand, there’s the chilled mango pudding (Christmas glow menu) which wasn’t as good as it lacked the bouncy and chewy texture that a good pudding should have.The whole mango flavour was also not very strong, but you’ve to give credits to them for making the mango pudding so pretty.

The oriental Christmas feast at Jia Wei brought them closer to home, and the whole meal took 3 half hours to complete.

Christmas Glow ($78++)
Festive turkey, ham and fresh fruits salad
Superior Shark’s fins soup with conpoy
Pan-fried fillet of pork spare-rib with special sauce
Braised dry scallop with sea cucumber and bamboo piths
Homemade noodles with prawn and conpoy
Chilled mango pudding

Festive Cheers ($98++)
Festive turkey, ham and fresh fruits salad
Jia Wei superior Shark’s fin soup in hot stone pot
Grilled special rack of lamb with Chinese wine
Braised bai ling mushroom with broccoli
Homemade noodles with prawn and conpoy
Chilled lemon jelly

Enjoy a 30% discount on the Christmas feast from Monday to Thursday, except on 24, 25, 31 Dec 2008 & 1 Jan 2009. This was an invited food tasting session, I’ll like to thank Keane and Shu Ling representing Grand Mercure Roxy hotel for being a wonderful host. I’ll also like to take the chance to praise Jia Wei’s assistance manager, Jessica who was very professional and knowledgeable about the cuisines. And also to my dining companion for being a good company (you know who you are).

Read Camemberu review on the Christmas feast here
Hisfoodblog review here
and my previous visit to Feast @ East

Jia Wei Chinese restaurant
Level 2 Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel
50 East Coast road, Roxy Square
(Opp parkway parade)
Tel: 6340 5678