Look, Ma! A ginger bread house!

Dreams do come true if you wish hard enough, and just when we thought no one could ever be Hansel and Gretel for real, we lived to see a life-size ginger bread house with so many trays of cookies, chocolates and freshly baked desserts. You see, life can be filled with miracles like that.

Our miracle happened at Edge at Pan Pacific edgefoodtheatre.com, and we can’t wait to share it with all of you! For our last installation for festive buffets this December, we present the wondrous All Things Nice – Pan Pacific’s culinary indulgences inspired by the flavours and spices of the Pacific.

With seven live food theatres and a whimsical dessert island that houses the most amazing fruit mince pies, homemade gluten-free nama chocolates and many more splendid treats, it is a lavish affair here at Edge, and here’s Why You Should Not Say No To ‘All Things Nice’ At Edge, Pan Pacific Singapore.

SEVEN LIVE FOOD THEATRES – IT IS ALL ABOUT THE SHOW AT EDGE

It is a theatrical experience over here at Edge! Seven stations in total – each whipping up a storm and providing feasts for the senses – dining at Edge is never dull and cold. Who does not love watching the great chefs in action? Big flames, bubbling pots, and carving are but a few of our favourite things to watch.

Expect soulful offerings of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Singaporean, Thai and Japanese selections, together with its signature “Pacific Cuisine” – cooking styles and flavours inspired by the Pacific region. Interact with the chefs, have them share with you about the ingredients and dishes of the day, and if you have any special requests, let them know. They will try their best to fix something for every palate.

A WELL-ROUNDED INTERNATIONAL BUFFET LINEUP

We dare promise that Edge’s buffet will satisfy everyone and guarantee an unforgettable experience. Every live food kitchen impresses. We were particularly enamoured by the Chinese roast and Japanese sushi and sashimi.

Besides these regular finds, we couldn’t stop eating the desserts. So many seasonal goodies had us camping at the dessert corner altogether, and we partied with more sweets than we could remember in a long while! You are to find out more as you read on.

INDULGE IN TRADITIONAL FESTIVE FAVOURITES

The most extensive list of yuletide delights that you can look forward to at Edge - Honey and Pineapple-glazed Gammon Ham, Special Christmas Terrines, Crispy Spice Pork Knuckle, Spiced Lamb Short Ribs, Roasted Beef Tomahawk and Traditional Roasted Turkey with Festive Trimmings. Expect several rustic side dishes like the roasted parsnip and brussel sprouts with bacon.  The buttery pumpkin soup also had our hearts – simple, but we loved the fine creaminess with sweet underlying notes of winter squash.

Then, there are the festive desserts like Aniseed Ginger Vanilla Cheese Logcake, Amarena Cherry Cheese Cake and Flourless Mascarpone Honey Chocolate Cake and Fruit Mince Pie. Need we say more?

A LIFE-SIZE GINGER BREAD HOUSE SITTING ON A DAZZLING DESSERT ISLAND

Now, we are talking. The ginger bread house is completely edible, by the way.

Edge’s impressive dessert island takes the crown for this year’s best Christmas desserts. What you are looking at is the most dazzling dessert island that is filled with Western and Asian desserts, all freshly prepared in-house daily.

Apart from chocolate fondue and homemade gelato, you will also find yourselves lost in the selection of traditional sweets like kueh lapis, an assortment of traditional kueh, as well as old-school childhood snacks like iced gem biscuit and fish biscuits.

The pretty display of festive sweets also took our breath away. Buttermilk cookies, gingerbread, mince pies, puddings… these are things that we wouldn’t say no to and we sure hope you feel the same way too!

And as if these are not impressive enough, there is also a live station for waffles and pancakes too.

Our favourite? The Nama chocolates – handcrafted by the hardworking pastry team at Pan Pacific Singapore – truly struck a chord with our taste buds.

HOMEMADE GLUTEN-FREE NAMA CHOCOLATES

It is a tough choice, but if we could only choose one reason to return to Edge, it would be the homemade gluten-free Nama chocolates that are available in three flavours – passionfruit, matcha and rum & chocolate. It is frankly as good, if not better, than the famous Japanese chocolate brand that everyone knows of and associates nama chocolates with, and we can easily eat a dozen of these pillowy-soft chocolates. Unfortunately, they are exclusive to the buffet spread, else we’d gladly take some home.

But that said, we have even more reason to eat all the nama chocolates we can. More rum-flavoured ones, please!

Because when Santa Claus comes to town, we subscribe to an unlimited calories plan and eat as many nama chocolates (and other goodies) as we want. Now, grab a pair of loose-fit jeans and feast away!

FESTIVE GOODIES FROM PACIFIC MARKETPLACE

From festive roasts including Roasted Turkey with cornbread and sausage stuffing (S$148/4.5kg) and Roasted Beef Ribeye (S$148/2kg), to traditional Christmas treats like Gingerbread Man (S$8/50g), Fruit Mince Pie (S$6/100g), and Christmas Log Cakes (S$60/1kg), Pacific Marketplace has prepared a decadent selection of festive creations for your Christmas parties at home.

To place an order, call +65 6826 8240, email celebrate.sin@panpacific.com, or visit pacificmarketplace.sg/category/festive-goodies.

Festive Lunch 1 to 24 December 2014
Adult S$58, Child S$28

Festive Dinner 1 to 23 December 2014
Sun to Tue: Adult S$78 Child S$39
Wed to Sat: Adult S$88 Child S$44

Festive Sunday Champagne Brunch 7, 14 and 21 Dec 2014
Adult S$178*, Child S$58

Christmas Eve Dinner 24 December 2014
Adult S$168*, Child S$58

Christmas Day Champagne Brunch 25 December 2014
Adult S$178*, Child S$78

Christmas Day Dinner 25 December 2014
Adult S$148*, Child S$48

New Year’s Eve Dinner 31 December 2014
Adult S$218*, Child S$88

New Year’s Day Champagne Brunch 1 January 2015
Adult S$178*, Child S$78

Child prices are applicable for children aged seven to 11 years old.

* includes unlimited Veuve Clicquot Champagne, red & white wines, cocktails, beers, fruit juices and soft drinks

For the latest updates, go to edgefoodtheatre.com and follow Pan Pacific Singapore on Facebook and Instagram.

Edge Food Theatre
Pan Pacific Singapore, Level 3
7 Raffles Boulevard
Tel: +65 6826 8240
Nearest Station: City Hall/Promenade
Email: celebrate.sin@panpacific.com

This post is brought to you by Pan Pacific Singapore.

With Chinese New Year just glimpses away, everyone is in the mood to celebrate. We rejoice without restraints, bask in the glorious festivity with all the goodies, and eat like the sun will never set. And as with all other festivals, people get fat and/or fall ill after celebrations. While having fun is vital and eating is one of the best ways to socialize, we have to remain responsible for our health.

Efficient digestion is so essential for good health. Here is a simple guide on how to aid digestion, and while you are savouring your pineapple tarts and bak kwa, please stay healthy for yourself and for your loved ones.

1. Embrace Grapefruits

Begin each morning with a glass of grapefruit juice – you have no idea how this wonder fruit has enormous benefits for you. Apart from its high Vitamin C content, grapefruits are high in fibre and low in calories. Worshiped by many weight loss practitioners, grapefruits is a catalyst for digestion by increasing your metabolism, lowering your insulin level and improving the flow of digestive juices. The pulp of the wonder fruit supplies healthy bulk to our body, and this aids bowel action.

On a separate note, grapefruits combats various diseases such as fatigue, fever, diabetes and urinary problems.

2. Chew and chew and chew your Food.

Take smaller bites, or put your fork down in between bites. Your digestive system begins working even before you eat, and your system will be kept busy for the next few hours (or sometimes even days – depending on what you eat) after you are done with your meal. When your food is being chewed up, it becomes a mushed-up form called bolus, and bolus is then pushed down from your throat to the opening of your esophagus – the second part of digestion, of which I won’t elaborate. Chewing your food into smaller pieces will aid this process, but if your food is still chunky while being swallowed, bolus will go down your windpipe instead – that is when you feel choked, bloated and uncomfortable.

So, take your time to eat. Do not be in a hurry to gobble all the food on your plate! Besides, eating slowly helps you feel full faster, hence moderates your food intake.

3. Go easy on the sugars

I know this is tough, because we all love sugars to death. But despite being such an advocate for desserts and sweet pleasures in life, we have to face up to reality that refined sugars destroys the mineral balance in our body. Sugars are sweet carbohydrates, and they have zero nutrients. And they make us fat. And they attribute to diarrhea and cramping.

If you have a sweet tooth, make a conscious effort to pick raw fruits and vegetables instead. They contain fructose – a simple monosaccharide that is absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. This does not mean you have to sacrifice your needs for sweet stuff. Instead of reaching out for that can of fizzy soda that is conveniently on the table, make a trip to the kitchen and have yourself a glass of honey water. Fructose can be found in pure honey; mix a spoonful or two with water and you get a satisfying, sweet drink all the same!

4. Pile on the Fibre

Surely you would have heard this a million times. And yes, this method stays on for a few more millenniums. A high-fibre diet is a vital attribution to digestion. Fibre, particularly insoluble fibre, aids in constipation-prevention by bulking up and softens stool, and keeps food moving through the digestive tract. It also helps in maintaining bowel health, lowering cholesterol levels and controlling blood sugar levels.

Fibre can be commonly attained from eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Sure, fibre cannot be found in almost any of those jars of goodies, but we can most definitely still have our regular greens over lunch and dinner. Proportionate your dishes such that the ratio of vegetables to meat is 2:1.

5. Wise Supper Choices

We stay up later than usual on the first few days – to gamble, to catch up with relatives, and to simply merry-make. And it is only natural that while being active, we get hungry a few hours after dinner. Suppers are the ultimate killer – they bust any plans to slim down, and they disrupts your digestion system. But do not torture yourself on CNY, because if any, we should only let loose and indulge in festivities as such.

There are countless rules and restrictions about not eating after 8pm so as to prevent weight gain and indigestion, but the truth is, as long as you consume food, they are calories all the same. It is what you eat – not when you eat – that makes the difference. Opt for lighter options if you need your supper fix. Pick healthy zero-calorie food over that bag of chips, e.g. apples, citrus fruits, strawberries, mushrooms (sauté them), summer squash and green tea.

Simple and conscious effort go a long way. I hope this fool-proof guide helps, and may you have a very prosperous Chinese New year!

Words by Melody Yap, photographs by ladyironchef