One-pots and huge platters - Inside dips into these monster meals that are chock full of yummy eats that are enough for many to share!
There is something very powerful and binding about sharing a meal with someone. Throughout history in every culture, there exists the practice of eating from the same pot or platter which turns a meal into a social event.
In modern times, with different schedules and the emphasis on individualism, we have forgotten the beauty of gathering around a huge pot to share a meal. As you begin the New Year, why not bring back the art of dining as one with your nearest and dearest? Some of CapitaMalls Asia's restaurants are ready to serve big meals for diners to dig in together.
Monster Curryis a place that knows how to do 'big'. Its combo plate is the size of a manhole cover. Each dish is slathered in the restaurant's rich deep brown curry sauce that contains up to 14 different spices and vegetables and is painstakingly prepared over two days. The result is a smooth, flavourful gravy that redefines Japanese curry. The warm fluffy rice, full-bodied curry, and golden crunchy meat and seafood create a symphony of tastes and textures that make up an unforgettable experience.
There are five combo plates to choose from – Combo Curry, Seafood Monster Curry, Mountain Monster Curry, Monster Egg Curry and Flame Monster Curry (all S$24 except Combo Curry which is S$25). Each can be prepared at any of the five levels of spiciness with the restaurant's special hot sauce made with chilli padi , garlic, ginger and celery.
If you are dining with picky eaters, try the signature dish: the Combo Curry comes with a slab of pork katsu , fried fish, pork shabu-shabu , shrimp tempura and cheese. There is enough variety of meats to suit every gastronomical preference.
Sharing a giant platter is a great way to sample a little of everything. The Manhattan FISH MARKETunderstands the attraction of this and has introduced four new Sharing Platters.
Each platter offers a different way of preparing seafood – grilled (Grilled Gala), fried (Fried Giant), spicy (Volcano Island) and, for those who want it all, both grilled and chilled (Grillin' and Chillin').
Since you are sharing the meal (and the guilty pleasure), we recommend the Fried Giant which lives up to its name with prawns, fish fingers, cherry snapper fillets, calamari and onions strips fried to a golden crunch and served with four dips – Cajun Honey Mustard, Smoked Chipotle, Tartar and Onion Glory Dip. Try each morsel with a different dip to see which combination works best for you. Sampling your meal partners' experiments with dips will add to the roller coaster experience for your palate.
Meat lovers can have the same experience at Brotzeit German Bier Bar and Restaurant . The Brettljause / Cold Platter (S$58) is an assortment of leg ham, chicken ham, belly bacon, paprika lyoner , bierbeisser sausages , gherkins, eggs, mild green peppers, cheese spread, emmentaler cheese, vine-ripened tomatoes and bacon spread served with a selection of German breads.
To savour the best of German cuisine in a single sitting, get a party of five and order both the starter and main course samplers.
Dining at Huang Ji Huang Three-Sauce Simmer Pot (also known as Hojoho ) takes you back to that treasured tradition of sharing all sorts of delicious goodness from a single simmering pot Chinese style. The restaurant specialises in stew pots. Anything from beef to chicken and seafood, and a dizzying array of vegetables are thrown into a huge skillet-like pot and doused in three types of sauces before being cooked right at the table.
There is something extremely satisfying about fishing together for steaming chunks of delicious food from the giant pot of stew. Each dip into the pot is a surprise and that is the best way to enjoy this meal.
American ribs do not get any more scrumptious than Morganfield'ssignature hickory smoked ribs infused with a delicious woody flavour. You can also choose to have your ribs marinated with other sauces - Tuscan Baked Spicy, Smoked Peppercorn, Garlic BBQ or Spicy Asian BBQ.
Apart from the social benefits, sharing food has economic benefits as well. At Morganfield's, a lone rib dish with two sides would set you back anything between S$26.90 and S$39.90 depending on whether you have a half or full slab of ribs. The Morgan's Rib Sampl3R, which can satisfy up to four, piles it on with three half slab of ribs plus grilled sausages, salad, corn on the cob, corn bread and fries for just S$119.90. So each diner pays just a little under S$30 for a wider selection from the menu. The Carnivore Platter, which can feed the same number of people, replaces a half slab of ribs with half a roasted chicken.
These one-for-all pots and platters provide a delicious way to revive the lost art of communal dining. Let 2015 be the year you bring back this tasty tradition. Grab your family, pick a few pals and head on down to bond over a meal.
www.manhattanfishmarket.comBrotzeit German Bier Bar and Restaurant.
Brotzeit German Bier Bar and Restaurant.
www.brotzeit.coBrotzeit German Bier Bar and Restaurant.