Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore: Tasting Your Origin

Singapore is one place that makes a constant attempt to keep people aware of its multicultural roots and Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore is keen to let us do just that.

From boasting of its racial harmony to the various scenes, one can enjoy from the early mornings at Chinatown to the late nights in Boat Quay. But what would it be like to have these places served to you on a platter?

Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore’s newest food baby, Origin Grill and Bar opened around the end of 2017.

The bar

I’ll start with the bar. The ambience is simply wonderful. It is cosy, chic yet not too exclusive. You could be here for both a date night or a corporate tète-a-tète. There are little alcoves for you to hide into or open tables to hang out with friends, it’s only made better with the great view of your drinks being made by the seasoned bartenders right in front of you.

Rustic yet dramatic, the Bar is perfect for drinks and chill. Image courtesy: Origin Grill & Bar

As a non-alcohol drinker, the bar is always a little tricky for me since I go for the mocktails. But Origin Bar has that taken care of too.

Their entire menu for drinks, including cocktails, are themed according to popular Singapore districts. I chose from the aptly named 0% list at the bottom of the area-specific list. For those who prefer classic mocktails such as the Shirley temple, these are quite a few twists away from the familiar flavours. Mostly spinning with local and exotic flavours. Following is my take on two from the menu:

Orchard:
Chewing Gum Mule — longan, raspberry, mint, lemon, ginger. Too faint a flavour for something that promises to be exotically flavourful. But the touch of ginger redeems it. If you’re up for something strong, this ain’t your drink.

Little India:
Almost Colada — a strong pineapple flavour with recurring hints of turmeric. Just the spicy-sweet drink to go with anything hot on the snack menu. This was my personal favourite.

Moving on to the restaurant, this was the set menu we had:

Mocktails and cocktails galore at the Bar. Image courtesy: Origin Grill & Bar

The entrè was marvellous. The caviar had the perfect tartness to add some design to the silky flavour of the chilled potato and eggplants jelly.

That said, the portion is perfect too, not too large and not too small as to feel sloppy. They served some interesting wines during dinner with a glass of red that comes straight from the vineyards of the Jolie-Pitt.

Being a seafood lover, the prawns were divine. I especially enjoyed the carrot hummus and the hint of orange that gave the entire palate a lively flavour. And then came the sirloin steak.

This was a tough one. It was prepared in medium rare and being someone who only likes her steak well done, I found it difficult to fully appreciate the steak. Nevertheless, it was beautifully cooked and the seasoning was great. What stole the show was the buttered spinach which was so smooth and flavourful, I was practically drooling all over it.

Image courtesy: Origin Grill & Bar

As for the dessert, there was nothing too flashy, but not too disappointing either.

Here’s my evaluation of this minis platter:

The caramelised nutty collection of small hard pastries was sweet but a little too heavy post steak. Same goes for the mini date cake with whole hazelnuts, chocolate sticks and soft chocolate crème. My favourite was the Mango mousse with coconut shavings with a hint of lemon. This was most appropriate in its light, fluffy and delightfully bright appearance after the rich courses before it.

Interiors of the restaurant during the daytime. Image courtesy: Origin Grill & Bar

The restaurant is a touch more formal than the bar, sure, but when put together, the bar and the restaurant make a wonderful black-and-white appearance for Origin. With its retro architecture and music that was blaring a little too loudly, it’s perfect for both Valentine’s Day and birthdays. Or, you could make this the spot for farewell dinners for a colleague, with drinks to go right after dinner.

You can visit the Origin Grill & Bar at the Lobby level, Tower Wing on 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350.