[Review] Elevated Singapore and Malaysia Hawker Fares Dinner Set at Sky22 @ Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena

Sky22 recently introduced a new dining concept at their kitchen that seeks to bridge the culinary traditions of Singapore and Malaysia, named the Sin-Ma Set Dinner.

Featuring popular hawkers from both Singapore and Malaysia, the menu is designed for two or four persons and offers an array of starters, soups, mains, and desserts that showcase the rich and diverse flavors of the two neighbours:

Executive Chef John Chye, a culinary veteran with over two decades of experience, crafted this menu, drawing from his roots in Penang, Malaysia.

As part of Marriott International’s Serve 360 goal, ingredients used in the dishes are sourced locally, including items such as locally-farmed red snapper for the Changi Ikan Sumbat Sambal, Lim Chu Kang grey mullet for the Otak-otah Croquettes, locally-farmed mushrooms and cage-free eggs.

We were invited for a dinner tasting and sampled their Set Dinner for 2, priced at $42 per person, with one start, two main courses and two desserts. There is also a Set Dinner for 4, priced at $38 per person, with two starters, four main courses and four desserts.

The meal started rather interestingly, with bread and butter as table snacks:

For the starter, we opted for the Satay Bohong, a pair of Kurobuta pork skewer, served with chili, pickled cucumbers and onion instead of the usual satay gravy.

These were rather good on their own to enjoy the tenderness and fats from the kurobuta pork, with the pickles as a side.

For the mains, we selected their signature Beef Cheek Rendang and Penang Laksa. The beef cheek is slow-braised to render it soft and melty and is served in a thick rendang broth. It is best paired with fragrance white rice to bring out the rendang aroma.

The Penang Laksa features local-farmed grey mulet, rice vemicelli, tarmarind-spiced broth, cucumber, pineapple, red onion, mint and torched ginger bud. This is great for those who like the Malaysian-style Penang laksa over our local variant which is also available on the menu.

For dessert, we had the Banana Fritters and Bubur Cha Cha, both local street favourites, commonly found in the hawker centres across Singapore. The portions here are much larger, served with ice cream and plated in an aesthetically pleasing manner to justify the heftier price tag.

For elevated hawker fares, the price point is considerably reasonable, but may draw balk from locals who would consider these to be pricey compared to what they can get at the local hawker centres. The set dinner is probably targeted at tourists as well as locals who are looking for a more comfortable, cosy environment to enjoy some of their local favourites from both Singapore and Malaysia, but with better ingredients, elevated plating and dining services.

The restaurant is located on the 22nd floor of the Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena hotel and offers a great view of the surrounding cityscape.

Sky22 at Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena

Opens daily,
Breakfast: 6.30am to 10.30am
Lunch: 12.00pm to 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.00pm to 10.30pm

Address:
Level 22, 99 Irrawaddy Road, Singapore 329568