Raffles Hotel Courtyard

Happy New Year 2011!! Strawberry Moments wishes everyone a healthy, delicious and sumptuous new year filled with abundance and joy!

Ted and me had a wonderful string of celebrations with family and friends from Xmas in December 2010 right till New Year's Day in January 2011!!  And we really cant believe that all this happy feasting is coming to a close.  We also cant wait to share with everyone about our delicious ordeals this festive season, which had probably added a few pounds extra on us now... But hey, all those extra calories can wait ! We only have one year end, right? And its just the most wonderful time of the year to make merry and feast with our loved ones and friends??? So what the heck, just pig out first !

We believe with all this wonderful feasting this one month, we will definitely have more, more and lots more great abundance in the coming year 2011. We also pray and wish everyone, like us will have good health and great abundance in this coming new year too!! Cheers to a brand new year 2011 !!

Complimentary bread served to us before our order came

To recount, our Eve of Xmas Eve was spent at Raffles Hotel Courtyard. This place is now serving the finest ocean-fresh seafood selections prepared à la minute in light Mediterranean flavours typical of the French Riviera, such as the Courtyard Bouillabaisse with Maine Lobster, Red Grouper, Black Cod, Black Mussels, Saffron and Provençal herbs.

I really enjoyed my evening there. There was not that many choices on the menu and this two caught our eyes. I ordered the Black Cod Fish main served with tomato puree, comes with beehoon (@ $50), while Ted had the meal of the night - Singapore Fresh Chilli Crab, comes with beehoon ($10/kg est @ $80) !

Fresh Seafood Tank

Freshness is the key word here.  I recalled seeing the chef catching the crab from the tank and cooking it right at the counter!! What a shock! 

Black Cod Fish with tomato puree

My Black Cod Fish probably wasnt caught live but it was definitely fresh and the dish was cooked with very creamy cheese, complementing very well with the tomato puree. Served with the local beehoon and squeezed with a pinch of lime, the overall effect is tantalising !! Western meets Asian, that's what I would call the dish !

Singapore Chilli Crab with beehoon

The Singapore Chilli Crab was pretty Asian and really Singaporean, in my opinion (if you know what I mean).  The dish also came served with 2 pieces of the local bun, (or called "man-tou" locally, one piece steamed and the other fried) which is best to be quickly eaten while its hot, dipped into the chilli crab gravy.  We could savour the freshness of the crab. Its meat was firm, superbly tasty and sweet!  It was wonderful and definitely a great taste!! (Personally, I prefer the cod fish better as the chilli crab can also be found at the East Coast seafood restaurants)

Whats more, there was a surprise choir (see left picture) that came and serenaded everyone at the Courtyard with Xmas Carols into the night...  The atmosphere was just perfect and heavenly! We could feel so much for Xmas that peaceful evening.  It was a great way to soak into the Xmas atmosphere .... Even now I am missing it ...

Raffles Hotel Courtyard is at Raffles Hotel Singapore, 1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673 Tel: (65) 6412-1816.