The Marmalade Pantry ION Orchard has a whole new look with new creations, a collaboration with Chef Gen Lee, and classic dishes on their menu.
Home-grown bistro The Marmalade Pantry has re-opened its flagship outlet at ION Orchard yesterday! From new creations, to classic dishes, savour a delightful meal in the heart of town after a bout of shopping in their new spacious outlet. Exclusive menu items include desserts created by Genevieve (Gen) Lee, culinary student and MasterChef Singapore Runner-up. We had the opportunity to try their offerings, and here are our thoughts.
Start off your meal with the Baked Camembert ($18++) – paired with sundried tomatoes, capers, black olives, dried fruits and sourdough bread; or the Maryland Crab Cakes ($26++), savoury crabmeat coated with panko crumbs, served with a vegetable medley and homemade tartar sauce.
Photo: The Marmalade Pantry
If you are looking for a lighter option, go for the Grilled Pear and Arugula Salad ($22++), a mixture of rocket topped with poached pear, walnuts, tomatoes and a drizzle of honey mustard dressing. We especially loved the salad: it was light without being tasteless, the pear and honey mustard offering a delicious sweetness, while the rocket did not seem bitter, as it sometimes is.
Photo: The Marmalade Pantry
For mains, don’t miss out on the Spicy Sriracha Chicken Burger ($24++)! We loved how it combined a juicy, spiced chicken patty with sriracha mayo and blue cheese for an amazing, punchy spice-filled burger that did not seem too over-the-top, despite how its description may seem! Paired with parmesan fries and mesclun salad, it makes for a hearty meal.
If you prefer Asian cuisine, try the Curry Barramundi ($28++): a slab of tender fish, comes topped with eggplant, okra, and onion in a flavourful curry sauce, and served on a substantial portion of jasmine rice. The flavours of this dish made us nostalgic for our grandma’s cooking, and the vegetables were almost melt-in-your-mouth!
Photo: The Marmalade Pantry
For fans of The Marmalade Pantry, good news ahead! Some of their all-time classics will also be available at the new outlet. The Singapore Laksa ($32++) was a delightful take on the typical laksa you would have in hawker centres, with slipper lobster, dried bean curd, fishcake, quail eggs, tiger prawns, and scallops! Talk about a treat! The broth was satisfying and hearty, making us reach for spoonful after spoonful. The perennial favourite Spicy Crabmeat Pasta ($26++) is for those who love spice: the chili tingled our tongues, and each forkful of pasta was generous with crabmeat.
Of course, there’s always room for dessert!
As part of an exclusive collaboration between The Marmalade Pantry and Chef Gen Lee, diners can enjoy three unique desserts conceptualised by Gen, available only at The Marmalade Pantry ION Orchard from March to October 2019.
The Blue Rhapsody ($10++ per slice, $70++ for a whole cake): Composed with layers of blueberry gel, lavender hazelnut crumble, and sponge cake, topped with cream cheese frosting, blackcurrant meringues, and a sprinkling of gold dust. The prettiest offering of them all, we were amazed at how photogenic this was, and how beautiful the cake was in real life! However, it was a little too rich and sweet, although we really loved the hazelnut crumble.
Photo: The Marmalade Pantry
Our pick would be Gen’s Reimagined Kaya Toast ($14++); a playful take on the well-loved local breakfast dish. Composed of pistachio sponge, coconut cream, brown toast meringue shards as well as Gula Melaka ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery, this was wonderfully fragrant! Although some may be put off by the mention of “pistachio” in a dish supposedly reminiscent of kaya toast, this was a worthy contender of our famed local breakfast, imitating the taste of pandan very well. We especially liked the toasted meringue shards – we couldn’t get enough of them!
Sunset in the Glass ($14++) is another beautiful dessert; carefully crafted with sticky rice, lemongrass water, kaffir lime meringue, mango sorbet, fresh mango and spiced nuts. It was a wonderful experience watching Chef Gen demonstrating how she crafted her desserts, before getting to taste them. This would come in a close second to the Reimagined Kaya Toast; the sour-sweet mango sorbet cutting through the richness of the sticky rice.
If you’ve had a long day shopping at ION Orchard, enjoy a delightful afternoon or a mid-day treat with a refreshed Afternoon Tea Set ($60++ per set for 2 pax), available only at The Marmalade Pantry ION Orchard. The decadent two-tiered high tea set features new selections such as smoked salmon sandwiches, cucumber & watercress sandwiches, truffle egg mayo sandwiches, chili crabmeat sliders and petite fours, in addition to buttermilk scones with candied orange & cranberry, strawberry preserve, clotted cream and two signature cupcakes. Each tea set comes with two pots of artisan tea by Monogram.
Mastercard® cardholders enjoy a 15% off the ala carte menu at the bistro.
For more information and to make a reservation at The Marmalade Pantry ION Orchard, click here.
The Marmalade Pantry @ ION Orchard
ION Orchard, #04-11a, 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801
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