Sapphire - 1st Jun 2013
Ever since attending a wedding dinner at The Jewel Box a few months ago, I have been meaning to take my lovely wife there to dine at this iconic hilltop restaurant. At 106m above sea-level, Mount Faber which was originally named Telok Blangah Hill, is Singapore’s second highest hill and a popular tourist destination.
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| A unique and captivating tourist destination, The Jewel Box |
In 1974, Singapore’s first cableway system and the first in the world to span a harbour was launched. This cableway linked Mount Faber and the Sentosa island. In 2005, this humble cable car station underwent its biggest refurbishment and rebranding and was transformed into a unique and captivating tourist destination, The Jewel Box.
There are a number of restaurants at The Jewel Box and we ended up dining at the Sapphire which is an open-air casual restaurant. As I understand from the staff, the air-conditioned restaurant, Black Opal, serves the same food in a more elegant setting and long jeans/pants is a must for guys.
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| The wooden architecture |
After taking in the panoramic view of the harbour, I paused to admire the wooden architecture and lush green surroundings. There is even a large Angsana tree that has been integrated into the design of the restaurant. Where we were seated, there was a constant breeze which made dining outdoor very comfortable.
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| A classic caesar salad |
As a start, we shared a classic caesar salad. The romaine lettuce was well tossed with the dressing and topped off with half a boiled egg, garlic croutons, bacon bits and grated parmesan cheese. I enjoyed the salad which had sufficient flavour though I would have preferred some chopped up anchovies.
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| Confit pork belly |
For the mains, I wanted the wagyu beef however they ran out of it so I had the only other red meat on the menu, lamb rack. I convinced my wife to order the pork belly since she needed more energy and pork cooked in its own fat sounded too good to miss. The confit pork belly melted in your mouth. All that braising in lard made it one moist piece of pork goodness. This was accompanied by garlic mash potato and stewed vegetables (ratatouille). The tomato based stewed vegetables had a slight sourness that balanced out the richness of the pork belly. The portion was perfect for my wife and she was happy I chose this dish for her. If it had not been delicious, I would had to sacrifice and swap my lamb rack with her. Thankfully I did not have to since my lamb rack was equally yummy.
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The generous portion of lamb was left in a 4 rib rack and
was well seasoned with provencal herbs |
The tender lamb was cooked to my desired medium doneness. The generous portion of lamb was left in a 4 rib rack and was well seasoned with provencal herbs. There was aplenty of the accompanying prune jus which drowned the potato mousseline. The creamy mash with that much sauce just made the dish a little too wet for my liking. The lamb was supposed to be served with roast vegetables however instead it came with stewed vegetables. Nothing wrong with stewed vegetables just that with all that moisture on the plate, I would have preferred roast vegetables.
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| Chendol inspired coconut panna cotta |
We finished off our dinner on a high. The chendol inspired coconut panna cotta was rich and divine. The combination of green jelly noodles, nipah fruit (also known as attap chee) and gula melaka sauce was perfect.
Belinda and I enjoyed the dinner as much as we enjoyed the view and each other’s company. This is going to be random but I forgot to mention they have a toilet with a killer view. It’s been a long time since I sat on the cable car. I wonder if they serve the same food on board because that would make one hell of a ride.
Sapphire: 109 Mount Faber Road, The Jewel Box, Singapore 099203
For reservations: 6377 9688
~ Andre Huber
Managing Director
