aldora: The Halia, Singapore Botanic Gardens

Garden-Styled Farewell Dinner @ The Halia

Feeling like having something unique and different from the usual dining places with your deep pockets? Then The Halia would be a great place for you to visit.

Located within the Singapore Botanic Gardens, you will literally be dining with nature itself :)

"Halia" means ginger in Malay. Hence the restaurant specializes in using ginger as their key ingredient in their cuisines.

I made the reservation at 7.30pm online via Chope, an online reservation platform and it was effortless. The staff even called my mobile to confirm my reservation on the day itself.

The restaurant is nowhere near the Botanic Gardens MRT Station and we spend approximately 30 minutes locating it as we took the MRT to Botanic Gardens after work. The guys were complaining as they were made to walk around the garden in their long-sleeved shirts and they were perspiring profusely when we finally arrived at our destination.

Restaurant Name: The Halia
Website: http://thehalia.com/sbg/halia-at-sbg/about-the-halia/
Location:
Ginger Garden inside Botanic Gardens
1 Cluny Road
Singapore 259569
Tel: 6476 6711
Operating Hours:
Monday - Friday, 12:00 to 17:00 and 18:30 to 22:00
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday, 08:00 to 22:00 and 18:30 to 22:00

Le' Ambience

The restaurant appeared to be much smaller than what we expected it would be but we were really grateful for the air-conditioning indoors as we nearly melted from the heat outside.

Of course, if you would like to be a step closer with Mother Nature, you may opt to dine outside but you might need to prepare mosquito repellant LOL.

Le' Service

The staff was very attentive in serving us and they took the initiative to explain the menu to us.

In addition, the staff observed that we were all worn out from the walking and heat outside, they even offered us with their in-house complimentary drink - Iced Halia Infusion (we shall talk about this under the Food review section).

Le' Menu

The dinner menu was served.

Introduction Page on the Menu...

A Garden Journey and Vegetarian Set

Appetizers

Chef's Specials

More Main Course...

Desserts!

You may visit their official website to download the updated Menu for Lunch, Set Meals and Wine and Beverages etc.

Le' Food

Table loaded with foodies :)

Ice Halia Infusion (SGD10.00++)

House Specialty of Sun-dried Ginger and Wild Mountain Honey

Ice Halia Infusion (SGD10.00++)

This was complimentary and it tasted refreshing :) We were told that the ginger was imported from Vietnam. To those who dislike the spicy taste of ginger, do stay away from this drink at all costs.

Close-Up

Basket of Bread

Basket of Bread

Aww what is more satisfying than having warmly baked bread to go with balsamic vinegar + olive oil?

Fries to Share

Fries to Share :)

The fries tasted great and they do not get soggy after some time like those served by McDonald's.

We were grateful that we ordered the fries as we were are pre-empted by the staff that the food might take approximately 40 minutes to be served and hence we were more or less expected to wait with our empty bellies. Poor us ~

Paperbag Oven-baked Chilean Seabass Fillet, Mushroom, Broccolini, Mirin Sake Ginger Broth, Sesame Japanese Rice, Wakame Salad, Truffle Aioli (SGD47.00++)

Paperbag Oven-baked Chilean Seabass Fillet, Mushroom, Broccolini, Mirin Sake Ginger Broth, Sesame Japanese Rice, Wakame Salad, Truffle Aioli (SGD47.00++)

The Sesame Japanese Rice was served with a bright and cheerful Smiley Face on it :)

Smiley Face!!!

Posing with the irresistibly cute plate of rice!

The staff even helped to unwrap the paperbag to reveal the oven-baked chilean seabass fillet.

Unwrapping the Fish Fillet...

Overall, this dish seemed to be pretty normal to us as we usually consume paperbag herbal chicken in our Chinese Cuisines as well. The taste was average too.

Parmesan and Almond Crust Stingray Fillet, Curried Cauliflower and Potato Leaves (SGD38.00++)

Parmesan and Almond Crust Stingray Fillet, Curried Cauliflower and Potato Leaves (SGD38.00++)

We liked the tangy taste from the curry which added some spice to the dish. Also, the topping tasted somewhat like garlic although it was supposed to be parmesan and almon crust.

We enjoyed this dish the most although it was the cheapest from our selection to be honest.

French Confit Duck Leg, Sweet Potato, pickled Pineapple and Cucumber, Lychee and Local Herbs, Tamarind Jus (SGD42.00)

French Confit Duck Leg, Sweet Potato, pickled Pineapple and Cucumber, Lychee and Local Herbs, Tamarind Jus (SGD42.00)

This dish tasted a lot better than Saveur's but the gravy was too salty to our liking. The pickled pineapple and toppings which came alongside with the dish did add some tropical flavors to the dish but overall the gravy is still too salty and overpowering for me.

Grilled Rangers Valley (SGD54.00++)

Wagyu Flank Steak, Smoked Mashed Potato, heirloom Tomatoes, Avocado and Wasabi Puree, Yuzu Dressing

Grilled Rangers Valley (SGD54.00++)

Shawn said this dish tasted better than what he expected but he had tasted better wagyu beef elsewhere. Hence it was nothing fantastic for him.

However, we developed a special liking to the avocado and wasabi puree which looked like 'green poops' on the plate. We would prefer more wasabi taste in the puree but this served as a splendid dipping sauce for our fries!

Overall

We enjoyed our fine-dining experience at The Halia restaurant with the attentive service provided. We might visit this place again for weekend brunch but we felt that the food was a little too pricey.. Perhaps we might just do a potluck picnic at the Botanic Gardens instead to enjoy nature fully. LOL.