Halia

I love the salmon and hiramasa kingfish topped with oscietra caviar ($94+)  and Blackmore wagyu rump with saffron mash and edamame ($96+) 

More reviews at http://DanielFoodDiary.com

This is literally a restaurant in the garden – and within Singapore’s most iconic Botanic Gardens. “Halia” drew its name from the Ginger Garden nearby, and is indeed a scenic get-away place for that relaxing brunch or romantic dinner in earthy greenery.

Halia Restaurant is not the most accessible place in Singapore, but getting here is worth it if you want to indulge in a quiet dreamy dinner, especially if the weather is cooling. After 10 years, it has also gone through a facelift with a new menu and a young Chef de Cuisine Reynaldo Arriola.

The Honey-baked Kurobuta Ham ($32++) was more impressive for the same price. While the meat could still be tenderer, the caramelised fig on top worked in a subtle balance both in taste and texture.

I also need to add that The Halia Infusion ($10++) made with imported Vietnam sundried ginger and wild mountain honey is the best ‘teh halia’ I ever had – Simply wonderful

http://danielfooddiary.com/2011/12/16/halia/

 

Brunch on weekends start from 10am - 4pm.

We ordered the Poached eggs on brioche, dill hollandaise, roast brown mushroom, spinach and tomato with crisp back bacon ($24). It looks basically like an egg benedict. The mushrooms are juicy and loaded with lots of spinach. A recommended item to order on the next visit.

The other hearty breakfast was Scrambled eggs on sourdough ($20) with 2 items to choose from. The sourdough was a little hard. It would be much better if its substitute with brioche.

Thumbs up for the attentive and polite service from staffs which made the whole experience pleasant.

Went to Halia for lunch one idyllic weekday afternoon. My friend and I had a set lunch each which costs just $38. 

For a start, Halia is located within Botanical Gardens. It is very pleasantly done up with a view of Botanical Gardens on one side and the outdoor sitting area on the other. The outdoor sitting area is quaint and had a distinctly resort feel to it. 

The starters of foie gras and scallops were both very good. The foie gras was perfectly cooked and was savoury yet not overly heavy. The scallops were "sashimi style"and were fresh and naturally sweet. 

Our mains of coq au vin and steak were also very tasty although we had to return both dishes initially because the steak was burnt and bitter, and the chicken was raw in some parts. The staff seemed genuinely dismayed that the food was not well prepared and quickly removed the dishes. While we waited, they served us raspberry sorbet which was rather yummy and effectively cleansed our palates for the replacement main dishes. When the replacements arrived, the steak was perfectly seared on either side. The chicken was delicious and perfectly done. 

Unfortunately I cannot recall the names of the desserts that we had but they were the 2 Halia specialty desserts (a chocolate flavored ?mousse and a ginger parfait). They were both unique although people with an aversion to ginger may not like the distinctly "gingerly" taste. 

I would most certainly visit Halia again. 

After an alluring decade at the Botanic Gardens, The Halia Restaurant has rejuvenated itself with a new look, menu and culinary team. Taking the helm at The Halia’s new kitchen is Chef de Cuisine Reynaldo Arriola. With close to a decade of training and professional culinary experience in Singapore and France, Chef Reynaldo’s new menu at The Halia showcases modern European cuisine with occasional touches of Asian spices.

For more information, please click here.

Start your meal with Tian of vine ripened tomato, pine nut, guacamole, mango salsa, shiso and braised courgette. Very light and refreshing dish, a favourite for the green lovers.

The Blue Fin Tuna Tataki is crusted with black and white sesame seeds, which the chef roasted at just about the right time and temperature. Marinated in soy, cut a slice of tuna tataki and choose to pair it with sautéed baby spinach or saffron cream sauce.

I don't have a sweet tooth but the term "bacon pear ice cream" just excites me. Bacon pear? Does it have a oily and salty aftertaste? Or was it just another ordinary pear ice cream? So it turns out to be a sweet pear ice cream with bacon bits. The fresh baked fig tart was lovely and not too sweet. Someone in the dinner commented that it tastes like Roti Prata, I think it tastes better than Roti Prata! Paired with chocolate coated almond date, brie cheese, sour cream sabayon and wild mountain honey, the dinner ended on a happy note.

Reserved for a dinner for two on a weekday.

Overall it is an amazing place. Best time to go would be dusk or on a full moon as there is very little moody lighting in the area.

It's actually difficult area to find. It should be noted that drivers should turn at Tyersall Ave and drive until they see the Halia sign post on the left hand side of the road.

Was originally offered al fresco seating, but the wait staff asked us if we want to sit inside. It wasn't really cool outside, but it wasn't freezing inside. So we opted to sit inside even if there was (a simple and quiet) private function inside. Wait staff are very knowledgeable of the the menu and can offer good recommendations. Not too pushy, and prompt.

Had the soup of the day, a sea bass main entree, and two dessert with the wine pairing. Soup of the day was average. The sea bass main entree came with some Japanese rice and cucumber strips. Served with San Marzano tomatoes. We shared both the soup and the main entree. Let the tomatoes pop in your mouth.

For dessert we had the Strawberries and Cream Edible Garden and (I forgot the name) with the wine pairing. Just take note that the paired wine might come in a small glass.

 

All in all the experience was good. Food was good.

Halia, located at the Ginger Garden of Botanic Gardens, has been around for a long time. Yet, I had never heard about it until I did a random search recently, and deciding to have a slow lunch recently, made a trip down to check the place out.

Located among shrubs, it does remind me of that far flung dining destination that one could fine in Bangkok, but rarely in our bustling city. The setting was simple, and good enough to help me forget the stressful events in my life while I enjoyed a nice sit down lunch.

I started with the Tuna Tataki ($18), which had pieces of sliced tuna soaked in olive oil mixed with avocado. I felt that the avocado would have tasted a little better if it was chilled a little more.

The Prawn Cake ($18) came in two small bite sizes with a side of salad. The version served here seemed to have a higher level of fish that was used in the cake and hence lacked the usual crunchy level which I am used to.

Down to the main courses, the Chilli Crab Spaghetti ($24) was a little soggy.

I also tried the Steak Sandwich ($22). The steak was done very well, with not too much tenderizer used and yet the meat was easy to consume with the sourdough bread.

The star of the meal though had to be the Ginger Nougat ($12) that I had for dessert. The parfait was excellent with a slight ginger finish and was certainly a pleasant way to end the meal.

Service standards were pretty good. When there was a strand of hair found in the sandwich, they were quick to apologise and replace the entire dish. On the whole, I enjoyed the setting, but it was a pity that I did not enjoy the food that much. Perhaps it would do well as a hi-tea or breakfast place.

Came here for Mothers' Day. My dad, who isn't exactly a fan of Western cuisine, enjoyed the food very much, to my surprise. (He had the tomato soup of the day + the Chilean seabass).

My mom loved her set course of white prawn satay, ocean trout and ginger ice cream.

The morel appetiser I had was awesome. I've never tasted mushrooms more well prepared.

Service was great too. Staff were proactive but not intrusive, helpful and friendly.

Had a 2 year "anniversary" dinner here with the boyfriend a couple weeks ago. We had just a tad of an issue finding the place because it was in the middle of the Boatanic gardens and we did not know which entrance was the closest. For the record, the side entrance is the closest ;)

We had made reservations inside, but when we reached the restaurant was not full, so we were given an inside/outside option again. Outside looked very tempting as it was romantically lit and surrounded by foliage, but it was just too humid for us. Inside was just as nice! It was very cosy. We were seated next to the large windows also surrounded by foliage, and the lighting was perfectly dimmed as well. Our table setting was clean and classy.

We both took the set menu so we could try what they reccomend. My bf had wine with his set which costed $50 more, but he said it was worth it as they served him a substantial ammount of different wine per course. We were served bread that was refillable with olive oil. We tried one with grains and the second- my favorite kind- ciabatta. Both were served fresh and warm.

For appetizers, I had the seafood and he had the mushrooms. My seafood salad was shredded crabmeat over avacados. Alone, the crab was obviously the frozen/thawed kind, as the texture was fine but had shell in it and the "seafood taste" was quite strong. However, it wasn't too bad and was quite enjoyable if I ate it with the avacado like I was reccomended to do (probably to mask the frozen/thawedness of the crab). My bf's mushroom mix was alright. He liked it, but I'm not a big fan of mushrooms, so maybe I'm biased.

We both had the duck main course. It came with japanese sweet potato puree. I really liked the puree. I've never though about eating sweet poatoes with butter before! There was also a carmalised date. Mine was burnt (the caramel), so I don't know if they have an inexperienced chef, or what was going on, but I didn't ask them to change the plate because I was quite hungry and also didn't want my bf to wait. The warm cherry tomato was reccomended to be put into our mouths whole so the juice would explode inside which turned out to be a very good suggestion. I really liked the feeling and flavor of that warm tomato. Finally, the duck was really good! It was sliced about quarter inch thick, and was cooked to a medium rare so it was pink in the middle and had escalating doneness to the edge. What I think might have been artichokes was placed under the duck and that was a rather interesting combination. Our food was served in warm plates and beautifully displayed.

Dessert was a real treat. I had a molten chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream and a strawberry. The cake was wondefully done! It was rich in chocolatey taste, crispy on the outside, and right warm and gooey on the inside! Mmmm, it was a perfect match to the vanilla ice cream. My bf had the creme brulee. I had a little taste and thought it was amazing. If nothing else, Halia is a fantastic place to have desserts!

I finished my dinner with the establishment's famous ginger tea (not included in the set). They claim the dried ginger and its honey were imported from Vietnam. They brought a glass I had to let the ginger soak in for awhile, and a seperate shot glass with honey I could add when I was ready to drink the tea. There were ants swimming in my honey. That immediately tells me that the honey was not 100% pure. They brought me a new shot. The tea wasn't anything to rave about. It was literally ginger and honey. I like teas, so it passed, but when I make the same exact thing at home, I like to add a little lemon. Just saying.....

This whole dinner was made much more pleasant than it could have been because of the staff. Our waiter smiled all the time and knew about everything on the menu. He was efficient, polite and even abit comical. With each course he served, he explained what everything was on the plate and how the chef would reccomend you to eat it. It was only a little wierd that for the drinks after dessert they sent another waiter who stuttered and rushed through the explanation. I figure he must've been new and is totally fine with us, because if you never parctice, you never learn right? All in all, the service was top notch. We had a really enjoyable time.

Went to Halia to dine with my bf since it was his birthday. Wanted to book a table for 2 in the indoor area, but got a call from the restaurant 2 day before the actual day that the person who took down my reservation have made a mistake as the indoor area that day has been booked for a private function and they can only put me in the outdoor area.

I was a little upset as my bf is a person who cannot take heat. Nonetheless, restuarant manager said there's nothing that they can do and asked if I wanna continue with my reservations. I had no choice since it was a little too late to search for another place.

The best thing that happened that day was the rain! We dined outdoor and it was cooling!!! Went there for their set lunch and we had a 3 course and a 2 course lunch. We shared the dessert. My appeitzer was the soft shell crab and I'm happy with it, but my bf didnt really like his mushroom soup. He said was a little too bland. My main course was a seafood wrap with lots of cheese, pretty decent and he had the tandoori chicken which he enjoyed. Desert was brownie with ice cream, nothing special, and follow by coffee and tea. Overall, we enjoyed dinning there because of the cooling weather and greens around us. He commented that he felt like he was eating in the jungle, since he just completed his reservist last week. Haha!

Service could be better IMHO. Bf requested to charge his blackberry and the first reponse from the lady was "we don't have power plug" Come on, how can you not have any power point in the place! When I questioned her, she then said she need to check with management as they don't wish that our charger to trip the power in the restaurant. So, they DO have powerpoint!!! Anyway, she came back to us and agreed to help us with the little request.

Nice place to go with your special someone....