Even with how unkind the year has been, the advent of Christmas just around the corner always brings a warm smile to our face, even if we’re limited to social gatherings of just five. Sparking off the Christmas spirit this year is Lime Restaurant at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, where we had a taste of their extensive, a la carte festive buffet.
The decor at Parkroyal never lets us down, greeted with Christmas trimmings and a tree at the entrance of Lime Restaurant, we felt a sense of festive joy before settling down for our festive buffet dinner, looking forward to trying the roasts and log cakes available for this limited period.
After being ushered to our seats, our waiter served us our welcome drinks, and explained how the new a la carte serving style would work. Gone were the days of us waiting in front of the chefs to order up a fresh meal, or helping ourselves to the wide array of food offerings; instead, we would be filling up and submitting order forms each time we wanted a new helping.
We started off by ordering Lime’s traditional roasted turkey, served with chestnut stuffing, Brussels sprouts and green beans, Mongolian mustard, red wine miso and natural jus. I’m always cautious when ordering turkey, as so much of the time, they’re either too dry or just lacking in taste, and is often one of the hardest meats to cook. But this is where Lime excels, where their turkey was cooked to absolute perfection. Moist and juicy, and drizzled with the red wine miso, it was just perfect. Together with the savoury chestnut filling packed full of flavour, Lime’s turkey turned out to be a highlight of the evening thanks to its great execution. With any Christmas dinner, one would also expect ham. So of course we had to try Lime’s honey and citrus glazed ham, hitting all the right notes and exactly what we expected of a quality ham, meeting all my expectations.
For those who prefer to mix their traditional Christmas fare with more contemporary buffet offerings, Lime also serves up their much sought after Pickering Lobster Laksa, along with a mixed seafood platter, comprising fresh shellfish such as prawns, oysters and mussels. As they say, oysters rarely need any seasoning when served freshly shucked, with the natural taste of the sea. With just a squeeze of lemon, these oysters were exactly what I was craving. Those looking for sushi and sashimi will be pleased to know that they’re also available, with luscious salmon, tuna and tako (octopus) on the menu.
If you’re looking for more meat, Lime also offers up hearty servings of Australian lamb chop and wagyu beef prime ribs, satay, as well as duck meat and roast pork belly with all the requisite condiments. There’s even something for the vegetarians, or those game to try the plant-based items on their menu, such as the plant-based Swedish meat balls. If you come on Fridays and Saturdays, you can even enjoy Hong Lim Hawker Favourites such as Tai Wah pork noodles and Heng Kee curry chicken bee hoon mee.
As for dessert, the variety of sweet treats on offer will not disappoint you, especially with their array of Christmas confections. Highlights include their selection of Yule log cakes, namely the strawberry chiffon, the chocolate passion fruit, the rainbow durian (with a layered rainbow cake inside) and black forest. Each one comes in bite-sized servings, each one moist, soft and flavourful. Other options include crème brûlée and a selection of ice cream, with flavours such as gula melaka or even coconut kaffir lime sorbet, before ending the meal with a hot coffee or tea.
Let’s put it this way, Lime’s specially curated Christmas feast is one that warms the heart and soul, and provides just what you want for Christmas. Most importantly, Lime gets its limited time Christmas offerings right, and the rest of the menu has the right mix of everything that would keep anyone and everyone at the table happy. Meeting Assistant Food and Beverage Manager Nigel Tan at the end of the night was a highlight for me, and what I missed most during this trying year: having conversations with people that love what they do and are doing what they do best for us to enjoy the experience, making for a wonderful evening spent at Lime.
The week after, we returned once again to enjoy Tiers of Joy – Lime’s high tea. Served with a pot of TWG tea and three tiers of petit fours to share, from decadent sandwiches, to canapés, and dessert.
We were even served a side of scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. This was a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon with friends and family, having an aromatic cup of tea or coffee and indulging in these high tea offerings without spending a bomb.
In all, Lime’s lineup of festive buffets and high teas make for a wonderful way to spend time with loved ones this December, offering up a good variety of cuisine and tasty festive specialties to make Christmas that much brighter. ’tis the season of giving, and the gift of good company and good food certainly makes for a great way to mark the end of a difficult year, and look forward to the next.
Lime’s festive F&B lineup is available at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering. Festive Feasts and Festive Afternoon Tea are available from 27th November 2020 to 2nd January 2021, with different hours on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Pre-order roasts and more via the e-shop here For dining reservations and enquiries, contact +65 6809 8899 or email dining.prsps@parkroyalhotels.com For more information, visit their website here
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