Cheese lovers, here are six places to satisfy your fromage cravings
From cheese buffets to unlimited servings with champers at brunch, these purveyors prove that sweet dreams are made of cheese.
The cheese platter at Ash & Elm. (Photo: Ash & Elm)
For lovers of cheese, there is no dreamier place than one that offers an extensive selection of well-aged or freshly made cheeses. These establishments offer some of the biggest or most impressive ranges in town, some in unlimited servings, too.
ALLEY ON 25
Free-flow of beer, wines, soft drinks and Andaz Pale Ales awaits at the Andaz Kitchen Party at Alley on 25 every Wednesday and Thursday, from 6pm until 9pm. During that time, S$50 will get you never-ending rummages through fully stocked fridges and your fill of bar bites that include cold cuts, salads and dips. For cheese lovers, the rotating variety from The Cheese Artisans holds the most appeal – think the likes of Taleggio, Fourme d’Ambert, Mimolette and Brie, served with breads from Tiong Bahru Bakery. Bonus: The sweeping views of the city from its 25th storey perch.
hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/singapore/andaz-singapore/sinaz/dining
ASH & ELM
The Sunday Champagne Brunch (S$148) at InterContinental’s Ash & Elm is popular for its classic French dishes prepared a la minute. But a large part of its draw can also be attributed to the impressive selection of British and European cheeses in its Charcuterie and Cheese Room. Go back for unlimited helpings of the likes of aged Comte, Gruyere, Emmenthal and Stilton, and wash it all down with the free flow of Taittinger Brut Champagne. A smaller selection of cheeses is available as part of the daily semi-buffet priced at $28.
singapore.intercontinental.com/dine-drink/ash-elm
BASILICO
The cheese room at Italian buffet restaurant Basilico is almost legendary. It heaves with an impressive selection that might include Comte and truffle brie, Gorgonzola and aged Parmesan. But on Formaggissimo Nights, things get really wild. For just S$40, you can partake in the long-standing Italian tradition of eating as much cheese as you can muster. Take your pick of primo sale, a semi-soft sheep’s milk cheese produced in Sicily, studded with deeply green pistachios, which are also a speciality of the island; and Castelmagno from Piedmont, made from a mix of cow’s and goat’s milk. There are cheeses from famed affineur Beppino Occeli such as crutin, a crumbly cow’s milk cheese enriched with summer truffles, and cheese infused with the likes of whiskey, Amarone, red chillies and white chocolates. Available every last Wednesday of February, April, June, August, October and December, from 6.30pm until 10pm.
regenthotels.com/regent-singapore/overview/news-events/formaggissimo
CULINA COMO DEMPSEY
This providore’s rebirth in a sprawling new space in Dempsey purveys everything from steaks and cakes to breads and pastas, but there’s also a handsome selection of cheeses from Alleosse. If you haven’t already heard, Alleosse is the only fromagerie in Paris with its own cheese-ripening cellars in which they create heady raw milk varieties such as goat’s milk cheese, ewe cheese, veined and blue. Pick a couple from the cheese counter, grab a packet of crackers, some fruit and a bottle of wine, then wait for it all to be arranged pleasingly on a platter for you to devour at your table.
READ> The new Culina at COMO Dempsey: Grocery shopping never looked this good
HILTON SINGAPORE
At the Hilton Sunday Champagne Brunch (from S$98), you could blow your calorie count on morsels of foie gras brulee and slow-roasted Australian wagyu, or king crab ravioli and freshly shucked oysters. Or, you could save most of it for the over 30 varieties of seasonal European cheese that await in the cheese room. Nibble on wedges of crumbly aged Parmesan, drizzle honey over earthy Roquefort, pair dried fruit with Edam or go all out at the live Raclette station. Whatever you choose, you’ll be stumbling out of the restaurant with bellies full and – if you really went about it the right way – exhaling cheese breath for the remainder of the day.
hilton.com/en/hotels/singapore/hilton-singapore-SINHITW/dining/index.html
THE MAST
At this restaurant, bar and cheese production laboratory, you can watch your range of buffalo milk cheeses being made, pulled and shaped while you nosh on the likes of burrata, mozzarella and stracciatella. The Mast, which the restaurant tells us means ‘cheese master’ in the Southern Italian dialect, is the only restaurant facility that produces these fresh cheeses on site using high-quality milk from its own buffalo farm in Valle dei Templi in Paestum. Try the Tris Di Bufala (S$35), a selection of burrata, mozzarella and special burrata (stuffed with an additional ingredient like pesto, gorgonzola or if you’re lucky, truffles) served with focaccia. The menu includes a host of antipasti, salads and pastas featuring the buffalo milk cheeses too.
