Dinner at Equinox @ Swiss'hotel Stamford

2 Stamford Road, Level 69, Swissotel the Stamford, Singapore 178882

Tel: 6338 8585

Website: http://www.swissotel.com/hotels/singapore-stamford/dining/equinox-restaurant

or

http://www.fairmont.com/singapore/dining/equinoxrestaurant

The chosen venue tonight is Equinox @ Swissotel Stamford, for its magnificent cityscape views, high floor-dining and elegant ambience. Also, it was The Beau's birthday.

So how it worked was that, we rode this adorable elevator with the irridescent walls up to Level 69, where then we were ushered to our seat.

We chose a Windows Seat so that we could dine with this kind of view looming in front of us. Yes, the night seemed to come alive, and the view is breathtaking - I believe Singapore's sensual night views have overtaken many urban cities' in recent years.  The glowing Singapore Flyer making its rounds against the dark nightskies, the colors of the various skycrapers flanking the iconic MBS, and the Laser Shows etc were all worth the extra SGD$20.00 we paid for the windows seat.

Besides the views, the restaurant itself had an easy comfort to its elegance, and we loved the contemporary music. The only problem we had was that the tables were positioned rather near to each other. Maybe Equinox tried to cramp more tables by the windows so that more patrons get to drink in the scenic flavors of the night?

The staff came over with the tray of Bread, so I selected an Olive bread and The Beau took a Baguette and a Cheese bun. We loved the crisp freshness of the bread, especially the olive and cheese ones; butter was served on the side.

There was also a complimentary starter that was being served, consisting of some cream cheese and raisins, and was being described by the staff as "like panna cotta".  It was pleasant - a touch of savoury and raisins; I ate mine with the bread.

The Beau had a starter of Duck Consomme, Braised Duck Leg, Truffle Ravioli (SGD$20.00) . The consomme broth was herbal in nature, but strangely warm instead of hot, hence the grease was illuminated. The ravioli melted in the mouth, and the braised duck leg was crispy around the edges; the pairing was excellent.

For mains, The Beau had the Slow-cooked Pork Cheek and Belly, Mushroom Escabeche, Coriander (SGD$58.00). The pork cheek was not cooked to a tenderness as I had hoped it to be, but instead was crisp and delicious in a chewy manner. The pork belly flanked some fatty parts and was an overall texture tease of tender flesh and bouncy parts.

I chose the Miso-Roasted Black Cod, Sweet Pickled Vegetables, Horseradish Edamane Puree (SGD$75.00). The buttery-smooth fish was roasted to a lovely golden sheen, and its saccharine taste was slightly enhanced by the ever-so-light smoky overtures. The fish had a nicely firm texture to it as well. The tiny radish tempura balls hidden within the pickled vegetables were appetite whetting discoveries.

For drinks, The Beau chose an Equinox Blue cocktail (SGD$22.00) - comprising of some fruits and blue curaco etc, with a generous dash of liquer to it.

I had a Cosmopolitan (SGD$22.00), a sweet and pretty red cocktail served in an ice bowl glass.

For desserts, we shared a Poached William Pear (SGD$18.00)- with scented Rooibos tea, honey, lemongrass sorbet and served with a lovely dash of dry ice, making the place so beautifully misty. The lemongrass sorbet was utterly refreshing, and paired with the grainy-textured sweetened pear, made this dessert an excellant choice.

All in all, we enjoyed our dining experience at Equinox, from the sophisticated ambience to impeccable service to magnificent views and lovely cuisine. It was worth nearly every dime.