Meals :diane hurford
by Diane Hurford Creator of Brolly Sheets
I wholeheartedly agree that everything tastes better when you don't cook it yourself. I love eating out although I don't get to do it as often these days with kids and a busy business. I'm quite adventurous when it comes to trying new things, which comes in handy when I'm travelling.
My Best Meal: The legendary Raffles Hotel in Singapore wins hands down. My
husband, Glenn was in Singapore for business and I travelled to meet him for a few days. We started the night at the Long Bar sipping Singapore Slings. The famous cocktail was first created by a barman working at the
Long Bar around 1915, so 'When in Rome' as they say. It's a relaxed setting with decor inspired by the plantations of the 1920s. The band playing in the background also added to the ambience. They also have a bowl of peanuts on every table and it's customary to scatter the shells around the floor. Moving onto to the main event, we headed to the Bar & Billiard
Room for their opulent buffet. Legend has it that Singapore's last tiger was shot dead inside this room in 1902. It also houses two original billiard tables from the turn of the century. The food can only be described as sublime. From the carvery with
delicious cuts of meat to the pasta made to order and the decadent desserts - it's difficult to name a favourite. For Glenn the black cod in creamy lemon sauce was a standout.
The service was impeccable - every time we left our seats to go to the buffet (which was often) we returned to a fresh linen napkin. The whole Raffles experience was fantastic and it was definitely worth splurging on.
My Worst Meal: One of our key suppliers is located in China and I go there regularly
for business. One particular meal is etched into my gastronomic memory bank and was a shoe-in for my worst meal ever. I was taken to a very special restaurant by my supplier and treated
to one of their local delicacies - duck. I was served duck's blood soup - basically a watery base with chunks of congealed duck blood. Ironically duck's blood soup is considered a natural treatment for diarrhoea and nausea. A duck's head, one of China's luxury foods, was also divided into
four sections and I was lucky enough to be served one of the sections that contained brains. Need I go on? It's also important to note that my supplier spotted two of his
friends at the restaurant and they joined our table. They spoke mandarin all night and I was left staring into my duck's blood soup!
memories wit h
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