Review: Sofitel So / Xperience Valentine’s Day Menu

By Beautifulbuns

I’m always a fan of the period from December to March – Dec has that many holidays as well as the festive mood, January sees my motivation levels shoot through the roof, and February is totally the season of love with Valentine’s day as well as hate from the relatives who have all their targets set on me with their “You’re so fat” bullets. ah well. The things I have to put up with for good food and feasting.

Thankfully, there’s nothing much I need to endure when I’m enjoying the Valentine’s Day menu at Sofitel So – essentially, it’s the old Singtel building (a long, loooong time ago), which was then taken over by Ogilvy & Mather (betcha didn’t know I used to work there!), and now, it’s Sofitel So, a luxury boutique hotel that’s located at the junction next to Lau Pa Sat (the satay street).

The facade of the hote – Sofitel So is located at 35 Robinson Road

They have a few entrances, so this is one of them – if you peer very closely enough to the left side of the photo, you can see people dining, and that’s where Xperience is – it’s their restaurant

How Xperience looks like in the day….

… and how it looks like at night – the ambiance is completely different! Breakfast in bed anyone? There’s literally a bed tucked away in the corner of Xperience.

The open kitchen concept where you can see your food being prepared – although I barely glanced across once the food started arriving. Sofitel So has so, so delicious food (pun totally and cheesily intended).

A special setting for the night – the tables aren’t usually joined like this

Here’s what the 3-course Valentine’s Day meal consists of (omg, I’m hungry just looking and editing the photos)

Starter: Amuse Bouche, consisting of a fresh and succulent oyster that didn’t have any of that fishy taste that sits on a bed of whipped cream as well as some caviar.

Since I am allergic to shellfish, the chef and Resident Culinary Designer Anne-Cecile Degenne very kindly whipped up something else for me, which was this meat dumpling.

Replacement Starter: A soft, succulent and juicy dumpling served in this adorable one-person serving-size dimsum basket.

Appetiser: Fresh Crab Meat, Seaweed, Cucumber and Ginger Sorbet

Unfortunately, here’s another dish that I couldn’t take because of my allergy, but from the satisfied faces and nodding heads of the people around me, I surmised that this is yummy. I heard comments such as “refreshing”, “fresh”, “yummy” and more.

Replacement Appetiser (for those with shellfish allergy): Fish Ceviche, Cucumber, Jalapeno & Coriander Sorbet

I love, love, love this dish – I would go back specially just for this dish! It’s very fresh sea bass slices topped with cucumber and jalapeno for that perfect combination of heat and crisp crunch. The jalapeno can get a little spicy, and this is where the sorbet comes in – it complements the dish perfectly by cooling down the palate. Omg. I could eat 10 pcs of this by myself. Nom Nom Nom.

Main: Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Salsifies, Mushroom and Truffle

Finally, something on the menu that I can eat without having to trouble the chef! This is super delish as well (and I’m not just saying that). The meat is cooked to a perfect medium-rare with the perfect pink-red, and  doesn’t require much chewing (aka non-rubbery).

The sear is even on all sides and perfectly marinated (but if you like them savoury like I do, add a dash of the sea salt-pepper condiments available on the table to bring out the sweetness of the meat even more!)

Dessert: Sharing Chocolate and Raspberry

This is kind of a seasonal (Valentine’s Day) take on the log cake – the long cylindrical hard chocolate exterior hides beneath it chocolate mousse as well as raspberry mousse/cream. It’s an absolute sight to be behold, but note that those without a sweet tongue may not take to this much. That said, it’s not overly sweet (despite me being a fan of dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate), and has sporadic raspberries to add some tanginess to the otherwise mostly-sweet dessert. The serving size is rather large as well – by the time this arrived, we were mostly full and this could be shared between 3-4 persons easily.

For Valentine’s Day this year, Sofitel So has prepared a special package, which I must say is pretty awesome.

A Parisian Affair package includes:

  • 1 Night’s Stay in So Cosy Room
  • International Buffet Breakfast
  • Specially curated Love Kit
  • 3-course Dinner with welcome cocktail and wine pairing at Xperience Restaurant on 13 February OR 5-course Dinner with welcome cocktail and a bottle of Ruinart Rose Champagne on 14 February
  • Complimentary WiFi

Dates / Rates: 13 & 14 February 2015

  • 1N Stay in a So Cosy Room on 13 February from $528++
  • 1N Stay in a So Cosy Room on 14 February from $588++

Book via (65) 6701 6800 or H8655@sofitel.com to enjoy this exclusive rate.

The So Cosy Room at Sofitel So Hotel

Sofitel is located at 35 Robinson Road S068876. Xperience is located on the ground floor.

For more information, visit their website here.