Christmas dinner celebrations 2018: Hotels and restaurants that offer festive ala carte and buffet menus for lunch, brunch and dinner

Capella Singapore, Candy Wonderland Christmas Brunch

Here’s where you can find the best of Christmas spreads, from classic roasted turkeys to delectable yuletide treats

Christmas is lurking just around the corner, doing everything it can to get our attention. Coupled with the fact that we’re now a society who takes consumerism to the next level… this means one thing. Apart from buying gifts, we’ll be feasting. Oh yes we will. Throw your diet out the window — and pick up where you left come 2 January 2019 — that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for. We’ve rounded up ten of our favourite hotels and restaurants whose festive menus are guaranteed to make your mouth water (don’t worry, the cancer-looking Blue Turkey certainly didn’t make our list). And while you can only have one Christmas eve dinner and Christmas lunch, other festive set menus are also available.

Capella Singapore

Capella Singapore’s annual festive brunch has bestowed upon us once again, and this year the hotel’s Grand Ballroom will be transformed into a whimsical Candy Wonderland. Relish in creations such as foie gras custard with gingerbread crouton and port wine reduction, Christmas Gammon ham with salad, caramelised walnut, endive and raspberry and a Capella Christmas Turkey carved a la minute. The little ones can also join in the magic show and try their hand at gingerbread cookie decoration.

Candy Wonderland Christmas Brunch

Date: 25 December
Time: 12:30pm — 3pm
Venue: Grand Ballroom Foyer
Adults: $208++ with free flow of non-alcoholic beverages,
$238++ per person with free flow of Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve NV Champagne, wines, beers and non-alcoholic beverages

Children: $78++ with free flow of soft drinks and juices (4 to 6 years old), $118++ per person with free flow of soft drinks and juices (7 to 12 years old)

Capella Singapore
1 The Knolls
Sentosa Island
Singapore 098297
Tel: +65 6591 5045

Il Cielo, Hilton Singapore

Chef Yohhei Sasaki of il Cielo won our hearts with his omakase menu a few months ago, and we’re sure his Christmas offerings won’t disappoint either. Here at the semi-al fresco rooftop Italian restaurant on level 24 of Hilton Singapore, you’ll be given the opportunity to revel in a six-course menu that features chef Sasaki’s specialties: foie gras with daikon, yellowtail, horseradish and yuzu miso vinaigrette; grilled Sicilian red prawn with couscous, Tuscan seafood sauce and zucchini; braised Hokkaido snow beef A5 neck with dark miso marinated celeriac and lemon pickles.

Date: 23 – 25 December
$138++ per person for a six-course menu

Il Cielo
Hilton Singapore
581 Orchard Road
Level 24
Singapore 238883

Cherry Garden, Mandarin Oriental

Mandarin Oriental’s Cherry Garden boasts some of the city’s best Cantonese dishes, and its festive menu is definitely one you shouldn’t missed. In addition to the restaurant’s signature dim-sum brunch, guests can also opt for a seven-course dinner menu which features the sauteed lobster and garlic in superior broth and pig trotters in sweetened vinegar.

Dessert aficionados can also rejoice with the hotel’s four new magical cakes: Joy of Christmas, an Earl Grey Tea souffle roll with berry tea infused mascarpone cream; classic Black Forest; Coffee Cognac Citrus Pound Cake and Christmas Snow, a delicious combination of almond and pineapple.

Date: 24 – 25 December
$138++ per person for a seven-course dinner menu

Cherry Garden
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
5 Raffles Ave
Singapore 039797
Tel: +65 6885 3500

Origin Grill, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

Chef de Cuisine Heidi Flanagan of Origin Grill will be serving up an enticing spread of set menus and a la carte dishes this Christmas. On Christmas eve, four-course and five-course set dinners will feature dishes such as house-cured beetroot and gin salmon, velvety foie gras and morello cherry pate served with toasted brioche, an exquisite Williams River cross bred wagyu and Acquerello aged risotto cooked with roasted butternut squash, taleggio, sage buerre noisette and pepitas.

Highlights on Christmas Day include charred Fremantle octopus, candied pumpkin and cheese on toast,and a succulent Rossini of Rangers Valley Black market sirloin. 

Christmas Eve Dinner

Date: 24 December
Time: 5.45pm – 7.30pm and 8pm – 11pm
$98++ per person for four-course set menu and $158++ for five-course set menu

Christmas Day Lunch

Date: 25 December
Time: 11am – 12.45pm and 1pm – 3.30pm
$60++ per person for three-course set menu with one appetiser, $125++ for three-course set menu with free flow appetisers

Origin Grill
Shangri-La Hotel Singapore
22 Orange Grove Road
Singapore 258350
Tel: +65 6213 4398

Basilico, Regent Singapore

Italian restaurant Basilico celebrates the season of merrymaking with a slew of festive menus, from weekday lunch buffets to brunches and dinners. The day before Christmas, indulge in Parma Ham-wrapped Turkey Roulade filled with foie gras and chestnuts, Jerusalem Artichoke Tortino and raisin sauce; and 12-hr Slow Cooked Pork Cotechino with Castelluccio Lentil Stew and Polenta Crouton.

Traditional Italian Christmas breads such as Panettone and Pandoro with Christmas Mascarpone Cream will also be available. On Christmas Day, look forward to brunch with a dedicated cheese room carrying over 50 Italian specialty cheeses and a live station of pan-seared foie gras with caramelised Amarena cherries. A seafood bar at dinner will carry poached lobsters, spiny lobsters, mussels and Alaskan king crabs.

Christmas Eve Lunch

Date: 24 December
Time: 12pm – 2.30pm
Adults: $85++ per person for buffet only, $129++ with free-flow prosecco, $155++ with free-flow champagne, $185++ with free-flow prestige wines
Children: $42.50++

Christmas Eve Dinner

Date: 24 December
Time: 7pm – 10pm
Adults: $199++ per person for buffet only, $243++ with free-flow prosecco, $269++ with free-flow champagne, $299++ with free-flow prestige wines
Children: $99.50++

Christmas Day Brunch

Date: 25 December
Time: 11am – 1.15pm and 1.45pm – 3.45pm
Adults: $168++ per person for buffet only, $212++ with free-flow prosecco, $238++ with free-flow champagne, $268++ with free-flow prestige wines
Children: $84++

Christmas Day Dinner

Date: 25 December
Time: 7pm – 10pm
Adults: $125++ per person for buffet only, $169++ with free-flow prosecco, $195++ with free-flow champagne, $225++ with free-flow prestige wines
Children: $62.50++

Basilico
Regent Singapore
1 Cuscaden Road
Level 2
Singapore 249715
Tel: +65 6725 3232

Racines, Sofitel Singapore City Centre

At Racines, you’ll get the best of both French and Chinese cuisine whether you opt for the  Art de Noel Dinner on Christmas Eve or Art de Noel Family Brunch on Christmas Day. The newest Sofitel in Singapore will serve honey-roasted ham with caramelized pineapples, and when fusion comes to play, the Kong Bak Pau (braised pork belly bun) is paired with light garlic aioli. Don’t leave without having a taste of Noel, a specially concocted holiday cocktail comprising premium bourbon, spice-infused coffee liqueur, rosso and lemon juice with a hint of vanilla.

Art de Noel Dinner

Date: 24 December
Time: 6pm – 10pm
Adults: $158++ per person for buffet with free flow juices, $178++ with free-flow wines and beers, $198++ with free-flow champagne
Children: $78++ for buffet

Art de Noel Family Brunch

Date: 25 December
Time: 12.30pm – 3.30pm
Adults: $168++ per person for buffet with free flow juices, $198++ with free-flow wines and beers, $228++ with free-flow champagne, $268++ with free-flow Rose Champagne
Children: $88++ for buffet

Racines
Sofitel Singapore City Centre
9 Wallich Street
Level 5
Singapore 078885
Tel: +65 6428 5000

The Summerhouse

The Summerhouse is known for its idyllic dining settings amidst lush greenery and secret gardens. For big parties, the Summerhouse Dining Room will be the perfect venue to host Christmas brunches and dinners. Dish highlights include the Traditional Roast Turkey and the Honey Roasted Bone-In Ham, while more modern dishes take the form of the Ocean Trout Gravadlax tart, and the rustic Inka Wood roasted boneless marinated quail, finished with fig and cinnamon almonds.

Just dining with your other half? Book the Summerhouse Garden Dome, a climate-controlled, air-conditioned geodesic dome set amongst vibrant flora and fauna. Savour the Summerhouse signature Uni ice cream with ikura, and the option of the Roast Foie Gras, served with Iberico crumbs and pickled cherry on a freshly baked brioche.

Festive Brunch Menu

Date: 25 December
Time: 11.30am – 3pm
Adults: $88++ per person

Festive Dinner Menu

Date: 23 – 25 December
Time: 6pm – 10.30pm
Adults: $108++ per person

Garden Dome Festive Menu

Date: 23 – 25 December
Time: 6pm – 8.15pm and 8.30pm – 10.30pm
Adults: $175++ per person, $400++ per couple

More festive menus are available at The Summerhouse.

The Summerhouse
3 Park Lane
Singapore 798387
Tel: +65 6262 1063

Zafferano

At Zafferano, head chef Emanuele Faggi will serve up a six-course menu this Christmas comprising contemporary renditions of Faggi’s favourite festive dishes. The mouth-watering spread includes foie gras terrine with nougats and pomegranate, a delicate primi of scampi and Amaretto biscuit Bottoni ravioli and Mediterranean turbot fillet.

Christmas Chef Menu

Date: 1 – 30 December
Adults: $118++ per person

More festive menus are available at Zafferano.

Zafferano
Ocean Financial Centre ​10 Collyer Quay
Level 43
Singapore 049315
Tel: +65 6509 1488

The Peranakan

This season, The Peranakan is offering a four-course Modern Peranakan menu and cocktails infused with Bunga Telang (butterfly pea flower). Each course plates traditional Peranakan favourites with a modern touch — the pan-seared prawns is each drenched in a different Peranakan gravy such as Assam Pedas, made from chilli and tamarind, or aambal. The restaurant’s Christmas Roast Turkey is accompanied by fragrant Nasi Ulam, spicy pickled cucumber and signature Buah Keluak sauce.

End your journey here on a sweet, memorable note with executive sous chef Gabriel Khoo’s modern version of the Durian Pengat.

Christmas Four-course Set Menu

Date: 15 November – 31 December
Adults: $68++ per person, $88++ inclusive of 3 Bunga Telang cocktails.

The Peranakan
Claymore Connect
442 Orchard Road
Level 2
Singapore 238879
Tel: +65 6262 4428

Stellar at 1-Altitude

Take Christmas dinner to greater heights (literally) at Stellar at 1-Altitude’s Dom Perignon Plenitude Suite with executive chef Christopher Millar’s multi-sensory, Christmas in the Plenitude experience. Launched in partnership with Dom Perignon, each dinner seats eight guests whose senses are in for a treat with a combination of video projections, music, aroma and an indulgent 10-course dinner that uses ingredients sourced from the best regions and artisanal producers around the world.

The most memorable dish here is the lamb. Simply seasoned but bursting with flavour, the dish is paired with apple slices for extra crunch and kumquat jelly cubes that add a little extra tartness. Other highlights include a three-layer Compte cheese creation that is creamy, light and airy without overwhelming the senses and well-cooked amberjack that’s soft and complemented with a refreshingly light miso glaze. Dinner ends on a sugar high, as pastry chef Jasmin Chew assembles a chocolate-filled buche de noel dessert that resembles a warm Christmas fireplace.

Christmas in the Plenitude

Date: 22 to 25 December 2018
Adults: $440 per person, inclusive of one complimentary glass of Dom Perignon 2000

Stellar at 1-Altitude
Level 62, One Raffles Place
Singapore 048616
Tel: +65 6438 0410