Tom Pullman Singapore Orchard is celebrating Singapore’s History and Local Cuisine this August! At Eden Restaurant, you’ll be able to indulge in quintessential Singapore delights such as Mee Rebus, Nasi Lemak, Butter Chicken, Crispy Squid Rojak and the Singapore Prawn Laksa. Yum! At Atelier Lounge, you’ll relive Singapore’s yesteryears through the lens of Dr Ivan Polunin. His exhibition entitled “Once Upon an Island: Images of Singapore” brings you on a journey back in time, uncovering how life was like in the early years of independence in Singapore.
This time, we were able to check out both these offerings at Pullman Singapore Orchard. First up, the taste of Singapore’s vibrancy at Eden Restaurant…
Eden Restaurant “Flavours of Singapore” Menu Review
Eden Restaurant is located at level 4 of Pullman Singapore Orchard. Guests can head over to Eden Restaurant without the need for access cards either via the carpark (Level B1) or hotel lobby (level 1). Level 4 of Pullman Singapore Orchard is also where PSO Beach Club, Atelier Lounge and Eden Restaurant are located. During this period, guests who spend a minimum of $20 at any of the hotel’s outlets will be able to enjoy complimentary parking as well.
Once inside Eden Restaurant, you’ll first notice the glass roof design of the restaurant. It is actually modelled after the high end fashion houses – a nod to Singapore’s shopping belt in Orchard Road.
In terms of ambience, we love the high ceilings and spacious seatings within the restaurant. The individual table lights and comfy sofa seats within also added to the classy feel. A nice cosy venue to unwind or catch up with friends after work. Next, it was time to check out the Flavours of Singapore Menu…
There are both food and drinks that are specially curated for this menu at Eden Restaurant. In the food section, you’ll find the
Singapore Prawn Laksa
The iconic spicy and tangy noodles with rich, fragrant, coconut-flavoured broth loaded with prawns, quail eggs, fish cake, fried beancurd and spices.
Mee Rebus
Yellow noodles served with thick, sweet potato-based gravy, a generous squeeze of lime juice, quail eggs, bean sprouts, fried shallots, fried beancurd and spring onions.
Nasi Lemak
Fragrant coconut rice topped with tender chicken rendang, fried egg, ikan bilis, and achar.
Butter Chicken
Tandoori-cooked chicken in a tangy and spicy tomato curry with butter sauce and naan.
Crispy Quid Rojak
Local salad of mixed vegetables and fruits drizzled with sweet and sour sauce made from local prawn paste, sugar and lime.
In the drinks section, you can choose from cocktails or mocktails of
Cocktails
Spirit of a City
Brass lion dry gin, elderflower liquer, homemade sour plum and hibiscus syrup, fresh lime juice, coconut flakes.
Singapore is a Jungle
Myer’s dark rum, campari, pineapple juice, lime juice, honey, fresh raspberry.
Rise of the SG Dragon
Orientalist 8yo dragon whisky, senorita banana and gula melaka syrup, angostura bitters.
Mocktails
Siew Yin’s Limau Kasturi Cordial
Homemade limau kasturi cordial, lime juice, a splash of soda.
Singapore Reviver
Green apple juice, sour plum syrup, calamansi juice, soda, tamarind candy.
Popiah with No Skin
Cilicuka, plum, cucmber, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, mango juice.
After browsing through the Eden Restaurant Menu, we decided to go with the Singapore Prawn Laksa, Nasi Lemak as well as the cocktails of Spirit of a City as well as Rise of the SG Dragon.
What We Had at Eden Restaurant Pullman Singapore Orchard Hotel
After making our orders, we were served the complimentary water served in bamboo cups that aligns with the Singaporean cuisine that we were about to enjoy…
Singapore Prawn Laksa
The Singapore Prawn Laksa is chock full of ingredients such as succulent prawns, quail eggs, fish cakes and fried beancurd. The style of the Singapore Prawn Laksa from Eden Restaurant is not the usual soupy type but a dense gravy that covered the thick rice noodles. This made each spoonful of laksa to be extra rich and flavourful. The sweet and succulent prawns made this dish so much more enjoyable. An excellent choice to start off our meal this evening.
Nasi Lemak
There were several things that we enjoyed about Eden Restaurant’s rendition of Nasi Lemak. First, the chicken rendang was infused with the spices, coconut milk and intense flavours of the rempah. Moreover, the chicken was stewed to a tender texture that accompanied the rendang perfectly. We also loved the fragrant lemak rice that is served with a sunny side up – yes, the runny yolk added another dimension. The sambal added a spicy kick to the dish as well – though we’d prefer a more generous portion of the sambal and ikan bilis.
Spirit of A City
As for cocktails, we started with Spirit of A City. This gin-based cocktail had a depth in flavours from the sour plum and lime juice. There’s also a layer of foam with coconut flakes that enhances the texture of this cocktail. A beautifully presented and delicious drink curated for the Flavours of Singapore Menu.
Rise of the Singapore Dragon
Loved the rendition of this whisky-based cocktail. Rise of the Singapore Dragon not only had the woody fragrance from the Orientalist 8YO Dragon Whisky. Sweetness was also enhanced via a southeast asian ingredient – gula melaka, making this an unique cocktail with complex flavours. Yum!
Once Upon An Island: Images of Singapore Exhibition by Dr Ivan Polunin at Atelier Lounge Pullman Singapore Orchard
After a hearty meal relishing in Singapore flavours at Eden Restaurant, we headed to Atelier lounge where an exhibition by Dr Ivan Polunin was open to the public throughout the month of August.
About Dr Ivan Polunin
Dr. Ivan Polunin (1920-2010) was an English medical doctor, professor, ethnomusicologist, documentary filmmaker and photographer who left an indelible mark on Singapore’s cultural heritage. Originally from England, he arrived in Malaya in 1948 as a young doctor fulfilling his military service. Drawn by the allure of the region, he decided to make Singapore his permanent home after marrying.
During his tenure at the University of Singapore School of Medicine from 1952 to 1980, Dr. Polunin’s passion for Southeast Asia’s biodiversity, built heritage, and cultural life grew exponentially. In his spare time, he dedicated himself to preserving the vanishing sights and sounds of the region, using his expertise in photography, documentary filmmaking, and ethnomusicology.
Over the course of his lifetime, Dr. Polunin amassed an extraordinary archive, comprising over thirty thousand 35mm stills, twenty-five hours of 16mm movie films, and four hundred and sixtyfour musical recordings and audio tapes. To this day, this remarkable collection stands as one of the most significant cross-disciplinary compilation of its kind in Southeast Asia, preserving a rich tapestry of history and culture for future generations to appreciate.
It was indeed interesting to peer into the early years of Singapore through the lens of Dr Ivan Polunin. There were pictures of Singaporeans from the 60s and 70s, dressed in clothes that are vastly different from what we know today. What we love is that the photos are actually taken in high quality where we could clearly see the daily lives of fellow Singaporeans some 50 years back.
Most of all, we enjoyed the little video montage put together by Dr Ivan Polunin. You could clearly see the little things that were meticulously captured such as the currency of the day, the food that were eaten as well as the general day-to-day activities of Singapore in the early years of independence. An enjoyable travel back in time!
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Thanks to Pullman Orchard Singapore for putting together this historic and culinary adventure. We thoroughly enjoyed the vibrant Singapore cuisine as well as the sneak peek into the lives of Singaporeans back in the day. The Once Upon an Island: Images of Singapore exhibition is free for all visitors. Do take your time to enjoy this journey and if time permits, head on over to Eden Restaurant to enjoy these delicious take on familiar local cuisine at Eden Restaurant as well!
