Rachel AJ Lee’s palate is taken on a culinary voyage of Singapore’s local food in a five-star location
Taking over the space formerly occupied by the Greenhouse restaurant in the swanky Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore is Colony. The name of the restaurant pays homage to the treacherous sea voyage that the British once undertook when travelling to the South-east Asian region for trade in the 18th century.
The atmosphere is warm and casual, yet opulent and streamlined at the same time. Vintage maps and postcards adorn the walls behind brown banquettes and armchairs, attempting to take the diner back in time to a bygone era.
MICE application
In addition to The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore’s more than 3,250m2 of boardrooms, meeting rooms and pillarless grand ballroom, private functions can also be held at the 260-seat Colony. Small residential meeting groups have the option of enjoying lunch at Colony as part of the hotel’s meeting package. Advanced notice is required.
Meeting planners looking for a venue within the hotel to organise social events can hire the entire restaurant. A minimum spend of S$20,000 (US$14,412) for lunch or S$25,000 for dinner is required. Should there be budget constraints or the need for smaller spaces, the restaurant can be partitioned into three: left wing (114 pax), centre (32 pax) and right wing (114 pax).
The buffet menu at Colony rotates on a daily basis and can be tweaked and customised upon clients’ requirements.
F&B concept
There are eight different open concept kitchens with “live” culinary showmanship. For example, there was a chef searing foie gras (which is a must-try by the way) while another was shucking briny oysters from Normandy.
Colony is split into two sections, the “cold” area – where the desserts, cold cuts, cheeses, salad and variety of crustaceans can be found. The “hot” area is tucked at the back of the restaurant, and that’s where I spent most of my time trawling through the grilled and stewed Western meats, local wok-fried delicacies, Asian noodle dishes, steaming baskets of dumplings, and spiced meats and Indian breads from a traditional Tandoor oven.
I ended the sumptuous buffet on a high note at The Patisserie, where an array of local and international sweet treats is seductively displayed. Alas, I had to wave the white flag after my first round. I did try two flavours of ice cream – both the chendol and gula Melaka were delicious – and two squares of handmade dark chocolates.
Colony serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner daily, and vintage Champagne brunch on Sundays. In the evenings, there is also a roving mixologist who will push a cart around to craft tableside speciality cocktails such as Bengal Brew and Governer’s Invitation.
Service
Impeccable. I was milling about in the lobby as I was early for Colony’s launch and within five minutes two of the hotel staff approached me to ask me if I was already being taken care of.
Within Colony, there was no shortage of chefs behind the various culinary stations and they were quick to refill empty woks or whip something up for me. The service staff made sure my water glass was constantly refilled.
Contacts
Colony at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia
7 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039799
Tel: (65) 6434 5288
Email: rc.sinrz.restaurantreservations@ritzcarlton.com
Website: www.colony.com.sg
Opening hours
Daily from 06.30 to 22.30
