Girly Lunch

I was meeting the girls for lunch and a pedicure – and where better to kick off a good girly afternoon like that, than tai tai favourite, Marmalade Pantry? This was my first time here, although I did try the Holland Village branch not long after we moved to Singapore, and I remember their fabulous fresh juices, which is what we kicked off with:
Pert – Orange, Apple and Ginger



And Delight – Honeydew, Orange and Carrot



They have a nicely varied menu, with dishes to suit every appetite, from soups, salads and wraps, through to pastas, tagines and roasts. My friends opted for two of the lighter options: The Grilled Pesto Chicken Wholemeal Wrap with Oven Roasted Butternut, which was given the thumbs up for being tender and juicy, and not at all dried out as can be the danger with such dishes.



And the Goats Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tart, which was also declared to be tasty, although the base crust was so hard it couldn’t be cut through properly, leading to goose-pimple inducing scraping noises on the plate.



I, being the Greedy Glutton, opted for one of the pasta dishes – the Spaghetti Alio Olio with Crispy Korobuta Belly Pork and Chilli. This I thoroughly enjoyed – the pasta was spot-on al dente and beautifully dressed, and the Pork was perfectly delicious.



But we didn’t stop there… oh no, there were desserts to be had, and we were definitely up for having them…

This time my friends were slightly more sinful in their choices, opting for the Basil Crepes with Caramelized Bananas, which looked sensational and were declared to be good enough to come back for alone;





and a Cherry Crumble Tart, from the Pantry Menu:



I, although completely full from my large serving of pasta, treated myself to the Homemade Lemon Tart with Wild Berries and Raspberry Coulis. And wasn’t I glad I did? Gooey, sticky lemon with a fresh, crisp crust and zesty coulis to finish it off… to-die-for…



So now I know why this place is so popular with all those ‘Ladies who Lunch’… and now I also know why they go for pedicures so often… after eating here we needed to sit still with our feet up for at least an hour before we were able to walk again…

The Marmalade Pantry, Palais Renaissance - http://www.themarmaladepantry.com/