Violet Oon Jewel Singapore
Peranakan matriarch Violet Oon is unstoppable. Was it only earlier this year when we dined at her newest outlet at Ion Orchard (read review here) and now she has gone on to open an even bigger restaurant at the iconic JEWEL Changi Airport? The JEWEL outlet is the group’s biggest (3,800 square feet) outlet to date, and as per every VO restaurant, it has its own specials!
Special to JEWEL, guests can get their hands finger-licking good with Violet's Fold-It-Yourself Family-style Poh Piah Party ($58). While the price may seem pretty steep for a poh piah set that makes 6 rice flour rolls, you'd understand why when you dig into the rich bamboo shoot and jicama stew that has been braised in a house-made prawn bisque and Fujian bean paste. The feast of sauces and condiments like Chinese sausage, steamed prawns, ground and deep fried garlic, and dried sole fish, add a variety of textures and flavors to each bite of the roll. There's also a vegetarian version which goes at $56.
VO JEWEL also specialises in grilled dishes. We enjoyed the Ayam Panggang Katong which comes in a quarter or half a chicken ($16/25), and is plump and juicy. The lightly spiced chicken is brushed with gula melaka and grilled for a nutty sweetness. It is accompanied with some sour and piquant atchara (pickled vegetables) and VO signature chili sauce.
Never one to say no to a refreshing mango salad, i found that the Mango Kerabu with Ikan Bilis ($10) a great side for the grilled chicken. What makes this sour salad different is the touch of pink ginger flowers tossed in with a sweet and sour plum and chilli infused sauce. If you can take spice, the BBQ Eggplant with Sambal ($13) is topped with green sambal hijau and spicy Goreng Chilli sambal. These would have you eating lots of plain rice to numb the heat. My preferred vegetable dish is the Sayur Paku Gulai ($16), a sweet Fiddlehead fern served on a bed of coconut-spiced gulai sauce.
The Little India Vegetable Curry with Roti Prata ($17) also surprised me with its robust flavors despite it being a vegetarian dish. I loved that it's tangy and appetizing from the tamarind juice that has been infused in the coconut curry. The crispy roti prata is the perfect vessel to mop up all that sauce. Speaking of prata, some of the Ion prata varieties are also available at JEWEL, like the Roti Violet Tuna Wala-Wala ($15). Be careful of this fiery tuna prata, it really packs a punch.
I highly recommend the Otak Toast ($16) which is one of my favorite dishes at the Ion outlet as well. The chunky spiced coconut cream Mackerel Otah served on toast satisfies every time.
Everything was great, until desserts were served. My high expectations were dashed by the weirdly dense texture of the cakes. I was under the impression that they would be like chiffon, light and airy and packed with glorious gula melaka but that wasn't the case. I also scraped off the oily buttercream between the layers of the Gula Melaka Cake with Coconut ice cream ($15) because the mouthfeel was just undesirable.
Surprisingly, the Horlicks cake ($13) was better than the Gula Melaka one, though it was also inflicted with the same texture issue (but at least the flavor was right). If you could just take a closer look at the cake layers, you'd understand what i mean. The Sugee Cake with Calamansi Drizzle and ice cream ($15) was too meh to describe further either.
Save your calories and moolah for the savory dishes at Violet Oon JEWEL Changi Airport and head somewhere else for desserts.
Violet Oon Singapore at Jewel
78 Airport Blvd, #01-205/206 Singapore 819666
Tel: +65 9834 9935
Daily: 11am - 10pm
78 Airport Blvd, #01-205/206 Singapore 819666
Tel: +65 9834 9935
Daily: 11am - 10pm
About the Author
Posts
0 comments
Comments