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It’s that time of year again – the streets are decked out in tinsel, fairy lights and all things Christmassy. Mariah Carey’s voice fills the malls and everyone is getting ready to enjoy the holidays. But, if you’re anything like me, you just want to enjoy the good part without all the unfun parts. You know, the bit where you have to shop for the food, prep the food, clean up the food… it’s enough to drag the mood down. Thankfully, Neo Garden Catering solves all of that with their new festive offerings.
One of the best things about Neo Garden Catering is the flexibility of choice. They’ve got buffet packages that cater for 10 pax to over 30 pax (plus if you have more than 30 guests, the buffet comes fully set up! Talk about convenience).
If your gathering has less than 10 pax? No problem – they’ve got Festive Bundles, plus the option to À La Carte individual dishes from a large selection of delicious holiday nosh.
What we tried from Neo Garden Catering
We got a selection of dishes from the À La Carte section:
- Garlic Bread Bruschetta with Cream Cheese & Tomato Salsa Dip (S$33.80)
- Shrimp & Scallop Farfalle Pasta (S$39.80)
- Christmas Pasta & Fruits Salad (S$39.80)
- Maple Syrup Roasted Pumpkin (S$33.80)
- Garlic Rosemary Rotisserie Chicken (S$48.80)
- Blackberry Opera Log Cake (S$98.80)
We started off our feasting with the Garlic Bread Bruschetta with Cream Cheese & Tomato Salsa Dip. Upon unboxing the bruschetta, we were hit by a heady whiff of garlic and butter. The dips are thoughtfully served in their own containers and a small serving spoon is provided to facilitate loading the dip onto the bread.
Oh and what a glorious dip it was. The cream cheese dip went perfectly with the crusty, garlicky bread – just rich enough, but not overpoweringly so. The Tomato Salsa wasn’t quite like the salsas I was accustomed to having. The cherry tomatoes were sliced into quarters instead of chunks and bathed in a slightly sweet, garlicky oil with chunks of fresh button mushrooms. Not conventional, but delicious nonetheless.
Next up is the vibrant Christmas Pasta & Fruits Salad. This is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the tummy – strawberries, cherry tomatoes, blueberries and walnuts adorn a bed of pesto fusilli and fresh leafy greens.
The combination of fresh fruit with the savoury pesto makes for interesting bites and will keep your palate from growing bored.
The Shrimp & Scallop Farfalle Pasta combines two things that are, in my opinion, always a winning combination – marinara sauce, and seafood.
The shrimp and scallops are plump and not fishy at all, while the marinara has just enough acidity without going overboard. If your enjoy seafood and pasta, they would appreciate having this at the table.
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Moving onto sweeter things, the Maple Syrup Roasted Pumpkin features large golden chunks of pumpkin, gently glazed with maple syrup and accompanied by button mushrooms and baby asparagus.
The pumpkin is cooked to just the right consistency – it’s just soft enough to enjoy without being so mushy that it loses all integrity, while the maple syrup accentuates the pumpkin’s natural sweetness.
Now, for the pièce de résistance – the Garlic Rosemary Rotisserie Chicken, which I’d been eyeing for a good while now. A carving knife and fork are thoughtfully provided by Neo Garden to make it convenient to carve up the chicken.
As I cut, the meat reveals itself to be tender and cooked through while retaining moisture. The breast isn’t dry and stringy, and the accompanying gravy goes down a treat with the chicken.
Remember to leave room for dessert, because we always want to end on a sweet note. The Blackberry Opera is an elegant number that features blackberry cake with a layer of creamy blackberry ganache, a crisp chocolate base and a shiny chocolate glaze.
The cake is both tangy and sweet, and rich and creamy all at once. The crisp base provides much-needed texture to offset the creamy ganache. Absolute heaven for berry lovers!
Final thoughts
If hosting a festive get-together intimidates you because you worry about how to feed your guests, then Neo Garden will alleviate your anxieties. Simply choose your dishes, and they’ll handle the rest.
What’s more, they’re running a special festive promotion!
Early birds get to redeem a Chocolate Ganache Yule Log worth up to S$58.80 with any purchase of either the Christmas Regular Buffet Menu or the Christmas Mini Buffet Menu. But hurry as it’s limited to the first 200 redemptions!
In addition to the above promotion, the Neo Bao Baos will be roaming the streets this festive season to spread holiday cheer. Simply take a photo or video with the Neo Bao Baos, and you can walk away with vouchers to enjoy discounts on Neo Garden’s buffet offerings.
Plus, stand to win an elusive Golden Ticket, which entitles you to a free Regular Buffet worth over S$900. There’s only 5 of these to be won, so may the odds be ever in your favour.
To see where the Neo Bao Baos will be, check out this link for more information.
For more information on Neo Garden’s Christmas offerings, visit their website, or call +65 6896 7757.
Expected damage: S$25.88 – S$35.88 per pax
* This article is brought to you in partnership with Neo Garden Catering.
