A Scandinavian Trip of the Senses at Triple Three.
If you love Lord of the Rings like yours truly or if you simply appreciate the beauty of the Nordic region while struggling to save up for that extravagant European trip, why not indulge your senses at the new Scandinavian spread Triple Three is bringing into town from 24 March – 3 April 2016.
This March, the highly-reputed buffet restaurant, Triple Three at Mandarin Orchard Singapore, will be bringing in the flavours of Scandinavia along with an endearing Norwegian-born guest chef Markus Dybwad to open the world of mythical creatures, beautiful landscapes and interesting food habits to us Singaporeans.
Mirroring the swank upkeep of Mandarin Orchard Singapore, Triple Three ensures that you enjoy the usual international buffet spread complete with an additional assortment of Scandinavian food in the comforts of cushioned seats, with the freedom to maneuver to and from your seat and under a nice cozy lighting.
When we first arrived for our preview tasting at Triple Three, we were served a glitzy glass of sparkling cocktail made with Scandinavian Akvavit spirit by the amicable server, which I thought really reflected how impeccable the service at the buffet restaurant is.
Needless to say the Scandinavian inspired drink got us all in the mood for the Nordic feast that awaited us!
When the Scandinavian-based buffet launches, it will be available on the buffet line for pickings, but for tonight we had it plated so as not to disrupt the usual buffet.
The first dish that we were served was Herring on Rye Bread which was a very witty mix of sweet and savoury.
The thick, fleshy cut of seasoned herring slathered in sweet sauce went beautifully with the thin piece of slightly dry rye bread. The combination of the more mellow-flavoured rye, naturally salty herring and the sweet sauce was rather brilliant.
This next dish of Prawns, Mayonnaise, Bread & Dill was one of my favourites of the night simply because of how lovely the image Chef Markus Dybwad painted of his summer days in his homeland.
Chef Markus related to us how in the summer, he and his mates would get a few kilo of prawns and white wine from the local shop, place the frozen prawns into a bag of white wine and head down to the beach. By the time they reached the hot sand and glittering waters, the prawns would have defrosted and the wine would be chilled.
They would then spend the rest of the day peeling prawns and devouring them whole along with the white wine. So incredibly perfect, no? A true taste of local homeliness.
The open faced prawn-mayonnaise sandwich was really lovely and I’m not just saying this because I’m a die-hard fan of bread. The sweet deep sea prawn meat from the Northern Atlantic and crisp lettuce tasted splendid coupled with the thick, slightly sweet, slightly sour mayonnaise and the soft bread.
Here is a simple breakdown on how to make yourself a simple prawn-mayonnaise sandwich (as taught by Chef Markus).
Step 1: Get a slice of bread.
Step 2: Lace one side of your bread with a generous serving of mayonnaise.
Step 3: Add some lettuce/ dill.
Step 4: Place the de-shelled prawns atop the lettuce.
Step 5: Dig in!
Next, we were served a decadent platter of Smoked Mackerel with Sour Cream and Cucumbers, whose mackerel was brought in specially from Norway and smoked with care in Singapore.
The chef’s attention to detail is evident also by how the delicate pieces of cucumber and radish are freshly pickled. This dish was very interesting because the heavy flavours of the smoked mackerel were balanced out nicely with the fresh, crispy cucumber slices and the refreshing dash of sour cream.
If it is not apparent already, the Nordic folks love their meat, especially ones that are smoked, salted and earthy. Another dish that I really adored was the Salmon, Vanilla Mash with Capers and Brown Butter. I have an unhealthy obsession with capers and the fact that this dish cleverly infused the vinegary flavour of capers thrilled my senses.
I liked how the tender pieces of salmon tasted glorious with the heavier, creamy vanilla mash and the garlic-y, chives and shallot in the dark brown sauce. The salmon which is cooked medium-rare has a fishier taste but was nicely covered up the side of fried shallots and chives.
Another smoked fish dish we had was the Smoked Haddock with Leek and Cauliflower. In retrospect, the smoked haddock tasted similar to the smoked mackerel but the way the dish was paired was very different.
Instead of a refreshing spin of the dish like the Smoked Mackerel, this dish had a mild sauce with milky flavours which helped balance out the heavy flavours of the smoked fish. I loved the fact that this dish had a refreshing peppering of capers too.
The last savoury dish of the night was the Stegt Flæsk Med Persillesovs which is essentially Crispy Pork with Parsley Sauce.
Most of everyone present was intrigued as to how the second letter of the second word is pronounced and for those curious it is a soft ‘ae’ sound.
The crispy pork was chewy and had the same texture as dried cod fish. It was salted, paired with pickled jalapeños, soft potatoes and a nice mild serving of parsley sauce. A little dry, but robust in flavour.
And finally, we come to the sweeter end of Scandinavian food. We were served this bizarre-looking bowl of Cloudberries with Cream and Brown Cheese which upon first sight, first led me into thinking it was another savoury dish. We were told that the adorably-named cloudberries were extremely rare and could only be found in the high altitudes of Scandinavia.
That special fact aside, this dessert dish was rather unique in the way that it was not entirely sweet with the malt-like grain, small crumbs that had a hint of sweetness and the infused bits of cloudberries in the cream cheese.
This dessert dish will definitely satisfy your dessert cravings without making you feel too terrible for indulging. Plus, since it’s so exotic a dish, be sure to give it a try. It really reminds me of an earthy, wholesome cereal for breakfast.
The last sinful dish we had was the Chocolate Molten Cake which was not entirely part of the Scandinavian experience but helped to leave us full, happy and ready to conquer the night. We easily wolfed down the molten cake which was surprisingly light and appreciated how the Scandinavian twist on the dish with lingonberries left us feeling like we’ve had the complete Nordic dining experience.
I enjoyed myself thoroughly that night trying out different flavours of Scandinavia and picturing myself lazing in the beautiful, serene countryside of a Nordic region.
I highly recommend any Singaporeans who want to taste authentic Scandinavian food to head down to the buffet at Triple Three from the 24th of March and sadly, since good things must come to an end, Triple Three’s ‘New Scandinavian Flavours’ will only be available during dinner and Sunday lunch between the 24th of March and the 3rd of April 2016.
Nordic dishes will be available on top of the usual buffet line items of fresh seafood and international selections. An exotic deal you won’t want to miss.
Credit card holders can also look forward to 50% off second adult diner for dinner with UOB debit/credit cards and 50% off second adult for Sunday lunch with DBS credit/debit cards.
Expected Damage: $118+ per Adult, $48+ per 6-12 years
Triple Three: 333 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238867 | Scandinavian Foods Promotion: Monday to Sunday 1830-2200, Sunday Lunch 1200-1430 | Tel: +65 6831 6288/6271 | Website
