Grissini Welcomes Diners Back for a Refreshed Dining Experience

There’s nothing like an epic Italian long lunch (or dinner for that matter) and the team at Grissini have revamped their offering to be easily one of the best in Singapore.

Grissini (located at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront) is a contemporary Italian grill restaurant which specialises in premium meats and seafood prepared in the famous Josper charcoal grill.

With all the speciality ingredients of the season, from winter truffle to white asparagus, specially aged jamon to 40kg wheels of the finest aged cheeses – all served up table side, it’s an epicurean experience not to be missed.

Our journey starts with a wander over to the live jamon station, where the dapper waiter is adeptly slicing the succulent morsels for our charcuterie platter.

We stroll past the truffle trolley and soak up the aroma of both the white and black winter truffles (the last remaining in Singapore as the season comes to a close).

From there we commence our tasting with a selection of freshly baked focaccia bread, choosing from a trolley of fine olive oils and balsamic vinegars – the chilli oil and rosemary infused oils being amongst my favourites.

Heightening the experience, a grill appears table side where we are mesmerised by our waiter sauteing the white asparagus right before us.

The aromas tantalise as delicate shavings of Bottarga mullet are flaked across the tender asparagus stems adding just a touch of the saltiness of the sea to their delicate taste.

This could only be enhanced by one of the most exclusive delicacies – the refined flavour of caviar or “black gold” as it is often known.

Onto my favourite experience in this extraordinary lunch, the mushroom and truffle risotto.

Always a popular hit, this dish is taken to the next level when a side table arrives laden with a 20kg wheel of aged parmesan cheese.

Our waiter finishes cooking the dish inside the wheel of cheese – which once plated is then laden with the earthy tones of the black winter truffle contrasting with the fruity and nutty flavours of the parmesan.  

A true gastronomic delight, it was easy to return for seconds here.

A new platter arrives – laden with a selection of gloriously grilled meats thanks to the innovative Josper grill.

The famous Josper charcoal grill is a widely renowned apparatus from Spain that combines a grill and oven and allows chefs to smoke with apple wood in a closed barbecue.

We are treated to succulent ribeye, tender lamb, juicy octopus and sublime barramundi – all cooked to perfection and brimming with that sought after grilled flavour.

Our final main is the black squid ink pasta with tender prawns, juicy cherry tomatoes, white wine, garlic and parsley. A classic yet perfectly executed dish.

Dessert lives up to the main dining experience with the return of the table side cooking.

Flames stoke high into the air as the apples are flambeed for our delectable tart.

The chef recommended freshly made signature tiramisu is given the tick of approval by the French husband – it’s his favourite and he was more than impressed

Grissini has been a long time resident of the Robertson Quay locale but it is fair to say this is not the restaurant many would have experienced in the past.

With a revamped menu, a stellar professional team and abundant use of the best ingredients of the season combined with the entertainment of table-side show cooking stations – this is one Italian dining experience which elevates itself above the others.

It’s many an expats dream to live the idyllic urban lifestyle that Robertson Quay offers. For us, an ever expanding family kept the trendy chic apartments and cosmopolitan restaurant scene just of reach in both size and budget.

Fortunately, Robertson Quay is home to a number a modern, boutique hotels and we decided to indulge in a little Rob Quay staycation at the M Social.

The M Social is a boutique lifestyle hotel, designed by the renowned Philippe Starck and from the moment you enter the lobby your senses are intrigued by the modern industrial funky appearance and curated collections.

We check into our Loft Terrace room which features a well-designed duplex space, incredibly high ceilings above the bed and a cosy, chic lounge upstairs for work or binge watching. The space is clever, intimate, comfortable and even offers a terrace outside for some tropical day dreaming.

We venture up to the pool and are delighted by it’s lush green garden setting, welcoming blue waters and peaceful serenity (a mid-week staycation would almost guarantee a tranquil pool experience).

The added bonus is of course the well-stocked pool bar, offering snacks, beverages and an array of classic and curated cocktails. While we could have happily stayed by the pool the rest of the afternoon, we discovered there are actually quite a number of add on experiences to enjoy with the M Social staycations.

First up was High Tea at Food Capital within The Grand Copthorne Waterfront (a sister hotel to M Social). Seated with a perfect view of the river, we are presented with a generous triple tower of classic sandwiches and croissants, topped with decadent desserts.

But it doesn’t stop there, a side platter of gourmet hot pastries and pies is added to our feast and we are suddenly very grateful we skipped lunch!

Our second experience was a true delight – a cocktail making workshop at Beast & Butterflies (the M Social’s resident restaurant). Now I’ve done my fair share of cocktail making classes, especially during circuit breaker.

However, this experience really stands out – it was completely different from the often pre-determined cocktail classes where you make one or two drinks as designed by the host. In this experience, it’s all about creating your very own cocktail according to your desired tastes. To start, we blindly smell six balloon glasses of spirits and choose our preferred base (mine was gin and husband’s was tequila).

Then we choose three or four flavours from a smorgasbord of shot glasses filled with colourful flavours, juices and liqueurs (I chose strawberry, ginger, lemon and guava). Our genial host, Vlad, explains how to mix, shake and decorate our concoction (even entrusting us to use a gas flame to create our garnish).

And of course we even get to choose our own unique glass to present it (mine had a shark’s head bursting through the middle of the glass). My pink cocktail was just delicious , fruity but not too sweet and well blended – it apparently even passed Vlad’s high standards.

Feeling proud of our mixologist efforts, we move onto our illuminated dinner table at Beast & Butterflies. This might now be one of my favourite restaurants along this side of Robertson Quay – the dishes were fresh, tasty and the perfect fusion of East meets West (and the prices are very reasonable).

Some of our highlights were the Alaskan Crab and Fresh Salmon salad, Crispy Pork Knuckle – an oven-roasted pork knuckle with spicy thai nam jim sauce and sesame oil scented sauerkraut and the 3 Cup Lobster in Claypot - wok-fried rock lobster, rice wine, thai basil leaves and sesame oil.

After a restful and quiet night’s sleep, we are ready for the next day’s activities. Our first experience is the Create Your Own Perfume Workshop by Maison 21G. We truly did not know what to expect with this, but had such a great time that I’ve arranged one for my dear friend’s birthday. We commence the workshop with a personality quiz to help determine what perfume style would suit us.

A wheel of dozens of scents is presented and we are diligent with our testing and sniffing to create our perfect perfume combination, which ends up in a sizeable bottle of perfume to takeaway. After much deliberation, I end up with a patchouli, frangipani and vanilla scent while husband boldly creates a cannabis and sage combination that he names Havana Nights.

Onto perhaps the highlight of the whole stay, an extended lunch at the newly refreshed Grissini restaurant (indeed worthy of its own review). Grissini (located at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront) is a contemporary Italian grill restaurant which specialises in premium meats and seafood prepared in the famous Josper charcoal grill (a widely renowned apparatus from Spain that combines a grill and oven and allows chefs to cook with charcoal in a closed barbecue).

But perhaps even better than this famous grill, was the restaurant’s abundant use of show cooking stations, right at our table. From the freshly grilled white asparagus, to the preparation of to die for mushroom and white truffle risotto that was expertly finished at our table inside a 20kg wheel of Italian hard cheese.

Condiment carts, olive oil carts and even a live jamon station are dotted around the restaurant to further elevate this dining experience above other fine Italian dining establishments. We were already impressed before we even got to the mouth-watering desserts.

Feeling more than satisfied by our indulgent lunch, it was time to check back in with the real world and boot up our laptops. The mezzanine of The Grand Copthorne Waterfront has been cleverly transformed into a comfortable and spacious co-working space. With plenty of space for an intimate team meeting or secluded spot for those studious moments, it also offers a much needed tea and coffee service to your desk.

Our final stop was dinner and a chance to experience the buffet restaurant at Food Capital. I have to admit, I have not enjoyed hotel buffet experiences since they are no longer buffets. It’s difficult to know what you’re ordering (as you cannot see the food) and I find it has impacted food quality substantially.

Food Capital have been clever to recognise this issue and have kept the real live buffet, with chefs on hand so you can check out everything they have to offer. Once you’re ready, you just order the dishes from your table.

The food on offer here was certainly at the high end of a buffet experience and I particularly enjoyed the sashimi, tempura (oh so perfectly crispy) and the beef rib covered in red peppercorns. We also indulged in the Chinese New Year seafood bag – a fantastic celebratory bag covered in clear cellophane which is grandly opened at your table to reveal steaming hot seafood delights.

It's fabulous to see different options for staycations beyond the usual pool side stays and M Social have really done a stellar job creating unique and fun staycation experiences for your next Robertson Quay sojourn.