Basilico

Basilico
1 Cuscaden Road
Level 2, Conrad Singapore Orchard

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/sinodci-conrad-singapore-orchard/dining/basilico/

Zabaglione With Mixed Berries

Exquisite Italian Buffet & Cheese Room

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 9
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 9
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $128++ per person.

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Opened in February 2008, Basilico is the in-house restaurant of the former Regent Singapore hotel and current Conrad Singapore Orchard hotel, renowned for its authentic Italian cuisine and elegant dining experience. Offering ala-carte, semi-buffet, and full buffet options, Basilico is well-regarded for its use of high-quality ingredients and traditional Italian recipes, and perhaps best known for their massive cheese room with an impressive selection of over 40 varieties of artisanal cheeses.

Ambience at Basilico has a quiet elegant splendour. The spacious dining hall is carved into different sections, each with its own unique atmosphere; from semi-private lounge seating to bar-front seats to casual comfortable dining hall seats. Warm diffused lights are used, casting soft illumination over the generous and beautifully arranged food displays. The cheese room has an air of luxury, the aroma of cheese perfuming the air.

Service at Basilico is refined, discrete, attentive, and professional. Staff look after specific sections, and are able to accord guests with good attention and engagement. They clean up finished plates promptly, so you rarely have to stack dishes when returning from the buffet displays. Staff also top up water glasses semi-proactively, though this could be improved. The chefs at each buffet display demonstrate great product knowledge of their items.

Food at Basilico is Modern Italian cuisine. Dishes are made using the freshest ingredients, and the manner of presentation is appealing and enticing. There's over 40 different dishes for the full buffet and semi-buffet, and it's replenished quickly during the stated buffet hours. The ala-carte dishes are of similarly high quality. The cheese room is the star, with about 30 varieties of artisanal cheese available. Portions are naturally unlimited for a buffet. Prices command a value-for-money premium, budget about SGD $128++ per person.

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Basilico Signage

Basilico Exterior

Basilico Interior

Bar

Seating

Seating

Table Setting

The extensive buffet displays are visually appealing and generous, neatly arrayed and easily accessible. Love the Cheese Room, with its luxurious private setting that allows for engagement with the chefs, who will gladly regale you with descriptions of each fromage on display.

Cheese Room

Cheese & Accompaniments Display

Cheese & Accompaniments Display

Fresh Seafood Display

Bread Display

Salad Display

Salad Display

Cured Meats Display

Cooked Food & Roasts Display

Cooked Food & Roasts Display

Desserts Display

Desserts Display

Ice Cream & Gelato Display

The Espresso is fragrant with a toasty earthy flavour and warm thin texture to the body. Served with a crunchy biscotti on the side which cracks with bready savoury sweet flavour. Good!

Espresso

The Orange Juice is smooth and thick, with bright zesty tangy sour sweet flavour. Great way to start off a meal. Good!

Orange Juice

The Wine G.D. Vajra Moscato D’Asti (SGD $28 per glass) is brewed by the G.D. Vajra winery in Vergne, Barolo, Province Of Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy. It has a beautiful luminous green gold colour, with aromas of orange, zagara (orange blossoms), lemon, and daffodils. The body is clean-tasting, creamy, and refreshing, with tastes of apricot, red apple, mango, and tulip flower, carrying lively acidity with fruity floral earthy zesty tangy sour sweet flavour. Vibrant and energetic like perfume, with a refreshing finish.

Wine G.D. Vajra Moscato D’Asti (SGD $28 per glass)

Wine G.D. Vajra Moscato D’Asti

The Focaccia Bread With Olives And Sun-Dried Tomatoes has a firm chunky exterior and a soft chewy interior, studded with moist sun-dried tomatoes and juicy brined green castelvetrano olives. This has a bready sweet vegetal savoury salty earthy flavour, yum. Served with black vinegar and extra virgin olive oil on the side for dipping, lending sour earthy vegetal floral flavour. Good!

Focaccia Bread With Olives And Sun-Dried Tomatoes

The Blu Di Bufala is a soft blue cheese made from rich buffalo milk, which results in a smooth creamy texture that melts away, releasing a subtle sweet earthy flavour with a distinct sharpness. Good! The Crembri is a luxurious soft cheese made from cow's milk, which has a semi-creamy texture with sweet milky flavour. Good! The Gorgonzola Dolce is a soft cheese made from cow's milk, that's a gentler milder version of the traditional Gorgonzola cheese, with a soft creamy texture and tangy buttery milky sweet flavour. Good!

Blu Di Bufala, Crembri, Gorgonzola Dolce, Almonds, Pecan Nuts, Walnuts

The Pecorino Allo Zafferano is a unique semi-soft cheese made from sheep's milk and infused with saffron, giving it a buttery smooth compact texture with mild milky sweet cheesy spice flavour. Good! The Grana Padono is a hard cheese made from cow's milk, with a firm crumbly grainy texture and pronounced savoury salty cheesy sweet nutty flavour. Good! The Pecorino Romano is an iconic hard cheese made from sheep's milk, with a dense crumbly texture and a sharp cheesy salty tangy sour savoury flavour. Good!

Pecorino Allo Zafferano, Grana Padono, Pecorino Romano, Candied Cranberries, Candied Apricot, Candied Kiwi Fruit

The Original Burrata is a fresh soft cheese made from stracciatella (shredded mozzarella cheese) and fresh cream, with a luscious rich silky creamy texture and buttery milky sweet flavour. Highly recommended! The fresh Mozzarella is a semi-soft cheese made from either cow's milk or buffalo milk, with a soft moist bouncy texture and a delicate mild salty milky sweet flavour. Good! The Smoked Burrata has an added depth of smoky flavour, while the Burrata Truffle has additional layers of earthy nutty flavour. Highly recommended!

Original Burrata, Mozzarella, Smoked Burrata, Burrata Truffle, Cherry Tomatoes

The Mignonette Sauce comprises red wine vinegar, salt, minced shallots, and black pepper, resulting in a tangy vegetal earthy sour spice flavour that lends well to chilled seafood. The Saffron Sauce comprises fresh cream, salt, saffron, and lemon juice, resulting in a floral earthy milky sweet spice flavour that lends well to roast meats or seafood.

Mignonette Sauce

Saffron Sauce

The Poached Boston Lobster features a large halved lobster, chilled and fresh with succulent tender bouncy texture and sweet briny salty flavour. Highly recommended! The Taranto’s Black Mussels are small but juicy and springy, with a sweet savoury salty flavour. Good! The Taranto’s White Clams are small but juicy and bouncy, with a briny salty sweet flavour. Good! The Queen Scallop is large, hefty, and clean-tasting, with a gentle springy bite to texture and fresh sweet savoury flavour. Highly recommended!

Poached Boston Lobster, Taranto’s Black Mussels, Taranto’s White Clams, Queen Scallop

The Tiger Prawns are large and fresh, coming easily out of the shells, having a sweet savoury flavour and crunchy juicy texture with a firm bite. Highly recommended! The Sri Lankan Crab is partially cracked, allowing diners to dig out the succulent tender crab meat, which has briny salty sweet savoury flavour. Highly recommended!

Poached Boston Lobster, Tiger Prawns, Sri Lankan Crab

The Pane Toscano has a rustic feel, with a light crisp crunch and bready sweet flavour. Good! The Pane Di Segale is alluring with its fragrant aroma, crunching softly and carrying bready sour earthy sweet flavour. Good! The Grissini is long and has a firm hard crunch with bready biscuity sweet flavour. Highly recommended! The dark charcoal Pane Siciliano has a soft chewy feel with a bready earthy herbal nutty sweet flavour. Highly recommended! The Seeded Crispbread is light and studded with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and oats, with a satisfying crisp crunch and nutty savoury earthy sweet flavour. Highly recommended!

Pane Toscano, Pane Di Segale, Grissini, Pane Siciliano, Seeded Crispbread

The Chioggia’s Beetroot And Barley Salad has a soft moist bite with vegetal earthy sweet herbal flavour. Worth ordering! The Grilled Eggplant is nicely tender and soft, with lovely smoky vegetal earthy savoury sweet flavour. Good! The Roasted Pumpkin And Farro has interesting tender and springy textures, with vegetal sweet savoury spice flavour. Good! The Seasonal Mesclun Salad is fresh and crisp, with vegetal bitter herbal sweet flavour. Good! The 36-Months Parma Ham has a tender soft chew with meaty salty savoury flavour. Highly recommended! The Speck is wispy and chewy, with bold meaty salty savoury fatty flavour. Good! The Coppa is appealing with its distinct marbling, chewy stringy texture and meaty salty savoury fatty flavour. Highly recommended! The Salami Milano has a soft chewy texture with mild meaty salty spice savoury flavour. Highly recommended! The Cured Beef Carpaccio With Rocket Leaves is stringy chewy crisp in texture, with meaty savoury vegetal bitter herbal sweet flavour. Worth ordering!

Chioggia’s Beetroot And Barley Salad, Grilled Eggplant, Roasted Pumpkin And Farro, Seasonal Mesclun Salad, 36-Months Parma Ham, Speck, Coppa, Salami Milano, Cured Beef Carpaccio With Rocket Leaves

Wasn't impressed with the Roast Pork Knuckle, as it was chewy and dry. Could be improved. The Sauerkraut was nicely juicy and crunchy, with vegetal sour spice sweet flavour. Good! The Grilled Zucchini And Squash was lovely, soft and tender with smoky vegetal sweet savoury flavour. Highly recommended! The Roast Potato Wedges were sad, a tad overcooked and mushy with starchy salty herbal savoury flavour. Could be improved. The Roasted Chicken Thigh was alright, tender and moist with meaty savoury salty sweet herbal flavour. Worth ordering!

Roast Pork Knuckle, Sauerkraut, Roast Beef, Grilled Zucchini And Squash, Roast Potato Wedges, Roasted Chicken Thigh

Loved the Wild Mushroom Risotto With Sage And Black Truffle with its soft chewy texture and bright grainy earthy herbal savoury salty sweet flavour. Highly recommended! The Venetian Bigoli With Slow Cooked Duck And Grappa Ragù was outstanding, with soft tender chewy textures and grainy meaty vegetal savoury sweet herbal flavour, nice. Good! The Pizza Margherita is dressed with San Marzano tomato sauce and basil leaves, having a crisp soft texture carrying smoky bready vegetal sweet herbal flavour. Good! The Pizza Valtellina Bresaola has bitto cheese, rocket leaves / arugula, and sun-blushed fresh tomatoes, with juicy crisp crunchy chewy textures and smoky bready savoury vegetal bitter herbal sweet cheesy salty flavour. Good! Loved the Pizza Milano Salami with its stracchino / crescenza cheese, having chewy crisp textures and smoky bready meaty savoury spice salty cheesy flavour. Highly recommended!

Wild Mushroom Risotto With Sage And Black Truffle, Venetian Bigoli With Slow Cooked Duck And Grappa Ragù, Pizza Margherita, Pizza Valtellina Bresaola, Pizza Milano Salami

The Trentino’s Apple Strudel is lovely, with a warm flaky pastry crust and tender juicy caramelised green apple filling spiced with cinnamon, carrying comforting fruity sweet spice flavour. Highly recommended! The Black Forest Gateau Cake is soft and creamy and rich, decadent with chocolatey fruity sour tangy sweet milky flavour, delicious. Highly recommended! The Pecan Pie is authentic, with a firm dense sticky crunchy flaky texture and nutty earthy spice sweet flavour. Highly recommended!

Trentino’s Apple Strudel, Black Forest Gateau Cake, Pecan Pie

The Coconut Ice Cream With Rainbow Sprinkles And Caramel Malt Balls has a creamy smooth crunchy texture, with lovely milky earthy floral candied sweet nutty flavour. Nicely refreshing. Highly recommended!

Coconut Ice Cream With Rainbow Sprinkles And Caramel Malt Balls

The Zabaglione With Mixed Berries is an off-menu dessert offered and served to us tableside. It consists of a creamy smooth soft custard (made with whisked egg yolks, white sugar, and a marsala wine) studded with juicy strawberries and blueberries, carrying a lovely milky fruity sour sweet spice flavour. Highly recommended!

Zabaglione With Mixed Berries

The Liqueur Pallini Limoncello has a pale yellow green colour, with aromas and tastes of lemon zest, lime zest, pine cones, and eucalyptus. The body is creamy, light, and lively, with fruity sour sweet herbal zesty tangy flavour. Helps to cleanse and refresh the palate. Highly recommended!