Cooking Up A Tasty Treat
The Westin Singapore’s signature gastro-bar, Cook & Brew, is one of Singapore’s most distinctive hotel bars, located on the 33rd floor of the Marina Bay five-star hotel. As Singapore’s first integrated hotel located within an office building (occupying the upper levels of Asia Square Tower 2) and in the heart of Singapore’s financial district, not surprisingly, Cook & Brew is a popular watering hole and dining venue for corporate types, executives and office workers from the surrounding high rises. Cook & Brew may be within a five-star hotel—the only one in the area—but there is a refreshingly casual, kick-back ambience about the place. Open all day, this sprawling gastro-bar is the place to meet for its outstanding drinks selection and hearty gastro-fare for lunch, dinner and anything in-between.
Cook & Brew gets especially busy, however, as a wind-down venue at the end of the working day, particularly approaching the weekend; the vast open floor area, dotted with cow hide armchairs and edged by an endless long bar, is perfect to accommodate the influx of patrons and those watching sports up on the big screen. Beyond, the 104-seater establishment offers a quieter, more refined dining zone with Chesterfield-sofa banquette seating and intimate tables discreetly divided by curtains, appreciated by the families, couples and groups of friends who flock here, especially on Saturday evenings (Cook & Brew is closed Sundays). All this comes surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing magnificent Marina Bay views; however, if you want to simply drink or dine al fresco, head outside onto the open-air terrace, from where even more stunning harbour and city views are revealed.
Cook & Brew offers a modern interpretation of classic bar favourites, with an impressive array of global comfort food. Joining the kitchen team last year, Canadian Executive Chef Aaron Foster has stuck with the winning gastro-fare concept, but revised the lunch, dinner and bar fare menus with innovative flair, insisting on using only the finest, freshest ingredients and creating, whenever possible, food items in-house. Lunch is a more casual, express affair: mouth-watering appetizers include new dishes that reveal the chef’s passions. Turkey meatballs, a dish the chef has been creating since his youth, comes with turkey meat unusually juicy and delicious, topped with tomato sauce and pecorino and accompanied by fried bread—this dish can be combined with spaghetti for a more substantial main. A passion for producing charcuterie has resulted in house-made smoked sausage New Orleans’s style, served with tomato jam, watercress and a side of bubble and squeak (mash potatoes, cabbage and bacon). Other offerings include hearty sandwiches, like the Open Face Bulgogi Cheese Steak Philadelphia Style.
A more lavish dinner menu offers enticing single-portion, shared-plate and “family style” delights. Popular signature Fancy Fish & Chips is a gourmet take on an English classic, with fish substituted by sumptuous beer-battered, butter-poached Nova Scotia lobster accompanied by thick-cut duck fat-braised Pont Neuf potatoes and homemade gribiche sauce. Local crowd favourites such as Duck Rice, which is served with a roasted duck breast, bone-in braised leg and sambal chili. For families or large groups dining communally, the whole roasted suckling pig fits the bill perfectly, while couples and smaller groups can feast on shared dishes like The Ploughman’s Supper, another English classic, with cheese and cured meats, chutney, house pickles, fruit and crusty grilled bread.
Inspired by the long train journeys the Chef experienced in Canada, Train Car Breakfast is reminiscent of those traditional breakfasts dished-up in train cars; here featuring creamy scrambled eggs, house-smoked salmon and horseradish, served on fluffy, butter-fried brioche. The revamped bar fare menu helps any late evening munchies, especially the playfully named poutine “Eh”, a decadent combination of french fries, cheese curds, tender pulled pork, apple and Strongbow gravy.
All these dishes go great with the meticulously curated fine wines, cocktails and renowned selection of 112 craft beers from 22 countries, including the UK, Mexico, Norway and Australia; if advice is required, beer pairings are suggested throughout all the menus.
(www.thewestinsingapore.com/en/cookandbrew)
