Dining with toys in a museum conjures images of sitting in a dark creepy room, where a multitude of dolls stare at you with their huge eyes. Then suddenly, you see the head of a doll jerk - a story horrifying enough for any adult to pee in his (sexist! :P) pants!
But being the foodie I am, I was game enough to try out Dining Among Toys at the Mint Museum of Toys, as part of the International Museum Day celebrations.
The experience was nothing like my wild imagination. The five-storey high Mint Museum of Toys was a swanky (and well-lit!) treasure trove of toys from all over the world. Here you'll find toys from Greece, Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, South America and even Korea and Bangladesh - all of which are valued at... (don't choke)....... S$5 million!
It's hard to believe that anyone would spend such a fortune on toys and even more money building this state-of-the-art private museum (the museum's facade is lit by countless fiber optics). I met the man whose passion for toys is probably inimitable - Mr. Chang Yang Fa. The museum's entire collection is owed to his 30 years of toy collecting.
There's another reason why the museum is called Mint - the toys in there are kept in pristine condition, with their original boxes, and usually come in different versions. You can see the evolution of a single toy robot as it changes from rubber hands to plastic, etc.
Dining in Outer Space
My bf and I dined in "Outer Space" (the 5th floor of the museum where space shuttles dock). Instead of dolls, Buck Rogers, an American space hero from 1928, was minding his own business near us.
Since the main attraction of the evening was the novelty of dining with toys, I wasn't expecting much from the four course meal. To our surprise, the food delivered by the Mint Cafe downstairs was fairly good! (with the exception of the main courses, that is.)
Starters
Shanghainese Salad
Never judge a salad by its "cover" - that's what I learnt yesterday.
The Shanghainese Salad was a fairly plain-looking dish --> shredded iceberg lettuce topped with tiny rice crackers and golden crackers (similar to the kind used in yu-sheng). The essence however was in the dressing. Made from soy sauce and sesame oil, the brown dressing added savoury sweetness and an irresistible fragrance to the crunchy salad.
Seafood Chimichanga
The Mint's version of this Mexican dish is stuffed with seafood paste for subtle sweetness and deep fried to golden brown perfection. Of the two starters, the Shanghainese Salad was more refreshing and satisfying on the palate.
Soup
Creamy soups are always comforting - this pumpkin soup, in particular, will give chocolate a run for its money. The milky fragrance of this soup seduces you to taste the thick and creamy concoction.
A dash of chilli powder on the top adds a piquant kick to it and keeps you craving for more. It was, however, overly filling, limiting our appetite for the main course and dessert.
Main Courses
It's fairly mind boggling how the same eatery can serve dishes that are so far apart in quality. Unlike the starters, the main courses were fairly disappointing. In fact, there's only one word for both the Rack of Lamb with Mint Hollandaise and the Pan-fried Antartic Whiting - Overcooked. Thankfully, there's always dessert to save the day.
Dessert
Served in champagne flutes, creamy Panna Cotta was enlivened with a layer of molten palm sugar and coconut milk - this Asian twist added the intense aroma and flavour of coconut to the classic Italian pudding. What's even more delightful is the combination of melted sticky palm sugar with the crunchy bits of solid palm sugar that gives the Panna Cotta a unique texture.
Although $48+++ is a bit steep, dining among toys in the museum galleries is a really rare experience. Moreover, the price tag includes museum admission fees. :)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dining Among Toys ends at 10pm today but the museum and its cafe are opened everyday for visitors. Check out http://www.emint.com for more details.
MORE PICTURES OF TOYS
(Can you recognize them?)
But being the foodie I am, I was game enough to try out Dining Among Toys at the Mint Museum of Toys, as part of the International Museum Day celebrations.
The experience was nothing like my wild imagination. The five-storey high Mint Museum of Toys was a swanky (and well-lit!) treasure trove of toys from all over the world. Here you'll find toys from Greece, Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, South America and even Korea and Bangladesh - all of which are valued at... (don't choke)....... S$5 million!
It's hard to believe that anyone would spend such a fortune on toys and even more money building this state-of-the-art private museum (the museum's facade is lit by countless fiber optics). I met the man whose passion for toys is probably inimitable - Mr. Chang Yang Fa. The museum's entire collection is owed to his 30 years of toy collecting.There's another reason why the museum is called Mint - the toys in there are kept in pristine condition, with their original boxes, and usually come in different versions. You can see the evolution of a single toy robot as it changes from rubber hands to plastic, etc.
Dining in Outer Space
My bf and I dined in "Outer Space" (the 5th floor of the museum where space shuttles dock). Instead of dolls, Buck Rogers, an American space hero from 1928, was minding his own business near us.
Since the main attraction of the evening was the novelty of dining with toys, I wasn't expecting much from the four course meal. To our surprise, the food delivered by the Mint Cafe downstairs was fairly good! (with the exception of the main courses, that is.)
Starters
Shanghainese Salad
Never judge a salad by its "cover" - that's what I learnt yesterday.
The Shanghainese Salad was a fairly plain-looking dish --> shredded iceberg lettuce topped with tiny rice crackers and golden crackers (similar to the kind used in yu-sheng). The essence however was in the dressing. Made from soy sauce and sesame oil, the brown dressing added savoury sweetness and an irresistible fragrance to the crunchy salad.
Seafood Chimichanga
The Mint's version of this Mexican dish is stuffed with seafood paste for subtle sweetness and deep fried to golden brown perfection. Of the two starters, the Shanghainese Salad was more refreshing and satisfying on the palate.
Soup
Creamy soups are always comforting - this pumpkin soup, in particular, will give chocolate a run for its money. The milky fragrance of this soup seduces you to taste the thick and creamy concoction.
A dash of chilli powder on the top adds a piquant kick to it and keeps you craving for more. It was, however, overly filling, limiting our appetite for the main course and dessert.
Main Courses
It's fairly mind boggling how the same eatery can serve dishes that are so far apart in quality. Unlike the starters, the main courses were fairly disappointing. In fact, there's only one word for both the Rack of Lamb with Mint Hollandaise and the Pan-fried Antartic Whiting - Overcooked. Thankfully, there's always dessert to save the day.
Dessert
Served in champagne flutes, creamy Panna Cotta was enlivened with a layer of molten palm sugar and coconut milk - this Asian twist added the intense aroma and flavour of coconut to the classic Italian pudding. What's even more delightful is the combination of melted sticky palm sugar with the crunchy bits of solid palm sugar that gives the Panna Cotta a unique texture.
Although $48+++ is a bit steep, dining among toys in the museum galleries is a really rare experience. Moreover, the price tag includes museum admission fees. :)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dining Among Toys ends at 10pm today but the museum and its cafe are opened everyday for visitors. Check out http://www.emint.com for more details.
MORE PICTURES OF TOYS
(Can you recognize them?)
Labels: Foodie Adventures
hey you have contact for this??
yeap, the Mint Museum of Toys is located at 26 Seah Str opposite the Raffles Hotel.
It operates from 930am to 630pm daily.
Enjoy!!!
Heya,
Sorry I was away in Australia. Dining Among Toys was part of the International Museum Day celebrations.
I don't think you still can dine in the galleries but you can taste the food in the cafe downstairs. :D