Staycation #7 of 2020 (Dinner at Spago)

Two days ago, we were back in MBS again. Most of the times, we stayed in Tower 3 and in Deluxe rooms and this time we were allotted a Premiere Room in Tower 1. It came with a nice bathtub and very spacious sofa area overlooking the city.

The spacious room

P had the time to soak in the bathtub

I was busy with meetings and stuff the whole day while P went off earlier to check in and enjoyed his time soaking in the bathtub. This time round, we tried out the roof top bar on the 57th floor in Tower 2 for dinner, just to experience something different. Spago is actually the regular breakfast place for people staying in MBS, but we always had our stays without breakfast included. Spago is also under Wolfgang Puck so the decor and menu were quite similar, although CUT is the one with one michelin star and specialising in steak. 

The set menu (3 course dinner)

View outside (Cant see this when inside the restaurant)

Complimentary starters like CUT

P's first course was grilled octopus which was super tender

My first course was a huge piece of grilled eggplant

We gave wagyu a chance

My main course was crispy scale sea bass

Souffle with sorbet and cream

As it was fine dining and P was dressed rather casually in his sports berms, the staff at the reception had to check if we are allowed into the restaurant. They seemed to be quite okay about it but P went back to get changed since we were just staying in the hotel.

The menu was rather simple, just like CUT, there was a choice of 3 course set meal or ala carte menu with almost the same dishes. Of course, the set dinner was much more worth the bucks as it cost almost the same to order just the main course on its own. In my previous post, we did mention that the steak at CUT was not up to our expectations. We decided that we have to give it another try and order Wagyu this time, since the previous time we only had sirloin. Somehow I was in a steak eating mood after Sen of Japan. The 3 course set dinner cost $65++ but there were quite a few options for each course that we could order with top up prices and of course the Wagyu steak was one of those. It cost a whopping $150 whether ala carte or part of a set menu and we decided to just go for it. 

As like CUT, they served up a dish of bread and atas butter and these were warm and delicious. We were trying not to eat too much of those as it filled up our stomach and we couldnt finish the steak the previous time. They also offered some warm puff with mushroom fillings and we slowly finished some of those as the food took quite sometime to arrive.

The first course were served and it was presented in fine dining artistic way like some artwork. P topped up additional $10 for the grilled octopus and it was really tender and nice. It went well with my grilled eggplant. Finally, the main course was served and I have to say wagyu steak at Sen of Japan was definitely better and cheaper. The doneness at Spago was quite okay but it was just not as fatty and tasty as what we were expecting, especially since this is the most expensive steak we have ever had. My crispy skin sea bass was not too bad though. 

P always order rice and mashed potatoes for his steak so our server asked the kitchen to get us some complimentary rice and we ordered this dish call pommes aligot which is basically cheesy mashed potatoes. The dish was not bad but it was super duper cheesy and the cheese was overpowering the potatoes taste so it got quite 'jelak' after awhile.

They served up dessert with candle for P as we mentioned we were celebrating his birthday. Both of us got the standard souffle dessert without topping up for alternative choice. The souffle came out piping hot, it looked like a brown sugar cake but it was very soft once we dig our spoons into it. It goes well with the cream and ice cream sorbet that came along with it. It's nice but also get a bit 'jelak-y' after awhile. I would say the dessert option at CUT was better.

Our bill came up to $300 and I think if we were to go back Spago, the 3 course dinner was okay for the set meal price to enjoy some fine dining. I wouldnt top up or try the steak again, we'll just stick to other dishes for the ambience and great service. When I first sat down, the main wait staff asked me if I wanted still water or sparkling and for the whole night we were expecting charges for the still water as it was served out of VOSS (P even ask them for the bottle). To our surprise, it was complimentary. 

The school year has ended

Another school year has ended, and this year have not been easy. Things are so different due to COVID and normally at this time, I'm busy preparing and planning for my trips. Tickets were booked earlier this year in January and February but everything was canceled as we still cant fly freely in and out of the country even though some countries with very low COVID rate are allowed now. For the past three years, I went to Osaka for the marathon around this time but now I feel kind of lost. The only thing we could look forward was a series of staycation. 

Anyway we were rather lucky as MBS offered us a total of 8 free stays (2 each in the month of August, October, November and December) and we also bought over one from P's friend in September as we did not know we were going to get more free stays later in the year. We did the 6th stay in MBS last Friday and after so many times there, we were kind of getting familiar with the routine so we did not take photos of the room anymore (most of the times we asked for high floor city view). We're even going back again tomorrow, just after two nights back at home, as there were not many dates to choose from in November and we're having another staycation in another hotel for P's birthday next weekend.

Food is a highlight for our staycations. After the first dinner at the MBS foodcourt, I ensured that I always make bookings for dinner for our remaining stays. After dinner at Wolfgang CUT, I wanted to try RISE buffet as it was right at the hotel lobby but I forgot to book and the reception told me it was fully booked, but we still went ahead and tried our luck when we were passing the lobby. To our surprise, there were seats for walk-in and we started trying out buffets at a few hotels for our stays thereafter.

1) MBS Shoppes foodcourt

2) Wolfgang CUT

3) RISE buffet (MBS)

4) The Edge (Pan Pacific hotel)

5) The Colony (Ritz Carlton hotel)

6) Sen of Japan (MBS Shoppes)

7) Spago Restaurant (upcoming stay)

8) LAVO Restaurant (upcoming stay)

9) Oscar's (upcoming stay )

Wefie while on our way to dinner

So good that we ordered another portion

Carbless maki was really good

Mouthwatering tender Wagyu A5

I ran out of ideas for buffet dinner after trying those from the nearby hotels, so I was practically looking through all the restaurants recommendations around the area and shortlisted places for dinner for our remaining stays. We dont mind splurging on food as our original plans to Japan and Europe would have cost even more, having a budget of around $200 for dinner seems okay in comparison.

I came across Sen of Japan during a search and decided to make reservations since the reviews was good. We were quite prompt and the restaurant was not full when we went in, in fact it is one of the eateries located on level 1 of the Shoppes and it was a good location for chilling and people-watching. The food did not disappoint and the ikura gunkan was so impressive that we ordered another portion. I had the carbless maki and the salmon was fatty and yummy, I was still craving for the taste the next morning. The food came fast and we only spent half an hour or so in the restaurant, not wasting any time on chatting while we devoured the delicious dinner. Together with drinks, the bill came up to around $190. I'm not sure if we'll ever visit again but it was a good experience, we enjoyed a good piece of wagyu steak which we both loved.

Venchi after dinner

Venchi again before we check out of hotel

P went up to chill in the morning

After dinner, we went to get Venchi for dessert and we walked out to the deck area overlooking the bay as we ate. We wanted to visit the newly opened Apple Store perched on the bay but visitors were only allowed into the shop via appointment. We headed back to the hotel room and I was so sleepy that I immediately lied down on the sofa to rest. There is something about MBS roomS as we always had early dinner but I always knock out early after the dinner, even on the sofa. I only woke up again at 11pm and P was also asleep even before washing up. I finally washed up and stayed up watching Netflix for a few hours before he finally woke. I rested again when it was about 3am in the morning.