Presented by American Express, the bi-annual Singapore Restaurant Week is set to return from 7 to 14 October 2012.

Joining the extensive list of restaurants are new establishments such as Forest at Resorts World Sentosa, Roadhouse, SQUE Rotisserie & Alehouse, Pepenero, La Maison Fatien, Shiraz, Praelum, Wan Hao, Marriott Cafe, Pool Grill, Oenotheque, 211 Roof Terrace Cafe, Forbidden City, InItaly on Craig Road and Tamarind Hill at Labrador Park. Returning for another season are favourites such as Au Jardin, Bistro Du Vin, Absinthe, Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine & Caviar Bar, Garibaldi, Gattopardo, KU DE TA, OSO, Salt Grill & Sky Bar, The Moluccas Room, Novus, Jade, Keystone, The Line, Tanjong Beach Club and The Song of India.

During the week, all participating restaurants will offer exclusively devised 3 course set menus priced at S$25*++ for lunch and S$35*++ for dinner. Bookings will open to the public on 12 September 2012 at www.restaurantweek.sg, so book early and quickly to avoid disappointment! Subscribers to DiningCity.com's newsletter will enjoy advance booking from 10 September 2012. Sign up at: http://www.diningcity.com/en/singapore

Note:

DiningCity Star awarded restaurants may charge a supplement of S$15 for lunch and S$20 for dinner.

Thus, the final cost may be S$40++ for lunch and S$55++ for dinner. 

I attended one of the media tasting trails for Restaurant Week. We sampled items from a few participants such as Roasted Pork Parcels from Praelum, Chicken Vol au Vent from La Maison Fatien and Russian Honey Cake from Buyan Russian Restaurant & Caviar Bar. Here's a quick run down on the sampled dishes:

Roasted Pork Parcels 

Praelum's Menu Description: Sauteed Portobello mushrooms in cream cheese and fresh herbs stuffed into a pork loin parcel and wrapped in bacon slices. Pan-seared, then slow-roasted in the oven, the parcels are sliced and topped with fried onions and tomato-honey and basil dressing. An apple mash spiked with cinnamon is served alongside for a touch of sweetness with the savoury dish.

SFF: I loved this starter because for me, anything with bacon mushrooms, herbs and cheese usually tastes pretty darn good. The pork loin was just a tad on the dry side though.

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Chicken Vol au Vent 

La Maison Fatien's Menu Description: A puff pastry shell that looks like a pot with a lid. The pastry is filled with a cream sauce base with chicken. Generally garnished with rice, french beans are added to round out the dish.

SFF: I love chicken vol au vents so this hit the sweet spot for me in terms of richness without being exceedingly heavy on the stomach. I especially loved the crisp, flaky and buttery puff pastry. The chicken chunks were moist and tender. I mopped up the sauce with bread rolls instead. This is a Must-Try!

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Russian Honey Cake 

Buyan's Menu Description: Layered shortbread filled with sweetened milk, served with mixed berries compote.

SFF: I generally don't like desserts unless they're not too sweet so this was a little too sweet for my liking.

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PS: Thank you Dining City and Sixth Sense Communications for the hospitality.