The Yellow Ribbon Charity Gala, Ritz Carlton

Launched in 2004, the Yellow Ribbon Fund sets out to provide financial support for associated services of rehabilitative and reintegration of inmates, ex-offenders and their family members before and after their discharge from custody. The fund also aims to increase public awareness of programmes aimed at giving 2nd chances to ex-offenders.



Last Friday evening, I attended The Yellow Ribbon Charity Gala at Ritz Carlton. We were treated to a sneak preview of Rodgers & Hammerstein's masterpiece, The King & I and a medley performed by a trio of prison inmates, complete with sequins (think cross between Royston Tan's '15' and '881').

Although I was glad we were spared from a 10-course Chinese banquet dinner, the menu was -sigh- regrettably fusion. Despite the dodgy-sounding 4 course line up, I relented at the arrival of the bread basket. The assortment of baby-soft bread rolls kept warm in the embrace of linen origami forged a beacon of hope and forgiveness.

The starter featured prawn brandade perched on roasted mushroom timbale, with citrus pink pepper sauce. For this dish alone, I had to consult the food lover's companion guide twice- for 'brandade' and 'timbale'. Prawn brandade is a pounded combination of prawn, olive oil, garlic, milk and cream and it is a specialty of the city of Nîmes, south of France. The brandade was an acquired taste (I almost liked it nearing the end) but paired with the appalling roasted mushroom timbale, it was a performance that should never be repeated. Ever.

Along the lines of what-was-the-Chef-thinking, the seafood Tom Yam cream soup was marginally less hoffific but halfway through, I had to seek solace in my 4th bread roll.

The palate cleanser, a lychee sherbet brought sweet relief. Subsequently, the room brightened up as it was auction time. What a relief it was to be able to see our food.. and yeah, the faces around the table.



With the soup and starter both decidedly awful, dinner was beginning to look like a Greek tragedy. Yet with the arrival of the main course, Pan Fried Stuffed Chicken Thigh with Mushroom, White Bean Ragout and Pesto King Prawn and Thai Cream Sauce, the event's key message "Help Unlock the Second Prison" rang soundly. The chicken, prawn and ragout were plate-scrappingly tasty; the Thai cream sauce was missable but not missed.



Dessert was British EIC meets Malay Archipelago- coconut custard (more pudding than custard) topped with diced mangoes. It wasn't a booming success but I finished it anyway.



Truth is unless the event is food-related, one should never expect too much from such functions.After all, the kitchen probably resembles a Ford Toyota factory assembly line and you are just 1 out of the 500 mouths the kitchen has to feed that night.