Rooftop vibes at GIN-ger: Here's our Top 10 picks from their new menu 🍸

OK, it’s summer in absolute full swing, and if last week’s heat wave reminded us of anything, it’s to keep ourselves hydrated and cool at all times, whether the temperature rises to 45 degrees again or not, a great spot to chill and cool off after a long day of work is the rooftop terrace of the Hyatt Regency. A spot that will be on the tip of everybody’s tongues, GIN-ger. 👅

Open from 6pm, order a G&T, some Asian bites and watch the sunset by the pool.

GIN-ger, by nature, is a gin bar serving up an insane array of select gins - not gin cocktails, gins; each of which are served with your choice of tonic. They’re booming the classic G&T into the limelight and making sure it stands out as the classic contender it has always been. 😍

The Gin Menu features an expertly curated gin list, categorised into different sections; Fruity, Spicy, Floral, Herbal, Juniper and Cytrus - all of which feature an entire listicle of gin options; including classics like Bombay Sapphire in the Herbal column, Tanqueray in the Juniper stretch Hendrick’s in the Floral section and more select options such as Gunpowder Irish Gin in the Spicy list and Whitley Neill in the Cytrus category. 🍹

That’s right… a full menu with over 20 gin choices!

Our first experience of GIN-ger was met with a sip at 3 cocktails; all featuring a gin superstar and prepared with finesse and elegance to give you that fancy feeling. We tried the Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle with a Premium Indian Tonic Water top up, the Botanist Islay Gin with a deliciously satisfying Elderflower Tonic Water and the Gin-ger-tini made with Monkey 47, sweet ginger, Granny Smith apple and citrus. 🍋

The Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle came off the Cytrus menu for that zesty burst of fresh flavours - it carried a light and bright profile with a zingy and bitter overtone, the perfect refresher for a hot summer’s day, while the Botanist Islay Gin, although perfect in summer would even satisfy your G&T cravings in the colder months. This gin hails from Islay, Scotland, a wee island where some great whiskeys are produced, Botanist Islay Gin carries a bold and aromatic flavour due to the foraged botanicals, such as berries, barks, seeds and peels that seep into the gin for a profoundly layered complexity that hits the pallet just right. 😋

We started off with a tipple… did we mention that they were gin-based?

But if you follow FoodBlog enough, you’ll know that we didn’t hit up GIN-ger just for their exceptional gin menu, no… of course not… we voyaged to the rooftop of the Hyatt Regency, for a fancy G&T and a taste of their Mix & Match Bites & Bowls, hoping to savour the Orient with a taster of their pool-side menu! 🔥

This here was our view, crispy, juicy, fragrant and of course 100% gin fueled.

So without further to do, here is - in no particular order - that would be a task totally inhumane and tedious - our Top 10 of the Mix & Match Bites & Bowls. 🥗

Off the Asian Bites section:

Short Rib and Cheddar Spring Roll with Spicy Mayo 

Think of a cheese cigar, with all that gooey cheesy goodness - but add pulled short rib to the mix and slap a spicy, creamy zing on top. These would go perfectly with the Greenall’s Wild Berry Gin to round up all those flavs. 🥩

Chicken Dumpling with Chili Oil, Spring Onions and Crispy Onions

Finally, a dumpling worth ordering! This Chicken Dumpling was aromatic and perfectly salted, packed with fresh vibes and finished with the ultimate crunch: crispy onions! Pair this with the Cytrus classic; King of Soho. 🥟

Hummus with Roasted Chickpeas and Grilled Flatbread

Nothing beats hummus by the pool and served with warm flatbread and that generous drizzle of olive oil… ahh, bliss! Try this with a Spicy gin, maybe the Ophir would work well here. 🫓

This is where it started, but we were so happy it didn’t end here.

Tempura Buffalo Chicken Wings with Mint Mayo

This is where chicken wing heaven is. And we know our chicken wings… I’d say we’re wing pros. The light tempura and thick buffalo sauce made these perfect. As a drink, gulp down the mint mayo - it’s hella good. 🍗

Duck and Kimchi Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dressing

Holy kimchi. A lightly fermented kimchi served alongside an unbeatable (shhh… this one was my favourite) crisp, a delicate and smooth filling topped with a sweet hoisin dressing, all moulding together to create utter harmony. Sip at the Gin Mare with this. 🦆

Beef Gyoza with Teriyaki and Sesame Seeds

Another dumpling to find permanent residency in your mouth… the Beef Gyoza, served with a sweet Teriyaki sauce and toasted sesame seeds for that added nuttiness. Whirl the flavours around with an absolutely yum… Roku Gin. 🤤

We could get used to this, can we hold our reservation, summer-long?

Off the Asian Bowls section, we dove into and absolutely enjoyed the:

Tempura Confit Duck Legs on Fragrant Rice with Hoisin Dressing

Soft yet crispy, tender and meaty - the way the Chef Noel Azzopardi prepares his duck is mind-blowing; you do know he’s the Executive Chef at Seed, Thyme AND GIN-ger, right? 🥙

Pork Char Siu on Fragrant Rice with Fried Egg, Sesame Seeds and Crispy Onions

This was interesting - and for lack of a better description, really, really porky. It packed in all those distinct pork attributes and moulded it altogether with a rich Char Siu sauce, creating the perfect Cantonese style BBQ marinade. Yolk pop that beast and dig right in! 🍳

Beef Rendang with Pickled Cucumber served on Fragrant Rice

Heqhem… this one was… mmm, how can I put it… BOMB! The balance of the beef’s nutty, buttery and sweet Rendang flavour bounced off the vinegary freshness of the cucumber and melded so well with the fragrant rice. 🍲

Chicken Skewer cooked in a Red Curry and Peanut Sauce on Fragrant Rice

Find something wrong with this dish… we dare you! Enough said, really… but we’ll elaborate Karen, no problem. This was sweet and spicy, the chicken subtle yet full of flavour and the peanut sauce on top just topped it off with that umami bang! 🍛

Hello, bowls of love! We <3 you, we really do!

BONUS: Stir Fry Shitake and Local Mushroom with Spring Onions and Coriander on Fragrant Rice

This guy baffled us for a few minutes. We may or may not have been a little tipsy, or perhaps pre-occupied by the EURO 2020 game playing behind us, but we missed Stafano, Keith and Mirko’s introduction of the dish. 🤦‍♀️

I’ll point out that the service was smooth and natural on the night and highly enthusiastic, we hungry guests were the ones to miss the memo… but we’ll blame that on the gin. 🤪

Unsure of what we were eating at first, the guessing game started. But after clear analysis of the menu and repetitive mouthfuls of the mystery dish, we realised it was the Stir Fry Shitake and Local Mushroom bowl - served with perfectly minced mushrooms (they weren’t whole, we weren’t that tipsy) that only Chef Noel can manipulate so well - all sat on top of a fragrant bowl of steamed rice. Life was good. 🍄

So, if you’re up for a poolside bite, a sip at the finest G&Ts on the island and maybe an evening game, head to GIN-ger for your chance to savour the Orient, kick your legs back and cool off after a long day of adult life. 🏊