I planned an elevated dinner party for my colleagues in office & got everything I needed from CS Fresh Gold

As a writer at Mothership, my days are filled with unadulterated joy – on top of life-affirming, life skills-enhancing work experiences.

Outside my job scope (which includes being an intrepid cub reporter), I decided to throw my hardworking colleagues a dinner party because they deserve every ounce of pampering.

Think artisanal cheese boards, charcuterie meats and accoutrements, along with a nice bottle of red wine because it's after-hours and they should get hammered.

I decided to head to CS Fresh Gold at Tanglin Mall for supplies, which Cold Storage has launched as their new flagship store recently.

This outlet joins two other CS flagship stores at CS Fresh Gold Paragon and CS Fresh Great World.

Artisanal Australian bakery

At the entrance, the first thing that caught my nose was the scent of freshly baked bread.

From whole loaves of bread to delicate fresh pastries and desserts, this bakery offers fancy danishes with a local spin, such as the Gula Melaka Kouign Amann.

I needed a loaf of bread to accompany the cheese and meats, and the baker gladly helped me with the slicing of my baked goods.

CS Fresh’s artisanal bakery is home to a variety of premium Australian-made authentic fresh sourdough bread and baked treats that include eclairs, cookies and tarts.

I learnt that the authentic French breads are made based on time-honoured recipes using the finest Australian flour that mimic the qualities of fresh flour, which means more than 30 hours of time is invested in each and every loaf.

The sourdoughs are made using genuine sourdough starters and no other additives, so the taste is a natural enhancement to the flavour of the bread.

Additionally, all the loaves are prepared in Melbourne, par-baked and flown into Singapore so that every day, the loaves will get a final bake in the oven and are served fresh.

Ready-to-eat roasts

Next, I moved on to the centrepiece of our dinner – the meat.

I was pleased to find out that CS Fresh has partnered with Crystal Jade to offer a different, more localised style of rotisserie meats and marinated meats.

There was roasted pork shao rou style, as well as Crystal Jade's signature pork belly that was tantalisingly on display.

The honey-glazed chicken and BBQ porchetta also found a place on my dinner table.

While there was a good selection of sushi and sashimi on sale, I decided to save that idea for my next dinner party.

Fresh oysters

One creative risk I took was to buy fresh oysters.

I thought that this would make a good surprise for my colleagues, who might or might not have tried fresh oysters – bought from a supermarket.

In my eyes, fresh oysters would be a sure-fire way to elevate a dinner party.

These oysters appeared fresh, with a variety from France, Japan and New Zealand to choose from.

I ended up buying three from Japan and three from France, which were packed in a large box on a bed of ice to keep them fresh.

Cheese galore

What's a fancy dinner party without cheese and charcuterie?

I don't know about you, but I love cheese.

From soft brie to pungent blue cheese, I love them all.

So imagine my delight when I saw CS Fresh’s substantial selection of cheese.

There was even a “cheese shop” within the supermarket itself.

I picked out some Manchego cheese with truffles, along with creamy brie and some blue cheese.

I even spotted a giant leg of what I thought was Jamon being prepared.

It turned out to be a leg of Joselito Ham, which I’d heard was probably the best tasting ham in the world.

This definitely wasn't a common sight to see at a local supermarket.

The high-quality, artisanal ingredients CS Fresh Gold imports surprised me.

Premium meats and butchery counter

As most may agree, the butchery is the centrepiece of any supermarket.

At CS Fresh Gold, one will be able to find a large range of plant-based meat brands such as Beyond, Impossible, Arlene and Quorn at their butchery, so even non-meat-eating consumers will be spoilt for choice.

I was pleased to find out that fresh, premium cuts of meat that were imported from Australia would be sent to our office in the afternoon, adding to the already marvellous wide spread.

Cold Storage is widely known to be home to one of the best meats in Singapore including Australian Angus, intensely marbled Okan Wagyu from Australia, premium Australian certified Free Range Carbon Neutral Borrowdale Pork, to the magnificent Iberico Pork of southern Spain.

With the new flagship CS Fresh Gold here in Tanglin, Cold Storage has further elevated their premium offerings by exclusively partnering local boutique butcher with Ryan’s Butchery section to extend their Dry Aged Beef and premium meat cuts.

With the main course taken care of, it was off to the wine section.

Wine

The wine selection at CS Fresh Gold boasts an impressive range of internationally curated wines.

The overwhelming number of choices might seem intimidating to beginners, but the shelves have been divided into subcategories for easier perusal.

I ended up buying a bottle of Cabernet since I thought it would accompany the red meat well.

A unique feature of this outlet is the ecoSPIRITS SmartKiosk.

The SmartKiosk offers a climate-friendly and lower-priced alternative to buying bottles off the shelf.

The automated kiosk allows you to reduce carbon emissions by reusing and refilling your spirit bottles, at better rates than if you bought a bottle on the shelf.

This partnership with ecoSPIRITS also extends to a tree-planting campaign.

Under the ecoSPIRITS Forest Programme, a tree is planted for every refill.

As hard spirits were not exactly in-line with the whole dinner party theme, I didn't get any.

However, I still felt that this initiative was greatly beneficial towards reducing glass waste and carbon emissions in general.

The touchscreen interface was also very user-friendly and convenient, showing the notable discounts that certain brands offer.

At the moment, this kiosk is only available at the Tanglin Mall outlet. It will be brought to the Paragon and Great World outlets soon.

Reduced packaging treats

It was clear that CS Fresh is taking steps to reduce packaging waste.

On my way out, I noticed that some dried goods, such as peanuts and grains, were displayed in bulk, where customers could scoop their desired amounts into containers or bags.

I noticed that Alison's pantry, the dog treat bar and longtime partner of Cold Storage, had extended its offerings from nuts and tail mixes to premium dog treats too.

Aside from the food mentioned earlier, I also bought some salads and fruit to complement the meal.

All in all, my groceries came up to around S$167.

Not bad for two whole baskets of artisanal ingredients and alcohol.

The party

I dutifully brought back all the ingredients to the office, and spent my afternoon setting everything up.

Adhering to the dinner party theme, I borrowed some decorations from a friend to spice things up, and set the table.

I received three different types of sausages in the afternoon - beef herb and garlic,  Spanish chorizo and Irish pork sausages - as well as the “100 Days Grain Fed Aged Striploin” that would take centre stage at this dinner party.

Not long after the dinner party started, the sausages were gone.

I managed to grab a single bite and I must say, the beef herb and garlic sausage was my favourite.

Surprisingly, the oysters were a smash hit as well.

I thought some colleagues might be hesitant to try oysters from a supermarket, but many were game and even said they were deliciously fresh and smooth.

The truffle Manchego cheese was also a crowd pleaser, even to those who did not like strong flavours or cheese in general.

Enjoyed with crackers of bread, it was a great appetiser, especially when paired with the red wine and fruit.

The bread tasted unexpectedly good as well - the slices were not too thick, and was nicely savoury and aromatic.

Well-received dinner party

Tanglin Mall's CS Fresh Gold certainly impressed me with its classy presentation and fresh, artisanal alternatives to regular supermarket fare.

The success of my elevated dinner party was certainly a testament to that.

Working with foodie partners such as Ecospirits, Ryan’s Butchery, Crystal Jade, Alison’s Pantry and more, CS Fresh aims to revamp the casual supermarket experience for its customers.

While being more upmarket than its competitors, the effort CS Fresh takes to curate quality seasonal ingredients definitely pays off, in addition to implementing more sustainable initiatives to regular grocery shopping.

This means that customers will be able to enjoy a more convenient shopping and gastronomic experience, since the freshest ingredients can all be bought in one place.

All in all, a full stomach and happy diners - what more could I ask for?

This is a sponsored article by CS Fresh. Discover more here. 

All photos via Mothership and CS Fresh