Sunday, December 20, 2015

Kai Garden (嘉苑) @ Marina Square Shopping Mall

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Kai Garden at Marina Square Shopping Mall, specializing in fine Cantonese cuisine, is opened by Owner and Executive Chef Fung Chi Keung, who has over 30 years of culinary experience. Owner and Executive Chef Fung is the former group executive chef of Paradise Group as well as the founder of Xin Yue Modern Chinese Restaurant. The 200 seater restaurant comprises of three main sections - Dim Sum, Roasts and the Main Kitchen. The 200 seats includes a function room for up to 60 seats, and 4 private rooms for 4 to 16 people.

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Chilled Cherry Foie Gras 4/5

The Chilled Cherry Foie Gras ($24 per servicing) gives us a glimpse into Chef Fung interpretation of fine Cantonese cuisine. The foie gras is skillfully hand shaped into cherries, arousing one's curiosity with the priced ingredient.

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Chilled Mini Tomatoes with Sweet Plum 4.5/5

The Chilled Mini Tomatoes with Sweet Plum ($10.80 per servicing) will whet one's appetite with its sweetness and tanginess. It kept going back for more, it was really very addictive.

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Double Boiled Japanese Matsutake Served in Hot Pot 4.2/5

The Double Boiled Japanese Matsutake Served in Hot Pot ($38 per pax) is a light, sweet and nourishing  soup. Matsutake mushroom, priced for its rarity, is only found in the wild and is hand harvested from the foot of pine trees.

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Braised Whole Ya Jian Shark's Fin in Supreme Collagen Stock 4.2/5

The highlight is the supreme collagen stock that is used to braised the whole Ya Jian Shark's Fin ($34.80 per pax). The collagen stock was rich and sweet, which was an excellent broth to pair with the shark's fin, for a luxurious enjoyment.

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Signature Crispy Peking Duck 3.5/5

The signature dish at Kai Garden is the Crispy Peking Duck ($88 whole duck) served with 5 unique warps and 5 dipping sauces. The five different wraps are original, pumpkin, spinach, bamboo charcoal and beetroot.

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Besides the colorful wraps using natural ingredients, the crispy Peking duck also comes with 5 different sauces for the wrap to enjoy the duck skin. These sauces are traditional, black pepper, sesame, seafood and special mixed sauces.

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Signature Crispy Peking Duck 3.5/5

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For a more textural enjoyment of Chef Fung's crispy Peking duck, he has introduced corn crackers into the wrap. I actually preferred to have the crispy duck skin without the cracker, the duck skin got lost and over shadowed by the corn crackers when eaten together.

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Garoupa in Lobster Soup 4.8/5

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As you can see from the picture, the fresh garoupa is sliced into slices. It is then briefly poached in a pot of rich lobster stock. The fish slices is then served with the broth which tasted like lobster bisque. The Garoupa in Lobster Soup (seasonal price) is an exquisite combination that is packed with richness but yet very comforting.

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Sweet & Sour Pork On The Rocks 3.8/5

It is quite a sight when the Sweet & Sour Pork On the Rocks ($22 per servicing) is served to the table. It is quite an interesting presentation of the classic Cantonese dish with all the fundamental components and ingredients. The sweet and sour sauce is really good, nicely balanced to complement the balled shaped pork. However I felt that the pork was a bit too minced if to compare with the traditional execution, which I prefer the later.

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Deep Fried Vegetable Roll 4.8/5

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The Deep Fried Vegetable Roll ($22 regular) comes with mixed vegetables and mushroom with tofu encased in a crisp net of bamboo fungus. The bamboo fungus is the star for me in this dish for its soft, crunchy and spongy texture that lifted the whole enjoyment.

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Pan Fried Charcoal Pork Bun 4.5/5

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Mentioned earlier that Kai Garden also served dim sum on the menu. One of the dim sum items we tried is the Pan Fried Charcoal Pork Bun ($6.80 for 3pc). The black colour comes from the use of charcoal powder and squid ink, giving it a twist to the traditional pork bun. The bun is then pan fried for an exterior crispiness while retaining the fluffiness and juiciness of the pork filling inside.

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Chilled Fresh Coconut Puree 3.8/5

Last but not least, we wrapped up the fine Cantonese cusiine at Kai Garden with the Chilled Fresh Coconut Puree ($6.80 per pax). I felt that the kitchen should replace the fresh milk with something sweeter to complement the coconut puree. Maybe it is a personal preference. Nevertheless, the refreshing puree of fresh coconut is a perfect ending to the sumptuous meal.

While the food at the Kai Garden is commendable, the price tag is not cheap. Compared to many other shopping mall, the crowd is quite thin here. There are also a few Chinese restaurants in the vicinity, hence business can be quite challenging. Nevertheless, I hope their business will pick up and continue to serve delicious fine Cantonese cuisine.


Kai Garden (嘉苑)
Marina Square Shopping Mall
6 Raffles Boulevard
#03-128A/B
Singapore 039594
Tel: +65 62504826
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 330pm, 6pm - 11pm
Sat-Sun & PH: 11am - 4pm, 6pm - 11pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit B. Take the escalator to level 3. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

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