Amara Singapore Chinese New Year 2017

Amara Singapore will be ringing in the Year of the Rooster with an abundant array of Chinese New Year delicacies and reunion meals from 3 January to 12 February 2017. We dropped by Silk Road Restaurant to sample some of the celebratory signatures and traditional festive dishes that will be available on the menu of Silk Road and Thanying Restaurant this Lunar New Year.

Eight Treasure Yu Sheng 3.8/5

It was double happiness at Amara Singapore with the duo Lo Hei from both Silk Road and Thanying Restaurant. From Silk Road, we have the Eight Treasure Yu Sheng that comprises of cured salmon, jellyfish, golden silver fish, crispy fish skin, sliced abalone, ikura roe, tobilo roe and pomelo with chef's special spicy Sichuan garlic sauce. It has a lot of different types, especially coming from the silver fish and fish skin. The spicy sauce is a unique variation from the norm.

Thanying's Salmon Yu Sheng 4.5/5

From Thanying Restaurant, we had the Salmon Yu Sheng that is made up of shredded vegetables, yam strips and green mango. The highlight is the tangy and spicyThai sauce comprising of fish sauce, lime juice and chilli padi. This is surprisingly the favourite among the group. It felt like having the Thai dish, Som Tum.

Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Ginseng and Gastrodia Root 4.2/5

The Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Ginseng and Gastrodia Root is a nourishing goodness which has been boiled over 6 hours to kick start the meal. This is my first time having gastrodia root, which is commonly used in Sichuan cuisine.

Soy Glazed Baked Cod with Bonito Sauce 4.5/5

Making a grand entry is the humongous Soy Glazed Baked Cod with Bonito Sauce. Cod fish is known for its buttery sweetness and this is further enhanced by seasoning with sake and mirin for over 4 hours before being baked to perfection.

Braised Pork Knuckle with Sea Cucumber and Chestnut 4.2/5

The Braised Pork Knuckle with Sea Cucumber and Chestnut may not be the most presentable dish but definitely one that will melt your heart with its succulence and tenderness. It has to be stewed for 6 hours over slow fire to achieve the texture and for the flavours to be absorbed to be locked into the ingredients.

Traditional Beijing Roasted Duck 3.5/5

A classic dish offered at Silk Road is their Traditional Beijing Roasted Duck, seasoned overnight and roasted to perfection. Two ways of enjoying this delicacy - the meat is eaten together with skin in a crepe and pair the crispy skin with sugar.

Phad Kra-Praw-Pla 3.5/5

From the Thai Restaurant - Thanying, we tried the Phad Kra-Praw-Pa which is available as a la carte item during the Chinese New Year period. It is actually stir fried fish maw with dried mushroom and crabmeat. The execution was slight on the salty side. If not for that, I would have rated it highly.

Steamed Fragrant Rice with Salted Fish, Chinese Sausage and Waxed Meat 4.8/5

A must try at Silk Road is the Steamed Fragrant Rice with Salted Fish, Chinese Sausage and Waxed Meat. The rice is cooked in the water that is used to boil the sausages. ensuring each grain absorb the flavour. The salted fish further elevated the overall flavour.

Fried Sesame Dumpling and Nian Gao with Coconut Flakes 3/5

Wrapping up the dinner, we have the Fried Sesame Dumpling and Nian Gao with Coconut Flakes. The fragrant sesame dumpling is quite delightful with its peanut filling. The chewy texture of the nian gao is like having mochi.

For enquiries, please contact
Silk Road - (65) 6227 3848, silkroad@amaraholdings.com
Thanying Restaurant - (65) 6222 4688, thanyingrestaurant@amaraholdings.com

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Amara Singapore
165 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088539
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Website
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards Gopeng Street and turn into Tras Street. Walk to Amara Hotel. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

YuTang Clan @ Shenton Way - Specialist In King Mackerel

The first thing that caught my attention is the loud and colorful branding of Yu Tang Clan stall front. Further investigation revealed that the stall is actually from Market Street Food Centre. Due to re-developement of Market Street Food Centre, the fish soup has moved to its current location at One Shenton and renamed as Yu Tang Clan.

With the re-location, the stall has also gone up market and high tech. Food ordering is done through the touch screen machine at the front of the stall. You will be given a queue number upon payment. Wait for your queue number to be displayed at the queue number screen for collection.

Signature Soup 4.5/5

Yu Yang Clan offers a variety of fish soup on their menu. The popular choices are their Tom Yam Fish Soup, Teochew Fish Soup, Fried Mackerel Fish Soup and Signature Soup. Since I have specially make a trip down to try the fish soup, I ordered the Signature Soup ($18.80) which is the most expensive item on the menu. It comprises of sliced batang fish, fried fish skin, prawns, fried fish, cuttlefish ball, abalone, vegetables, beancurd skin, tofu, mushrooms and tomatoes.

While I was overwhelmed by the pile of ingredients, the highlight for me is the soup base which is cooked at the stall every morning just in time to serve the lunch crowd. We managed to chat with Auntie Jenny who has been working at the fish soup stall for many years. We verified that no milk was added to achieve the creaminess. It is pure natural from simmering the shark cartilage for hours resulting the the flavoursome broth. We also discovered some trace of ginseng roots in the soup, but we were not able to get her to share any further on the recipe.

Besides the selections of fish soup, Yu Tang Clan has recently launched a breakfast menu offering a variety of congee too.


Yu Tang Clan
One Shenton
1 Shenton Way
#01-11
Singapore 068803
Tel: +65 65099560
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Website
Nearest MRT: Downtown (DT LIne)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am - 6pm
(Closed on Weekend)

Direction:
1) Alight at Downtown MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to junction of Commerce Street and Marina View. Cross the road and walk to Asia Square One. Cut across Asia Square One and walk towards Shenton Lane. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]