Yan Ting Chinese New Year 2017 @ St Regis Singapore

The feasting during Lunar New Year period continues at Yan Ting, Cantonese Restaurant of St Regis Singapore. The Prosperity Yu Sheng with Norwegian Salmon decked with fruits like marinated papaya, honeydew, pomelo, strawberry and snow pear kick start our dinner, tossing to an auspicious start and 'fruitful' 2017.

Chinese New Year Pun Choy 4.5/5

One of my favourite dishes during Chinese New Year is the Pun Choy or Pen Cai. It comes with time honoured indulgences such as abalone, fish maw, oyster, sea cucumber prawns, roast duck etc. This is also available at Yan Ting for takeaway at $488 which includes a Medium Prosperity “Yu Sheng” with Norwegian Salmon, Fried Glutinous Rice with Preserved Meat and Osmanthus Water Chestnut Cake

Deep Fried Sea Perch Fillet with Fermented Beancurd Sauce 4.2/5

You can'r judge a book by its cover, this is so true for the next dish - Deep Fried Sea Perch Fillet with Fermented Beancurd. The deep fried fillet may not look appealing but trust me, have it with the fermented beancurd sauce to change the whole perspective of the dish. The sauce single-handedyly turned them into gold.

Braised King Prawn with Shrimp Oil 4/5

A new creation by Chef Tony Wun is the Braised King Prawn with Shrimp Oil. The huge king prawn is braised with shrimp oil to bring out the beautiful flavours of the ingredients on top of the firm and bouncy texture of the king prawn.

Braised Boneless Short Ribs 3.8/5

The Braised Boneless Short Ribs are infused with the savoury sauce and cooked to fork tender. I enjoy the radish the most as it is like a sponge locking in all the essences.

Wok Fried Green Dragon Vegetable with Garlic 4/5

I noticed the Green Dragon Vegetable has been commonly used in Chinese restaurant lately. I actually enjoy it for its crunch. If I am not wrong, bean sprout to give it more textures.

Wok Fried Glutinous Rice with Wind-dried Sausages 4.5/5

A signature at Yan Ting is the Wok Fried Glutinous Rice with Wind-dried Sausages. It does not need further introduction as the flavoursome glutinous rice perfumed by the wind-dried sausages is eagerly waited for a finale dinner round up.

Fragrant Homemade Almond Tea with Peach Gum 4/5

Thumbs up to Chef Tony Wun who has given the Fragrant Homemade Almond Tea an 'upgrade'. Last year it was just plain almond tea 'koso', this year peach gum is added for an additional textural enjoyment. We were also served with crispy glutinous rice cake to go with the almond tea.

Yan Ting's Lunar New Year ala carte, special set menus and gourmet takeaways will be available from 9 January to 11 February 2017.

Noted: This is an invited tasting.


Yan Ting
St Regis Singapore Hotel
Level 1U
29 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247911
Tel: +65 65066887
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 3pm, 630pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheelock Place via ION. Exit Wheelock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Continue onwards to Forum Shopping Mall. Walk further down to Orchard Parade Hotel. Turn left onto Tanglin Road. St Regis is just beside Tanglin Shopping Centre. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

Jiang Nan Chun (江南春) @ Four Seasons Hotel Singapore - Revamped With An Even More Impressive Menu

Jiang Nan Chun at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore has finally re-opened after months long renovation. Spotting an elegant interiors and furnishings from the wood cravings to the handmade ceramic floor titles, the restaurant manifests the beautiful river villages along the south of Yangtze river. It felt like having a gastronomic dining experience on board an ancient junk, sailing through a calm Yangtze river.

Alfonso Tea ($11/pax)

Besides fine wine and premium tea, Jiang Nan Chun has 8 exclusive cocktails that concocts whiskey and sake with tea. I have something light, fruity and refreshing in the Alfonso Tea ($11/pax). For a change and something different, the easy to drink tea cocktail will be a good choice to pair with food.

Signature Jiang Nan Chun Peking Duck 4.5/5

A visit to Jiang Nan Chun is not complete without having the Signature Jiang Nan Chun Peking Duck ($98/duck). Undergo 14 hours of preparation and roasted in a customised mesquite wood oven, the duck carves at table side emits an aromatic scent when it makes its entry.

Signature Jiang Nan Chun Peking Duck 4.5/5

There is three ways to enjoy the peking duck. First, the thinly sliced skin is dipped with sugar to appreciate the crispiness and aromatic scent that has infused into the skin during the roasting process.

Signature Jiang Nan Chun Peking Duck 4.5/5

The second way to enjoy the peking duck's skin is to topped it with caviar. This is my first time being introduced to the way of eating it. I am surprise how the combination elevated the whole enjoyment to the next level, giving it an umami punch.

Signature Jiang Nan Chun Peking Duck 4.5/5

The last way to enjoy the peking duck is the tradition method of eating it as a wrap. Diners have a choice between the plain and scallion wraps. It also comes with two dfferent sauces. One salty and one sweet, the Peking and Cantonese style of eating peking duck.

Soft Shell Prawns with Sliced Almond and Crispy Rice 4.5/5

Besides the peking duck, the Soft Shell Prawns with Sliced Almond and Crispy Rice ($15 per serving) is a must try. The soft shell prawn with almond and crispy rice are coated in a very special spiced sauce that is very addictive. The sauce somehow reminds me of eating potato chips. You just can't stop at one.

Dim Sum Trio 4.2/5

Next up is the Dim Sum Trio that gives a glimpse of the dim sum offering at Jiang Nan Chun. On the plate there is the Crispy Puff Pastry with Black Pepper Beef ($3/pc), Steamed Shrimp Dumpling with Eryngii Mushroom ($2/pc) and Char Siew Sliders with Pickled Green Chilli ($15 per serving). Different from other dim sum places, the serving here is by individual portion and hence diners can try a bit of everything. The crispy puff pastry stood out with its texture that is made up of impressive 17 layers of pastry skins. The kurobuta pork done in char siew style provide a fresh air to the usual kong bak pau too.

Sea Whelk, Maka, Dried Scallops and Pork Ribs Soup 4.2/5

The double boiled Sea Whelk Soup ($38/pax) comes with Maka Ginseng, Dried Scallops and Pork Ribs. The soup is light but yet rich in flavour, well extracting the essence of the ingredients for a nourishing and comforting bowl of double boiled soup.

Steamed Cod Stuffed with Mushrooms and Water Chestnuts in Paper Roll 4.8/5

Steamed Cod Stuffed with Mushrooms and Water Chestnuts in Paper Roll 4.8/5

I was very impressed with this dish, Steamed Cod Stuffed with Mushrooms and Water Chestnuts in Paper Roll ($38/pax). Initially I thought the cod dish was wrapped in cabbage but it turned out to be rice paper roll. Those that used for Vietnamese roll. The wrap not only holds the flavours from the cod fish, mushrooms and water chestnuts together, at the same time did not interfere or steal the show from the main casts. The shaved truffle is like jewels on the crown, elevating the flavours to a new dimension.

Wagyu Beef Oxtail with Lemongrass Infused Oil 4.2/5

For a fine dining restaurant like Jiang Nan Chun, I was rather surprise to see claypot dishes on their menu. In actual fact, there are 11 claypot dishes on the menu. I only manage to try the Wagyu Beef Oxtail with Lemongrass Infused Oil ($32 per serving). Comes in a rich and robust sauce, the wagyu beef oxtail literally melted in the mouth after a good 30 hours of slowing cooking it. It is one of those dishes that you simply cannot resist ordering a bowl of rice to go with it.

Avocado Cream, Coconut Sorbet, Osmanthus Jelly, Cocoa Nibs 3/5

The Avocado Cream dessert ($14/pax) was a bit disappointing for me. While I like the coconut sorbet, osmanthus jelly and the cocoa nibs the whole execution felt like a family where the members don't communicate with one another.

Yoghurt Cream, Mung Beans, Longan, Chia Seed, Sour Plum Granite 3/5

The Sour Plum Granite ($14/pax) with yoghurt cream, mung beans, longan and chia seed was kind of complex with the different layers of flavours. I would rather have it simple and refreshing without the others distraction.

Crispy Puff Pastry with Almond Cream 4/5

Do be careful when eating the Crispy Puff Pastry with Almond Cream ($12/pax). Encased inside the crispy puff pastry is the lava almond cream which will ooze out like your liu sha bao. I thought the shape looks a bit like a yam basket and if the almond cream can be substituted with orh nee, that will be more exciting.

The newly revitalized Jiang Nan Chun embodies the concept of Xiang Le Zhu Yi or the principle of enjoyment and happiness, which implies that food has the ability to transcend the body's appetites to fulfill the aspirations of the mind and soul. This makes how and why you eat as important as what you eat.


Jiang Nan Chun (江南春)
Four Seasons Hotel Singapore
Second Floor
190 Orchard Boulevard
Singapore 248646
Tel: +65 68317220
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard MRT (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheelock Place via ION. Exit Wheelock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Continue walking along Orchard Road. Walk to Hilton Hotel. Go to level 2. Follow the passage way to Four Seasons Hotel. Walk to destination. Journey time is about 12 minutes. [Map]

Garden Picks, The Dried Fruits & Nuts Company

I have a weak spot of nuts and I love snacking all sort of nuts ranging from peanut, almond, cashew and more. Usually I will go to the nearby convenient store or supermarket to stock up my supply. Recently I have been introduced to Garden Picks, a online dried fruits and nuts company that sells and deliver a quality wide array of wholesome snacks in Singapore. My craving can now be satisfied with just a few mouse clicks and I will have a good serving size of wholesome snacks to curb my craving.

Garden Picks has recently introduced a new range of gourmet nuts from Australia. I got my hands on a few of these new products to try. There was quite a few interesting flavoured nuts such as the Tiramisu Almond, French Vanilla Almond, Mexican Salsa Cashew, Cinnamon Almond, Canadian Maple Cashews and Thai Sweet Chilli Cashew. Among the 6 new gourmet nuts from Australia, my favourite was the French Vanilla Almond. The sugary vanilla coating around the roasted almond reminds me of those sugar coated nuts I used to buy from the kachang puteh stall.

The web based wholesome snacks supplier has grown into a manufacturing and packing facility producing and supplying a diverse range of dried fruits and nuts to corporate workplaces, government ministries, school and hotels. You can find out more of the products in the website link below. Garden Picks has a wide range of dried fruits and nuts that is delivered "factory fresh" to your doorstep.


Garden Picks
FoodXChange@Admiralty
8A Admiralty Street
#06-05
Singapore 757437
Tel: +65 66594859
Website: http://www.gardenpicks.com.sg