Auspicious Abundance At Park Hotel Clarke Quay To Usher In The Year Of Rat

Park Hotel Clarke Quay is ready to usher in the Year of Rat with an abundance of auspicious dishes specially created by the hotel's banquet chef, James Wong. With four decades of experience in Asian and Cantonese cuisines, Chef James introduces new and scrumptious dishes in every Chinese New Year feast, but embedded within the different dishes are the same thoughts and affection he has towards his family, of how he would want his loved ones to enjoy Chinese New Year feasts. The festive fare presents four set menus of six, seven, and eight courses that cater for four to ten diners.

Auspicious Abundance Yu Sheng 4.8/5

For all set menus, including our 8-Course Ultimate Success Menu ($768/table), it commences with Prosperity Tuna Yu Sheng Platter. For a more luxurious starter, opt for the Auspicious Abundance Yu Sheng at a supplement of $38 nett per table.

Symbolising good luck, abundance and fortune for the year ahead, the dish is vibrant with white and green radish, purple cabbage, carrot, alfalfa, encircled by pan-seared United States scallops crowned with red caviar.

To mark the Year of Rat, replacing the usual crackers are Silver Needle Noodles 老鼠粉 (Lao Shu Fen) crackers! These crispy silver needle noodles proved to be even more moreish. What I appreciate is the home-made plum sauce, which is naturally tangy with lemon juice, sour plum sauce, apple sauce, and vinegar. Along with zest of lime, pomelo and kaffir leaves, this is definitely one of my favourite Yu Sheng till date.

Sea Treasure soup 4/5

The 2nd course is Pumpkin Soup with Braised Shark’s Fin. An alternative soup for all set menus is available on request with advance notice. We had in place a very nourishing Sea-Treasure Soup - savoury chicken soup prepared with superior stock (ingredients include chicken bones, pork bones, and jinhua ham), crab meat, fish maw, sea cucumber and fish lips.

Steamed Red Garoupa 3/5

Next up is Steamed Red Garoupa with Yellow Bean Paste, something different from your usual steamed fish. The yellow bean sauce is a punchy house-blend of minced ginger, red chilli, and garlic. It can be a little highly flavoured; hence a bowl of rice is recommended to complement the sauce and complete the enjoyment.

Baked Prawn 2.5/5

Next up we had Baked Prawn with 2-Style Potato Salad and Golden Almond Flakes. The baked prawns are stuffed with potato mash spiked with bacon bits and almond flakes and placed atop a potato salad. With the buttery mash and tangy potato salad, this dish was a nice break from all the traditional flavours, but the prawns were too mushy for my liking, especially in combination with the mash.

Braised Baby Abalone 4/5

Symbolising good fortune is the Braised Baby Abalone with Chinese Mushroom, Sea Cucumber and Chinese Spinach. To allow each of their individual flavours to develop fully since no two ingredients are the same, each component of the dish is braised individually before being assembled into one dish. The efforts are worth it.

Steamed Chicken 4.8/5

The Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage, Lily Buds, Black and White Fungus is the highlight of the menu. Marinated overnight before being steamed with black and white fungus, which are first poached in superior stock, and fried Chinese sausage and lily buds, the meat was exceptionally tender. The resulting broth is like a soy version of a rice wine chicken, and secretly you may wish to have some mee sua to sop up the soul-warming broth.

Tossed Egg Noodles 3/5

The final course before dessert is Tossed Egg Noodle with Crabmeat, Ham, Onsen Egg & Egg White. I find it somewhat similar to braised Yee Mee, but in place you have Wantan noodles being deep-fried then blanched. While the texture of the egg white gravy was impressive, which is a mixture of blanched crabmeat, prawns, egg white, and milk, and delicious as a dish on its own, it didn't bind well with the noodles, and the noodles sauce didn't quite bring the ingredients together either. A simple plate of E-Fu noodles might have sufficed me better.

We started the feast with a very appetising Yu Sheng, the dessert didn't disappoint with a refreshing Chilled Mango Pudding with Lychee Pearls.

CNY Set Course Menus 10 January to 8 February 2020
8-Course Ultimate Success ($768++ per table of 9 to 10 diners)
8-Course Prosperity ($698++ per table of 7 to 8 diners)
7-Course Longevity ($648++ per table of 6 to 7 diners)
6-Course Harmony ($388++ per table of 4 to 5 diners)

For more information and reservation details, please refer to: https://www.parkhotelgroup.com/en/clarkequay/promotions/cny

Written and photography by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.


Park Hotel Clarke Quay
1 Unity Street
Singapore 237983
Tel: +65 65938888
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Website
Nearest MRT: Fort Canning (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Lunch: 12pm - 2pm
Dinner: 530pm - 730pm (1st seating), 830pm - 1030pm (2nd seating)

Direction:
1) Alight At Fort Canning MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk to junction of River Valley Road and Clemenceau Ave. Cross the road and turn left onto Clemenceau Ave. Walk down Clemenceau Ave. Turn right onto Unity Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Yan Restaurant @ National Gallery - Heralding A Joyful Lunar New Year

For the upcoming Lunar New Year, Yan Restaurant at National Gallery celebrates the joyful reunions with a bounteous spread of six set menus, ranging from $98++ to $198++ per person, with classic Cantonese fare curated by Head Chef Ng Sen Tio.

Kaleidoscope of Prosperity 'Shun De' Style 4.2/5

For a different style of Yusheng, Yan Cantonese Restaurant offers the Kaleidoscope of Prosperity 'Shun De' Style ($138). It is savoury rather than the usual sweet type. The Shunde-style yusheng presents a mountain of crispy vermicelli adorned with shreds of purple and yellow sweet potatoes, kailan, and pickled ginger. Surrounding it is a vibrant medley of vegetables, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, and youtiao, as well as slices of fresh yellowtail, and topped with gold flakes and crunchy coils of mee pok.

Double-boiled Peru Maca Soup with Dried Seafood 4.5/5

Lunar New Year feast doesn't mean we can't eat healthily. The Double-boiled Peru Maca Soup with Dried Seafood ($90/$180) is a nourishing soup. The Peru maca is a Peruvian plant reputed for energy boosting and reduces blood pressure. Sea whelk is added to balance the yin of the body.

Sauteed Prawns with Vegetables accompanied with Deep-fried Mango and Scallop Roll 4/5

The Sauteed Prawns with Vegetables accompanied with Deep-fried Mango and Scallop Roll is a 2 in one dish. One gets to enjoy the crunchy prawns and asparagus, as well as the crispy panko crumbs coated sweet mango and scallop roll.

Steamed Star Grouper with Yunnan Preserved Vegetables and Cordyceps Flower 4.2/5

Fish is a must-have during Chinese New Year, symbolising surplus and abundance for the new year. At Yan, the wild-caught Steamed Star Grouper is deboned and served with Yunnan preserved vegetables, fresh cordyceps flowers and chye sim. The seasoning is light but flavourful, allowing the natural sweetness of the fish to shine through.

Yan Harvest Pen Cai 4.5/5

Usher in the year of the Rat with the majestic Yan Harvest Pen Cai ($280/$560). The huge treasure pot comprises of 18 ingredients. There are 6 Head Whole Abalone, Sea Cucumber, Live Prawn, Whole Conpoy, Fish Maw, King Grouper Fillet, Scallops, Roast Pork, Soya Chicken, Roast Duck, Black Mushroom, Yam, Lotus Root, Tianjin Cabbage, Beancurd Skin, Sea Moss, Ginkgo and Broccoli in braised duck gravy. It is available for both dine-in and takeaway.

Pan-Fried Nian Gao 4.2/5

For dessert, Nian Gao is a popular treat during Lunar New Year as the name sounds similar to better and higher achievement for the year ahead. The chef has kept the Pan-Fried Nian Gao simple, lightly pan-fried and coated with toasted grated coconut and crushed peanuts.

Hot Purple Sweet Potato Cream with Bird's Nest, Ginkgo and Mini Glutinous Rice Balls 4/5

For a good chance from the usual mango sago dessert, the Hot Purple Sweet Potato Cream with Bird's Nest, Ginkgo and Mini Glutinous Rice Balls is a well-received by the table.

For those planning to celebrate reunion at the comfort of the home, pre-orders commences on 23 December 2019 to 4 February 2020. Orders for takeaways can be placed at www.yan.com.sg. Reservation and enquiries call (65) 6384 5585 or email: reserve@yan.com.sg.

Noted: This is an invited tasting.


Yan Restaurant (宴)
National Gallery Singapore
1 St Andrew's Road
#05-02
Singapore 178958
Tel: +65 63845585
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Website
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit D. Turn left and walk down North Bridge Road. Turn left onto Coleman Street. Walk down Coleman Street. Walk to destination. Journey time around 5 minutes. [Map]