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]

Fratini la Trattoria @ Hillcrest Park - Italian Omakase By 25 Years Old, Chef Chomel Yang

I have heard of Japanese omakase but Italian omakase is totally new to me. A visit to Fratini la Trattoria at Hillcrest Park will be a totally new experience where there is no menu. What you get from young Head Chef Chomel Yang is a menu that uses the freshest seasonal produce available in local and overseas markets, offering a myriad of Italian cuisines from North and South regions.

For the first course, I was presented with four different bite size starters. On the plate, we have the Salmon with Pumpkin Puree, Scallop with Sun Dried Tomato, Duck Rillette with Wild Rice and Stuffed Pork Trotter with Homemade Sausage. I was told that the stuffed pork trotter also known as zampone is a popular dish during New Year in Parma and served with lentils representing good luck and prosperity. What I gathered from the quadruple is like an new age Italian music, giving a new beat to Italian cuisine.

Beef Cheek 4.2/5

My next course is the Beef Cheek that is stewed in veal jus. It is paired with asparagus and potatoes. Using a recipe from Central Italy, the tenderness simply melted the heart

Barramundi 4/5

From the land we moved to the sea with the Barramundi that has been pan fried to golden brown. It was slightly crisp on the exterior, especially the skin while retaining the moist interior. It is paired with crunchy greens for a delightful finishing.

Venison Rack 4.5/5

I have tried lamb rack but Venison Rack is a new to me. Apparently this is a staple dish among Italians in the Ticino area (south of Switerland) during the hunting season. I have to say this turned out pretty impressive. The beautiful piece of venison was grilled to perfection and served with herbs crust.

Slipper Lobster 4/5

If you are a cheese lovers, you will love the Slipper Lobster baked with 3 different cheeses in Milan Style. The cheeses complemented the sweetness of the slipper lobster's flesh excellent, on top of the bouncy texture.

Truffle Pasta 4.5/5

In omakase you usually just eat what the chef serves you. Well at least at Fratini la Trattoria you can to mix and match your own pasta. If you are too lazy to do so, just ask for their popular choices which are beef, seafood and truffle. I had the Truffle Pasta which comprises of summer truffle from Alba blended with mushroom and finished off with sliced black truffles. This is a dish that I would specially return to have it again.

Wrapping up the omakase dinner, we have the Creme Brulee, Chocoalte Salami, Black Sesame Panna Cotta and Tiramisu. I could not really decide which is my favourite but I though the used of black sesame is rather bold for the young chef to incorporate into Italian cuisine.

It is definitely a different experience dining at Fratini la Trattoria with its No-Menu Concept. The omakase menu is priced at $50++ for lunch and $90++ for dinner.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Fratini la Trattoria
Hillcrest Park
10 Greenwood Avenue
Singapore 289201
Tel: +65 64682868
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Tan Kah Kee (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 12pm - 145pm, 6pm - 845pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tan Kah Kee MRT station. Take Exit A. Use the overhead bridge to Exit B. Walk straigh to Hillcrest Road. Turn right onto Hillcrest Road. Walk down Hillcrest Road and make a left into Greenwood Avenue. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]