Chinese New Year (2016) at Yan Ting (The St. Regis Singapore)
The St. Regis Singapore needs no introduction and the ever-popular Yan Ting has quite a few surprises this year for the upcoming Chinese New Year (2016). I personally think that The St. Regis Singapore is the best Starwood property in Singapore and even the lead-in room type is really amazing and spacious - check out my review of The St. Regis Singapore here!
Click HERE to check out Yan Ting's menu for Chinese New Year 2016!
While I have been to Yan Ting on multiple occasions, I have not actually tasted their Chinese New Year menu (excluding the time when I actually purchased a Treasure Pot from them). While (almost) every restaurant in Singapore has created their own version of Yu Sheng in one way or another to jump on the Lunar New Year bandwagon, the Prosperity "Yu Sheng" with Norwegian Salmon from Yan Ting was actually a delightful surprise. Sure, it was not as luxurious as I thought it would be but the inclusion of fresh fruit slices is a much-welcomed change - I absolutely love the refreshing flavours and the natural sweetness! Now we can call this Yu Sheng a salad without that much guilt.
The second dish that I sampled was quite an interesting one as well. While I initially thought that this was a usual Pen Cai (Treasure Pot), I later realised that this dish was actually an innovative takeon the popular "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall". While the flavours were great and that sauce was delicious, I actually do prefer the traditional soup version. If you are looking to substitute your usual Pen Cai with something else this year, Yan Ting's Buddha Jumps Over the Wall will be an interesting addition to your dinner table.
The Stewed Pork Knuckle with Fermented Bean Curd is a crowd favourite. Braised in a consistent and flavourful sauce, the pork knuckle breaks apart easily with the gentle pull of a fork. Accompanied with a slightly-fatty skin, the combination of tastes and textures will simply force you to put your diet plans in the backseat.
This unassuming Fried Prawns with Golden Garlic ended up becoming one of my favourite dishes from Yan Ting (The St. Regis Singapore) this year. Fresh jumbo prawns light coated, fried to a golden brown shade and finally drizzled with copious amounts of golden garlic - everything to love on a plate. Add (and I mean ask for) a little bit of Yan Ting's famous XO Sauce and you have yourself satisfaction on a plate.
While I know some people who absolutely refuse to order chicken dishes at an established Chinese restaurant, the Yan Ting Crispy Roasted Chicken with Garlic is one to break your rule for. What you will get with this dish is the most moist and tender chicken that is resting beneath the most amazing crispy roasted chicken. I also love how gold-dusted garlic was sprinkled all over the dish - always a good thing during the Chinese New Year period!
The Wok-fried Glutinous Rice with Wind-dried Sausage was also another crowd's favourite. Those wind-dried Chinese sausages were delicious and the fragrance of the glutinous rice was really satisfying.
For a sweet conclusion to the meal, we sampled the Fragrant Homemade Almond Tea served with Crispy Glutinous Rice Cake. While the almond tea was delicious with the right level of sweetness, I thought it would have been perfect with a black sesame glutinous rice ball (or maybe I'm just greedy).
The Summer Pavilion at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore needs no introduction - it was the first Cantonese restaurant in a hotel to receive One Michelin star in Singapore and the food has always been consistently good. I have been to the restaurant on multiple occasions (usually in the day) and the lighting has always been great but unfortunately this time, I was stuck with a dinner tasting of the Chinese New Year menu and therefore the images do not do the food any justice.