New Cantonese Delights at Wan Hao (Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel)
With over 21 years of history, Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant at the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel is one of Singapore's most renowned Chinese restaurants. With the introduction of its new à la carte menu from 9 May 2016, diners will be able to select from some of the healthier options while still maintaining that satisfaction from quality Chinese food.
Click HERE to read my review of the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel's Pool Terrace!
What the Executive Chinese Chef Brian Wong of Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant has done is to take familiar classic dishes (that people are already comfortable with) and given it a spin of modernity and a touch of luxury with the introduction of more premium ingredients. During the dinner tasting, I've sampled three new dim sum options - the Deep-fried Mango Roll (S$5++ for two), Steamed Crystal Skin Vegetarian Dumpling (S$4++ for two), Baked Crispy Honey-Glazed Pork Puff with Black Pepper Sauce (S$5++ for two). While they were all really good (and I love the fact that they are served in twos instead of an odd number), I particularly enjoyed the Deep-fried Mango Roll which was surprisingly light.
Bird's Nest has long been known for its 'beauty purposes' - it is believed to be beneficial to your overall skin and tissue repair which in turn makes your skin dewy. While I do not particularly care about the alleged beauty benefits, the Bird’s Nest Dumpling in Superior Sauce (S$28++) was such a delight to eat. Firstly, the superior sauce is concentrated and extremely satisfying. There's nothing more disappointing than a broth that holds no character - you will not have to worry about this here! The bird's nest dumpling itself was brimming with well, bird's nest and even though it is priced pretty affordably (for what it is), Wan Hao has managed to give both value and quality to the diner in this dish.
What you see above is a tasting size of the Deep-fried Prawns in Pumpkin Butter Sauce (S$35++) - instead of using a salted egg yolk sauce (which is done to death, by the way), Chef Brian has decided to use a pumpkin sauce instead for that similar consistency. The prawns were a delight to eat - they were coated in a light and airy batter and the curry leaves (which you can choose to eat too) provided that extra kick and aromatic aspect to the dish.
If you have been to Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant, you will know how well they do beef here and the newly-added Wok-fried Beef Fillet with Angelica & Chinese Yam (S$32++) is not exception. The Chinese wine (Hua Diao Jiu) is soaked with angelica sinensis for two weeks before frying it with the beef fillet with Chinese yam and wolf-berries to emit a subtle and sweet aroma.
If I had to pick the one dish that I enjoyed the most during the dinner, it will definitely have to be the Wok-fried Wanton Noodles with Live Lobster in Superior Stock (S$38++). The noodles itself were already delicious on its own even without the addition of the lobster but hey, how do you say no to lobster anyway?
Finally for dessert, the Chilled Double-boiled Peach Resin with Red Dates (S$16++). This dish utilises peach resin which is a vegan-friendly alternative to common collagen-rich foods. It is also believed that peace resin helps to restore the "yin" energy and promotes blood circulation as well as relieves stress.
This was an invited media-tasting session, though all views expressed are my own.
Indulge in one of the most highly-prized delicacies in Chinese cuisine - the Hairy Crab - at Yan Ting from 26 October 2020 to 30 November 2020. Available for a very limited time for lunch and dinner, Yan Ting (located within The St. Regis Singapore) is currently offering two separate menus that feature the seasonal hairy crab.