Claypot braised chicken and abalone with rice wine from Tao Seafood Asia. Not particularly alcoholic, but the rice wine perfumed the dish immensely. The chicken had a good spring in his step, while the abalone was nicely chewy. The dish tasted very home-cooked, and is certainly consistent with the sweet…
Chef Lee’s Homestyle Wok Fried Prawns from Tao Seafood Asia. The prawns tasted like they enjoyed a few happy leaps in a smoky wok before lining up for my consumption, and were happily coated with a thick, savoury and salty sauce so addictive, I carnivorously polished off the (headless) prawn…
Royal smoked duck. I wouldn’t particularly refer to the duck as royal or any similar superlative adjective but the smoked duck, its wings spread wide in a graceful final flight before consumption, competently checks all the relevant boxes – crispy skin, nicely greased up and a good mix of fatty…
Stir-fried coral clam with asparagus in “Lao Gan Tie” sauce. Essentially the springiest, boingggggiest and chewiest sotong ever, with asparagus texturally countering the softness with its hard crunchiness, and the signature Royal Pavillion’s old grandfather lending its spicy, aromatic body fragance to the occasion. 4/5 This dish is part of…
Customised mezzanine set at Museo ($44), consisting of any four of the eight mezzanines available. It was quite an interesting experience having share-sized portions of zi char-style fare in a classy, laid-back and cosy setting. Hits and misses, but maybe I didn’t order the best mezzanines? 4/5 (aggregate score) Picasso’s…
Fish soup noodles from Ka Soh (Swee Kee Fishhead Noodle House). The fish stock boasts to have high levels of protein, calcium and collagen. It supposedly includes no milk, its whiteness stemming from all the boiled fish bone goodness. All I know is that the stock tastes wondrously comforting and rich,…
XO Duck Tagliatelle – tagliatelle, duck breast, XO chilli sauce, sugar snaps and corn kernels. Tastes and smells exactly like the XO carrot cake you get at Hong Kong cafés. The duck must have been a hardcore Fitness First (Market Street branch) gym rat as his breast was sure tough.…
Ichiya Dori – grilled chicken served with lemon and yuzu pepper. The crispy skin, despite being slightly lemoned, crackled wonderfully like a dried leaf under Miu Miu stiletto heels, while the dainty petite lump of yuzu pepper, easily the best thing that happened to chicken in Japanese cuisine, added a…
Salivating spicy chicken. The spiciness slowly does a shadow sneak, and before you know it, your lips are numb from the flames but it’s a Fifty Shades of Grey situation, so yeah baby. 4/5 Xi Yan Shaw 1 Scotts Road #03-12/13 Shaw Centre Singapore 228208