“Reminisce the Good o’l Days”
Remember the days policemen wore shorts, teenagers listened to walkmans and you were notified by calls via the beep of a pager? Most importantly, going to special occasioned Chinese dinners where food will be the highlight of the night?
Jade Restaurant at Fullerton Hotel’s Chef Leong will bring back these memories of special Chinese/Cantonese dinners with a highly intricate and nostalgic 10 course meal, only in the SG 50 Nostalgic Feast menu. This was specially created to celebrate the nation’s Golden Jubilee, and will be available for a limited time only.
Combination of Lobster Platter. When this dish was first served, we were blown away by the intricate carvings placed before us – it looked too good to eat! As with all fancy Chinese course dinners (especially at weddings in the 60’s – 90’s), they would serve a cold salad made consisting of crustacean meat, diced fruits and vegetables, mixed with a sweet mayonnaise as an appetizer. Fortunately, it tasted as good as it looked.
Double Boiled Winter Melon Soup. The melon bowl was such a work of art. Decorated with flowers and thin slices of duck, the melon that went into the soup had its shell used as a bowl, with calligraphy carvings on its side. Well done, Chef Leong! The soup was clear and sweet, can you can taste all the different ingredients that went into it.
Crispy Yam Ring with Kung Pao Chicken and Cashew Nuts. At first glance, the yam ring reminded us of the Bird’s Nest venue used to host the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Similar to the international event, the contents of the velvety yam ring provide the palette an explosion of flavours, from the sweet kung pao chicken, to the slightly savory nuts and bell peppers.
The yam stayed crispy despite it being soaked by the sauce, and it is like Chinese New Year all over again with the Fatt Put in this course.
Nostalgic Steamed “Badin Fish” with Special Sauce.
Roast Chicken. We are all too familiar with the chicken served during the Chinese New Year and at Wedding dinners. The meat was not dry at all surprisingly, and its skin was very crispy.
Pan-Fried King Prawns in Special Sauce. The prawns were large and I have only ever eaten prawns this large at Chinese events due to their auspicious sounding name. The meat was not too dry, and sweet on its own. Coupled by the fragrant garlic sauce, it was quite an indulgence.
Chinese Eight Treasures Duck. This is probably the best duck I’ve had in a long time. The duck is marinated overnight and stuffed with dry scallop, salted egg yolk, mushroom, lotus seeds, ginkgo, Chinese sausage, roast pork and glutinous rice – the eight treasures. The meat is so, so soft, and the stuffing complements the duck nicely.
Arhat’s Feast for Vegetarians. After all the rich, meaty dishes at the Jade Restaurant, this was a palette cleanser. The vegetables were fresh.
Steamed Fragrant Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf. By the time we got to this course, a majority of us at the table were thoroughly stuffed. The rice was fragrant and hearty, and without any condiments it had flavour on its own.
Braised Bird’s Nest with Almond Tofu, Pan-Fried Bean Cake, Chinese Sugar Egg Puff and Steamed Layered Cake with Salted Egg and Nuts. The last Course is an assortment of desserts, displaying the delicateness of Chinese pastry at Jade Restaurant. The favourite was definitely the Bird’s Nest, refreshing and not too sweet. The other pastries were not oily even though they were fried, and the layer cake was soft, almost like a chiffon cake.
Catch up with old friends and alma mater aluminus at the Jade Restaurant over this special SG50 menu, and reminisce the good ol’ days. You won’t run out of things to talk about with Chef Leong’s handmade carvings that would blow you away. The carvings are a lost art, and he makes sure every dish is presentation perfect before sending it out. It also represents the amalgamation of food and art.
This feast best serves up to 6 pax at $125++ (pre-ordered a day in advance), and a smaller set at $85++. There is also an option to order ala carte for this menu at Jade Restaurant. Do note that the Double Boiled Winter Melon Soup and the Chinese Eight Treasures Duck has to be ordered a day in advanced. Also, Chef Leong has a personal ceramics exhibition going on from the 4th to 29th June at the Fullerton Heritage Gallery! All proceeds from the sale of the art pieces will be donated to the Autism Resource Centre.
