Starting from 13th June 2016, Head Dim Sum chef Li Shou Tao of Shang Palace from Shangri La Hotel, will be introducing 14 new intricate dim sum items to their extensive lunch menu.
Chef Li draws his inspiration from the Summer season, incorporating the likes of coconut and lychee that sounds so appropriately refreshing for our hot sunny island.
With over 23 years of experience, Chef Li has mastered the classics and added a modern twist to his new dishes, which is evident in this new selection of dim sum. Very cheeky I say.
Steamed Scallop Dumpling with Water Chestnut and Chinese Celery (left)
The scallop is springy and the chestnut gives a nice crunch, combining well with chopped Chinese celery to give a refreshing and herbed filling that is light.
Steamed Enoki Mushroom Dumpling with Preserved Vegetables (bottom left)
The mushrooms are fragrant with aplenty of textures at play. While the enoki mushroom brings in a subtly soft crunch, the preserved vegetables gave the dumpling a deeper taste.
Steamed Sakura Shrimp and Chicken Dumpling (right)
My favourite out of the lot, it is savoury and umami, complete with juicy chunks of chicken. The skin is somewhat like a soon kueh, sticky and gelatinous, which helps to balance the richness of the fillings, making it a well balanced dish.
Steamed Seafood and Egg White Dumpling (bottom right)
Extremely delicate in flavour, this makes for a light starter. The prawns give the fluffy egg white a richer flavour, but not overpowering. So if you’re having this, I’ll suggest eating it first, so the others wouldn’t cover its subtle and light taste.
Pan Fried Shredded Taro and Pumpkin Cake (front)
Much like a yam cake, it is powdery and dense. I would have wanted the top to be charred to a crisp and have more layers of flavours coming through, because it does taste slightly bland and a little on the drier side. I couldn’t really taste the sweetness of the pumpkins.
Lychee Prawn Roll (right)
A very interesting take on the mango shrimp, Chef Li has decided to incorporate sweet, refreshing lychee instead of the usual mango chunks. This gives a lighter and more delicate aroma to the dish, which complements the crisp exterior, allowing the dish to be juicier while not overpowering the natural sweetness of the prawns.
Deep Fried Glutinous Dumpling with Dried Shrimps, Mushrooms and Chives
Oh baby, you’ve stolen my heart with your crisp skin, and hiding underneath is a layer of chewy mochi-like skin, which gives a fragrant and sweet taste, combining well with the savoury fillings. Super, addictive.
Pork Dumplings in Spicy Vinegar sauce
Dare I say the tangy vinegar sauce took me by surprise, but definitely in a good and invigorating manner. When eaten with the dumpling, the spiciness immediately awakens one up.
While the skin of the dish may have been too thick on its own for me, it does help to balance out the intensity of the fillings and sauces, completely working their magic.
The fillings are rich and sweet in pork essence, with the sauce complementing it and boy, am I a fan of this.
Wok Fried Fine Soya Sauce Rice Roll
This dish tastes a lot like hor fun — the steamed rice roll is compact and tight, offering a thick slab of carb before being wok fried, yet it manages to remain soft, tender and savoury. However, I prefer the original version that is lighter.
Steamed Lotus Paste, Shaped in Duckling Form
Taking reference from the perfect rubber duck sculpture by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, Chef Li has come up with this lotus paste duckling bun that is oh so adorable and hard to resist. The exterior is naturally coloured with carrot essence. The bun is pillowy soft, and well, you can’t really go wrong with lotus paste bun can you.
The new dishes are definitely intriguing and gives another perspective to the norm. There are quite a handful of dishes that stole my heart and my taste buds, which you should try it for yourself at Shang Palace.
