Did I tell you guys how dim sum is one of my absolute favorite cuisines in the world? Only because its one of those that allow you to try so much variety in l…
Did I tell you guys how dim sum is one of my absolute favorite cuisines in the world? Only because its one of those that allow you to try so much variety in little portions, all the while being so exquisite. That is why I was really excited when Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore invited me to try their new weekday dim sum buffet menu with 20 new delightful updates to classic dim sum dishes, created by Chef Lee Siaw Cheen. That makes 35 dishes in total! Luckily we only got a sample menu to taste, or we would probably need to take the rest of the work day off just to digest all the food! The buffet is affordably priced at $48++, available from Mon-Fri from 11.30am to 2.30pm. It is great for work lunches really.
We also had these assortment of dim sums, the names of which is probably too complicated for me to repeat. Just know that these are just some of the selection from the 35 items from the dim sum lunch menu. They are all crispy, delicious and worth the calories.
If you are looking for a place to eat all the dim sum you crave without worrying about low quality or high prices, go to Hai Tien Lo and satisfy the urge during week days for exactly SGD$56.50 (after GST and service charge). Take a 3-hour lunch and savour the goodies slowly. It's worth it.
Hai Tien Lo
#03-00, Pan Pacific Hotel, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore
+65 68268240
Daily: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6.30pm - 10.30pm
This plate of 4 dim sum specialty was really a joy to go through, except the birds' nest egg tart wi\hich was rather tasteless. The char siew bun is really amazing though -- super fluffy with just the right amount of honeyed pork inside that is not too sweet. If there is one item you need to try, it's the char siew bun.
However, the lobster and shredded abalone soup was so fantastic, it was like swimming in a pond with fishes. When one goes to a Cantonese restaurant, one must order their soups. I think that's a Confuscius Proverb.
We also tried the deep-fried soft shell crab, that goes well with the chili. This dish wasn't really my thing though! Rather plain.
I rather drink another soup! This time it is homemade bean curd with crab meat and aubergine in supreme stock, which nobody could really guess its ingredients for the yellow broth. I'll keep it a secret too, you should go and try it first and let me know. The crab meat was super generous, as you can see in the photo. I am one lucky gal that day!
Now moving on to the dim sum dishes! Of course we had to try a meat bun, but this time there's a surprise hidden inside. An abalone! So it is a 'bao4' in a 'bao1'. Hur. I thought it was innovative, but I would have preferred a smaller bao with your traditional egg inside. I'm classical that way.
Next, brioche with tuna filling! No really, that's exactly how it tastes like. It would have been a perfect thing to bring for breakfast in the morning, just two and I'll be satisfied. I quite liked this because I do like the breakfast mayo tuna type of filling, which some people might not.
We also had some spinach dumplings, which was my dining companion's favorite because it comes with a generous filling of prawns inside when you would expect spinach or chives. Juicy, springy prawns in a thin, wok-seared and greenish dumpling skin never tasted so good before.
Special mention to the dessert. We have a choice between the mango sago and the osmanthus tea with pear and white fungus and almost everyone chose the former. I'm glad I did too, because it is one of the best mango sago I had in recent times -- now I would expect mango sago from Pan Pac wedding dinners to come with the same standard! The mango soup was rather diluted and it could do with more mango bits, but what made up for that was the fact that it wasn't too sweet, but fragrant with the essence of the mango instead. Definitely a highlight for me that day too!
Hai Tien Lo
#03-00, Pan Pacific Hotel, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore
+65 68268240
Daily: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6.30pm - 10.30pm
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Thanks to the folks from ToTT (Tools of The Trade) and FoodNews PR, I had the chance to visit the yearly food festival, Savour 2014 again this time at a much better location - the Promontory at 11 Marina Boulevard! It is just an empty field in the middle of nowhere, so your taxi driver might need some help navigating it - just get on Marina Boulevard and drive by. The weather recently had been DRY and windy, so that's perfect for an evening visit too! It will be hot in the day, I reckon.
It's much smaller but more cosy and pleasant, me thinks.
This is the ToTT booth at the Savour Arcade, a tented area where you find some of the more delicate food stalls, including ToTT as the first Cookware Retailer at Savour.
DO YOU KNOW that you can actually buy cookware on ToTT's e-shop? An e-commerce site for cooking appliances, cutlery and everything you need in the kitchen sounds divine! At the ToTT booth, you can scan the barcodes on their virtual shelf to read more via your mobile about the products!
Outside the tent, there's an area for live performances beside the bar, which is a nice touch. Very cosy.
I also saw a 3D Printer Emmanuel Stroobant's stall, where we ordered the fois gras from! It is very cool because I've never seen one in action before. It is rather slow though, but great for prototyping.
Now let me get into the WHAT TO ORDER AT SAVOUR list.
First, the Foie Gras at Emmanuel Stroobant. Really delicious fried pieces of foie gras. Share this with a friend, or feel guilty for eating almost 100% fried fats.
Next, this hot dog from Bubbledogs by Chef James Knappett, king of gourmet hotdogs in the UK. I really liked this, only because its the only 1 of the 2 dishes that filled me up. The bacon bits are really enjoyable.
And the last thing you need to TRY at least once in your lifetime if you are Chinese - this molecular xiao long bao by Chef Alvin Leung from Bo Innovation, a Michelin-starred HK restaurant. Doesn't it look just adorable?
That red strip is ginger, and the ball is actually a thin gelatinous exterior that will burst to fill your mouth with soup once you pop it in. Definitely an experience to remember and I recommend you get one (it's $6 each). I won't say I'll have this again now that I've tried it, because I prefer the regular xiao long baos!
Lastly, an oldie but goodie - the ice cream cookie from the ice cream & cookie co. - I've had them at Savour two years ago, and am glad to have it again for dessert this time round!At the Arcade my friend also bought 2 big packets of dried figs - they are delicious and apparently quite rare and overpriced normally.
Next - lamb short ribs from a stall which I've forgotten the name of. It was nicely spiced and crusty on the outside, but I don't really like the lamby taste, so I'm on the fence for this one. It's $18 for 4 small pieces, but this is already quite decent compared some of the items served.
And now - what to AVOID at Savour.
First, the cheese tortinelli and etc platter from Forlino's. I'm sorry, but other than the passion fruit panna cotta dessert, the rest failed rather miserably. The portions are really bad, and the serving on plastic just made it look sad.
Next, the oysters from the Seafood Bar inside the Jason's Marketplace tent.
It's 6 for $18, but it tasted really brine-y and lean. I am not a connoisseur of oysters, but I'm pretty sure these are not great.
The crab pasta from SONS made the "try to avoid" recommendation. They filled me up, and the crab meat was quite generous, but the taste was rather one-dimensional. I imagine if I ordered a full-sized portion at the restaurant I'll have trouble finishing them! That being said, it wasn't that bad for a taster plate.
That concludes the end of my Savour experience! Ending off with a pic of a gigantic roasting pig outside the Jason's Marketplace tent. Because we all like to pig out.
Thanks to the folks from ToTT (Tools of The Trade) and FoodNews PR, I had the chance to visit the yearly food festival, Savour 2014 again this time at a muc…
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