Hai Tien Lo

If you really want to have a big feast of fine dim sums with your loves one, here is one of your ideal choiced venue. Irregardless you are fond of the deep fried or the steamed dim sums, both catergories of dim sums taste equally nice here. My favourites are their steamed meat dumplings and deep fried yam puffs. The minced meat in the steamed dumplings are really tender and juicy and the gravy inside is sweet too. The yam paste used in making the yam puffs are really compact, smooth and in the ideal sweetness. Juicy minced meat filling can also be found in the yam puffs, which the taste really blend in well. Slightly crispy at the outer layer make this deep fried dim sum taste really unique. Go for the buffet instead of the ala-carte purchase as the prices here are really high!

2012-04-15

SGD 50(Tea)

I've read about Hai Tien Lo and its exquisite Cantonese cuisine and finally I've a chance to visit What deters me from visiting The high-end charge of course We spent for about $200 for two for the weekend buffet brunch ~ heart ache ....

Located on level 37, it's breathtaking and relaxing to enjoy the view and meal together. It pulls one off from the hectic life and busy footsteps. Best of all, all seats are by the window side ~

buffet: pork belly, spicy fish cod, salmon sashimi, braised tofu, fried rice, awesome soup

Located on level 37, it's breathtaking and relaxing
to enjoy the view and meal together.
It pulls one off from the hectic life and busy footsteps.
Best of all, all seats are by the window side ~
They are generous in the ingredients for soup but too bad, only one serving each ~
Pork Belly is cold and not crispy
Thumbs up for the cod fish!

The venue for the September edition of our monthly dinner was the much anticipated Hai Tien Lo. After all the rather substandard monthly dinners we had been having over the last 2 months, it was decided that a road more familiar would be taken for once and the patronising of new places would be left to subsequent dinners.

Classic Sliced Beijing Duck Accompanied with Homemade Chinese Pancakes - The skin was as I remembered it to be, crisp with minimal fats and wrapped in nice and thin pancakes. However, the meat was a little disappointing on this occasion. Some parts of the meat were a little dry and tough while some were fine. Not evenly roasted if you ask me. But its still good.

Hai Tien Lo Homemade Beancurd with Minced Pork & Pine Mushroom Sauce - A signature dish of Hai Tien Lo, the tofu was a little lacklustre today. Sure, it was still silky and smooth, but I personally found the taste a little too weak as compared to a similar dish I had on a previous occasion. Nevertheless, the gravy did make up for it some sort as it came across as a little starchy and full of flavours from the minced pork and mushroom.

Sautéed Snow Peas with Deep Fried Crispy Dried Scallops & Fermented Mustard Vegetables - Not a particularly exciting dish, the snow peas were crunchy and fresh though and went well with the slightly salty mustard vegetables or Cai Por as most people know it. Sadly, the dried scallops didn't really taste like scallops. In fact it didn't have much taste at all. Maybe its purpose was just to provide a nice crisp to the whole dish.

Sautéed Silvers of Ostrich with Honey Pepper Sauce - A rather exotic dish which you don't commonly find elsewhere, the ostrich meat tasted to me like a softer rendition of pork and was mildy sweet and pepperish from the sauce. Served atop a bed of fresh crunchy snow peas, the colour contrast was boldly striking and enticing.

Sautéed Scallops & Lobster with Garlic - I didn't expect this dish to come with asparagus as an added bonus. The lobster pieces were relatively fresh and crunchy and so were the scallops, which were both generous in size and quantity. Whats not to like

Steamed Prawns with Mashed Garlic Served in Bamboo Basket - Humongous fresh and crunchy prawns steamed and served with a nice flavourful garlic sauce, the steamed prawns were rightly one of the stars for the evening. A pity we were only allocated 2 pieces of prawns each.

Stewed Fish Noodles with Ginger & Spring Onions Served with King Prawn - The honour of being the Pièce de résistance for the evening went to a very well executed stewed fish noodles. Common as it may be in most Chinese restaurants of similar standing, Hai Tien Lo's offering is a cut above the rest and yes, that includes the excellent one I had from Li Bai. Hai Tien Lo's rendition carried more flavour in the stock and the noodles were slightly thinner yet equally robust and chewy, making for a gastronomical indulgence. May I add that the king prawn was huge as well However, as with Li Bai, portions were small and this dish could well do with more of the tasty noodles.

Cod Fish Baked & Glazed with Moet & Chandon Champagne Sauce - The cod fish glazed with Moet & Chandon champagne was nicely baked, a little charred along the edges and tender, albeit a tad too soft and sweet from the sauce. Couldn't quite make out the Moet or champagne though. What I liked about this dish was that it came with tiny cubes of jackfruit and strawberries, which complemented the dish very well.

How much would you expect to pay for such a filling and wonderful dinner Nothing less than $564 for 6 pax. Do the math and it comes to about $94 per head, which is rather expensive. But hey, with a 25% discount, the bill drops to a more manageable $70, a price everyone was more than happy to pay. Add the fact that you are perched 37 storeys up with a bird's eye view and you have a clear winner.

I've read about Hai Tien Lo and its exquisite Cantonese cuisine and finally I've a chance to visit What deters me from visiting? The high-end charge of course We spent for about $200 for two for the weekend buffet brunch ~ heart ache ....

Located on level 37, it's breathtaking and relaxing to enjoy the view and meal together. It pulls one off from the hectic life and busy footsteps. Best of all, all seats are by the window side ~Just two situations that irritated me a little:

1) A server took the pepper and vinegar for customers at the other desk without asking if we are done with it. Even helpers at kopitiam asked the customers before taking it away ~

2) I thought of giving a treat to grandma at Hai Tien Lo but the washroom is located at a lower level, which is not convenient for elderly. And the light at staircase leading to washroom is rather dim.

Food are generally nice but there are a few exceptions

Initially, I grumbled about the food selection which seems little for a buffet but we didn't even manage to eat everything on the menu and skipped the noodles and rice ... hehe ~

Here's our feast:Many rave about the bird nest egg tart ... Hmm, the egg tart does taste different from the norm and I like the texture. Cant comment much on bird nest, think I taste more of white fungus

Imperial Lobster Dumpling is a little disappointing ... skin is a little tough and chewy ~
There is a self-serve bar which provides appetisers, desserts and fruits. The variety is satisfying too ...They are generous in the ingredients for soup but too bad, only one serving each ~

Pork Belly is cold and not crispy Thumbs up for these, especially the cod fish and carrot cake!BBQ Duck has no bbq taste and Drunken Chicken has a weird smell.

Personally, I prefer this cod fish with preserved vegetables compared to the spicy one. It just taste better, lol ~

This is my first time having pan-fried rice roll and it's surprisingly delicious. It's not as oily as I thought and it's better than regular steamed rice roll Thumbs up for all, especially the prawns and vegetables!

I regret not having more prawns and mushrooms!

SGD 100

So many food, so little time, that's how I felt as I sat there waiting for my food to arrive. There's the dessert counter, always there, just waiting for you to pounce on. Notable likes are green tea sesame balls, BBQ char siew ribs, and fungus root sweet soup.

I also love the mains from the ala-carte buffet menu, like wasabi prawns, the old so delectable cod fish, chicken and roast platter.

Their one-time order soups are also exquisite. Like Shark Fin soup and chicken double boiled soup. Slurp!

Too many to list, I would highly recommend you try it. 52++ now, go before they raise prices!

2011-03-05

SGD 60(Lunch)