Read full review
2014-07-03
64 views
Located just outside Outram Park MRT Station Exit H, the 1-month old Grand Mandarin Restaurant is already making waves in the Chinese Zi Char fine dining scene for its beautifully presented dishes, professional and discreet service, absolutely tasty food made with fresh premium ingredients, and posh ambience.I will flat out admit that dining at Grand Mandarin Restaurant is probably the best meal I've had in 2014, and likely among the top / best meals I've ever had in my life!Ambience at Grand Ma
I will flat out admit that dining at Grand Mandarin Restaurant is probably the best meal I've had in 2014, and likely among the top / best meals I've ever had in my life!Ambience at Grand Mandarin Restaurant impresses the minute you step in. High ceilings adorned with elegant, modern chandeliers, flanked by jet black walls with gold trim and glossy surfaces exude sophistication and elegance. Tableware is the finest, clean white porcelain, with jet black chopsticks adorned with gold trim. The posh interior is fitting, as the owners tell us that they've engaged the same designer who conceptualised the St. Regis Singapore. Very impressive, makes you feel like you should be in a suit / formal wear just to dine here!
Service at Grand Mandarin Restaurant is impeccable. Staff are well trained and professional, knowledgable when asked about items, and serving and clearing tables rather discreetly. Greetings were offered upon entry into Grand Mandarin Restaurant, as were farewells when we left. I also like that they served wine in the manner of a fine dining Western restaurant, first showing it to the host, then pouring a sample for taste. Overall, the food at Grand Mandarin Restaurant is delicious, presented as a work of art, with portion sizes suitable for one. Fresh, premium quality ingredients are used in the making of each dish, and the owners tell us the head chef was specifically headhunted by them for his vast experience in Chinese Zi Char fine dining, and has worked in various restaurants and hotels throughout the Asia region.
As befitting the fine dining quality, average prices at Grand Mandarin Restaurant aren't cheap, and their diners tend to be upper-middle class, to the very rich. Budget about SGD $60 - $150 per person for a typical meal, and about SGD $200 - $300 per person for a meal with premium dishes, high-end seafood or fine wine.I still dream about the Honey Glazed Barbecued Pork Loin (SGD $15) to this day, probably THE best char siew I've ever eaten! A soft, tender, succulent, and savoury piece of pork, with just a thin silver of fat. The exterior is roasted to perfection, not dry at all, without any red dye, just the deep, amber red colour of good roast. Each strip is dipped in honey for a touch of sweetness, then hand-torched, giving it a thin, crisp, candied coating. Out of this world taste, and I highly, highly recommend this!
This modern fusion of East meets West combination in the Soya Poached Foie Gras With Twenty Years 'Shao Xin Hua Diao' Wine Jelly (SGD $24) is unique. The thick slice of foie gras / goose liver is soft, crumbling when bit / cut, with a hint of salty from the light soy sauce. The sweetness of the fresh rock melon cuts through the fattyness of the foie gras, complmenting it very well. The wine jelly adds a touch of whimsical, a fun, playful burst of freshness in the mouth, coating each bite with liquid sweetness.
The premium Double Boiled Sea Cucumber With American Ginseng And Mushroom In Chicken Consomme (SGD $68) is not what the faint of heart! A whole sea cucumber, in all its slug(y) glory, is served in a thin but flavourful chicken consomme soup / broth, along with a medium size shiitake mushroom. If the mushroom was tender and soft, the sea cucumber was more so, yielding easily to touch and cutting with a spoon. The Chinese Cantonese diners at the table loved it, and though I'm not a big fan of slug(y) things in my soup / broth, I thought this dish was still very good, and I finished it!
Loved the presentation of the 3 Cups 'San Bei' Cod Fish With Spring Onion, Chili, And Thai Sweet Basil (SGD $40), so pretty! The actual cod fish itself was fresh, savoury and succulent, enhanced with the flavour of the soft shimeji mushrooms, ginger and spring onion sauce, and Thai sweet basil. Sadly, the pretty red basket made from flour, while adding the perfect aesthetic, is tasteless. Still, I highly recommend this dish for the fish and mushrooms alone!
An off-the-menu dessert, the Chilled Green Apple Jelly Served In Dragon Fruit (SGD $?) was absolutely outstanding, and got top marks from our group. This unique dessert is presented in a hollowed out dragon fruit, with some of the flesh in the middle scooped out to make room for the sweet apple jelly and garnishes of strawberry and blueberry. Scoop along the sides to get some of the dragon fruit, along with the apple jelly in each spoonful! I highly recommend it!
Full Grand Mandarin Restaurant review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/06/grand-mandarin-restaurant-tasting.html
Post
