Cantonese fine-dining restaurant Royal Pavillion ushers in the lunar new year with an array of Chinese New Year dishes that are created by the brand’s Director of Kitchen & Operations, Mr RayTso, from Hong Kong. Full review on http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/Arranged like a fish in a beautiful golden bowl, the yusheng (S$68/$88++) may not be as extravagant as most fine-dining restaurants these days but all the necessary ingredients playing their roles dutifully. This dish stayed true to tradition, with plenty of fresh crisp golden crackers as well as a sweet-tangy apple and plum sauce.Since this is the Year of Goat, Royal Pavillion has introduced this ingeniouslamb dish for CNY. The Royal Fried Lamb Shank (S$48++ for up to 4 guests)seemed like a cross-fertilization between German Deep Fried Pork Knuckles andBeijing Roasted Duck. Wrapped in a traditional crepe with red-green pepper, springonions and hoisin sauce, the shredded lamb had some nice crispiness dependingon the parts you get, without the awful gamey taste. However, some expressedthat the meat was too dry and did not spark any excitement in them. RoyalSmoked Duck (4.8/5)Voted as one of the Top 10 dishes of the Year by Zao Bao last year, this RoyalSmoked Duck ($35/$68) trulydeserved the royal spot in the hall of fame because the meat is simplydelectably tender and flavorful. What wins further respect was the fact thatthe 4-5 month young duckling had only been smoked for 45 minutes with lycheewood but achieved such a remarkable distinction between the layers of fattissues and paper-thin crispy skin. It's already a winning stand-alone dishwithout the sweet plum dipping sauce! There are so many ways that can go wrong when nian gao are served as desserts; too starchy, sticky, greasy, sweet, etc, but the Pumpkin Nian Gao (S$18++ for 10 to 12 guests) managed to steer clear away from them. Coated in beaten eggs before being pan fried, each square sliced to perfect thickness is chewy but does not stuck to your teeth, with alight whiff of egg fragrance that lingers on.Though this is the first year that Royal Pavilion is launching its Chinese New Year creations, the dishes are donned with a touch of elegance and prosperity that marked a good start to the future CNY creations. Full review on http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/…Read More
