It definitely did not take long before we booked ourselves a yum cha session with a table full of likeminded friends for a lovely Sunday pig out session. It baffles the Hongkonger husband how Singaporeans hardly have time to enjoy a meal on a Sunday no less - and whilst his childhood days are spent filled with these memories, mine were possibly a far cry spent over a harried lunch somewhere after church.
The inviting stairway of Summer Pavilion, regardless day or night still enchants. Truth be told, the lights lining the stairway were part of my house goals!
Kitchen ware goals all before me. We all wish we owned just one piece from this entire collection.
Yam chips dished out as appetizers, a lovely respite from the peanuts, beancurd cubes and pickled vegetables.
Can I gush on and on and on about their plates?
The tea menu that comprises of mostly oolong blends, not that we are complaining anyhow. $12 per head for tea applies, before you baulk, these are standard tea prices across most chinese restaurants and really why not when one is paying for top quality?
Congee with Sliced Fish ($6.50)
Just gawk at how finely ground the grains are. So fine, it was almost like paste.
Toss in the fried dough sticks and chives, it was a match made in heaven - I hardly opt for congee because of consistency and taste preferences. Summer Pavilion executed it with such finesse and flavour, it would take a single bowl of congee for me to make a return.
Steamed Pork, Prawn and Mushroom Dumpling ($8, 4 pieces)
Steamed Prawn and Bamboo Shoot Dumpling ($8, 4 pieces)
Unfortunately these two dimsum staples were considerably average as compared to the other dimsum items. Delicious yet missing out on some oomph given how a mark of a dimsum chef is measured by his stable of steamed dimsum.
Steamed Rice Roll, Prawn, Chives ($8)
Yet another of those with nothing to scream about, fresh prawns and smooth rice rolls.
Pan-fried Rice Skin Rolls with Bean Sprouts in XO Sauce ($10)
Now now, we are finally talking wok hei and a dish that is outstanding with the charred rice skin rolls seasoned with XO sauce.
Steamed Barbecued Pork, Onions and Preserved Vegetable Bun ($5.40, 3 pieces)
I was surprised to find a char siew pau with preserved vegetable on the menu.
Fluffy buns aside, the preserved vegetable was not discernible but credit has to be given for those tender pork cubes and droolicious sticky sauce.
Pan-fried Beancurd Skin Roll, Ham, Prawn, Water Chestnut, Seaweed ($6, 3 pieces)
Well executed with those crisp skin layers and perfect ratio of ham, prawns and chestnuts.
Pan-fried Duck Roll, Onions, Bamboo Shoots, Black Pepper Sauce ($6, 3 pieces)
Looking like pan fried xiao long baos, except these are buns which reminded me of sheng jian pau. Tease open to reveal a piping hot delight of vegetables and meat. So good, I can probably polish off three in a single seating.
Deep-fried Lobster Roll, Prawn Paste, Breaded Vermicelli ($3 per piece)
Looking just like a yam croquette with more delicate handiwork involved.
Lobster or prawn I cannot tell the difference but what made this breaded roll shine was the sheer amount of effort that went into prepping it. None of the greasy after finish, just a morsel of decadence.
Deep-fired Corn Roll, Bacon, Cheese ($6, 3 pieces)
Ooh, melted cheese in a corn roll. Molten goodness that I wished lasted a tad longer. These resembled fish fingers but offered way more satisfaction.
Deep-fried Goose Liver, Assorted Mushrooms and Onion ($3 per piece)
Alas, the pricey $3 a pop dimsum that hit all notes of earthy with mushrooms and onions. The foie gras was a hit and miss, barely could taste it in the half that I nibbled on. Otherwise, another stunning pastry creation.
Deep-fried Bacon Puff and Radish ($6, 3 pieces)
We were definitely on the roll with deep fried items which surprisingly fared alot better than the steamed items. Crispy crusts were a clear winner for me and the flavouring was another that sealed each dish as exquisite creations. The main and only pity is the portions that these came in - can do with some generosity!
Barbecued Combination Platter ($30)
I was definitely gunning for crispy pork belly but the closest they offered was suckling pig. That said, we ended up with a platter of fat jellied char siew, fragrant roast duck and tender soya sauce chicken.
Barbecued Peking Duck (Half, $40)
Tempted by the beautifully plated peking duck skins, we had an order of half a duck too! London fat duck is also on the specials menu for the adventurous.
The spring onions threaded with sliced red chillies was a sight to behold, three for the gentlemen and two for the ladies. It took all of one serving for all the crispy skins to be distributed.
Having the rest of the peking duck chopped up is the best way to enjoy Peking Duck. Fall off the bone tender with explosive flavours of the seasoning with every bite. Hai, why didn't we just order a full duck?
Fried Glutinous Rice with Preserved Meat ($10)
I am hardly one who voluntarily orders glutinous rice off a menu because they are usually bland, mushy and not worth the calories. Plus, this over rated wedding dinner dish appears too often too.
Glutinous rice grains with a delicious layer of oil, woven with preserved meat cubes, fried egg strips and mushrooms. This was the perfect bak zhang deconstructed and possibly the only time I would take on seconds and even thirds in a heartbeat.
Steamed Custard Lava Bun, Salted Egg Yolk ($5.40, 3 pieces)
Being the typical foodie, every chance at a molten custard bun is a stab at another photo opportunity.
And the bugger refused to even ooze, much less flow much to our amusement.
Loved the salted egg custard but having had it fail in the flow department was such a disappointment. Even the waiter had to confess that it was not meant to flow either. Then why say so on the menu!
Baked Organic Egg Tart ($5.40, 3 pieces)
I picked my tastebuds up from disappointment with two orders of these baked babies. Literally bite sized, these organic egg tarts spot a flaky pastry and a wobbly egg tart center.
One bite and straight to heaven we all went. Worth the calories and mere size.
Chilled Yam Paste, Ice Cream ($12)
Yam paste gone avant garde with a liquefied version of yam paste and yam bits topped with a scoop of vanilla icecream. Love yam paste and be a fan, hate it and still be a convert - that should sum this sweet swan song to a T.
Summer Pavilion, I am so glad we got acquainted this year - the gastronomical adventures we can go on together! Twice and I am already sold on its super duper awesome service (there is truly a reason why the Ritz Carlton is lauded for its service standards) and amazing food.
Summer Pavilion
Ritz Carlton
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