Summer Pavilion @ Ritz Carlton

I know little of Summer Pavilion except it is a chinese restaurant at Ritz Carlton and even locating the restaurant was a maze of its own. That just says how often I actually patronize Ritz Carlton.

Up this flight of stairs into a modern world of chinese cuisine, the art of dining they muse.




Spot this humongous vase of dried willows that is both a statement piece, and also figurative of a modern chinese garden.



These italian chinaware are so gorgeous, the captivating intricate artwork.

Lily set dinner



This floral fruit tea was served almost immediately as a welcome drink, nice touch!



Jade Oolong ($12) 

Intense green leaf and white bean aromas, nutty flavors with good tannins and a bitter sweet finish. 

The art of tea, simplicity in every sip.



Measly few slices of pickled cucumber served with a single goji berry - one that piques the senses and whets the appetite hugely. No wonder the elders always say good things come in small packages, and quantities.



Duo of Prawn
Deep-fried Head and Tail, Salt, Pepper
Chilled Prawn, Sesame Sauce

I thought nothing much of the prawn shooter - yes incredibly fresh prawns tossed in a salad and sesame sauce.

And so what?

Until that deep fried head and tail in just salt and pepper, laced with a certain XO sauce that made hell of a difference. Welcome to the real culinary world, tempura is put to shame with this almost grease free prawn head, so crunchy that without care, I may end up with ulcers in my mouth but this was pure magic. Delicious, at its peak.







Braised Bird's Nest Soup, Boston Lobster Meat, Bamboo Piths, Diced Asparagus

I can say goodbye to all shark's fin soups if the alternatives all tasted like this savoury bird's nest soup. Familiar mainly to bird's nest as a dessert, the savoury renditions have usually not made bird's nest the star of the dish but Summer Pavilion did enough justice for us to switch camps. Lobster and bird's nest, the unlikely combination pulled off with such aplomb.

Sorry, who's drinking shark's fin again?



Pan-fried Sea Perch, Crispy Ginger

Before this arrived, I was still jesting about the lack of greens on the menu.

Sea Perch, my favourite next to cod - or would I consider this budget consumer's cod? The firm, flaky white flesh resembles cod in a lot of ways and having it pan fried is usually a test of the chef's technique. This was spot on well done - that layer of crisp was undeniably skillful - a mere prod and all I heard was a symphony.

Crispy ginger was a smart addition too, a breakaway with a mild peppery after taste and all in, this was just too tasty to ignore.



Braised Rice, Diced Abalone, Chicken, Mushroom, Asparagus

Mui Fan and starchy gooey dishes are my nemesis - I am not sure when I declared them in the fiend zone. Admittedly I was biased towards this braised rice dish even before eating it and had offered my share to my companion even.

Fragrant, grainy and a good control of starchyness in this carbohydrate dish. It was an exquisite braised rice dish done right on many accounts - earthy mushrooms, crunchy greens, diced abalone and chicken in gravy that sang a lovely tune with the rice. I was sold on mui fan, beat that.



Oh yes, perfect with their sliced chillies too.




Dessert of the Day

It would have been one huge disappointment if dessert was not as fantabulous as all the other dishes - and so right I was. This turned out to be a very decadent and competent version of mango pomelo sago - rich liquid gold in every slurp.

Belly very happy and I think I found my favourite chinese restaurant in town. Tip top service, it comes with such a level of warmth I wonder how many restaurants are left that still believes good service goes a long way.

$88, Minimum 2 to dine

Summer Pavilion
Ritz Carlton