Due to the plum sauce as one of the ingredients for Yusheng, Lou Hei might be more than often a tad too sweet. But guys, guess what, for those who don’t have sweettooth like me, you can now enjoy savory yusheng !!! Yes, at Yàn, the Kaleidoscope of Prosperity Yusheng (Part of Chinese New Year set menu; À la carte: $138) is done the Shunde way with a lovely subtle crackling sound from the deep fried vemicelli that reminisces one of firecrackers popping as we lou (toss) to a year of bountiful blessings. With a dressing made using with soy sauce, lime juice, sliced lemon leaves and peanut oil, this is savoury yusheng is like a very pleasant breath of fresh air to the lou hei scene.
One of the must haves at Yàn ought to be the soup. As part of the Chinese New Year set menu as well as on À la carte menu, Superior Chicken Broth with Fish Maw ($24 per person) is packed with collagen that give you a more diong diong skin!! The soup was slow cooked for about 10 hours using old chicken and has this smooth, rich and milky consistency that one might mistaken that milk was added! Mind you, these are all essences from the ingredients brewed over long hours with NO milk added!
Symbolises an auspicious sign of completeness, the Signature Roast Crispy Suckling Pig (Part of Chinese New Year set menu; À la carte $288, whole) is served 3 ways at Yàn. It is served with its crispy skin cut and served with the sweet house-made pancake together with cucumber stick, and spring onions and a highly addictive homemade plum sauce which I thought to have hint of the aroma of mandarin peel. Then the second wave was the crispy skin with meat and lastly the pork fillet was baked with lemongrass. I like the last wave the best as it was tender, has a beautiful char siew kind of sweetness that is not overwhelming and finished off with a lingering aroma of the lemongrass.
What is the best way to a fresh lobster than to steam it? One can choose to savour the Steamed Half Lobster with or without the 18yrs Nu Er Hong Rice Wine (Part of Chinese New Year set menu; À la carte $20 per 100 grams with minimum order of 1kg). But my advice is to taste it in its most natural form before pouring the rice wine onto it to enhance its natural sweetness. My only regret is I need more Nu Er Hong!! Get me the whole jar!! lol, sorry the alcoholic in me is talking now.
Deep-fried Marble Goby ‘Soon Hock’ with Soya Sauce (Part of Chinese New Year à la carte menu; À la carte $18 per 100 grams, minimum order of 1kg) took me by surprise. I have never really like my fish to be deep fried as I feel that any fresh fish is best served steamed. But the deep fried marble goby was rather beautifully done. I can still relish the fish while enjoying the different layers of texture.
Every restaurant has its own signature stable, at Yàn, it is Braised ‘Mee Pok’ with Fresh Mushroom and XO Sauce (Part of Chinese New Year set menu; À la carte Small $22, Medium $33, Large $44). Sautéed with XO sauce made using more than 20 ingredients and chicken stock, the mee pok soaked in the flavours from the laboriously made housemade XO sauce while still retaining a firm bite. It was indeed an enjoyable carb dish to have.
Eat to a better year ahead with Pan-fried Nian Gao (Part of Chinese New Year set menu; À la carte $6 for 3 pieces) which is made in house with coconut sugar and glutinous rice flour mixed with water. The coating of toasted grated coconut and crushed peanuts added a different layer of textural bite and flavour to this auspicious dish.
Packed with anti-aging properties, the Chilled Peach Resin with Osmanthus and Aloe Vera Jelly (Part of Chinese New Year set menu; À la carte $10 per person) wrapped the meal on a sweet note. While improving the texture of our skin and peach resin is great at adding radiance to our face to lead us to a bountiful year ahead.
Besides an exquisite selection of 6 auspicious set menus which will be available for both lunch and dinner from 18 January to 19 February 2019 from $128++ to $278++ per person, the items on the set menu are also available for à la carte orders. As there will be two seatings for dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year, do remember to book your table early. The first seating runs from 5.30pm to 7.45pm, and the second seating runs from 8.15pm to 10.30pm.
Yàn 宴
#05-02 National Gallery Singapore 1 St Andrew’s Road, Singapore 178957
Tel: +65 6384 5585
Email: reserve@Yàn.com.sg
Operating Hours: Daily
Lunch: 11:30am to 2:30pm
Dinner: 6:00pm to 10:30pm
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