[Media Invite] Celebrate Lunar New Year with Authentic Southeast Asian Cuisine @ Famous Treasure

We are now back to the first of the Chinese zodiac sign; the Rat. What better way to usher in new beginnings than having delicious meals at Famous Treasure with your loved ones?

Famous Treasure is located at Level 2 of Capitol Piazza and is an extension of Famous Kitchen (located in Sembawang). Read about my first experience at Famous Kitchen and watch out for this space as I will bring you an updated version soon!

entrance to Famous Treasure

interior

Famous Kitchen serves Nanyang fare, a Southeast Asian cuisine style assimilated from cultures such as Teochew, Hokkien and Cantonese. The place has an elegant and cosy feel, and is able to accommodate up to 150 diners, and has 4 private rooms available for booking. Suitable for business dining as well.

menu

Chinese New Year Menu

Prosperity Shun De Yu Sheng 顺德鱼生

Shunde Yu Sheng @$118++/$180++ (for 6 pax/10 pax portion)

Shunde is said to be one of the origin of our Southeast Asia's yusheng as we know it today. Revisit the taste of original yusheng at Famous Treasure, and what I liked about the Shunde style Yu Sheng, is that there was no need to jostle for the few slices of fish. It will flow to you naturally as it will be individually plated. Keke, guaranteed win! When a restaurant uses yellowtail (hamachi) for its yusheng, you have my vote already. Just take my money!

Shunde Yu Sheng 顺德鱼生 - feat. hamachi

The yusheng is available as à la carte order and for takeaways. It is also available on normal days (non-CNY period) and is available with 3-days advance reservation.

Chicken Soup with Morel Mushroom and Peach Gum 羊肚菌桃胶炖鸡汤

Chicken Soup with Morel Mushroom and Peach Gum @$68++/$138++ (medium/large)

close-up view of peach gum and morel mushrooms

Peach gum is the resin from peach and is said to be rich in amino acid, which allows collagen to be quickly absorbed into the human body. The chicken soup has a natural sweetness from the essence of the chicken, and light earthy flavours of the mushrooms. Peach gum was like a soft, collageny blob.

Roasted "Silver Hill" Irish Duck 爱尔兰金牌烧肥鸭

Roasted "Silver Hill" Irish Duck 爱尔兰金牌烧肥鸭 @$58++/$108++ (half/whole)

drumstick view

Imagine well roasted duck meat that has a firm chew yet still tender to the jaw, and best parts were those with skin and fatty bits that oozes flavour! My favourite piece of duck would be from the breast. Roasted "Silver Hill" Irish Duck is a signature dish which is also availabe in the CNY Set Menus including Success Set B, Happiness Set C and Fortune Set D.

Steamed Marble Goby "Fisherman Stye" 渔夫蒸笋壳

Steamed Marble Goby "Fisherman Style" 渔夫蒸笋壳

The steamed Marble Goby "Fisherman Style" is available in Wealth Set A and Fortune Set D. Simple flavours with premium freshwater fish. The meat texture was firm, compact and smooth.

Steamed Marble Goby "Fisherman Style"

Wok-fried Prawn Ball with Traditional "Nanyang" Style 南洋风味炒虾球

Wok-fried Prawn Ball with Traditional "Nanyang" Style 南洋风味炒虾球 @$36++/$54++/$72++ (small/medium/large)

Can I just say that the wok-fried prawn ball done in Nanyang style is a crowd favourite? Nothing beats a plump, firm prawn, battered and fried with 'saucy' coating that exuded familiar Southeast Asian flavours. It just shouts "YUM". Available in CNY à la carte menu.

one is never enough

Prosperity Fortune Treasure Pot (Pre Order) 发财盆菜

Prosperity Fortune Treasure Pot (Pre Order) 发财盆菜 @$388++/$588++ (small/large)

The pencai is available on the CNY Takeaway Menu and CNY à la carte menu. Loaded with premium ingredients such as abalone, fish maw, dried scallops, dried oysters, sea cucumber, prawns, and fa cai. The connoisseur would not want to miss the tasty vegetables lining the pot as those would have absorbed all the lovely flavours.

pencai - individual portion

pencai pot

Good news is that one could buy a small Pencai and enjoy a complimentary small Yusheng, or get a big Pencai and enjoy a complimentary big Yusheng. Wow, that's a good deal!

The Auspicious Set Menus and Prosperity CNY Treats Takeaways are available from 13 Jan to 8 Feb 2020, while the Prosperity À La Carte Menu is available from 25 to 27 January 2020. Please make your enquiries direct with the restaurant.

Thank you Jennifer (JY Consultancy) for the invite and Famous Treasure for hosting. Happy New Year everyone!

Famous Treasure Chinese Restaurant

Address: 13 Stamford Rd, #02-28 Capitol Piazza, Singapore 178905
Website: http://www.thefamoustreasure.com/
Contact: +65 6881 6668/+65 9730 7548
Email: reservation@famoustreasure.com.sg
Business Hours:
Daily: 11:30am–3pm, 6–10:30pm

[Tasting] Abundance of Happiness, Prosperity and Auspicious Lunar New Year at 金叶 Goldleaf Restaurant Katong Square

Goldleaf is a household name in Singapore and is an establishment that's widely known for its Taiwanese porridge. But I didn't realize that it has been in Singapore since 1971. Wow! Previously, it was located in Orchard but its current location is at Katong Square.

a mural of its original location

building exterior

entrance

Still hunting for a restaurant to celebrate CNY this year with your loved ones? Let's take a peek at Goldleaf's 2020 Lunar New Year menu:

credit source: Goldleaf

Let's start the meal with a boisterous toss to prosperity and good fortune with the Goldleaf Reunion Abalone Yu Sheng. Done in traditional manner, and the sauce had just the right amount of sweetness.

团员捞起 Goldleaf Reunion Abalone Yu Sheng

ready

收到!

huat ahh!

let's eat

Next, we tried the Fish Maw and Crabmeat in Superior Broth that's available in the Auspicious Set. Broth was flavourful and warms the tummy. Loved the strands of crabmeat in it too.

Fish Maw and Crabmeat in Superior Broth

蟹肉鱼漂羹

We enjoyed both types of fish served in the CNY menu; the Deep Fried Seabass in Sweet and Sour Sauce (from Happiness set) and the Steamed Red Snapper in Hong Kong style (from both the Prosperity and Auspicious sets).

We had good sized fish and the steamed red snapper had a natural sweetness to its firm flesh. Loved the parts with oil. Yums!

Steamed Red Snapper in Hong Kong style 港蒸红鲷鱼

However, my favourite fish vote went to the Deep-fried Seabass in Sweet and Sour Sauce. Lovely knife work on the fish, which allowed the fillet to curl beautifully upon deep-frying. Crunchy batter, meat that's well cooked and matching sauce with a good ratio of sweetness and tangy. I will gladly eat the whole fish! But no lah, must share ok...especially during CNY.

Deep-fried Seabass in Sweet and Sour Sauce 酸甜金目鲈

how to resist?

Another auspicious dish to eat during the New Year, would be the prawns so that everyone could 笑哈哈. The word 'prawn' in Cantonese has the same sound as laughter.

The premium Sauteed Prawns in XO sauce had such a homely taste that makes one want to suck on the prawn shell till all flavours are gone! It was that good.

Sauteed Prawns with XO Sauce

XO 酱炒虾

But, the Golden Cereal Prawns was also a scene stealer! It had a rich savoury taste with a touch of spice. And yes, I took a spoon to scoop up those delicious cereal to eat by them spoonfuls. Well, you'd be doing the same right? Right?

Golden Cereal Prawns 黄金麦片虾

pardon my dirty nail, but look at the prawn size!

Don't forget to eat your greens too! Lucky us had the Braised Broccoli with Scallops. I love scallops and broccoli. Two of my favs!

Braised Broccoli with Scallops 西兰花带子

Another dish that would please the older folks, would be the Mei Cai Kou Rou (梅菜扣肉) which is a traditional Hakka dish. The pork belly was well-braised although slightly lighter in colour and the flavours from the mei cai was simply awesome. Brings back memories with ah ma.

Stewed Pork Belly with Mustard Greens 梅菜扣肉

awesome rustic flavours

For the finale, we tried the Stewed Taiwanese Noodles with Crab Meat. It had genial flavours with a hint of sweetness. I liked it with some chili padi.

Stewed Taiwanese Noodles with Crab Meat 蟹肉炒面

For dessert, we had the Yam Paste with Gingko Nut and Goji Berry, or also known as Orh Nee (荔浦芋头). Doesn't taste oily and sweetness was just right.

Yam Paste with Gingko Nut and Goji Berry 福果芋泥

I've enjoyed the traditional homely taste of the Lunar New Year dishes at Goldleaf. Thank you Kris for the invite and Karen, Goldleaf Restaurant for hosting the dinner. Special thanks to the my foodie gang; Ivan, Rachelle, Alvin, Tiara, Hence and Tracy.

Goldleaf 金叶

Address: 86 E Coast Rd, #01-02, Singapore 428788
Website: https://goldleaf.com.sg/
Contact: 6344 1735
Business Hours: 
Mon to Thurs: 11am–2:30pm, 6–10pm
Fri to Sun: 11am–2:30pm, 5:30–10pm

[Media Invite] Bountiful Spring Reunion - 20 January to 09 February @ Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

With Lunar New Year just round the corner, let me show you what Food Capital under the helm of Executive Chef Jackie Zhang, together with his dedicated culinary team, has prepared for us.

But first thing first, there's an "Early Bird Discount" for Lunar New Year Eve Reunion Buffet Dinner and Fa Cai Yu Sheng Takeaway. Enjoy 20% off when you reserve by 5 January 2020. Hurry!

Fa Cai Yu Sheng

Let's start the year right by having a platter of this auspicious dish. Salmon or Abalone? Your choice.

mega sized Yu Sheng

huat ah!

Enjoy Lunar New Year Festive Buffet early, from 20 Jan onwards right till 9 Feb 2020. Available for both lunch and dinner at $68++/$88++ respectively.

Lunar New Year Eve Reunion Buffet happens on the 24 Jan 2020. Dinner: $98++/ $138++ (includes free flow of bubbly, house wines, soft drinks and juices).

Indulge in bountiful treasures pen cai, lap mei fried rice with seaweed crumb, stir-fried prawns with chili and curry leaves, yam paste with gingko nuts, dumpling with osmanthus honey and more.

festive decoration

pen cai (盆菜)

And I'd take a glass of M Wine red with the savoury flavourful food. Let's start with the salad aka the Yu Sheng. Traditional flavours and not too sweet. Lovely crunchy crackers in it.

Fa Cai Yu Sheng (发财鱼生)

M Wine Red

Next up, one could enjoy the cold seafood section from the buffet. And, the de-facto for me? Oysters, of course! Juicy, plump succulent oysters...so yummy!

plump, juicy oysters

One could pair it with a variety of sauces, ranging from sweet spicy to a bit spicier. Nothing too overpowering and the highlight, was indeed the lovely flavourful oysters. So satisfying.

fresh oysters and spicy sauces

After which, let's nourish our body and soul with a bowl of hot ginseng chicken soup. Boiled with seawhelk, chicken and bamboo pith, the soup had a slight bitterness to it that's attributed from the ginseng. Flavourful and felt awakened after that bowl.

ginseng chicken soup

Then, we moved on to the main highlight that was the pen cai. Noticeably, the ingredients for the pen cai included prawns, sea cucumber, abalones, roast pork, roast chicken, dried oysters, dried scallops, mushrooms, black moss (fa cai) and vegetables.

sea cucumbers

Here's a portion of the bountiful treasures of the pen cai. Flavourful plate with many treasures indeed.

bountiful treasures of pen cai

For the chili prawns with curry leaves, its pretty much localized flavours and with the prawn texture remained slightly crunchy.

chili prawn with curry leaves

To usher in the Year of the Rat, the fish has been transformed into a "Squirrel" 松鼠. I shall not comment on whether it is cute or not, but the fish was superb! Thought it was squirrel fish at first (in keeping with the theme) but Chef revealed that they used grouper as its meat was more suitable for this dish. Don't miss this dish if you see it!

"松鼠" 石斑鱼 (sweet and sour squirrel shaped grouped fish)

sweet and sour fish with pine nuts

Oh, if you still have stomach space (dessert space is separate, of course), I'd recommend the roast pork. I don't know how they did it, but the skin crackling was real good. Roast pork and yellow mustard combo ftw!

roast pork, char siew and roast duck

Another dish that's synonymous with Lunar New Year would be the lap mei rice. Or, is this a Cantonese tradition? Not so sure but my sis cooks this for us when we are in hometown for CNY.

Lap Mei Fried Rice with Seaweed (臘味炒饭)

End the meal with Lunar New Year dessert such as steamed nian gao, osmanthus jelly, yam paste and gingko nuts and many more. My favourite dessert was the carp shaped mango jelly. Refreshing after a heavy buffet meal.

steamed nian gao (蒸年糕)

mango carp jelly

pomelo sago in coconut milk in cute egg shell

yam paste with gingko nuts

Lunar New Year cookies

Thank you Gilbert for the invite and Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel for hosting the dinner. Special thanks to Chef Jackie and team for the delicious food.

Here's wishing everyone, an Auspicious and Prosperous Lunar New Year! Huat ahh!

Food Capital

Address: G/F Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, 392 Havelock Rd, 169663
Website: http://www.celebrateatgcw.com/cny2020
Contact: 6233 1100
Email: dining.gcw@millenniumhotels.com
Business Hours:
Daily: 6.30am to 10.30pm