As we reminisce the feasting we had during the Chinese New Year, Si Chuan Dou Hua is attempting to seduce us with their new 6 Course Set Menu; one so sumptuous, it is fitting as a reunion dinner. Like the standard Chinese New Year fare, this set menu also includes suckling pig, steamed fish, fish maw and abalone. Yet, Si Chuan Dou Hua promises that we will be able to enjoy this deluxe menu without burning a hole in our pockets, by introducing a special promotion that is valid from now till 30 April 2017. Read on to find out more.

 

 

The Food

 

 

Now, before we move on, let’s get the nasties out of the way. Once you are seated, Si Chuan Dou Hua will automatically present you with Chinese tea and pickles (not shown), which are chargeable at S$5++ per person. I know some places allow you to opt out of this arrangement, but at Si Chuan Dou Hua, this is obligatory. While this will add to the cost of the meal and lessen the overall value, I think the quality and quantity of food served should be good enough to warrant the price you pay.

 

 

1^st Course: The Art of Dim Sum

 

 

Beautifully named, The Art of Dim Sum is a medley of 8 different dim sums. Left to right from top, we have the Nostalgic Pork Belly Baked Buns, Marinated Rice Noodles Roll with Shredded Duck, Prawn Dumplings, Truffle Xiao Long Bao, Fragrant Yam Cake with Waxed Meat, Siew Mai with Abalone, Spicy Chicken with Yam and Beancurd Skin and Hakka Dumplings. Above portions shown are for 10 diners so each diner will get one of each dim sum, except for the Spicy Chicken, which comes in a sharing portion.

 

 

 

Above is the portion each diner will get. Among these, my favourites are the Pork Belly Baked Bun and the Spicy Chicken with Yam and Beancurd Skin.

 

 

 

 

I love that the Pork Belly Baked Bun has a thin instead of thick dough. The bun is soft with bite and has a crusty top; even when cut, the bun retains its dome shape instead of falling apart. Though the interior looks kind of empty, the flavours are anything but lacking! And they didn’t achieve this by heaping on tonnes of sugar! Because this is a pork belly bun instead of a char siew bun, the pork belly is actually more savoury than sweet, while keeping a rational salt level. Overall, the flavour is on point!

 

 

 

Another dish that impressed me is the Spicy Chicken with Yam and Beancurd Skin. Though it may look harmless like normal popcorn chicken decorated with some dried chilli for show, this dish really packs a punch! On the first taste, it is mildly spicy but slowly, the ma la spiciness will kick in to numb your tongue! I guarantee that you will be begging for an iced drink at this stage! Come on, we are at Si Chuan Dou Hua, surely you didn’t think you can escape from the word Spicy at a Sichuan restaurant? (In case you haven’t tried Sichuan cuisine, it is famous for being fiery!) So if you don’t usually hold your spice well, take this in tiny bites or don’t take it at all. For the rest of us spicy lovers, get ready a glass of iced water and let’s get on with this spicy shiokness!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Among the rest of the dim sum, the noteworthy ones will be the Truffle Xiao Long Bao, Siew Mai with Abalone, Yam Cake with Waxed Meat and Marinated Rice Noodles Roll with Shredded Duck; all of these are unique dim sums that are not often seen on other menus.

 

While I do find the Yam Cake with Waxed Meat and Marinated Rice Noodles commendable, I think that the Siew Mai with Abalone is a little gimmicky because for me, that the abalone did nothing to enhance or complement the siew mai. In fact, the siew mai will do well on its own, even without the abalone. I am also not very fond of the Truffle Xiao Long Bao. Even though I am a fan of Truffle Fries, truffle and meat in Xiao Long Bao just don’t really work for me. But taste is subjective (some of my fellow diners were suitably mesmerized by this dish), so try it and let me know what you think!

 

At this point, after eating all 8 dim sum, my tummy was already half full! But I still have 5 more courses and a buffet dessert to devour!

 

 

2^nd Course: Combination of Four Delicacies

 

 

The Combination of Four Delicacies is a cold platter of Sliced Suckling Pig, Chilled Chicken in Spicy Bean Paste, Wasabi Mushroom and Marinated Jelly Fish.

 

 

 

Here, we have reached the first highlight of the set menu, where Mr. Sliced Suckling Pig makes a special appearance. It is a pity that he won’t appear in his full glory as a whole suckling pig but at least we will get to taste the crunchy crispy skin with melt-in-the-mouth fats and super delicious meat. Word of caution though, enjoy this slowly and carefully, because each of us will only get one piece; really not enough!

 

 

 

For those of us who skipped the first spicy dish (Spicy Chicken from The Art of Dim Sum) earlier, now is the chance to try your tongues in at least one spicy dish- Chilled Chicken in Spicy Bean Paste. I promise you, this one is significantly less spicy than the Spicy Chicken. Chilled Chicken in Spicy Bean Paste or Kou Shui Ji (口水鸡in Mandarin) is a dish of chilled boiled chicken meat immersed in chilli oil and bean paste sauce. Directly translated, Kou Shui Ji (口水鸡) means “Saliva Chicken”, which sounds a little disgusting. Some say that the name is inspired from the adjective “mouth-watering” since this is a very drool worthy dish; others say that this dish is so named because it is so spicy, one can’t control the saliva from flowing. Which is true? Try to find out!

 

 

3^rd Course: Double-boiled Cartilage Soup with Fish Maw

 

 

 

 

 

I love the way Si Chuan Dou Hua serve their Double-boiled Cartilage Soup! Souper (oops I mean super) bubbling hot with rising steam in a pretty mini claypot! Double-boiled for seven to eight hours over constant fire before serving, this tasty shark cartilage broth is thick (but not starchy) and will fill one up, that’s why I was already 80% full after finishing this.

 

 

4^th Course: Hong Kong Steamed Sliced Turbot Fish in Soy Sauce

 

 

 

Turbot fish is a type of flatfish that is native to the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Well liked and known as one of the world’s best tasting white fish, Turbot has a mild flavour and a medium firm texture. While I like the texture, this fish is a little too bland for me.

 

 

5^th Course: Signature Bean Curd Medley

 

 

Because we are at Si Chuan Dou Hua, with Dou Hua meaning beancurd, it goes without saying that bean curd must one of their signature dishes. Indeed, the Signature Bean Curd Medley does not disappoint. 3 different forms of bean curd (tofu, tofu skin and yellow soy beans) are combined then fried until golden brown and placed on top of a bed of homemade silken bean curd (the kind that we usually eat as desserts), vegetables and minced meat. This really is deserving of its name as the Signature Bean Curd dish of Si Chuan Dou Hua. So I ate quite a lot even though I was supposed to be saving my stomach space for desserts later.

 

 

6^th Course: Fish Paste Mee Sua Soup in Shun De Style

 

 

The Mee Sua used in this soup dish is pretty unique. This Mee Sua is thicker and firmer than those we are used to and tastes more like salted Dong Fen (glass noodles) instead. Although this fish soup is not as thick as the double boiled cartilage broth we had earlier, it is also very delicious in a light and wholesome way. I also like the fish paste in this dish, which is a mixture of mud carp, pearl garoupa and black moss.

 

 

Dessert Fantasy (Buffet Style)

 

 

Dessert Fantasy is really an appropriate name, because this spread looks exactly like my dessert fantasies! So even though I was totally full by the time I finished the 6 Course Set Menu, I could not resist stuffing myself further with these desserts.

 

Having stuffed myself crazy with all that desserts, I am probably in a good position to advice that even if you are beyond full at this point, you should still make room for their Sponge Cake & Honey Comb Cake and Yam Pudding.

 

 

 

The Sponge Cake & Honey Comb Cake is a double layer steamed cake consisting of a top layer of Malaysian Steamed Cake (or Mah Lai Goh), and a bottom layer of Cloud Cake (or Yun Pian Gao). This Malaysian steamed cake is probably the fluffiest version I have tasted to date and the Cloud Cake is like its name suggests, a cloud like soft cake. Together, this is a wonderful steamed cake worthy of your calories and stomach space.

 

 

 

The Yam Pudding is made with real yam and has a creamy and smooth texture. The sweetness level is also just right, making this a perfect pudding to have.

 

 

 

“Why the name Si Chuan Dou Hua? In Sichuan, a bowl of dou hua, or silken beancurd, is a symbol of welcome offered to guests in homes and we wanted to offer the same welcoming experience to our diners in the restaurant.” – Wee Wei Ling, Founder and Executive Director

 

And of course, even after squeezing in that sponge cake and yam pudding, you still shouldn’t leave Si Chuan Dou Hua yet! Not until you have had a bowl of their famed and fabulously smooth Homemade Bean Curd with Wolfberry (Tau Huey), the dish that represents the hospitality of Sichuan and Si Chuan Dou Hua.

 

 

 

The Menu

 

[This menu is taken from Si Chuan Dou Hua’s press release.]

 

天府茶皇美点巧手小菜宴

6 COURSE SET MENU | SGD68 PER PERSON | (SGD78 FOR TWO – MINIMUM 4 PERSONS TO DINE)

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南北美点 (鲍鱼烧卖，水晶虾饺，客家茶果，辣子三宝，金奖东坡包，松露小笼包，芋丝腊味坊，火鸭粉皮卷）

Art of Dim Sum
(“Siew Mai” with Abalone, Prawn Dumpling, “Hakka” Dumpling, Spicy Chicken, Yam and Beancurd Skin with Dried Chilli, Nostalgic Pork Belly Baked Bun, Truffle “Xiao long Bao”, Fragrant Yam Cake with Waxed Meat, Marinated Rice Noodles Roll with Shredded Duck)

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至尊乳猪大拼盘 (乳猪件，口水鸡，鲜果芥末松茸菇，凉拌海蜇）

Combination of Four Delicacies
(Sliced Suckling Pig, Chilled Chicken in Spicy Bean Paste, Wasabi Mushroom, Marinated Jelly Fish)

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宝鼎花胶鲨鱼软骨汤
Double-boiled Cartilage Soup with Fish Maw

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港式蒸多宝鱼扒
“Hong Kong” Steamed Sliced Turbot Fish in Soy Sauce

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招牌豆中之重
Signature Bean Curd Medley

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顺德生财鱼滑米线汤（堂煮式）
Fish Paste “Mee Swa” Soup in “Shun De” Style (In Gueridon Service)

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精美七彩小甜点（自助式）
Dessert Fantasy in Buffet Style

双层马来糕

Sponge Cake and Honey Comb Cake

桃胶山楂靓布丁

Hawthorn with Peach Resin Pudding

 

香芋靓布丁

Yam Pudding

 

香脆合桃酥

Crispy Chinese Walnut Cookies

 

香酥炸麻圆

Crispy Sesame Glutinous Rice Ball

 

蜂蜜桂花糕

Chilled Osmanthus Jelly with Honey

 

杏汁红豆糕

Chilled Almond Jelly with Red Bean

 

清润豆浆水

Soya Bean

 

金桔柠檬茶

Kumquat Lemon Tea

 

枸杞甜豆花

Homemade Bean Curd with Wolfberry

 

杨枝甘露

Cream of Fresh Mango with Pomelo

 

合时鲜水果

Mixed Fresh Fruit

 

Tea and pickles are a compulsory charge at SGD5 per person.
(Prices are subject to 10% service charge and prevailing goods and service tax)

 

 

 

Price And Promotion

 

The 6 Course Set Menu for both lunch and dinner will be available from 13 February 2017 till 30 April 2017.

 

Price: $68++ per person

Promotional Price: $78++ for two persons (Minimum 4 persons to dine)

Tea and pickles are a compulsory charge at S$5++ per person.
 

 

NAHMJ Verdict

 

This is a worthwhile set to have, especially on the weekends. Expect both quality and quantity in terms of food, a classy ambience and attentive service.

 

 

 

Si Chuan Dou Hua @ PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road

181 Kitchener Road, Singapore 208533
Tel: +65 6428 3170

Website: https://www.parkroyalhotels.com/en/hotels-resorts/singapore/kitchener/stay/dining/si-chuan-dou-hua-restaurant.html

FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Si-Chuan-Dou-Hua-Parkroyal-on-Kitchener-Road/125084177576303

 

Opening Hours

 

Lunch – 1130 to 1430  |  Dinner – 1830 to 2230

 

Getting There

 

By MRT:

• North East Line – Farrer Park station

 

By Bus:

• Before Tai Hoe Hotel along Kitchener Road   21, 125, 130

• After Allenby Road along Jalan Besar   23, 64, 65, 66, 67, 130, 139, 147, 857

• At Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple along Serangoon Road   23, 64, 65, 66, 67, 130, 139, 147, 857

 

Rating: 7.5/10

 

 

*Disclaimer: This was a media invite.

 

Written by Denise Chua myfoodstory.sg.