SUMMER PALACE
Level 3, Regent Singapore, S(249715) T 6725-3288
For a quiet spot to enjoy flavoursome Cantonese cuisine, Summer Palace is a choice venue. The menu, crafted by executive chef Liu Ching Hai, features a number of distinctive dishes such as deep-fried frog legs with Chinese five-spice salt, and pan-fried Hong Kong dried oysters with turnip cake.
While the steamed dim sum needs work, the crumbly baked chicken tart with baby abalone, and baked buns with barbecued pork and pine nuts (aka bolo buns) are delicious. Slices of crispy suckling pig that hold minced shrimp and almond flakes in between (similar dishes are usually done with slices of roasted chicken) and the chef’s signature wok-fried crocodile meat with homemade spicy sauce are also recommended. The gluten-free menu, rarely seen in Chinese restaurants, features dishes such as fried chicken with garlic served with plum sauce, and wok-fried diced beef with lily bulbs and asparagus. A selection of vegetarian dishes is also available.
Service is attentive and personable, and the staff are always on hand to help apportion food or answer questions. We appreciate that they checked for dietary restrictions at the start of our meal, and made sure we had a fresh pot of hot tea just as orders for dessert were being placed. The gracious staff took the trouble to include slivers of coconut meat in our bowls of apportioned almond cream dessert, originally served in a young coconut. They even took the initiative to verify if they should pack the unfinished food into two portions, and offered a choice of condiments such as green chillies and chilli padi to accompany the food. Needless to say, we were suitably impressed and are very likely to return for more good food.