CHERRY GARDEN
Cherry Garden scores full marks for creating the sense of dwelling in a traditional Chinese courtyard within the confines of the indoor space. While the setting brings one back to the idyllic Qing era, the chef’s interpretation of Cantonese cuisine is contemporary and current. A case in point is the crowd-favourite steamed red garoupa with pickled chilli. The accompanying sauce features a multi-layered umami-spicy kick that complements the fresh and tender flesh of the fish. The double-boiled clear soup with sliced abalone, snow fungus and Yunnan mountain-sourced matsutake is a labour of love made evident in the luscious, flavour-laden broth. Perfect for carb-lovers, the five-grain fried rice with Cantonese pork sausage and vegetables comes with multitextured rice grains—from chewy wild black rice to crunchy rice crisp—and is a definite indulgence. Desserts are an unusual speciality for a Chinese restaurant, but you’d do well to order the cherries in nu er hong and aged kuei hua chen wine cocktail jelly.