Summer Pavilion: Cantonese @ Ritz Carlton!

I don't usually dine at chinese restaurants, given the simple fact that my mom can whip up fanatastic chinese dishes at home, making me favour cuisines that she doesn't really cook when eating out. So if not for the family friend from Hong Kong, I probably wouldn't even think of visiting Summer Pavilion!



Located within Ritz Carlton Singapore, Summer Pavilion specialised in Cantonese cuisine with fine dining setting. Think golden furnishing, golden silk menu and golden ruby plates and teacups. Yes the chinese do adore gold, and I'm glad that they didn't overelaborate it here and managed to create a strong yet pleasing theme.

The menu was very typical Cantonese with categories like shark fin and steam fish, we opted for the $72+++ per person set dinner with two additional ala carte orders. Interestingly, I searched high and low for a logo of some sort but either I missed it, or it really didn't exist!


Marinated Sliced Chicken, Seaweed Roll with Crab Roe and Prawn Paste

Apologies for the clarity of shots, as I was rushing through so that guests wouldn't wait so long. The appetiser was an interesting clash of cold and hot dishes. Chicken slices was very well-marinated with ginger powder, served on a bed of crunchy jellyfish. The deep fried seawood roll had layers of fresh, crunchy prawn paste and bursting crab roe. An excellent start!


Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Roe

I'm not a fan of thick starchy shark fin's soup, so this was just alright for me. The yin yang effect with crab roe was more visual than taste purpose as it didn't have the rich and creamy effect I hoped for.



Fillet of Pork, Deep-fried Oyster with Braised E-fu Noodles

The fillet was wok-fried skillfully, giving it a juicy and tender texture. Would have been better if it was served in thicker cuts for that chewing kick! Noodles was served with abalone sauce and had not much surprise tastewise, while the fresh oyster's natural flavour was lightly enhanced with salt and pepper.



Braised Beef Knee, Grilled Stuffed King Prawn (Both not in set)

Honestly, these two dishes outshone the ones in the set! The melting beef knee was so good in the thick gooey sauce that I couldn't resist ordering rice for it! The King Prawn came as a recommendation from Harris, who swore by this must-try dish. And man was he right! The chunky meat was perfectly grilled with a crispy batter and drizzled with a sweet tasting sauce. Really good stuffs!


Mango Sago

Naturally sweetened with a smooth creamy texture, we ended it off nicely with a very classic cantonese dessert!

Summer Pavilion is definitely thumbs-up for exquisite chinese dining, with varying degree of success for their dishes. Service was fantastic with experienced recommendations (They even politely reminded us that we might have over ordered!) and regular changes of cutleries. A recommended place to go with parents, in-laws, elders and heck, ditch the usual candlelit dinner for this!

Taken with Nikon D70