Summer Pavilion Tasting Session

Summer Pavilion Tasting Session
7 Raffles Avenue
#01 The Ritz-Carlton Singapore

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11:30am - 2:30pm (Lunch), 6pm - 10:30pm (Dinner)


http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/singapore/dining

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session.
Attended with representatives from HungryGoWhere, Epicurious Caniggia, and Chubby Botak Koala.

Cute Little Fish Friend!

Luxurious Cantonese Fine Dining In A Garden Setting

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 9
Ambience & Setting: 10
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 10
Value for Money: 8
Budget about SGD $100 ++ per person.


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Located within The Ritz-Carlton Singapore, the Summer Pavilion restaurant is the hotel's in-house, Chinese fine dining offering. Having completed a major makeover in November 2015, the Summer Pavilion restaurant lives up to the reowned standard of The Ritz-Carlton hotel brand, with impeccable service, a refined ambience, and well-executed, Chinese Cantonese fine dining food.

Summer Pavilion Entrance

Us

Ambience at Summer Pavilion restaurant is thoughtful, refined, and sophisticated. No expense was spared, with top interior and fashion designers contributing elements, from the carefully selected plush furnishings, the warm timber wooden panels, the sparkling white lacquer, and the cruated art pieces, all reflecting a zen purity in design. The main dining hall, which seats up to 119 people, are reminiscent of a tranquil, modern Chinese garden, with floral motifs by Robert Louey Design and dining spaces laid out for privacy. Staff are dressed sharply in tuxedos designed by Mineo San of Art Marginal, while soothing Chinese flute and piano music by Morton Wilson of Schtung Music play in the background. The 6 private dining rooms of varying sizes offer an exclusive experience, while the Garden Suite is perfect for hosting private events.

Summer Pavilion Main Dining Hall

Summer Pavilion Private Dining Room

Private Dining Hall

Lounge

Service at Summer Pavilion restaurant befits The Ritz-Carlton brand, being professional, efficient, and attentive. Staff are unobstrusive and polite, quietly going about their duties in the background, though they are also quick to step forward and assist when requested. Pleasant and memorable, you almost don't notice staff clearing away empty / dirty dishes or changing plates, and they also helpfully portion out food in equal amounts. Each dish is introduced, displaying their familiarity with the menu and ingredients. Staff are also good hosts, warmly greeting guests, and rendering assistance to elderly customers or parents with young children. While they can converse in English, I find most staff here more comfortable speaking in Chinese Mandarin or Cantonese.

Corridor

Floor Patterns

Sofa Worth SGD $20,000

Dried Wheat Decor

Dried Wheat Decor

Food at Summer Pavilion restaurant consists mainly of fine Chinese Cantonese cuisine. Executive Chef Cheung Siu Kong turns out exquisite, beautifully plated dishes, well executed with fresh ingredients, and simple, comforting flavours. Despite the modern setting, I find the food here to be straight forward and clean, with 1 or 2 ingredients being highlighted in each dish. Tasty and familiar, almost like a warm hug. Portions are designed to be mostly communal in nature, and dining in groups of 4 or more is recommended. Prices naturally reflect the fine dining status of Summer Pavilion restaurant, budget about SGD $100 ++ per person for a full meal here. While not wallet-friendly, it's good value for money for the high quality. Not for common everyday dining, but suitable for special occasions!

Table Setting (Blue)

Table Setting (Green)

Table Setting (Pink)

Bowl

Endless Mirror Reflections

Exquisite attention to detail, right down to even the condiments! You can tell the Premium Soy Sauce is of good quality, just tasting it imparts a full, salty savoury, umami taste. The XO Sauce (Extra Ordinary Special Sauce) is specially hand made in-house, and has a nice flavour of dried shrimp. Good enough to actually eat on its own!

Premium Soy Sauce

XO Sauce (Extra Ordinary Special Sauce)

Specially created tea blends from Tea Bone Zen Mind is offered here, and you can even purchase it as gifts! The Lychee Oolong Tea (SGD $7) has a floral, fruity lychee taste that contrasts well with the deep, robust flavour of the oolong tea leaves. The Momo In Black Tea (SGD $7) has a delicate taste of sweet peaches, contrasted by the earthy taste of black tea leaves.

Lychee Oolong Tea (SGD $7)

Momo In Black Tea (SGD $7)

Assortment Of Tea From Tea Bone Zen Mind

The Stir-Fried Yam Cubes With Sesame Seed ($ Complimentary) was so good, we wished it was served as a dessert! The tantalising cubes of yam, savoury and fragant on the outside, sweet and tender on the inside, teased the palate and left us wanting more. Chef was cruel, he said that it's unlikely this will be offered as a dessert, because eating less of this will leave diners addicted for more!

Stir-Fried Yam Cubes With Sesame Seed ($ Complimentary)

The Pan-Fried King Scallop (SGD $16 Set) is part of a 2-part appetizer set. A new item on the menu, the scallop is sweet, meaty, and moist, with a hint of smoky aroma. Fresh and clean, I find dipping this in the premium soy sauce makes it so much tastier! Served over a bed of greens, which are more for decoration than for eating.

Pan-Fried King Scallop (SGD $16 Set)

Pan-Fried King Scallop

The Barbecued Spanish Iberico Pork With Honey Sauce (SGD $16 Set) is part of a 2-part appetizer set. This new item on the menu is possibly the largest slice of Spanish Iberico pork I've seen! The pork has a nice sticky sweet honey caramlised glaze, with fresh, clean, savoury meat that has a silver of fat between. There is a slight chew to texture, and it's served with rock candy on the side, which did little to add to the already good flavour of the pork.

Barbecued Spanish Iberico Pork With Honey Sauce (SGD $16 Set)

Barbecued Spanish Iberico Pork With Honey Sauce

The Double-Boiled Fish Bone Soup, Fish Maw, Wolfberries (SGD $38 / Portion) is chef's signature dish, and the best item, hands-down, we ate here. The thick, almost creamy, sweet savoury broth / soup is made by double boiling Chilean seabass fish bones, till all the flavour and collagen has been extracted. Garnished with wolfberries, and a large, generous slab of Chilean seabass fish maw, which is tender, and has completely absorbed the flavour of the soup / broth. Excellent flavour, completely comforting and satisfiying dish. Highly recommended!

Double-Boiled Fish Bone Soup, Fish Maw, Wolfberries (SGD $38 / Portion)

Double-Boiled Fish Bone Soup, Fish Maw, Wolfberries

The Sauteed Dong Xing Grouper Fish, Shredded Sweet Peas, Bean Sprouts (SGD $16 / 100g, Pictured 600g At SGD $96) features a large, whole, fresh grouper fish, steamed and served in a premium soy sauce gravy. The fish meat is clean, fresh, sweet, with hints of savoury salty from the gravy. What's creative about this dish is the surprising contrast of flavours from the vegetables, crunchy sweet fresh cucumber and carrots, contrasted by tender smoky savoury sauteed sweet peas and bean sprouts. So good!

An example of attention to detail and beauty in presentation, after the whole grouper fish has been portioned out, staff actually place the head, both fins, and the tail together on a small plate. Arranged to resemble the actual fish, but smaller, this is incredibly cute!

Sauteed Dong Xing Grouper Fish, Shredded Sweet Peas, Bean Sprouts (SGD $16 / 100g, Pictured 600g At SGD $96)

Sauteed Dong Xing Grouper Fish, Shredded Sweet Peas, Bean Sprouts

Cute Little Fish Friend!

The Marinated Smoked Duck, Chinese Tea Leaves (SGD $38 Half, $76 Whole) was decent, with moist, tender duck meat, and crisp, savoury salty skin. I like that it isn't gamey or tough. However, I couldn't detect the taste of the tea leaves, or even the smoky aroma. It's a decent dish, but when at a fine dining establishment, decent just doesn't cut it. Plus, you can get tastier and better roast duck elsewhere.

Marinated Smoked Duck, Chinese Tea Leaves (SGD $38 Half, $76 Whole)

Marinated Smoked Duck, Chinese Tea Leaves

The Poached Lobster Rice (SGD $20 / Portion) was surprising and creative, yet with familiar, comforting flavours, a testament to the chef's skill. Presented in a bowl, with soft crustacean flavoured rice, garnished with crisp fried rice, fresh sweet lobster tail meat, and crunchy spring onions, a thin yet flavourful hearty crustacean broth / soup is then poured over. The result is a bowl resembling modern porridge in texture, savoury and soft, but with delightful crisp and sweet contrasts. I would come back just to order a bowl of this! Highly recommended!

Poached Lobster Rice (SGD $20 / Portion)

Poached Lobster Rice

Felt the Sliced Chicken Simmered, Chinese Wine, Jelly Fish (SGD $13 / Plate) was good, but could be so much better. The chicken is tender and chilled, sweet and clean, but lacks the strong taste of Chinese wine, which may appeal to some, though my fellow diners wanted a stronger wine flavour. It also lacks a chew to texture, being thinly sliced, but we've asked chef to tweak this dish to offer thicker slices instead. The jelly fish is fresh and clean, but lacks the sweetness of the marinade I usually associate with this, resulting in a much lighter, milder flavour. Easily remedied with some premium soy sauce!

Sliced Chicken Simmered, Chinese Wine, Jelly Fish (SGD $13 / Plate)

Sliced Chicken Simmered, Chinese Wine, Jelly Fish

The Chilled Cream Of Sago, Mango, Pomelo (SGD $12 / Portion) was very good. What makes this dessert stand out is the juicy, sour sweet shreds of pomelo within, contrasting well with the floral, fruity sweetness of the chilled mango cream and sago. The portion is large and generous, perhaps a little too much after a full meal, and can be shared. Good!

Chilled Cream Of Sago, Mango, Pomelo (SGD $12 / Portion)

Chilled Cream Of Sago, Mango, Pomelo

Specially made Red Bean Kueh & Coconut Tart (SGD $ Compliments Of Chef), this is not offered on the menu. The earthy, soft red bean base is contrasted by the milky, creamy coconut milk cream top. The dessicated coconut tart is sweet and grainy, with a nice chew, but what's surprising is the crisp, flaky, filo pastry tart shell, which crunches beautifully.

Red Bean Kueh & Coconut Tart (SGD $ Compliments Of Chef)

Red Bean Kueh & Coconut Tart

Honestly, I had high expectations of dining at Summer Pavilion restaurant, due to The Ritz-Carlton brand name... and I'm glad Summer Pavilion has lived up to the premium standards of this hotel! Completely enjoyed my experience here; the elegant, refined, private ambience; attentive, personalised, efficient service; and the delicious, comfortable, beautifully presented food. Such high standards do come with a price, which makes dining at Summer Pavilion restaurant suitable for memorable special occasions, as dining here daily will quickly burn a hole in the pocket for most!


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Reserve a table now @ Summer Pavilion

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