Yan Ting 2018

Yan Ting 2018
29 Tanglin Road
Level 1U The St. Regis Singapore

https://www.yantingrestaurant.com/

Steamed Marble Goby Soon Hock Fish Served With Bean Curd And Seasonal Greens (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person)

No Less Than The Best?

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 8
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $240 per person.


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Since opening in The St. Regis Singapore hotel in December 2007, Yan Ting restaurant has been a stalwart of the Chinese Cantonese fine dining scene, the epitome of extravagance and luxury. While prior visits to Yan Ting left good impressions, the most recent visit left me perplexed. Though standards and quality at Yan Ting remain consistently good, the main issue is that other restaurants in Singapore have since caught up, and surpassed, Yan Ting in all areas, making dining here poor value for money.

Ambience at Yan Ting is opulent. The grandeur of the interior exudes a classy elegance, without being too over the top. The tastefully arranged layout is suitable for business or private dining, and the decor enhances the overall ambience without being too loud. I also like the bright ambient lighting, which isn't too harsh or dim. The pearl marble floors and plush furnishings feel sophisticated and comfortable, however, peak periods mean the ambient noise level is high.

Service at Yan Ting restaurant is professional, discreet and polite. Staff may not make much conversation, but they are attentive and observant, and barely get in the way of dining, or conversations. The discreet yet efficient manner of staff at Yan Ting means you'll barely notice they're there! Tables are set, and cleared, with finesse. Communication in English however, is slightly below par. It's now more difficult to catch their attention, especially during peak periods.

Food at Yan Ting follows the Chinese Cantonese philosophy of freshness of ingredients, little usage of herbs, and well balanced dishes that are naturally flavourful but not greasy. Yan Ting restaurant prepares classic Chinese Cantonese dishes according to time-honoured recipes, but presents them in beautiful contemporary style. Portions are sized for individuals, but is best shared between 2 people. Prices are high. Prepare to splurge, budget about SGD $240 per person for a meal here.


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Singapore Candy Wrapper Sculpture

Yan Ting Signage

Yan Ting Exterior

Yan Ting Interior

Centerpiece Chandelier

Floral Arrangements

Table Setting

The Signature Trio Of Appetizers (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person) is a homely, comforting starter. The Honey Glazed Barbecued Pork has a good ratio of fat to lean meat, the honey glaze lending a sticky feel to the tender, succulent pork belly. A burst of sweet savoury smoky flavour. The Fried Fish Skin With Salted Egg Yolk is straightforward and decent, the home made salted egg yolk being rich and salty savoury, clinging well to the crisp, light, crunchy grey mullet fish skin. The Marinated Radish is a refreshing palate cleanser. With sour plum and tomato infused into the crunchy stick of daikon radish, the burst of sweet sour flavour is refreshing. Overall, a decent appetizer.

Signature Trio Of Appetizers (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person)

Honey Glazed Barbecued Pork

Honey Glazed Barbecued Pork

Fried Fish Skin With Salted Egg Yolk

Fried Fish Skin With Salted Egg Yolk

Marinated Radish

Marinated Radish

Signature Trio Of Appetizers

The Braised Lobster Broth With Crab Meat In 8-Hour Golden Broth (Ala-Carte @ SGD $56.20 per person) is rich, thick, and comforting. The delicate sweet savoury soup / broth has been infused with flavour from the seafood stock, chunks of lobster, deshelled crab meat, egg, shiitake mushrooms, and leeks. Delicious. Highly recommended!

Braised Lobster Broth With Crab Meat In 8-Hour Golden Broth (Ala-Carte @ SGD $56.20 per person)

Braised Lobster Broth With Crab Meat In 8-Hour Golden Broth

The Sweet Corn Broth With Crab Meat (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person) is a popular soup / broth. With a rich, thick texture and earthy sweet savoury flavour, this comforting soup / broth is infused with bold flavour from the corn and chicken stock. Garnished with corn kernels, deshelled crab meat, and egg. Simple but well executed and tasty. Worth ordering!

Sweet Corn Broth With Crab Meat (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person)

Sweet Corn Broth With Crab Meat

The Poached Geoduck Clam With Lobster Broth (Ala-Carte @ SGD $56.20 per person) has pieces of slippery tender geoduck clam, along with crunchy bean sprouts and pieces of fried mackerel fish, in a rich seafood soup / broth of fish stock and lobster. The soup / broth, while thin in texture, is bold on flavour, being savoury sweet, with a touch of the sticky collagen feeling. The elderly or traditionalists will like this. Good!

Poached Geoduck Clam With Lobster Broth (Ala-Carte @ SGD $56.20 per person)

Poached Geoduck Clam With Lobster Broth

Absolutely loved the Stir-Fried Kurobuta Pork With Sliced Garlic And Scallions (Ala-Carte @ SGD $44.50 per person). What's unique about this; Chef has sliced the kurobuta pork loin to a decent thinness, then stir-fried it with garlic and scallions, resulting in the dish having a texture similar to hor fun rice noodles. In fact, the smoky wok hei / breath of the wok and delicate savoury salty flavour is just like hor fun, plus, it even looks alike on first glance. So delicious. Highly recommended!

Stir-Fried Kurobuta Pork With Sliced Garlic And Scallions (Ala-Carte @ SGD $44.50 per person)

Stir-Fried Kurobuta Pork With Sliced Garlic And Scallions

The Steamed Marble Goby Soon Hock Fish Served With Bean Curd And Seasonal Greens (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person) is a classic comfort dish. The tender, flaky, boneless fillet of marble goby soon hock fish has a delicate sweet flavour, complemented by the salty touch of the light soy sauce gravy. A crunchy vegetal sweet nai bai / milk cabbage, fragrant ginger, and a wobbly soft coin tofu beancurd completes this lovely dish. Worth ordering!

Steamed Marble Goby Soon Hock Fish Served With Bean Curd And Seasonal Greens (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person)

Steamed Marble Goby Soon Hock Fish Served With Bean Curd And Seasonal Greens

The Pan-Seared A9 Wagyu Beef Fillet With Red Wine Sauce (Ala-Carte @ SGD $103 per person) was alright, but I did feel like I've had better beef elsewhere. Served with fresh vegetables (snow peas, red bell peppers / capsicum, straw mushrooms, zucchini, celery), the fillet of grade 9 wagyu beef has a slight crisp touch to the exterior, with a tender, meaty interior. Done to a perfect medium rare, it has a delicate savoury salty fatty succulent flavour. I recognise that this is an expensive, luxurious cut of beef, with beautiful marbling, but the price point doesn't feel justified when a grade 4 or 5 wagyu beef cut could be just as tasty.

Pan-Seared A9 Wagyu Beef Fillet With Red Wine Sauce (Ala-Carte @ SGD $103 per person)

Pan-Seared A9 Wagyu Beef Fillet With Red Wine Sauce

Felt the Pik Fong Tong Chicken Chop Served With Fresh Fruits (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person) was alright. The juicy, tender piece of chicken steak / chicken chop is done in pik fong tong style; deep-frying the chicken quickly till the skin turns crisp, then stir-frying it with fermented black beans, garlic, and chili. This gives it a bold, robust savoury salty earthy spicy flavour. Served with a medley of fresh, juicy fruit cubes (green apple, watermelon, honeydew melon) coated in mayonnaise. The combination of flavours is unique, and takes some time to be accustomed to it.

Pik Fong Tong Chicken Chop Served With Fresh Fruits (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person)

Pik Fong Tong Chicken Chop Served With Fresh Fruits

The Fried Rice With Wild Mushrooms And Black Truffle (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person) has a lovely earthy fragrance from the garnish of luxurious black truffles. The fried rice is well executed, the grains separate easily and hold a smoky savoury sweet flavour, complemented by the earthy notes of the tender shiitake mushrooms and fresh crunchy spring onions. Rather addictive. Good!

Fried Rice With Wild Mushrooms And Black Truffle (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person)

Fried Rice With Wild Mushrooms And Black Truffle

Fried Rice With Wild Mushrooms And Black Truffle

Enjoyed the Sweetened Orange And Pumpkin Cream With Coconut Ice Cream, Steamed Sponge Cake With Custard (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person). This dessert features a side of Steamed Sponge Cake With Custard, which is moist and soft, with a light sticky chew, and a delicate floral sweet flavour. It's set on a thin egg crepe. The main is the Sweetened Orange And Pumpkin Cream With Coconut Ice Cream, a rich and creamy thick puree of orange and pumpkin, with bright floral zesty earthy sweet flavour that is well balanced. Completed with a scoop of creamy coconut ice cream, which holds up well. Best shared, as the portion is generous. Highly recommended!

Sweetened Orange And Pumpkin Cream With Coconut Ice Cream, Steamed Sponge Cake With Custard (Signature Set Menu @ SGD $115 per person)

Steamed Sponge Cake With Custard

Sweetened Orange And Pumpkin Cream With Coconut Ice Cream

Sweetened Orange And Pumpkin Cream With Coconut Ice Cream, Steamed Sponge Cake With Custard

The decadent St. Regis Chocolate Cake (SGD $Complimentary) is rich and luxurious. Layers of thick chocolate fudge, over moist and soft chocolate cake, make this sweet treat a blast to eat. I could only manage a small slice though, as it's so decadent. Being heavy on the palate, a small size cake like this can be shared by up to 8 people.

St. Regis Chocolate Cake (SGD $Complimentary)

St. Regis Chocolate Cake

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