Wah Lok

Authentic cantonese cuisine in a comfortable setting. Wah lok has been in the business of serving good Cantonese food to the masses for a long time. In fact, the restaurant has been a winner of the Singapore Tatler for best restaurant for 10 consecutive years. There's a lot to live up to and thats something me, my gf and my good friend was there to ascertain.

Location: Carlton Hotel 76 Bras Basah Road Singapore 189550

Contact: 63118188

Price Range: $25-40 per head

Wah Lok

Interior

As far as interior goes, i do like the open spaces and the slick wood finish that seems to be teak or redwood. This design choice permeates the entire restaurant for a classy finish reminiscent of the restaurants i've been to in Hong Kong. In fact, it even goes so far as to have authentic cantonese speaking staff which is either a boon or bane depending on your preferences and language proficiency. Either way, the interior is abuzz with activity and rather full on the Saturday i visited.

Deep fried Squid ($6)

Carrot Cake ($4)

These 2 items arrived on a push cart and was peddled by a nice old lady. By her recommendation, these were fresh and supposedly good. Somehow, i didn't think the squid was very tasty since it tasted dry and overfried. The carrot cake was quivery and firm without being too oily but lacked much taste. This was promptly rectified with their delectable chili sauce however.

Custard Pastry ($3.20)

Walnut custard pastry i should say. Its rather interesting. The walnut gives it a very distinct flavor while the pastry itself was crispy and flaky. The custard was rather minimal which rather contradicted with what i really liked in custard pastry....namely, the custard.

Har Gao AKA Shrimp Dumplings ($5.40)

A must have item in any dim sum session. This rendition however, doesn't quite measure up. No doubt the shrimp/prawn filling is adequately sweet and tasty but the skin turned out to be too thick for my liking. In fact, it sticks to your teeth and simply isn't as good as it should be. Change the skin and they might fare much better.

Deep Fried Beancurd aka Fu Pi Juan ($5.60)

Another item i wouldn't miss whenever i have dim sum, this turned out too oily however. The fillings were also rather inadequate and thus making it feel overpriced.

Siew Mai ($4.60)

Also known as pork dumplings, this came in a decent size and had a strong meaty taste some will love and others will love to hate. A surprising amount of mushroom were used on this rendition as well, so be prepared for a fungi explosion of taste.

Steamed Chive Dumplings ($4)

The first problem here is that the skin was the exact same one used for the prawn dumplings earlier, thats a major minus point in my book. The second problem is that the chive and pork mixture actually neutralizes the strong taste of chives which i like. Thus rendering the dish obsolete.

Char Siew Pastry ($3.80)

I like the sweet pork meat inside which was equally tender and tasty. The let down here was the pastry which lacked a stronger taste of butter and that crispy flakiness of the version in Yan Ting which still stands as the best out there for me.

Chicken and Century Egg Congee ($3)

Well, this congee certainly didn't astound me in any way.... Century eggs, chicken and some bacon thrown in. A nice aroma to the stock and the congee was suitably soft. Thats about it really.

Egg Tart ($3.20)

The pastry is a let down while the egg tart itself was definitely too eggy such that the proportion does not justify nor bring out the taste of the other. Major improvements needed here.

Prawns and Scallop Cheong Fan ($5.40 each)

We ordered 2 versions of this cheong fan and in all honesty, the regular one is still the better of the 2. Regular being the prawn cheong fan. The soy sauce is just right in terms of saltiness but the use of ingredients for both versions were skimped on such that there was very minimal prawn or scallop taste in either.

Pork Buns aka Char Siew Bao ($3.60)

Fluffy but sticky buns with the aforementioned sweet bbq pork. As usual, the proportion of meat to bun is rather disproportioned in the wrong way. Too much bun, too little pork.

Bill

Total bill for this rather lackluster dim sum session came up to $77.90.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

Last Word:

Maybe there's just too much to live up to or i've got my hopes up too high for this place. I can't help but feel disappointed at what i've been served this day. The dim sum offering actually doesn't quite stand in the league of Peach Garden, Royal China, Yan Ting or even Hua Ting. If this is any indication, than i'd probably recommend to try those other restaurants i've mentioned above for a better dim sum experience.

Seafood Paradise (Singapore Flyer)

Had the extreme good fortune to partake in a food tasting session at Seafood Paradise one day with couple of like minded bloggers. Part of the paradise group which also operates Taste Paradise, this is a well received and critically acclaimed restaurant that has garnered more supporters, business and foodies alike with each passing day. The kind owner and our host also kindly positioned the restaurant as a mid range restaurant that will appeal to a greater clientèle as opposed to being a totally high end eating place.

Location: 30 Raffles Avenue Singapore Flyer #01-01

Contact: 6336-5101

Website: http://www.seafoodparadise.com.sg/

Price Range: $60-90 per head

Entrance

Interior

Private room table

Hanging Light

View

Located at the swanky new premises right below the Singapore Flyer, Seafood paradise here ushers in a new era of style and taste with a noted increase in clientèle which includes but notwithstanding the rich and the famous. The restaurant itself is ambient, carpeted and boasts a huge wine cellar next to the door. Lighting is bright to mid in the early hours and ambient and dim at night. The private room is open to spenders and groups in access of 10 to 15 people and comes with a floor manager and personalized waiter for on the spot service.

Roasted Peanuts

The day kicked off with the usual roasted peanuts which set the mood well. Regardless of the exterior, this place is at its heart, still a chinese restaurant with a twist.

Menu

Combination Trio Consisting of Tea-Smoked Sliced Duck ($10) Chilled Jellyfish With Chef's Special sauce ($12) and Yammy Scallop Pie ($14)

Our host has already prepared a nice menu for our sampling pleasure and the first to come is a trio platter that is available separately on the menu. The tea smoked duck was tender with a smokey taste which didn't appeal too much to me while i found the chilled jellyfish to embody just the right springiness and sweetness that is pleasing. The yammy scallop pie tastes just like it would it you wrapped a small layer of yam around scallop and deep fried it. The scallop was fresh and the yam, light.

Australian Lobster Baked In Salted Egg Yolk (Seasonal Price)

Another Look

Our visit of luxury then led to our next dish, salted egg lobster. Now, this is described as having a silky and velvety taste and true enough, thats exactly how it tasted like. In fact, its difficult to explain what velvety means so i recommend trying it to find out. The salted yoke has a light powdery texture that extends and enhances the natural sweetness of a fresh lobster. An excellent dish for any occasion.

Crispy Chicken With Special Szechuan Sauce ($26)

The special Szechuan sauce in question tastes strongely of vinegar and is only a little bit spicy so its perfect for kids. The deep fried stuff above tastes like kellogs crispy puffs and goes along surprisingly well with the sauce. The chicken is also worth mentioning for being well marinated and roasted. Thus it means that the juices are intact while the skin is as crispy as it should be. The meat is tender and moist and you'll be lapping up its juices with ease.

Homemade Beancurd with Seafood in Claypot ($12 per portion)

Silky smooth and soft tofu that literally melts in your mouth. Add in an equally tempting and ingredient filled seafood claypot and its easy to see why customers order so much of this item.

Sea Bass with Salted Raddish ($4 per 100 gram)

The sea bass is fresh, sweet and simply delectable however i must say that the salted raddish concoction doesn't quite appeal to me. I'm not sure if lard is used but sprinkled amongst the raddish are little chewy bits that got in the way of enjoyment of the sweet meat of the fish.

Honshimeiji Mushrooms with Broccoli ($14)

Fresh Hoshimeiji mushrooms are a delight to eat. Springy and chewy, it's reminiscent of abalone in some ways and this rendition is pretty good. Doing it much justice.

Seafood Supreme Fried Rice ($24)

Their rendition of this done to death fried rice is of the dry variety. This means that the rice are not moist and have a decidedly wok hei like taste to it. Seafood like shrimp, squid and crab meat are plentiful and deliberately placed in the rice to good effect. I loved this with the sauce from their creamy butter crab.

Man Tou Bun ($0.60 each)

The man tou is simply excellent. No 2 ways around it. The pan fried base is hard and contrasts with the rest of the bun which feels as though its deep fried in oil but was not oily. I was pretty amazed. It also emits an excellent aroma that makes the chili and creamy butter sauce alot better then it should be.

Signature Creamy Butter Crab ($3.80 per 100 gram)

Their signature creamy butter immediately reminded me of Mellben's version which is the golden sand crab. This version is more milky, contains less cheese and egg and has a more peppery taste to it then the other rendition. Definitely still a winner since their crab is sizable, fresh and has all the goodness of a good crab.

Popular Chili Crab ($3.80 per 100 gram)

The chili crab is starchy, mildly spicy and has a stronger tangy tomato taste then most outside. As the host also kindly points out, the sauce gets better with each bite. And i can attest that its addictive, perhaps more so than the creamy butter above. No faulting their crab on this though, its still fresh and sweet and still lovable.

For the crabs, if you do get a private room, the host will gladly deshell it for you. Although the scene reminds me of gangster flicks in which the bosses have such service, i'd say its a step in the right direction in terms of service.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Last Word:
Finally, after the stomach expanding meal above, i'm glad to say. Seafood paradise is a great place for a meal. In fact, all lovers of Zhi Ca can gather to try their food. Its pretty darn good. Do watch the price though, even though its a mid range offering, over ordering does cause quite a burn on the pocket. If you have a deep pocket, no worries then. Come along and enjoy the food.