The Place After trying the hairy crab menu at Royal Pavilion, I must admit that I have high expectations this time round for the group’s inaugural Chinese New Year dishes. It is easy to miss out on Park Regis Hotel if you are in Chinatown as it is not along the main road, which I find a shame as there is such a fine Chinese restaurant within this understated hotel called Royal Pavilion.  

The Food Available from 9 February to 5 March 2015, I had the chance to try some of the new creations by the chef some time back, which I must warn is really good.

Royal Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng

As compared to some restaurants this year, the Yu Sheng at Royal Pavilion was much simpler in its design and ingredients, with the highlights on the Canadian salmon slices. The overall taste of the Yu Sheng after tossing the myriad of condiments such as sesame seeds, cinnamon powder and olive oil was really comforting. It was simple yet so good, which I attribute to the mix of condiments and fresh ingredients, one of the best I had this year.
Priced at $68++ for a small serving (4 to 6 guests) and $88++ for large serving (6 to 8 guests). Available for dine-in & takeaway (1-day advance order required).

Braised 4-Head South African Abalone in Superior Pumpkin Broth

The next dish which arrested my attention was the abalone. Unlike the usual way of serving abalone in a soup, this rendition had it perched on their homemade bean curd (tofu), which was laid beautifully on collagen-rich pumpkin broth. The pumpkin broth managed to steal the thunder from the abalone I would say, which was so savoury and delicious to have with the flavourful abalone.
Priced at $68++ per serving. Available for dine-in & takeaway (1 day advance order required).

Royal Fried Lamb Shank

I was surprised by the modern take in this dish, from the way it was plated and served. The lamb shank was served alongside wraps, which reminded me of having Peking Duck. It was refreshing to have the lamb in this wrapped fashion, with other ingredients such as cucumber, hoisin sauce and coriander in the wrap. Afterall, this is the year of the Goat and having a lamb dish this year seems more apt than ever.
Priced at S$48++ per serving (for up to 4 guests). Available for dine-in only.  (1-day advance order required).

Golden Sweet Potato New Year Rice Cake

For desserts, the chef prepared the prosperous Nian Gao (Chinese glutinous rice cake), uniquely covered with Japanese sweet potato. I could only marvel at the creativity genes of the culinary team here, with such a nice twist to a traditional dessert.
Priced at S$18++ per serving (for 10 to 12 guests). Available for dine-in & takeaway (1-day advance order required).

Other than the Chinese New Year creations, one other dish I would highly recommend is the Royal Smoked Duck. I am usually a bigger fan of braised duck as the sauce usually makes the duck meat more succulent and tasty, but this version surprised me by the strong flavor of the meat as well as the juicy texture, not forgetting the crispy duck skin which left me yearning for another piece of it.
Priced at $35++ for half portion & $68++ for a whole duck.  

Will I return again? Coming to Royal Pavilion each time always ends up as a satisfying dining experience, somehow. This is one Cantonese restaurant which I would highly recommend to return for its quality food.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Royal Pavilion
Level 1, Park Regis Singapore
23 Merchant Road
Singapore 058268
Tel: +65 6818 8888

Opening hours:
Daily: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm (Lunch), 6.30pm to 10.30pm (Dinner)