*****
Tao Seafood Asia

Curated by the restaurant’s head chef specially for this coming Mother’s Day, this is a snapshot of what he has been preparing for his dearest wife (mother of the restaurant manager) since. You get a sense of the homecooked-style food here, but of course, as with every Tao Seafood visit, we went home feeling absolutely satisfied!

This Steamed Egg with Coconut juice topped with Crab Meat and Salmon Roe ($9.80 each) feels like a Japanese chawamushi we are used to having, but simply better! Our only rant, the serving is too small!

Chef Lee’s Homestyle Wok Fried Prawns ($30) got the table craving and snatching the spare fews. Done simply with marination options you can easily find in any Singaporean household, these Prawns are delish.

Another traditional local fare, Tao Pig Trotters with Sea Cucumber ($48) is easily every pioneer generation’s favourite.

Rice Wine Chicken is a common fare at most homes, but at Tao Seafood, Chef Lee have decided your mum deserves so much more. The Claypot Braised Chicken and Abalone with Rice Wine ($48) is my favourite lot of all the dishes for this seating. Have the dishes together with a bowl of rice, and you may just have the most heartwarming Mother’s Day meal in a long time.

Available in the month of May 2015, the “Mrs Lee’s Favourites” special menu will definitely be worth the travel back to CBD anytime.

12 Marina View
Asia Square Tower 2 #02-10
Singapore 018961
Tel: +65 6844 9969

*****
Royal Pavilion

The thing about Chinese food that I truly love is how we always share. Taking from a communal plate of well-prepared ingredients just makes the meal so much more satisfying somehow. At Royal Pavilion, you already know they have quality hairy crabs and an enjoyable Chinese New Year menu earlier this year. Well, with Mothers’ Day coming up, the new dim sum items simply called for us to head back again.

Baked Chicken Pies in Black Truffle Oil is perhaps the most surprising find of the lot; I usually order pork when choosing dumplings, or shrimps, because chicken somehow seems more like everyday hawker fare, not so much a meat chosen in restaurants. Well, I was happy to be wrong. The tender chicken actually fits really well with the gentle flavour of truffle, and the entire dumpling magically disappeared when I remembered just putting it into my mouth a split second back! So obviously I had to take another one.Baked Swiss BBQ Snow Bun is another hot item on the menu; having recently returned from Hong Kong and visited various cha chan teng, including Tim Ho Wan, I can vouch for this truly tasty bun. I am salivating as I write this already. The crust on top of the bun is light yet firm, and has just enough crumbly crunch to balance the fragrant, rich and flavourful meat inside the bun. The rest of the bun is soft and chewy, making a perfect trio of delightful.

Royal Smoked Duck is an absolute favourite. We wondered if the quality would be the same (especially since we recently had some truly deplorable duck), and we were so happy to bite into the succulent flesh and crispy skin of this staple item at Royal Pavilion. Also, it is perfect for sharing. Have you ever noticed how good food tastes even better when there are people to snatch them from?

Foie gras continues to be an item of keen interest for many local foodies, and Royal Pavilion’s Foie Gras Xiao Long Bao is supersized and served individually perhaps for this reason. Be dainty in your handling of the dumpling, though – there were some cries of dismay when our friends, and us, broke the skin and the soup flowed out. This item is also significant in size, and makes for a very gratifying oomph for that foie gras and dumpling craving. Two birds, one stone. Another new items on the menu includes Steamed Spicy Dried Shrimps, Minced Pork and Eggplant Dumpling, Steamed Fresh Scallops, Asparagus and Egg White Dumpling and the instagram-worthy Fish-shaped Panna Cotta in Mango Sago.

Quality Chinese food is worth making a trip for, and we are really happy to have had an enjoyable time with delectable dishes here again. Truly a thumbs up!

Couple of the items are only available till next Sunday (10th May 2015), so make sure you head down soon!

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