Elevating the Cantonese table

Cantonese fine dining stalwart, Shang Palace, has recently launched The Chef's Table, a monthly dinner event featuring well executed dishes based on seasonal produce.

Held in the restaurant's luxurious private dining room, The Chef's Table lets guests embark on a six-course epicurean journey with Executive Chinese Chef Mok Kit Keung. During the evening session, he will share personal stories and inspirations behind his cooking. "I have traditional Cantonese cuisine flavours in mind when I craft my dishes. And I enhance the creations with premium ingredients, while keeping the original taste." he says. Chef Mok, who has over 40 years of culinary experience, is in charge of Shang Palace's menu offerings and culinary operations. Prior to this, he was the Executive Chinese Chef of Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong, and was responsible for earning two Michelin stars for Kowloon's Shang Palace.

For this special dinner, you will get to feast on a range of signatures and new dishes not available in the a la carte menu. But essentially, what you will really get to enjoy are inspired dishes that bring out the best of seasonal produce. The meal starts with barbecued pork belly glazed with organic maple syrup. Instead of using pork loin or shoulder, which most char siew is made from, Chef Mok specially chose the cut between the shoulder and belly of the pig, also known as bu jian tian in Chinese. This part of the meat is flavourful, tender and well-marbled, with just a thin layer of fat. Instead of coating the barbecued meat with the standard honey, aromatic organic maple syrup is used. Another unique creation to look forward to is the Teochew marinated foie gras with crispy spring onion pancake. This is Chef Mok's classic Teochew dish with a twist. Foie gras is gently simmered in a concoction of cinnamon sticks, cloves, anise pods, ginger, peppercorns, soy sauce and other spices for hours. And the braised liver is sliced and served with golden pan-fried homemade spring onion pancake. Next up is something to warm the belly. The "lion's head" meatball comprises minced pork ball with hairy crab roe that's double boiled in a fortifying pork and chicken broth. This classic Shanghainese dish is given a touch of luxe with naturally sweet hairy crab from Taihu Lake in China. This prized crustacean is only available for a few months every year and the premium catch is at its peak in October and November. A fine Cantonese meal usually showcases the freshest premium seafood. In this menu, enjoy a sauteed Boston lobster served with two kinds of rice vermicelli - deep-fried and braised with a richly flavoured lobster gravy. You will also savour succulent deep-fried Soon Hock fillet, accompanied with deep-fried olive pickles and served with rice crackers for textural contrast. Expect to dine on other dishes that shine with finesse, such as braised luffa with hairy crab and hairy crab roe, topped with scallop from Australia, and further crowned with sakura ebi. The meal ends with crispy-fried purple potato pastry filled with milk custard. The Chef steams and blends the purple potatoes, then wraps the milk custard filling within, and deep-fries the sweet treat. "The filling is smooth and creamy while the skin is crispy," says the Chef. This is served with a soothing double-boiled honey locust fruit soup with white fungus and black wolfberry. The nutritious black wolfberry has antioxidants, and also contains higher levels of protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The next Chef's Table is on 15 October 2018 at S$150++ per person, limited seats available. For more information, call 6213 4473 or 6213 4398. http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/shang-palace/