Exquisite handcrafted Cantonese creations at Hai Tien Lo

SINGAPORE - Celebrate a glorious decade with Master Chef Lai Tong Ping as he commemorates 10 years at award-winning Cantonese restaurant Hai Tien Lo at Pan Pacific Singapore.

A six-course gastronomical journey which was specially created for this occasion, features 10 handcrafted items that showcase Chef Lai's culinary finesse and inspiration.

One is able to savour the prudence taken in the preparation of each dish, as well as the natural flavours and quality of the ingredients used.

The first course is a combination of three crowd favourites - Homemade Beancurd with Minced Pork and Pine Mushrooms in Chef's Signature Homemade XO Chilli Sauce, Sliced Barbecued Duck and Crispy Prawn tossed in Sesame Sauce. The natural flavours of each item are retained in this troika of appetisers that showcase classic Cantonese cooking methods.

The delicate homemade beancurd, made entirely from soya beans and free of preservatives, is silky and smooth, complemented with a broth that has been simmered for eight hours. The golden brown crispy skin of the Barbecued Duck was air dried and coated with malt sugar for six hours, giving the succulent duck meat a deep rich and sweet flavour.

Cantonese cuisine is incomplete without a soup and in this menu, Chef Lai has created his rendition of a soup that was inspired by memories of his childhood. Taking two days to prepare, the Braised Fish Maw with Dried Scallop in Supreme Stock is a golden vision of sweet, robust flavours, enhanced with carrots that have been simmered for eight hours. This rich and wholesome soup brings to mind the nostalgic goodness of home cooking.

Traditional steamed fish, another highlight in Cantonese cuisine, is given a new twist in this celebratory menu. The Sea Perch Fillet Two Ways is served two ways - steamed with a green minced onion sauce that takes up to six hours to prepare, and deep-fried with homemade champagne sauce that is created by mixing champagne, butter and sugar, and steeped for two hours.

Chef Lai also demonstrates his culinary artistry with another classic that demands a slow cooking process, the Braised Pork Ribs with Preserved Vegetables and Deep-Fried Buns. To achieve a melting consistency in the mouth, the pork ribs were marinated in Chef Lai's own mix of Chinese herbs for two hours, before braising for another four hours in a deliciously sticky sauce.

The last course - Wok-fried Fish Noodles with Sea Cucumber and Scallop is carefully prepared and presented in a paper parcel. The unique creation of fish noodles is simmered in rich broth for up to two hours before it is wok-fried to add a delicious charred accent. More than 24 hours is spent to prepare and simmer the sea cucumber before it is cooked together with the noodles.

To conclude the meal, Chef Lai presents three handcrafted desserts - a refreshing and delightful Avocado Cream, a fragrant concoction of Mango Sago, and a light ambrosial flavoured Osmanthus Jelly to refresh the palate for a sweet finish.

The Glorious Decade set menu is the epitome of Chef Lai's invaluable experience gained from his ten years at Hai Tien Lo.

Chef Lai said: "Most of the inspiration for these dishes stems from my past experiences and dishes that I have tried and particularly like. I have also adopted a different presentation style from traditional Chinese cuisine to represent the enduring timelessness of this 27 year-old restaurant that is both elegant and sophisticated."

This celebratory six-course menu is available until December 31, 2014 at $108++ per person for lunch or dinner.

For dining reservations and enquiries, call +65 6826 8240, or email celebrate.sin@panpacific.com

klim@sph.com.sg