March 15, 2007
My Singapore Food Cravings (3): Hai Tien Lo Extravaganza
Hai Tien Lo is a fancy schmancy Cantonese restaurant located at the top of Singapore’s Pan Pacific Hotel. There is an ala-carte lunch buffet on Saturday and Sundays only.
For this ala-carte buffet, you have the choice of ordering either one bowl of Sharks’ Fin Soup or one bowl of Buddha Jump Over The Wall for each person.
My, my! Look at the numerous pieces of sharks’ fin in the bowl. This alone was definitely worth the price we paid for the buffet.
Roast Duck was moist and tender and not too fatty.
A house speciality, Sauteed Tenderloin Beef, the beef was cooked to tender perfection and literally melts in your mouth. Why did they serve so little? We had to order a second serving!
A limited selection of dim sum was available in this ala-carte buffet. We ordered Scallop Dumpling (picture below, front) and my favorite Phoenix Claw (no picture, I dived into it without any hesitation).
The Sea Cucumber (picture behind the scallop dumplings) was very tender. I, for one, don’t know how to prepare and cook sea cucumber, so this was a treat for me.
Oh. The other dim sum we ordered was Bean Curd Skin. There were five of us at the table, so they only served five pieces, which was a good idea, since each of us can have our own share, without the need to “give way” and act polite. :)
The dish behind was Sweet And Sour Pork. That’s the perfect kind of sweet and sour pork that I cannot find in the Bay Area. The sauce is orangey red in color, without being too overwhelmingly red and gory. The deep fried batter was just a thin layer, without the feeling that you are eating a layer of flour. And best of all, there was very little fats, yet it’s so tasty.
Of course my family did not just order the above. We were there for lunch, but ate for lunch and dinner. :D
Other delectable delights not to be missed are:
Bursting with flavor: Deep-fried Prawn With Wasabi Salad Dressing.
Light and smooth: Stir Fried Fish Slices With Ginger And Spring Onions.
Moist and tender: Barbecue Pork, roasted to perfection.
Light and fluffy: Seafood Fried Rice.
I was there with my family before and after Chinese New Year. Yes, we went there twice, despite the cost (but when I converted SGD 1.5 to USD 1, it really didn’t seem that bad).
On regular Saturdays and Sundays, the ala-carte lunch buffet is S$52+++ per person. During the Chinese New Year period, the price increased to S$58+++ (”+++” means plus 10% service charge, plus 5% GST and plus 1% government tax). Other plus plus pluses charged are: tea, towels and a plate of appetizers.
This restaurant is highly recommended. Remember to make reservations because this weekend buffet is very popular.
Go to Hai Tien Lo, because you are worth it!
Bite This!
More recipes:
My Singapore Food Cravings (6): Blanco Court Fried Fish Soup
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March 15th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
You’re making me hungry and I can’t eat right now because I’m taking antibotics for an infection.
March 16th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Gorgeous! Wah bei jia!
March 16th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Ooh DF, Hope you get better soon.
Hi ChubbyPanda, I would have taken more pictures had I not been so hungry.
March 16th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
I like this kind of ala-carte buffet too! Hai Tien Lo is quite famous(though I hv not tried)-a popular wedding venue…kekekke
I think I could eat lotsa sea cucumber (those which are oh-so-soft-melt-in-the mouth!).
Will try the next time I’m in S’pore :D
March 16th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Tiga! It was a real pig out!!!
March 17th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
I arranged dinner for 50 pax there costing close to 1K per table when I was working for a Jap Coy. But me and colleagues didnt eat with the bosses lah. We had cheaper food. Still it was really very good!
My kids wont know how to eat these otherwise I’ll ask my hubby to bring us there. Yummy!
March 17th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Wah, I want I want the sharksfin’s soup…from the picture, can tell those are real stuff leh…lau nua already. ;)
March 18th, 2007 at 2:19 am
ooo. must make a trip to hai tien lo….
i am hungry now. *sob sob*
March 18th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Hey Yich,
I know how sad you were about your favorite restaurant closing so figured this was right up your alley.
Tag, you’re it! Go here to read all about it. Heheh. :P
http://wanderingchopsticks.blogspot.com/2007/03/luscious-dumplings-inc-san-gabriel.html
March 20th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Wokkingmom - Dunno got half price or free for kids or not? I know some restaurants have such a policy.
RM - You sure have a keen eye for the best!
KM - Ya..ya! Then snap pics of those dishes that I missed and let me drool! The wasabi prawns is really shiok!
Chopsticks - I’ll check out that link :)
March 25th, 2007 at 9:17 am
ARGHHH!! I haven’t had shark fin soup in 20 years.
You are KILLING me!!
January 24th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Also recommended is the fragrant fried rice served in a young coconut - the fruit imparted a delicious, exotic note and a tender texture to the dish: delicious. Definitely one of the best restaurants in Singapore, ever.