Cantonese generosity at its best

There’s always something special about Chinese New Year which I enjoy, however most of all I appreciate the traditions passed down from our forefathers. From placing ang baos under our pillows the night before New Year’s or the yelling of blessings when we toss yusheng, I have come to understand why these are so important.

Perhaps this idea of tradition is something more than just repeating certain actions every year – maybe it’s a sign that you don’t change what isn’t broken.

Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant at the Carlton Hotel sets out to establish its foothold in Chinese heritage, with its timeless menu encompassing the very culture we live and breathe. We were invited down for a sneak peek  of their 10 Person Set Reunion Dinner Set Menu ($3,388). Here’s what we thought.

Abundance Hamachi Yu Sheng “Soon Tak” Style

With the recent NEA ban to freshwater fish, most restaurants had to make changes to how they prepared their yu sheng. Wah Lok is no exception, replacing the traditional thinly sliced salmon with thick cuts of Japanese yellowtail/hamachi.

Instead of just changing the fish in the Yu Sheng, Chef Ng Wai Tong has completely reinvented the dish, preparing it in a different style. While you might be used to the varying textures of vegetables and sweet plum sauce of the original Yu Sheng, this new take on a classic dish might have you hooked.

The sauce is simple, made from a base of light soy sauce and heightened with sesame oil and other secret ingredients. It coats a small number of ingredients like cucumber, shredded red chilli, sesame seeds and the fish.

The dish is wonderfully light and is a welcome change from the usual Yu Sheng which might be too cloying for some. It cleanses your palate with its lovely crisp vegetables and tangy hits from the ginger and lime. A remarkable dish to start off a meal.

Braised Shark’s Fin w/ Shredded Dried Scallops & Golden Mushrooms in Red Carrot Soup

When we talk about Shark’s Fin, we’re really talking about the broth. The fin itself has little to no flavor and could easily be replaced with something else like fish maw. The broth at Wah Lok is impressive and packs tons of flavor. Shredded red carrot is double boiled with a base of chicken stock for five hours, creating an exceptional broth with a delicate balance of sweetness and savoriness.

The soup was thick, rich and warmed my body as I sipped it. Golden mushrooms added a slight crunch which was much needed in a sea of melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The only thing the soup needed was a tinge of acidity which was easily solved by adding a tiny splash of vinegar. As much as I would like to fault the Shark’s Fin Soup at Wah Lok, it encompassed everything I loved about Chinese food – It was familiar and it reminded me of home.

Sauteed Prawns with Mango Salad Cream

I’ve dined at Wah Lok just once before this tasting, and I’ve was particularly impressed with how fresh their prawns are. This dish was no exception, the prawns were extremely large and plump, the meat had a nice bite to it which you only find in the freshest seafood.

The mango salad cream on the other hand was too sweet and the batter coating the prawns was soggy and dull. This dish lacked balance and didn’t showcase the most important ingredient on the plate – the prawns. Despite the freshness of the prawns, the sauce ruined the dish,  I recommend asking your waitress if this dish can be replaced.

Longevity Poon Choy

Fortunately, the Longevity Poon Choy definitely made up for the quality that the prawns lacked. Many people assume that Poon Choy is just a bunch of expensive ingredients thrown together and cooked for a long time, however, it’s far more complicated than that. Each ingredient has to be prepared individually before being added to the pot, because all the ingredients have varied cooking times.

Wah Lok’s Poon Choy was served in three layers: seafood, meats, and vegetables, with each having a specific theme. Each layer was delightful although it tended to get a little gelak as time went by. The seafood layer in particular was stellar, cooked to absolute perfection and bathed in rich gravy. The only thing missing was a bowl of white rice for me to pour all that gravy over.

Fried Glutinous Rice with Diced Meat & Chinese Sausages

A Chinese New Year staple at any fancy restaurant, fried glutinous rice is no stranger to the  reunion dinner scene. The version at Wah Lok doesn’t deviate too much from the norm, it packs a nice amount of wok hei and doesn’t feel too starchy like most glutinous rice dishes. The grains of rice feel separate yet have enough stickiness to cling to your spoon or chopsticks.

Paired with generous amounts of lup cheong, mushrooms and other meats, the rice is packed with different textures and flavors. The spring onions give the dish a much needed lightness and break the monotony of the constant richness. It was a well executed dish which reminded me of my own grandmother’s cooking. It was comforting and gave me a sense of warmth.

Pan Fried Nian Gao

This dessert brings back fond memories of my late grandmother feeding me sweet pan-fried slices of glutinous rice cake straight from the pan. I would burn the roof of my mouth willingly just to stuff more of the Nian Gao into my mouth.

The Pan Fried Nian Gao at Wah Lok was slightly different from the normal one I was used to. Adopting a yuan yang approach to it, half the Nian Gao is almond flavored while the other half is the original brown nian gao that I was used to. I enjoyed the texture of the Nian Gao, it had the right amount of chewiness and bite to it.

However the almond half of the Nian Gao had such a strong flavor that it overpowered the other when eaten together, which is a shame since I really enjoyed both flavors individually. I would have liked it better if both flavors melded together seamlessly, like a yuan yang drink.

BONUS: Baked Barbeque Pork Buns

This dish was not part of the menu which we sampled but the staff at Wah Lok insisted that we try it. Apparently, this unassuming pork bun sells out so quickly during the dim sum rush that late diners might not even get to taste it.

When it arrived at the table, all I thought was “that looks like the Pineapple Bo Lo bao I had in Hong Kong”. I was unimpressed and I just wanted the next dish to come out instead of it. However, after taking just one bite, I could see what the fuss was about. The bun was soft and  coupled with the sweet and buttery crust on top, it was bliss in one bite.

The Verdict

The food at Wah Lok was outstanding. Despite the fact that they haven’t tried to reinvent their menu much at all, the quality of the food speaks leaps and bounds of the heritage they’ve managed to preserve. Sometimes you don’t have to make drastic changes to old favourites to draw in the crowd, because tradition will always last the test of time. I can foresee myself eating the same menu thirty years from now during Chinese New Year, having zero complaints.

Score: 8/10 (Avoid the prawns)

Set menu prices range from $398 for 4 persons to $3,388 for 10 persons.

For reservations, please contact Wah Lok at 63118188/63118189 or email them at wah.lok@carltonhotel.sg

This post was brought to you by Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant.