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Din Tai Fung is probably one of our favourite Chinese casual dining restaurants in Singapore because of its consistency in food and attentive customer service at almost every outlet. We visit them whenever we want some comforting xiao long bao where it never fails to satisfy our cravings. In this New Year of the Goat, Din Tai Fung has introduced an array of offerings to usher in gold and treasures.

Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng 发财鱼生 | S$32.80 - Standard (serves 2 to 3) | S$48.80 - Deluxe (serves 4 to 6)

Fragrant Peanut Dumplings 雪圓

A creation inspired by the classic Kouign Aman, a Breton cake, it was originally a round cake that was made with bread dough containing layers of butter and sugar folded in. Similar to puff pastry, it looked like a variation from croissant and I really loved its distinct folded layers of puff pastry where it was still crispy despite exposing to air for long. I would suggest this rendition of pastry being categorised as Valentine's Day sweet treat too due to its rich chocolate and heart-like shape, it's something that I would want to hand it to my boyfriend!


Orange and Chocolate Marble Cake | S$18 for whole cake | S$4.50 per slice
*All CNY creations are available from February 2 to March 3,2015, at all TBB outlets.


All these localised delicious festive delicacies are perfect for welcoming guests with or can even be served as gifts while visiting family and friends!

Exotic was the word that came to my mind when I saw this dish. Pork belly pairing with hoi sin sauce, complemented by a refreshing clementine sorbet, it was a very bold move by the chef to marry a main and a dessert. I liked the crackling texture obtained from the skin of the pork belly, the pork rind sat atop the sorbet, as well as dried clementine chip. However, I felt that the flesh of the pork belly was slightly stiff which make it hard to cut across and chew.

Each diner chooses one between the three starters.

Starters | Seasonal Oysters
Starters | Grilled Hokkaido Scallop & Foie Gras

The pan-fried scallop was cooked to perfection as it still retained moist on the inside, and the outer layer was caramelised until crisp. The sweetness of mango and grape chutney was thoughtfully paired to smoke away the gamey and oily foie gras. A dish that was well executed and carried good combinations.
Starters | Sweet Corn Soup
Mains | Pira Grilled Canadian Tenderloin

This mud cake portion was surprisingly huge for just one pax, sat on top of a bed of chocolate soil and some candies together with a scoop vanilla ice cream. It might come a bit 'jelat' after a few more bites as the chocolate base was flour-rich. The attentive chef mentioned that they thoughtfully created the two desserts into a hard and soft kind of texture, as each couple would order two, and usually a relationship can only go right when two are different.
Sharing is loving, couple can each order a different dish so that you can share among yourself, or even you feeding each other, ahh! Love is in the air! ;) If you're looking for some activities after dinner, do check out 50RP's other establishments. For an intimate ambience, adjourn to Angie's Oyster Bar, which will offer 1-for-1 aperitifs all night long. Couples looking to party the night away will enjoy special complimentary entry into Empire's Valentine's Day Traffic Light Party (usual cover charge is S$25) with every Valentine's Day Chef's Menu ordered.

• Complimentary Wok-fried Kurobuta Pork Cube in Sliced Garlic (valued at $38++) with any order of Abundance Set Menu
• Complimentary Stir-fried Beef Cube in Terriyaki Sauce Topped with Dried Bonito Flakes (valued at $44++) with any order of Opulence Set Menu

• 10% off Yusheng (Not valid for small Yusheng with Salmon Sashimi)

• Complimentary Yusheng with Salmon Sashimi with every Pencai purchased

Vibrancy of Life Yusheng | S$128++ (Dine in) / S$128+ (Takeaway)


Apart from introducing its CNY yusheng, Oceans of Seafood also launches its Lunch and All-day Specials to seafood lovers.

All-day Specials

Perfect-two Seafood Platter | $66++ (suitable for 2 pax)
4 pieces of Pacific Oysters, Fish Catch of The Day, 6 pieces of Prawns, Manila Clams and Seasonal Vegetables

The seafood platter was served with three sauces - garlic butter, sambal chilli and miso butter (hot favourite at the table). We believe that if the seafood is fresh enough, accompanying sauces are not always necessary in order for the freshness of the seafood to shine. While the seafood platter was fresh, we would have preferred the fish better if the grill left it a touch more crisp.


Seafood Hotpot | $38++ (suitable for 2-3 pax)
Prawns, Fish Slices, Mussels, Alaskan King Crab Legs, Vegetables

It was a pity that there was just one crab leg and and did not help that the mussel I took was unopened. The prawns were in our humble opinion overcooked as it lost its elasticity, leaving the flesh dull and mushy. It however contributed to the natural sweetness of the broth which made us refill our bowls for second servings!

With hits and misses on the food, we were told that they are in the midst of finalising the lunch pasta menu, so do give them some time to tweak their recipes. Meanwhile, let's enjoy their exquisite Vibrancy of Life Yusheng in this joyful Chinese New Year! Since this is our first CNY post for the year, I wish our readers a prosperous Year of the Goat, 恭喜发财，身体健康，万事胜意!