MIXING Fruits & Food is always a good idea to me. The sour & sweet tastes of different fruits add complexity to the meats and seafood. Recently. I went to try “Fruity Sensations” at Hai Tien Lo on level 37 of the Pan Pacific hotel with cheerful Alexandra Schmutterer, the German Marketing Communications Director.

Let’s scoff!

Master Chef Lai Tong Ping’s fruity creations included tasty treats like Pan-fried Foie Gras with Watermelon, Sautéed Prawns with Strawberries and Chilled Crystal Jelly with Fresh Apples. In the foie gras dish, the sweetness of the water melon replaced the more traditional dessert wine like Chateau d’Yquem or Chateau Gillete from Sauternes. For the jelly with fresh apples, tart malic acid in green apples always give a refreshing dimension to sweet desserts.
 
 While feasting my eyes on the superb view of the Padang and Supreme Court from the highest floor of the Pan Pacific, I relished Thai Style Crispy Soft Shell Crab foiled with sour Green Mango julienne plus Crispy Fish Skin with a spicy Sichuan chilli ‘kick’!

Coco-Power!

I liked the Double-boiled Seafood served in a Whole Coconut . It reminded me of Koh Samui in Thailand where almost every dish has some form of coconut in it, from the juice to the pulp and ‘Santan’ (cream). I scooped out the coconut flesh to enjoy after I drank the soup!
 
The dishes were served course by course, Continental style, although Hai Tien Lo is the hotels’ ‘haute cuisine’ Cantonese restaurant. This  is nice as you can savour and analyse each dish, and also rest your tummy between courses.

Meaty Pan-fried Rack of Lamb in Chef’s Special Cocoa Sauce served with Broccoli was Mexican inspired. In Mexico, they love to glaze and even casserole their meats in chocolate. I would have liked a touch more sauce but the lamb was tender and flavourful.

Ravishing RICE!

Although I am not a die-hard ‘Rice-Fiend’ who must have rice for every meal, the Crabmeat Fried Rice with Raisin and Pomelo in Homemade X.O Chili Sauce teased & tickled my taste buds…as the little globules of pomelo burst to release their tangy flavour. Raisins added a sweet sensation to the flavour profile as well as a chewy texture contrast.
 
A really pleasing, yet light dessert to have for a sweet finale was the Combination of Chilled Crystal Jelly with Green Apple plus  Crispy Banana Fritter with Red Bean Paste. Crispy banana is like the Malay-Peranakan ‘Goreng Pisang’ and the subtle sweetness of the Red Bean puree was just right.

It was a lovely meal, and as a bonus, I got to practise ‘mein Hochdeutsch’ (German) with jovial Alexandra who hails fromMuenchen in Bayern (Bavaria). That is the home of Schweinshaxe und Kalbshaxe but that is another story…

Guten Appetit! {:-)