Starting off the lunch 3-course degustation ($35++) was the Chicken Milk Cabbage Dumplings with Fried Quinoa and Chilli Oil. Modeled after the Szechuan Red Oil Wantons but with less kick. Unfortunately the stunning plate left the taste wanting, though still better than the other appetizer option of the Xiao Long Bao
From the newly-opened Janice Wong Singapore which opens its doors today at National Museum Singapore. The XLB Tasting Platter consist of four XLBs in a dim sum basket; one of each flavour available on the menu. The white one is Whisky Pork; much like what you would expect out of an XLB but with a light whisky infusion in the savoury broth. Truffle Cheese Chicken exudes truffle aromas with a lighter-tasting broth from the chicken. The red one is a Foie Gras Cherry Pork XLB; Foie Gras isn't too intimidating here for the main flavours at play would be the pork and that cherry infusion; a rich and sweet, dreamy alcoholic flavour infusion that's feels quite dessert-y wine surprisingly goes well with the pork despite the initial huh? at the first mouth. The yellow XLB is a Shrimp Ebi Kombu XLB; pretty much like a Siew Mai but with a tinge of sweetness that runs through at certain bits. All of the XLBs come bite-sized, but packed with loads of liquid broth and the meat chunky but not too firm; the latter two definitely sending a very different impression from the former two being more innovative, daring and adventurous combinations that makes for a conversation at the table during the meal.
