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| Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant |
One of the most anticipated culinary event for Chinese Restaurant is
back. Yup, Hairy Crab Season is here. This special gastronomic
occasion which normally coincide around Mid Autumn Festival and
lasted for a couple of months. The Hairy Crab is popular during this
period because it is the time when you can enjoy the orangey creamy
roe from the female crab.
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| Wan Hao - Reception |
For the month of October and November 2015, Wan Hao will be offering
2 Hairy Crab Grandeur set menu. Price at $98++ (for 6 course, Set
Menu A) and $108++ (for 7 course, Set Menu B). A La Carte menu for
Hairy Crab also available.
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| Wan Hao - One of the Private Room |
The tasting for the night was for Set Menu A. We started with Steamed
Crab Meat Dumpling, Steamed Hairy Crab Xiao Long Bao ('XLB') and
Deep-Fried Hairy Crab Ball. The skin for the dumpling is springy,
which remind you of the texture of the Har Gao with crab meat
fillings. The fried hairy crab is crunchy but I personally find the
almond was too much and cover the texture of the crab. Hairy Crab XLB
is my pick. When you put the XLB in your mouth, you will experience
the burst of flavours. First, the fresh and sweet juice from the
crab, follow by you tasting the smoothness of the crab meat and
finally you eat it all together with the XLB skin. Yum Yum!!
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| Steamed Crab Meat Dumpling, Steamed Hairy Crab Xiao Long Bao ('XLB') and Deep-Fried Hairy Crab Ball |
Hairy Crab Meat & Roe Broth with Bamboo Pith. I had it two ways,
without and with the vinegar. You can taste the sweetness of the crab
and hint of creaminess of the crab roe in the soup. The bamboo pith
and asparagus add to the texture in the soup, especially the crunchy
texture of the asparagus. Once you add the vinegar into the soup, you
can feel it accentuate the flavour of the crab.
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| Hairy Crab Meat & Roe Broth with Bamboo Pith |
Baked
Whole Hairy Crab with Shao Xin Chinese Wine. I will call this the
main attraction, a one on one with the hairy crab. The service staff
will help you separate each part of the crabs, afterwards you are on
your own. Forget about the utensils and just dig in straight with
your hand. I started with the shell to suck the velvety and creamy
roe. Followed by dissecting the body, followed with the legs and
pincer. Comparing to the mud crabs or blue swimmer crab, the meat
definitely more silky and smoother even on the legs and pincers. You
can dip into vinegar to accentuate the crab flavour.
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| Baked Whole Hairy Crab with Shao Xin Chinese Wine |
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| Baked Whole Hairy Crab with Shao Xin Chinese Wine Deconstructed and ready to eat |
As hairy
crab suppose to have a cooling “Ying” effect to your body, Wan
Hao will offer you the ginger tea “Yang” to accompany your hairy
crab meal and create a balance between the ying and yang.
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| The Vinegar for the Baked Hairy Crab |
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| The Best Part - The Roe (Female) |
Fresh
Milk Stir-Fried Hairy Crab Meat with Egg White & Shrimp Roe. One
of my favourite dish in a Cantonese restaurant. The combination of
fresh milk, egg white and hairy crab meat is very delicate and subtle
at the same time. When it is perfectly executed it will have a nice
velvety texture, which was the case here. The shrimp roe and broccoli
gave a crunchy texture to the dish. I finished half of it without
vinegar and the rest with vinegar. Don't put too much vinegar, just a
few drop will be enough. Yum Yum.
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| Fresh Milk Stir-Fried Hairy Crab Meat with Egg White & Shrimp Roe |
Wok-Fried
Rice with Hairy Crab Meat, Fish Roe & Diced Mushroom. My
favourite type of fried rice, where the al-dente texture of the rice
combines well with the fish roe which provide a nice popping feel in
your mouth. The wok hei in the rice elevated the taste even further.
Thumbs up!
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| Wok-Fried Rice with Hairy Crab Meat, Fish Roe & Diced Mushroom |
The grand
finale ended with Coconut Sago with Japanese Sweet Purple Potato. Of
course I was not expecting hairy crab as desserts. It will totally be
weird right. The dessert has a nice presentation, with interesting
colour combination. Purple, green and white. The sweet potato is not
overly sweet, almost like yam texture. A good ending to the meal. On
the side note, the combination of shallow soup bowl with ceramic
spoon made it challenging to eat the dessert. They should consider
using metal spoon instead.
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| Coconut Sago with Japanese Sweet Purple Potato |
Overall,
the set menu cover different ways of cooking of hairy crab. I
personally like the XLB hairy crab, the baked hairy crab and fresh
milk stir-fried hairy crab. By keeping the dishes subtle, the chef
allowed the hairy crab to shine in each dishes. The pairing of each
dish with different vinegar really brought each dish to a different
level. So if you are looking to indulge in Hairy Crab gastronomical
journey, I suggest you consider Wan Hao. Cheers!!
Thank you
very much for Singapore Marriott Hotel team for the tasting
invitation.
Food
& Drink: 8.5/10
Value:
7/10
Service:
N/A (Tasting Invitation)
Ambiance:
9/10
Budget
per Person: $81 and Above
Wan Hao Chinese
Restaurant 万豪轩
320 Orchard Road
Level 3, Singapore
Marriott Hotel
Singapore 238865
T: +65 6831 4605
IG: @wanhaosg /
@singaporemarriott
OH:
Mon – Fri: 12.00 –
15.00; 18.30 – 22.30
Sat, Sun & PH:
11.30 – 15.00; 18.30 – 22.30
Regular Menu &
Hairy Crab Grandeur Menu available online
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