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| DRAGON PALACE |
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| Beijing - China |
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| Society - World Level Perfection |
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6
Stars & 7 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars
Award™ |
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| Navigating our way into this iconic restaurant
required us to breathe in, and absorb the thousands of years of Chinese history
simply by walking through the front door. The entrance itself is of the style
and character of a Forbidden City portal, brilliantly constructed to clever and
eloquent standards of the ancient emperors who resided there. You must pass by
terracotta
sentries (CLICK HERE)standing guard on either side of an imperial carriage,
originally buried under tons of earth in a farmer’s field of Xian. Our
hosts at Dragon Palace had even prepared a tasting menu personifying all the
flavors of traditional Chinese cookery, with the emphasis on showcasing the
creativity of Executive Chef W C Goh, a Malay Chinese native with extensive
experience in Classical Cantonese cuisine. |
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| The concept was simple; we were to weave our way
through the taste sensations which have influenced Chef Goh throughout his
career, combining the local sensuous flavors of Beijing together with the
culinary influences of Chef Goh’s hometown of Singapore. In place was the
musical mood of time-honored Chinese vibrations resonating in the background,
including the fleeting sounds of bamboo flutes, lightly plucked bowed
instruments and the seemingly random tapping of stone chimes. |
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| Goh Wooi
Cheat Cuisine |
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We were now ready for Chef Goh’s
degustacion menu after being advised as to the significance of the Dragon in
Chinese culture, which represents ‘cosmic energy, power and
strength’. Starting with The Dragon Palace Dim Sum Platter,
consisting of silky smooth goose liver honey eel timbale, delicately deep fried
seafood dumpling, a pillow of Beijing duck with leek, and tender honey roasted
BBQ pork in espresso sauce. Nothing prepared me for the explosion of
complimentary flavors and aromas contained in this tiny package. It seems that
sommelier Heng Gui also services Dragon Palace restaurant as well as Via Roma
and after his thoughtful analysis of the menu, brought us a super bottle of
Kevin Judd Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, displaying fragrances
of citrus blossoms as well as herbal notes turning to tropical fruits and a
lemon zest finish. |
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| Next up was Fried
Prawn Ball in Wasabi Sauce, served with tropical fruit salsa tossed in
wasabi mayonnaise thereby adding a spicy Asian punch to quite quickly clear the
sinuses! |
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| Goh
Wooi Cheat Cuisine |
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| We stayed with the Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc
throughout the next course of Traditional Chinese Nourishing Chicken
Soup, like nothing you have ever tasted. The nourishing part comes from the
addition of cordyceps flower , known by Chinese herbalists as the cultivated
version of the famous cordyceps mushroom and purported to promote a litany of
benefits too numerous to mention here. Chef Goh adds the taste of Jin Hua ham,
with a flavor profile similar to that of the dry cured Iberico hams but
traditionally dates from the Tang Dynasty of 600 AD. Our courses gradually
moved forward with the presentation of
Steamed
Fresh Cod with Minced Garlic and Soy Sauce (CLICK HERE), comprised of
simple fresh ingredients prepared in a typical way, delicately steamed so that
the meat of the fish fell lightly off the fork and melted in our mouths
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| Goh
Wooi Cheat Cuisine |
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It was by far our
favorite dish of the evening and our sommelier eagerly paired it with an
elegant bottle of Martin Codex 2011 Albariño Rias Baixas, Spain a
typically food friendly wine that is crisp, dry and passionate. |
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| Our final entree became Braised Chinese Noodles
with Lobster, composed of lightly steamed bits of lobster meat topped with
red caviar, in a subtle and delicate broth beside a smartly arranged portion of
rice noodles representing an intricate subtlety often found in traditional
Chinese cuisine but not often as perfect as here. Together with a suggested
bottle of 2011 Hugel Gewurztraminer, Alsace it became apparent that the
aromatic floral scents gave way to some slight bitterness that was elusive and
not all that offensive. We ventured into our final course of Assorted
Chinese Desserts consisting of glutinous rice dumplings, pomelo tea and
seasonal fruits in ice ball. We particularly loved the pomelo tea served
chilled, which tasted like a cross between orange blossoms and a lychee and has
the added health benefits of lowering blood pressure and strengthening the
immune system. |
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| Dragon
Palace - 2015 - Seven Stars Award |
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| We came away from Dragon Palace Restaurant with a
feeling of acceptance and satisfaction that we had just experienced a master of
his trade working his magic through his life’s influences and exposure to
the beauty and simplicity of authentic Chinese gastronomy. |
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by Thorsten Buehrmann
Editor: Ingrid
Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2015 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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