Jade À La carte Dinner Buffet Review

This December, Jade Restaurant at The Fullerton Hotel presents a new À La Cart menu meticulously prepared by Master Chef Leong Chee Yeng and his culinary team. We had an opportunity to taste some of the delicious dishes including some of the luxurious creations that are available for an additional price.

The Hot and Sour Seafood Soup was delicious and is a great way to start dinner as it warms you up and gets you ready for the remainder of the meal.

Deep-fried Prawns Coated with Wasabi Mayonnaise is a common dish but Chef Leong makes it really well. The prawns are fresh and not over-fried. But the trick is in the Wasabi Mayonnaise which tasted rich and creamy with a kick of Wasabi right at the end. Most restaurants fail badly when it comes to the Wasabi Mayonnaise because the proportions are wrong, resulting in a creamy Mayonnaise with no Wasabi strength. That was not the case here.

The next dish was Sautéed Pork Ribs in Coffee Sauce. Because pork has a very strong taste, the coffee sauce has to be rich and overwhelming in order to complement the meat. The pork ribs were slightly charred which added character to the bite. The pork was tender and with the coffee sauce, it was really good.

Golden “Man Tou” Stuffed with Chilli Crab Meat ($2.80 per piece)

Although I love crabs, I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to dirty his hands eating crab in a restaurant. Chef Leong's presentation of Golden “Man Tou” Stuffed with Chilli Crab Meat is good for people like me. The crab meat and chilli sauce is stuffed in the "Man Tou" and lightly fried to a golden crisp. When I tasted the "Man Tou", the bread was still moist and soft on the inside. The chilli sauce was not very spicy and there was a generous amount of crab meat in each bun (and I didn't even have to dirty my hands!).

Sautéed Live Prawn with Spicy Pumpkin Sauce

When I first bit into the prawn, its shell was so crispy that I could hear the sound of the shell breaking followed by the firm flesh of the prawn. The rich pumpkin sauce adds a lot of flavour to the crispy prawn. I had to get a second serving.

When the Pan-Fried “Pi Pa” Bean Curd in Oyster Sauce dish arrived at my table, the presentation of the dish was intriguing. I expected to see square or rectangular bean curd slices laid orderly on the plate. That obviously was not the case. Ingredients are mixed into the bean curd and then lightly pan fried. This dish is very light and a good addition to the meal considering most of the dishes I had beforehand were quite strong.

Sautéed Lobster with Spring Onion and Ginger (Additional item at $18++)

I also had the Sautéed Lobster with Spring Onion and Ginger which costs an additional $18++ per person. I like how the lobster is cut up and can be eaten easily with a fork and knife. The problem with Chinese cuisine and seafood is that the chefs often use too much oil in the cooking process. If you observe the plate, it's free of oil. Chef Leong used just enough oil to cook the lobster and not coat your mouth with oil when you eat it.

Braised Wheat Noodles with Abalone and Crab Meat in Superior Broth (Additional item at $18++)

The Braised Wheat Noodles with Abalone and Crab Meat in Superior Broth is truly the main highlight of the dinner. The broth was so rich and thick as though it contained the essence of an entire chicken. The wheat noodles used are thin and every strand is coated with broth. This could be the ultimate comfort food.

On to desserts. I started with Red Bean Pancakes. The pasty was flaky with a thick coat of red bean paste filling. The red bean paste is slightly sweet and goes well with the pancake.

What I like about the dishes is that they are not too oily (considering the fact that I am dining in a Chinese restaurant). There's no need for rice or anything like that unless you want to try the Wok-Fried Rice with Seafood which is also a perennial favourite in the restaurant. Take your time to try every dish on the menu. I'm sure there are many other delicious dishes that I have not tried.