Si Chuan Dou Hua at UOB Plaza – CNY Reunion Imperial High Tea & Cute Piglet Nian Gao

What’s dining at one of Singapore’s highest point be like?

Perched at level 60 of UOB Plaza 1, you get the perfect view of the Marina Bay Sands (for fireworks even), and/or the skyscrapers which transformed into a beautiful light-up city as night falls.

Whether you are dining in the private rooms, the bar lounge or main area of Si Chuan Dou Hua, you can be assured of a tranquil view of Singapore’s skyline. Take a laid-back seat on every weekend afternoon as you pamper yourself with Si Chuan Dou Hua’s Reunion Imperial High Tea (named for this lunar new year period).

Exclusive to this outlet at TOP of UOB Plaza ($48 per person) is the Abundant Luck cocktail to which the outlet at PARKROYAL on Beach Road ($40 per person) offers mocktail.

Si Chuan Dou Hua at TOP of UOB Plaza has a beautiful bar housed to a dazzling array of liquor bottles. We started with the Abundant Luck cocktail, concocted and shaken on the spot into a citrusy and refreshing blend, priming my palate for the courses ahead.

The high tea comprises of two Chinese Teas, the first being the Long Jing Cha and the second, Da Hong Pao.

The appetizer is the Prosperity Smoked Salmon Yusheng, individually proportionated with the usual complementing components. One can toss and chant the lucky phrases altogether. The salmon slices were really fresh.

Moving on, we had the four treasures of dim sum served on a tray.

The Boiled Minced Meat Dumpling in Superior Stock was really tasty, with tender meats that had absorbed the essence of the broth.

The Steamed Minced Meat and Cabbage Dumpling was, on the other hand, lighter in taste and wrapped in a gradient skin.

My favorite was the Steamed Crystal Bean Curd Dumpling that would hit your tongue with a whack of spiciness. It delivered a good punch of flavors and the pent-up crystal skin simply broke apart to reveal what seemed like a delicious mess of Sze Chuan tofu. I would order a plateful of this.

Another dim sum was the Steamed Dried Oyster Dumpling in Squid Ink, with fillings firmer than its predecessor. The meats were chewier with evidence of the shellfishes rolled up within.

Thereafter, there was a showcase of tea where we drank some Da Hong Pao.

Glutinous Rice with Diced Chicken wrapped in Lotus Leaf was nicely presented in a wooden open-faced box, and mixed with bits of the wax meats and little dried shrimps. Besides being a tad on the dry side, this made a filling end to the savory courses.

I almost squealed when we were served the Steamed Porcupine Bun with Red Bean Paste. These adorable chubby darlings were wrapped in soft fluffy buns with light crisp skin. The texture was perfect, including the red bean fillings which was smooth and not so sweet.

Fans of Si Chuan Dou Hua would know that their bean curd is one of their specialties. This Homemade Fine Bean Curd with Bird’s Nest comes with a tinge of sweetness while topped with Goji berries and a dollop of decadent bird’s nest.

Deep-fried Purple Sweet Potato with Custard was nothing short of amazing. The thin crust had a layer of mochi-liked chewiness to it, crunchy on the surface and the best part was the mind-blowing oozey custard lava which you shouldn’t waste a single drip.

Celebrating the year of the Pig is this Piglet-shaped Nian Gao, a unique snack with sweet and soft nian gao wrapped in golden pumpkin skin. Those who take up the set menus at the outlet at UOB Plaza will be entitled to this cute dessert.

 

Si Chuan Dou Hua 

80 Raffles Place, #60-01 UOB Plaza 1, Singapore 048624

Tel: +65 6535 6006

Website: http://www.sichuandouhua.com/

 

---

***Follow @oo_foodielicious on Facebook and Instagram for more videos, food reviews, travel/lifestyle insights and easy recipe, and @artofgenie on Facebook and Instagram for portrait, architecture and landscape photography!