Andrew Ding
Google
We dined here on New Year’s Day 2024 as we were staying in the Grand View Hotel and didn’t want to travel far for dinner. So glad we did.
The dress code of the restaurant is relaxed, but the setting is quite refined, so we made an effort. We did notice that you’re more than welcome to dine wearing the resort lounge wear provided upon checking in to your room.
As we were just a party of three, we ordered only a modest amount of dishes. It was a shame because I would have loved to go full Chinese banquet style here.
We each ordered soups to start:
- Signature Sauna Beef Ribs Drizzled with Beef Bone Soup (U.S. Beef)
- Buddha Jumping Over the Wall with Fish Maw (Taiwan Pork)
- Double-Boiled Chicken Soup with Japanese Yam and Job's Tear
All were masterfully executed, especially the Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, which is an extremely labor-intensive dish to pull off. It was remarkably well balanced with deep, complex nuanced flavors. The same goes for the Double-Boiled Chicken Soup; the English translations of these names rarely do justice to the dish. It was also deep and richly flavored, very soothing.
For mains, we ordered:
- Deep-Fried Gentian Grouper with Salted Egg Yolk Sauce
- Crispy Pork Ribs with Garlic and Red Rice Yeast (Taiwan Pork)
These were both incredible, light and crispy, and perfectly seasoned. I was a little apprehensive about ordering two fried meats, thinking it might be too heavy, but that was not the case at all. The crust on each was delicate and delicious.
For dessert, the menu only had one option: Sweet Potato and Taro Ball with Ginger Soup - highly recommended as a great way to cleanse your palate at the end of the meal.
All in all, a refined and masterful meal.