Hot Yummy Summer Pavillion

As part of this year's mid-autumn mooncake festival, G had wanted to buy some new and different variations for our gathering at his Godma's. His choice this year, the strawberry vodka mooncakes from Ritz Carlton.

Much to our disappointment, the Friday before the gathering, Takashimaya was sold out! This is rather strange, and frankly, quite unacceptable from a reputable hotel chef to be sold out of your signature, much publicized creations, four days before the actual festival.

We thought we would try our luck the next day at the Ritz and at the same time, have a dim sum brunch. Once again, we were maxed out on disappointment when told by the hotel staff that even they were clueless to whether the chef was making anymore of the mooncakes. A little unhappy with Ritz, we just hoped the dim sum was good... good thing, it was.

The initial ordering didn't feel like it was going to deliver though. There were no usual offerings of char siew bao, carrot cake or xiao long bao or spring rolls. A little geared up for another round of disappointments, we just ticked off a few signatures and favourites since we were already there.

The first dim sum that came along, was the crispy cuttlefish with salt and chili flakes. I was abit afraid it would be too spicy, but it wasn't at all. And it was really crispy, light and tasty. The afternoon was starting to look up! Then came the honey deep fried pork ribs. Oh, I must say I am now addicted to this. The small cubes of juicy pork was well paired with the sweet and slightly caramelized sugar coating. It melts in your mouth with just the right amounts of meaty pork tenderness.

The dishes that came just got better. Kudos to the chef, there was indeed a good reason for excluding the usual favourites from the menu. The dim sums were well thought out in their fusion of taste and bears the true marks of an adventurous and inspiring chef. Take the next dish we had. It resembled the usual xiao long bao. Plated together with the sauce, the chef added some spring onions, chili and a secret ingredient. The combination, resulted in a smooth meat dumpling that explodes with sweet, sour and spiciness at the first bite.

Something similar but in a slightly different variation was the crab and meat pan-fried dumplings. I was already starting to feel like a dumpling myself - stuffed and bloated - but these was worth spilling over the brim for.

From the baked selection, I was thrilled they kept the old time egg tart, and I certianly had no complaints. The custard was silky smooth and soft with the heavenly fragrance of egg and milk. The tart, with the right amount of crisp, just flakes beautifully with each bite.

We also tried something different - a lobster and cheese baked tart. This was another interesting piece, albeit a tad too spicy for me.

After the mooncake disappointment, the dim sum truly left us satisfied, content and too drowsy to pick further bones with Ritz. This is probably one of the best dim sum experiences I have ever had. Each dish ordered was fresh, definitely quality ingredients and delightfully enjoyed, by the both of us - that I much say is a rarity! And this all from dishes we were initially reluctant to choose and a little upset because comfortable favourites were missing. One of the gem instances where change and novelty works out for both parties.

That night, still full, contented and resigned, I got a call from the Hotel saying they have the strawberry mooncakes fresh out from the kitchen. Needless to say, we passed, although I was impressed they called back. Maybe better luck next year... for them at least.

Summer Pavillion
Ritz Carlton Singapore Hotel
7 Raffles Avenue,
Singapore 039799
Phone: (65) 6 337 8888
Lunch from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. (a la carte & dim sum)
Dinner from 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. (a la carte)