Chinese restaurant Man Fu Yuan is known for dishing out some of the best Cantonese cuisine in Singapore. If you have always been thinking of trying the food, April might just be the right time to savour the delish culinary creations the restaurant has to offer.
For the second year running, Man Fu Yuan’s 8-Hands showcase is returning to the Intercontinental Singapore from 1 to 30 April 2024, following the success of last year’s inaugural edition. The award-winning Chinese fine dining restaurant will host the ‘Echoes of Canton 粤做粤精菜: Honouring Culinary Heritage’ event, featuring four curated set menus of six dishes from Man Fu Yuan’s resident Executive Chef Aaron Tan, joined by renowned master Cantonese chefs Fok Wing Tin, Peter Tsang and Pung Lu Tin.
The showcase seeks to demonstrate the combined culinary prowess of the four chefs and their unique signature dish, with each contributing a few dishes using the best of ingredients.
The four chefs in Man Fu Yuan’s 8-Hands showcase. Clockwise: Peter Tsang, Pung Lu Tin, Aaron Tan and Fok Wing Tin (seated). Photo © InterContinental Singapore.
During the showcase, diners will get the opportunity to interact with these master chefs, who will take turns to make special appearances at the award-winning restaurant on rotation. The chefs will share their expertise on Cantonese cuisine and its time-honoured culinary techniques.
Menu prices range between S$98 for a lunch-only sharing menu and S$158 to S$398 per person for individual-served portions. Note that the Opulence menu (S$98) is only available for lunch, while the Elegance (S$158), Timeless (S$228) and Lavish ($398) menus are available at lunch and dinner, with wine pairing options available at an additional S$88. The Opulence and Elegance are sharing menus while the Timeless and Lavish are individually plated.
| Sharing menus | Lunch only (‘Opulence’) S$98++ per person 6-course For 3 to 5 people Lunch and Dinner (‘Elegance’) |
| Individual menus | Lunch and Dinner (‘Timeless’) S$228++ per person 6-course For 3 to 5 peopleLunch and Dinner (‘Lavish) S$398++ per person 6-course For 3 to 5 people |
Man Fu Yuan 8-Hands Showcase – Echoes of Canton. Photo © InterContinental Singapore.
Our preview dinner was a thoughtfully curated selection of dishes from the multiple menus, with all four chefs represented. The appetiser consisted of the Chilled Lobster with Chicken Salad (Chef Pung Lu Tin), Chilled Mini Lotus Roots Marinated Orange Jus and Green Sichuan Peppercorn (Chef Aaron Tan) and Spinach Roll with Seaweed, Tobiko and Sriracha Aioli (Chef Peter Tsang). The lobster and spinach roll are from the Timeless menu while the mini lotus roots are from the Elegance menu.
Executive Chef Aaron Tan has shown himself to be enthusiastic in innovating with fusion concepts such as last year’s Irish Duck Company collab, and this attractively plated starter would not look out of place in a French restaurant. The lobster, in particular, was cooked lightly to perfection, just enough to remain succulent and sweet.
Chilled Lobster with Chicken Salad (Chef Pung Lu Tin), Chilled Mini Lotus Roots Marinated Orange Jus and Green Sichuan Peppercorn (Chef Aaron Tan), Spinach Roll with Seaweed, Tobiko, Sriracha Aioli (Chef Peter Tsang). Photo © Fen Chia.
The soup was a Braised Seafood Bisque with Fish Mouth and Bamboo Pith (Chef Fok Wing Tin) from the Timeless menu. The thick and rich broth remained hot and liquid as it was served over individual warmers. The pieces of fish mouth (sometimes known as ‘fish lips’, from large fish) were particularly interesting and added a crunchy texture to the soup, as did the bamboo pith.
Braised Seafood Bisque with Fish Mouth, Bamboo Pith (Chef Fok Wing Tin). Photo © Fen Chia.
The next dish, Crispy Cod Fish Stuffed with Caviar (Chef Peter Tsang) from the Timeless menu looked simple, but exhibited mastery in frying. The batter was light and crispy without any burden of grease, while the cod flesh within that encircled the fish roe remained flaky and firm. It was accompanied by a salad and a Thai-style sweet chilli dressing that contrasted nicely with the savoury fish.
Crispy Cod Fish Stuffed with Caviar (Chef Peter Tsang). Photo © Fen Chia.
The subsequent Wok-fried Venison Cube with Ginger, Lemongrass and Black Pepper Sauce served in Claypot (Chef Aaron Tan) from the Elegance menu presented an opportunity for live theatrics as the chefs fried it in front of us with aromatics, tantalising our visual and nasal senses on the way to our tastebuds.
Meat in ginger and black pepper sauce is a classic fixture on Chinese stir-fry menus, and the use of venison makes this dish particularly nutrient dense while being low-fat. Deer meat is recognised by the Cantonese as being nourishing for performance and recovery and also does not lack in flavour, and the succulent slices here were tender and delicious.
Wok-fried Venison Cube with Ginger, Lemongrass, Black Pepper Sauce served in Claypot (Chef Aaron Tan). Photo © Fen Chia.
We segued back to superior seafood for our last main course, Braised 18-19 head Dried Abalone with Giant Grouper from Chef Pung Lu Tin. I found this to be the most unique item tonight. Fish skins used to either go unnoticed here, or worse, get discarded, until the phenomenon of deep fried fish skin snack packets took off in recent years. However, eating fish skins as a salad in its slithery form remains rather limited to Guangdong cities like Shunde.
Chef Pung’s treatment is to steam, fry and then braise the highly delicate ingredient in premium abalone sauce, after condiments like garlic, ginger and rice wine have been used to ‘feed’ the skin to remove the fishy odour. The final slice of skin makes for a nutritious and collagen-rich dish that is complemented with premium abalone. This is an experience you can get if you go for the Lavish menu and the 8-Hands showcase does allow diners some banter with the available chef, who can provide interesting nuggets of information about Cantonese culinary techniques.
Chef Fok Wing Tin holds up half a dried grouper skin from Hong Kong. It is from a huge grouper and is apparently worth over an eye-watering S$3,000. Photo © Fen Chia.
Braised 18-19 Head Dried Abalone with Giant Grouper Skin (Chef Pung Lu Tin). Photo © Fen Chia.
For those familiar with Chinese banquet meals, you know you are nearing the end when you get the carbs. My sense of regret at the impending conclusion was mitigated by the fact that we had one more spectacle to witness for the Wok-fried Crispy Rice with Prawns, Mushroom, Scallion (Chef Peter Tsang) which is from the Elegance menu. The fragrance of fried ginger, mushrooms and scallions filled the air as the chefs rolled up their sleeves for the final show and tell, reducing the prawn stock to coat the rice grains for our plates. The secret to the texture lies in the glutinous rice crispies mixed in with the cooked rice, if you look closely enough.
Wok-fried Crispy Rice with Prawns, Mushroom, Scallion (Chef Peter Tsang). Photo © Fen Chia.
The closing act of the meal was a comforting yet indulgent Warm Roasted Peanut, Rice Cream with Superior Red Bird’s Nest (Aaron Tan), from the Timeless menu. The familiar taste of peanut paste dessert is transformed into a creamier and decadent treat by adding sesame and glutinous rice into the mix, elevated with manuka honey and a generous portion of bird’s nest. It was a perfectly sweet ending to a savoury and enlightening dinner.
Warm Roasted Peanut, Rice Cream with Premium Red Bird’s Nest (Chef Aaron Tan). Photo © Fen Chia.
‘Echoes of Canton 粤做粤精菜: Honouring Culinary Heritage’ will be available from 1 to 30 April 2024. Visit Man Fu Yuan’s website for more information on the menus and reservation details.
Man Fu Yuan
InterContinental Singapore, Level 2
80 Middle Rd, Singapore 188966
Tel: +65 6825 1008
Opening Hours: Lunch: 12pm to 3pm (weekdays), 11.30am to 3pm (weekends and public holidays); Dinner: 6pm to 10pm (Daily)
