The Singapore Law Gazette

Dinner at Yàn

Situated on the fourth floor of the National Gallery of Singapore, just opposite the Khoo Teck Puat reflecting pool, Yàn Restaurant by the Park Hotel Group hosts an elegant Cantonese dining experience with well-crafted dishes.

Main dining hall

Stepping into the restaurant, you are greeted by traditional décor with artistic embellishes that sets the tone for the culinary experience you are about to partake.

Private dining

Try the golden pumpkin and crabmeat soup as a starter. Golden pumpkin is pureed to a consistency that is smooth to the tongue with plump chunks of crabmeat and diced asparagus giving a crunchy contrast to the viscosity of the golden pumpkin.

Consider the lobster: an impressive study in scarlet, with hints of rice wine permeating the entire dish. The lobster meat is well-cooked, bright to the taste and firm to each bite. While a delicate egg-white layer steamed to perfection coats the bottom of the dish that lends a savoury palate to the sweet crunchy meat of the lobster. The smell of the rice wine rolls off the dish like a perfect perfume accent.

Taking centre-stage is the meat dish – Pork rib in olive and onion sauce. I cannot help but be reminded of the classic zichar dish of pai kwot wong (loosely, rib king) which is fatty rib pork with a sweet glaze, a flavour pairing not too far off pork chops and apple sauce, or turkey and cranberry sauce (or Ikea meatballs and their patented boysenberry sauce). Yàn takes those notes and plays an elegant chord, choosing to ground the dish with stewed olives and onions in the sweet glaze. The sweet glaze complements the robust and savoury flavour of the pork, with crisp diced onions and pepper giving a slight earthy flourish to the dish.

House Special Baked Pork Ribs with Black Olive

Rounding off the savoury dishes is Yàn’s Braised “Mee Pok” served with fresh mushrooms and XO sauce. A magnificent rendition of slippery, springy noodles that have soaked up a rich sauce that exudes a staunch fragrant blast of XO. It is comforting that Yàn has included well-blanched bok choy, Cantonese style, serving a clean contrast to the richness of the braising sauce.

Braised “Mee Pok” with Fresh Mushroom and XO Sauce

We tie up the dinner with a coconut and mango cream dessert inside a whole coconut. As one would expect, the coconut and mango cream pair well together, along with the fresh mango and the coconut flesh that comes off easily from inside the shell. What keeps the dish surprising is a contrast in textures thanks to crisp oat flakes and frozen coconut water flakes.

Chilled Mango Cream topped with Vanilla Ice Cream

Yàn has introduced an elegant twist to the homely and rich taste that is Cantonese cuisine.