Xi Yan - Gastronomical

Ah, the dinner all of us have been waiting for has finally arrived. The anticipation and excitement boiled down to a night of fellowship, great food, and a memorable experience.

We were headed for Xi Yan, a private dining restaurant serving Asian Cuisine. Haute cuisine to be more precise. Their service, food, and presentation was something that you will not get even in fine dining restaurants. You see, in private dining, the service is so detailed, you actually know how the dish is prepared and what goes in it, before you even taste it.

It was Gordon's treat to both my mom and me. Our birthdays both fell in the month of October, and he wanted to give us something special. I turned 20 and my mom 47. But Xi Yan has a policy that a minimum of 6 have to attend for a table, and only 4 tables are allowed in every night. Weekend slots may need a few weeks to months of reservation in advance. You do not get to choose what you eat, but a disgustation of 12 courses will be served up. These 12 courses will be selected by the chef, someone I've come to really admire very much after this fabulous dinner. So, since we only had 4, Gordon suggested that the other 3 sisters join in the dinner as well. And yes, he paid for all of us.

the family before the dinner

the birthday boy looking all set

And as you can see, everyone was dressed up to the occasion. Gordon had a great white top, and my mom had a beautiful black dress that accentuated her slender figure. My sister wore a beautiful one-piece, and her make-up was perfect for the night (that simple one-piece actually costs well over SGD100). Aunty Kat had a really nice belt and necklace, and Aunty Em looked great in her rebonded hair. Aunty Hong had a nice red bottom and a necklace from Swavroski. All 4 sisters wore their SGD1000+ earrings from Lee Hwa, something that they bought together a few months back.

And now, without further adue, I present to you the 12 coursed dinner.

prancing lobster with dual sauces

What a way to start the dinner! Lobster is a delicacy when it comes to chinese cuisine too. Accompanying this dish were two lovely sauces. The first milder one, was a light green tea sauce - something very refreshing and unique. The second, with a tad of spiciness, was the belachan sauce - stronger but still refreshing.

japanese tomatoes in sesame sauce

Ah, Kenneth must be screaming right now. These are the biggest tomatoes I have seen in my life! They are even bigger than apples and peaches. The bigger they are, the more juicy and sweeter they are. The sesame sauce was so good, everyone now wants to make it at home and eat it with tomatoes. Tomatoes never tasted so good.

fermented bean curd fried oysters

One will not even have tasted the fermented bean curd if one was not told. These heavenly bits were coated with potato flour, instead of the usual bread crumbs, to prevent overwhelming the taste of the delicate oysters.

abalone somen

Ah, fabulous somen with abalones! The spendid noodles were al-dente and simply mouth-watering. I won't even need to empasize on the abalone, who doesn't love abalone cooked till perfection?

prawn with crab roe tofu

When this dish came, everyone wowed. It looked so beautiful one may hesitate to glutch it down. The prawns were huge and juicy, and the tofu was silky and smooth.

Throughout the whole dinner, I had intervals of wine to bring the whole experience to a greater level. It was a Grenache Shiraz, relatively sweet and full-bodied, with a tinge of tannin for a good finish.

heh

crispy spareribs with tangerine peel

The spareribs were marinated overnight with tangerine, also known as the mandarin orange. The spareribs were deboned and what was left is lovely succulent meat. Biting into it, you will notice quickly the crispiness that it boasts about, and the tenderness that lies within. Due to the marination, you will also notice the sweet taste that comes from tangerine.

salivating chicken

Yes, the famous dish that Xi Yan always had since its start. This wonderful dish could not be described with many great words, so I guess they used 'salivating' because it truly is. Look at that amount of peanuts, konnyaku noodles, century eggs, and of course, chicken. Now, this is not a young chicken by the way, it is a lao mu ji (old mother hen), therefore the juiciness and tenderness that is what we savour.

canto steam fish glutinous rice

Cod cooked till perfection is what I love. How do I define perfection, you ask? It is when you gently place your cutlery on the fish, and it flakes subtilely to the touch. Accompanied by soft glutinous rice topped with chinese olives and fermented black beans, this dish was an all-rounder.

basil sorbet intermezzo

A dish for cleansing of the palate one cannot do without. The light basil sorbet is to be mixed with an array of fruits, namely the strawberry, kiwi, and mango, in a light lime juice. The taste is a mixture between sweet and sour, yet delicate and smooth.

lotus root chicken soup

Aunty Em was wondering how different it could taste from the ones we prepare at home, and so were all of us. It laid our queries to rest the moment we tasted it! Chicken and pork bones were boiled and simmered for a period of time before adding the lotus root. It was then boiled for another 4 hours before the completion of this dish. It was relatively sweet, and definitely better than any other lotus root soups I've tried before.

braised mushroom with pickled cucumber

My sister's favourite dish of mushrooms finally arrived. The cucumbers were pickled using a special recipe, giving it a strong and sweet flavour. There were 3 different kinds of mushrooms for this dish, and all of them I simply adore. They were the Japanese Shitake, Chinese Abalone, and Portobello.

Xi Yan tangyuan

We were asked to taste the 6 ingredients that went into the tangyuan, and we got 5 right! My mom is 5/6 a gourmet, and I am pretty amazed at her tastebuds.

1. Sugar
2. Butter
3. Sesame Seeds
4. Peanuts
5. Winter Melon
6. Salted Egg Yolks

Ah! Who would have guessed the salted egg yolks? I only noticed its taste after they told me what went in, and this tangyuan is really one I'll never forget. The soup was a sweet ginger soup, that some of us felt was a bit too spicy. However, one bite into the tangyuan and you know you're in heaven.

We thought that was the end of our 12 courses but they came shortly after clearing our bowls with a nice end to it all.

Xi Yan cocktail

What a great way to end the meal! A mixture of calamansi juice, honey, and bourbon whiskey were what went into this one. The portion just nice to warm you up for bed.

The dinner left us wanting for more, but little did we realise the clock had already struck 11.30pm. How time flies when you're enjoying your time with the ones you love. Gordon received endless 'thank-you's from everyone, and a possible beating from the husbands of the 3 sisters. Uncle Kian Heng, Uncle Sze Cheng, and Uncle John were all at home with the kids, probably envious of what their wives were in for.

Nevertheless, they might visit here and get a glimpse of what happened last night. A night to remember, a night where everyone slept like a baby, and fufilled tummies that could only scream for more.