Chef Fung has nailed it again. I find myself back at his newly opened fine Cantonese restaurant at Marina Square twice within a month. The brand new Kai Garden features not just Chef Fung’s signature dishes, but also classics with a twist and some wonderful new creations. As always, I’ve surrendered my taste buds (and heart❤️) to his exceptional culinary skills.

This evening, we began with a trio of cold dishes whimsically housed in a shiny bird cage, well, half a bird cage to be exact! Top favorite was the crispy Aubergine sticks. Topped generously with pork floss, the fragile gourd was fried perfectly. Crispy and light, not one bit greasy, overcooked or mushy. And an addictive starter! The cherry tomatoes were sweet and plump with a refreshing zing to it. A good palate cleanser  before going on to the chicken.

Chef Fung’s Signature Peking Duck is both fun & delicious ! First of all, the duck’s even roasted glistening golden brown tan will put St Tropez to shame! Using extracted juices from spinach, beetroot, pumpkin, and bamboo charcoal, he “dyes” the wrapper crepes into beautiful hues of green, yellow, pink and grey! No, I could not taste the flavors but it don’t really matter what with such captivating pantones.

Then, he teases his diners with 5 different sauces to go with the dish. Original duck sauce, Black Pepper, Sesame, Seafood and his very own Special Concoction which, incidentally, turned out to be everyone’s favorite.

The dark shiny crisp duck skin is then placed within a warm soft crepe, topped with scallions, cucumber and a piece of corn fritter. All you do is drizzle on the sauce of your choice and tuck in! The corn fritter adds a wonderful extra crunch in every mouthful. This duck was a hit!

Here comes my all time favorite.. the Classic Superior Shark’s Fins in Supreme Broth accompanied with Crispy Spring Roll served in Japanese Stone Pot. It is super rich, super creamy and super yummy. The fins are tender with bite and Chef Fung does not compromise on the quantity either. The broth is a thick cartilage cocktail that’s fragrant, gooey and rich. Adding vinegar, like what most people do with shark’s fin soup, would be a sin! This baby here is superb, as it is!

The fresh whole garoupa… deboned, sliced and prepared table side in a sweet lobster broth. The fish slices were then poached very slowly in a barely simmering lobster stock. It was succulent, sweet and tender. The rest of the fish carcass was chopped up and fried to a crisp, salt and pepper style.

Sweet & Sour Pork. Possibly the national anthem of Cantonese cuisine. I must admit its not something I’d normally order unless I’m in the presence of children or Caucasian dinner companions. Here at Kai Garden, the prepared humble pork morsel is skewered with the usual suspects (pineapple, red bell pepper and cucumber) and served on a mountain of shaved ice! The result- bite through a chilled icy crust into a warm juicy pork nugget. What novelty! Next, Deep Fried Mushroom roll in Pumpkin Sauce. First of all, it looked nothing like a roll. But give us a package and one can’t help tearing it up, no? We found juicy diced mushrooms buried in this delicate crispy pouch. And even though we were all pretty stuffed by now, we were slurping up spoonfuls of luscious mushrooms with the sweet savory pumpkin cream sauce.

I’ve switched from spaghetti to angel hair for quite a while now. Favoring its thin springy texture and versatility. Chef Fung’s seafood angel hair is cooked perfectly …wok-fried with just enough black truffle to conspicuous subtlety. Forget Yee Fu Mee (yeeeks!), this is definitely the noodle dish to wrap up a meal.

It’s hard not to polish up all 3 desserts when they’re served in shot glasses! And that we did! Made a perfect end to the perfect meal too! As always, Chef Fung has conquered our hearts through our stomachs. And with top notch service and a clean classy ambience, Kai Garden is now my go to restaurant for modern Cantonese!

 

Kai Garden 嘉苑 @ 6 Raffles Boulevard #03-128A/B Marina Square Singapore 039594