Unlike most chinese restaurants with the big hall table and chairs, here the interior resmbles that of a Chinese courtyard in imperial China with wooden chairs and tables.
The service staffs are attentive but not to the point of intrusive.
We were presented with a complimentary appetizer - Crispy fish slice.
Our trio of appetizers were served soon. Drunken Chicken in Hua Diao and Rose Dew Chinese Wine served with Chinese Kailan (S$12), Crisp Fried Scallops with salted egg yolk and Crispy Asian Spice Crumbs (S$26) and Marinated Jelly Fish Salad with Soya Sauce (S$8).
I think the taste of the appetizer is linked to the price. The Scallops were a hot favourite as they were big and juicy. The batter of salted egg yolk was tasty too. Chicken was tender and fragrant. But the Jelly Fish, which happened to be the lowest price, really needed some more improvement from the chef. It was neither here nor there.
Stir-fried rice vermicelli with seafood, silver sprouts and yellow chives (S$20). This is their signature dish, and I quite enjoyed our only carbo dish of the day. The rice vermicelli absorbed lot's of the Wok Hei from the wok, resulting in a fragrant smokey flavour.
Another signature dish - Wok fried prawns in chilli & ginger sauce topped with crispy spices (S$34). According to the menu, this is chef's unique creation, where lemon grass, ginger, crackers, garlic and chilli resulted in an unforgettable seafood dish. I agree as the crispy coatings had a bit of unique Thai taste (lemon grass) to it. The prawns are crunchy and big.
Wok-fried Kurobuta pork with pistachio and fresh lily-bulbs in supreme soya-wine sauce. (S$28). The pork was juicy and tender. I like the crunchiness of the lily bulbs mixing with the texture of the pan fried pork.
Braised homemade Tofu with Monkey head mushrooms served with green vegetables (S$18). They make their own tofu and fried it quickly, resulting in a very moist and soft centre but crispy exterior. The monkey head mushrooms were also fried till crispy, then covered with a savoury sauce. This dish goes well with fragrant white rice.
Cream of Avocado served with walnut ice-cream (S$8). The Walnut ice-cream was unique, and the dessert was served in this dry ice bowl.
Overall a good dinner at Cherry Garden with excellent service and a very nice atmosphere. Although price is high, but expectations are met with high standards too.
Cherry Garden
5 Raffles Avenue
5F
Mandarin Oriental Singapore