Dinner at Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant @ Parkroyal on Beach Road

7500 Beach Road, Level 1, Parkroyal on Beach Road

Tel: 6505 5666

Website: http://www.sichuandouhua.com/Pages/default.aspx

So, it was a longtime friend's wedding, and I was keen to try their dishes again. The first time I ate at Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant was years ago, at the outlet at UOB Plaza 1. I remember it had been good - as the name implies, it serves authentic Sichuan cuisine.

Anyway, we started with the Douhua Combination Platter-  consisting of Shark's Fin with Egg, Sliced Pork in chilli & garlic sauce, marinated Clams Sichuan style, Marinated Jellyfish and Salad Prawns. The ingredients were fresh and of course, usually everything tastes wonderful in dainty portions.

Next, we had the Braised Shark's Fin Soup with crabmeat and crab roe - ingredients were aplenty, with chewy pieces of shark's fins unlike some places where one wonders if there really were any fins. Taste was light and soup was not starchy.

Following that, we had Steamed Marble Goby in Superior Soya Sauce. More commonly known as "soon hock", this fish is usually stir-fried. Here, in steamed form, the flesh is smooth, luscious and gleaming white beautifully.

Now comes my favorite dish - Braised Duck and Sea Cucumber wrapped in Lotus Leaf. The braised duck was soft and succulent, with a heavier flavor than its counterpart - the sea cucumber was firm yet malleable, like jelly; it was cooked deliciously without the brackish flavor that sometimes leaves a sour aftertaste on the tongue.

Next, Scallops with Dried Chilli and Cashew Nuts - another favorite of mine, surrounded by a ring of fresh, soft brocooli around them. Yes, we were expecting fresh, hard, crunchy brocooli but to our pleasant surprise, these were boiled to a soft and lovely texture. The scallops were fresh and juicy, and the pairing of nuts gave it crunch.

Then we had the Braised Sliced Abalone and Mushrooms with Spinach. Well, the ingredients were fresh as one would expect them to be, and the abalone chewy, succulent.  This has become a rather common dish at Chinese restaurants these days.

Last but not least, the Braised Ee-fu Noodles with Dried Scallops - tasty with springy strands and a good, not-too-dry-or-soggy texture.

Finally, time for desserts! We had hot dessert of Double Boiled Hashima with Red Dates. There were longan also, a traditional dessert soup that most people would enjoy, especially when knowing the benefits of the ingredients contained herein.

Overall, it was a rather enjoyable meal and great catching up session with many longtime pals.