Lunch at Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant @ Sheraton Towers

39 Scotts Road, Level 1, Sheraton Towers, Singapore 228230

Tel: 6839 5623

Website: http://www.sheratonsingapore.com/li-bai

Li Bai was a famous Tang Dynasty poet, and this grand Cantonese fine-dining restaurant draws its inspirations from the poet's classical, lyrical poems. Executive Chinese Chef Chung Yiu Ming creates exquisite, authentic Chinese Cantonese cuisine with skillful strokes. The restaurant is renowed for its impeccable service standards as well.

The interior is elegant and grand, tastefully decorated in rich tones with the use of jade, silver and bone china. The vibe is sophisticated and intimate; tables are well-spaced in the spacious restaurant and service is quick, efficient and polite.

Appetizer was a plate of Yam Chips (SGD$5.00) - crispy, sweet and utterly unstoppable, redolent of yam's natural earthly flavour.

We also had Century Egg Lean Pork Congee (SGD$6.50) and Sliced Fish Congee (SGD$6.50) - piping hot, smooth and tasty; the perfect opening to our dimsum lunch meal.

The Rice Rolls with BBQ Pork (SGD$8.00) was essentially chee cheong stuffed with char siew - the BBQ pork bits were sweet and tender, but the rice rolls were sticky instead of silky like the ones we'd eaten at other restaurants.

Next, the Scallops Dumplings (SGD$9.60) that were filled with springy scallops in crystal-clear wraps, delicious with a slight hint of spiciness. This was a simple but delicious dish, sweetened by freshness of the scallops.

Following that, Chicken Feet (SGD$4.80) - juicy chicken feet cooked with a slightly spicy sauce, giving it an extra boost of flavour; the chicken feet was soft and tasty.

The Pork Ribs (SGD$4.80) also had a tinge of spiciness because of the gravy; it was rather succulent and bore the subtle, saltish hints of black soy beans.

The Scallop Siew Mai (SGD$8.00) was very tantalising - tender minced pork stuffing topped with buoyant scallops on top, adding texture and flavour to the conventional dimsum dish.

Following that was the Pork Buns (SGD$8.00) - crispy buns filled with BBQ minced pork within - the interior was moistened and saccharine; the combination was beautiful, but somehow we still felt that the BBQ Pork Buns at Tim Ho Wan are still better in comparison.

Finally, desserts of Mango and Pomelo Sago (SGD$7.00). This is one of my all-time favorites - thick, nectarous cold soup sapid of mango's aroma and filled with pomelo bits that exploded deliciously in the mouth, adding a zesty touch to the luscious dessert.

It was overall an enjoyable dining experience in terms of good food, beautiful ambience, and excellent service. I also relish the flexibility and thoughtfulness of the restaurant - there were 4 of us, so for dimsum items with only 3 pieces, they would automatically ask if we would like to have 4 pieces in total, so everyone gets a share.