Taste Paradise and The Wood Ear combine forces for a 7-week collaborative four-hands dinner that celebrates Chinese culinary tradition while offering an inventive contemporary flair.
Desperate to land that elusive reservation with The Wood Ear but to no avail? Can’t say we blame you – Chef Jesper Chia’s highly sought-after private dining outfit comes with a three-month waiting list. But here’s some good news for gourmands: Cantonese culinary bastion Taste Paradise has tapped Chef Jesper for a four-hands collaboration that offers you ample opportunity to snag a taste of The Wood Ear’s modern Singaporean flavours.
Running now till 17 November 2024, Taste Paradise x The Wood Ear will see Chef Jesper (pictured below) combine with Taste Parade Executive Chef Cheng Fa Kwan to create an exquisite tasting menu of eight different courses that blend Cantonese tradition with contemporary flair.
Taste Paradise x The Wood Ear begins with an appetiser of Wagyu Beef Tart (和牛一口酥), which sees tender, slow-roasted Japanese A4 wagyu cubes dressed in house-made mayonnaise atop a flaky pastry crust reminiscent of the base of a Cantonese egg tart. It is followed by HK Style Typhoon Shelter Peking Duck with Prawn Paste (避风塘百花鸭), a textured, layered bite of shatteringly-crisp Peking duck skin and prawn paste topped with Hong Kong “Typhoon Shelter” style garnish of deep-fried garlic and bread crumbs.
No proper Cantonese meal is complete with a soul-warming soup, and the clean-tasting Double-Boiled Matsutake Mushroom in Kampong Chicken Soup (松茸菇炖土鸡汤) is that comes after is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Or steamed fish. Here the Steamed Coral Trout with Homemade Pickled Chilli (秘制剁椒蒸东星斑) elevates that classic offering at a wedding dinner with a robust Hunan-style pickled chilli for a spicy yet tangy kick.
Next up is the Steamed Homemade Tofu with Freshly Peeled Crab Meat and Yuzu Pepper (柚子上汤蟹肉扒太史豆腐), which continues the clean and fresh-tasting flavours that good Cantonese cookery is known for.
The Braised Lobster Noodle in Lobster Broth topped with Sea Urchin (海胆龙虾汤烩面) – pictured above – that follows is an indolent and opulent main course, but also one of the best versions of the noodle dish we’ve ever had. The broth, rich and creamy from being simmered for hours, was flavourful enough that the uni played a mere supporting role.
Ending the meal are a pair of desserts to sate those with a sweet tooth. There’s the Chilled Milk Pudding with Muscat Grape Jelly (云朵香印青提汁), a most fancy version of the popular Hong Kong dessert of steamed milk custard, as well as Baked Golden Custard Pastry with Japanese Red Bean Rice Pudding (黄金奶黄酥伴港式日本红豆砵仔糕) for a riot of textures and flavours.
We highly recommend the optional wine pairing offered alongside the tasting menu. You’re looking at a curated flight of six different wines each carefully selected to pair with your dishes. Even better, if you’re a Paradise Gourmet Rewards (PGR) member or hold a Citi credit or debit card you get a special discount on the wine flight.
Taste Paradise x The Wood Ear runs now till 17 November 2024, and is priced at S$158++ per person with a minimum of two to dine. The optional wine flight is priced at S$138++ per person (or S$98 for Paradise Gourmet Rewards (PGR) member or Citi credit or debit cardholders). You can find more information here.
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