Just the Three of Us
Our First Year Wedding Anniversary - 10 March
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Disclaimer:
This blog post ain't for the faint-hearted if you are not a foodie!! It's going to be a lengthy post, so gear yourself up!

To celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary yesterday, my husband and I went back to Chef Chan's for dinner. He had actually closed down his former restaurant at Odean Towers where we had our wedding dinner last year to open a private eatery at The Art Museum.

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A Beautiful Night at The Art Museum

Now, he serves only a maximum of 7 tables. Reservations have to be made way in advanced if you intend to try his African Abalone at a whopping price of $300 / piece (what?!) and his Bird's Nest at $70 / person (at least, that's more affordable!) Ala carte menu is no longer available. He only serves set lunches/dinners which change on a weekly basis at $88++ per person now.

We expected a smaller crowd yesterday since it was a Monday and it was raining. To our surprise, the private eatery was fully booked! Well, I guess this is the trademark of Singaporeans. Where there's good food, rain or shine, trust the Singaporeans to be there!

His new private eatery is a stark contrast from his old restaurant which was cluttered with his antique collection from China. The décor of his new eatery is that of a fusion Chinese, with elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and beautiful slabs of marble as tables.

We heard much about Chef Chan's limited stock of specialty tea that he bought from his travelling. Hence, we decided to try his famous Dried Lychee Rose tea. It was really palate-cleansing.

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The combination of the lychee and rose was utterly delightful.

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The Melon Strips enlivened with Orange Juice was a refreshing appetizer. The citrus flavour literally took my breath away when I bit into the melon strips.

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The pan-fried Brinjal with minced pork was tastefully done with fragrant condiments.

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The prawns were an excellent taste of the ocean!

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Wow.. I feel like I'm Empress Dowager! What do you think is inside?

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The Chef Chan's famous Shark's Fins of course!!! The generous serving of shark fins, crab roe and crab meat instantly teleported me into paradise. Yata!!!

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Chef Chan's famous crispy chicken was so tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. I have never liked to take the skin because of its fats. However, for Chef Chan's chicken, I had to make an exception because it was so finger-licking good! Boon Tong Kee Chicken? Wee Nam Kee Chicken? Nah…. No fight man!!

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This simple steam fish was a winner! The garlic and ginger added just the right amount of flavour to the fish.

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My favourite dessert! Xue-Er with red dates and papaya!!

If I have to rank the dishes, here's how I will rank them.
1) Melon Strips with Orange Juice, Shark's Fins & Crispy Chicken
2) Prawns & Fish
3) Pan-fried Brinjal & Dessert

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Chef Chan

One other thing which impressed me last night was Chef Chan himself. As a celebrity chef, there's no airs about him. He even came out of the kitchen to serve us when his waitresses were too busy. At the end of the dinner, he was there at the door to greet us too. Up till now, I can still remember how hospitable and affable he was when we had to discuss about our wedding dinner menu with him last year. Though he was busy with the journalists and reporters when we were there, he didn't simply leave it to his manager to finalise the details with us. He bothered to take time to talk to us and assure us personally. What a humble person he is!

Wait a minute! Just in case my husband thinks that I'm a heartless wife who will forget all about him at the sight of food, here's a little note to my dearest husband.

Dear, you have been a pillar of support all these while. I'm really sorry for all the times which I have driven you up the wall. I truly appreciate all the things you have done for me and how you have painstakingly tried to nurture our marriage. I'm looking forward to many more blissful years ahead with you. Finally, I'm glad that I met you. Love you much always.

Happy One Year Anniversary!