What makes or breaks a dish is most often its underlying sauce that attempts to bring all the ingredients together into a harmonious blend or to set a contrast to showcase the strength of the star ingredient; or the sauce could itself be the star ingredient — the very soul of the dish.
However, what really matters is the instinct of the chef behind the dish. So for this spring, Four Seasons chefs across 15 Chinese restaurants from Seoul and Osaka to Suzhou and Guangzhou, Bangkok and Singapore to Macao and Dalian, among other Asia Pacific properties, are presenting a dish (or series of dishes) for Four Seasons new culinary campaign — The Secret Sauce, where the chefs have their personal interpretation of “the secret sauce” to elevate ingredients into unforgettable experiences.
Harmony from contrast
The Secret Sauce six-course menu ($238 per person) at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore’s Jiang-Nan Chun (江南春) heralds the flavours of spring with Southeast Asian touches building on the foundation of Cantonese cooking.
The starter of seared Japanese scallops with spring onion oil and crispy salted egg yolk oyster allows diners to savour harmony from contrast – the scallops’ sweetness contrasting with the savoury crunch of the oyster to achieve a harmonious balance to the richness of spring.
The next dish finds delicate strands of silky imperial bird’s nest with Japanese daikon taking on the robust flavour of the thick chicken broth poured onto them to give an aftertaste that lingers with elegance.
The seafood fish of braised turbot fillet is expectedly fleshy and firm, but tender to the bite, going well with the soft rice cakes that have soaked up the fragrant savouriness of yellow bean sauce.
Showcasing the delicate and elaborate skill required for a traditional Cantonese dish is the springy prawn paste wrapped in crispy chicken skin and served with aromatic morel mushrooms.
For carbs, there’s chewy egg noodle with tender, juicy beef brisket in a sweetish soup with honey peas.
The dessert of osmanthus madeline cake with whipped ganache and peach sorbet brings the satisfying meal to a refreshing and fragrant end.
The Secret Sauce promotion running till May 31 is available for lunch and dinner. The set dishes are also available individually in an à la carte menu. Visit fourseasons.com/dining to explore more dining experiences.
