Mouth Restaurant @ China Square Central: #LikeABoss

Let me first make a disclaimer; Chinese cuisine and it's intricacies are not and never will be my forte, hence my opinions are entirely subjective and very personal. But nevertheless, being an experimental diner, I was more than thrilled to be invited to Mouth Restaurant to taste the Treasure Pot Feast 九大簋盆菜.

Priced at just $31.80++/person for a party of 6-9 pax, the number scoops down to a low of $29.80++ when you round up more than 10 people for the feast. All this for a palatial and ostentatious 9 course meal fit for a king (promo last till 15th Dec'14). Story goes that the Treasure Pot Feast was invented in close resemblance to the common man's poon choi, but this one done with lavish intent.

We started off the meal with Steamed Shanghai Hairy Crab. Note that this was a replacement to the usual Suckling pig as denoted on the usual Treasure Pot Feast menu; however, Mouth Restaurant is currently having some promotion sets for the hairy crab that are worth checking out. Digging into the cream, roe-infested flesh of this hairy crustacean does set the tone for the meal. Succeeding in gearing the palate up for some culinary pampering.

The Early Days Shark Fin Soup was a well executed version with the extra bells and whistles contributed by the fine shreds of deep fried wanton skins placed on the side that provided texture; the brightening jolt of acid from the vinegar highlighting the affair.

The next dish is an ode to a classic old school dish of prawn toast. The Nostalgic Whole Prawn given a twist with the emergence of whole prawns instead of the conventional prawn mince used to adorn the normally dry door stopper like tiny toasts. A clever reinvention, revealing a dish that I'm sure would steal the hearts of the young and old alike.

The chef's fine-dining chops show on such preparations such as the Sauteed Asparagus with wild mushrooms in truffles. Heady with the aroma of the forest floor wafting through the dining room, I relinquished in the expert execution of this dish, from the crunchy asparagus to the tangle of mushrooms, all this gleaming from a thin coat of oil that gave the dish visual impact.

The next plate featured the traditional braised 'pi-pa' tofu. Deftly shaped in soup spoons, these elegant parcels of silken tofu, minced pork and prawn and other condiments were the epitome of Chinese comfort food emerging in more exquisite forms. It was delicious, enhanced by a crusty exterior that allowed for the salty brown sauce lathered over the top to adhere to it.

The star player of the line-up was undoubtedly the HK Temple Street claypot rice, that true to its form showed up in jaw-drop worthy moments as the gargantuan claypot lid was lifted up. It is a pleasant mix of tender juicy chicken, rice and other proverbial goodies. Dig into this with a generous dash of the garlic vinegar sauce for maximum utility.

But for me, the best dish of the day had to be the Sauteed Basil Grouper in 3 cups sauce. It's sprawling mermaid like stance in the deep bowl revealing hunks of meaty grouper lightly tossed in soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and Thai basil. I chopstick-ed my way through the cascading pyramid of succulent fish, followed bravely alongside Li Tian (dairy&cream) who gamely wrestled the fish head and carcass. Like a boss.

My least favourite dish of the spread came in the form of Braised trio Sea Treasure in Abalone sauce. Since I was not a big fan of either 魚鰾 or 海参, I struggled to find common grounds with the rest of the diners dishing out nothing but praises for this hot plate of delicacies.

Given how impressive the savouries were, we were looking forward to the desserts. The Double Boiled Ginger Tea with Glutinous Rice Balls did not disappoint; I sank deep into the recesses of my seat as I revelled in the warm syrupy sweetness of the ginger tea, the ridiculous burst of flavor from the sesame glutinous rice balls helping to break the monotony.

And if you're not watching your weight, keep a lookout for the cholesterol -busting Baked Salted Egg Yolk Buns. Fragrant, rich salted egg yolk custard is encased in flavorful pastry with a crisp top. Decadence that would cost you another hour on the treadmill if you're addicted. Don't say I didn't warn you. The Squid Ink Char Siew buns are a novelty item that is worth saving some tummy room for too.