SIN: Elemen {Lunar New Year 2022}

Bring out more of the explosive Red Hot Firecracker!

Happy Lunar New Year to those celebrating this joyous occasion despite the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic! May the courage and the strength of the Water Tiger carry us through our journey ahead. For reunion dinner, I went back to one of my favourite vegetarian restaurants two months after Christmas in 2021 with friends. Say hello to panda-in-bamboo for making its debut here! No, it's not the elusive Bao Bao in Google Pay.

The fixed ProsperLicious 8-Course Set is priced at S$48.80 per person.

Elemen Auspicious Appetiser (Set Menu)

Taste: 8/10

From left to right, it was a delectable vegetarian rendition of Peking duck, roast pork belly and barbecued pork. The golden beancurd skin went well with the sweet dark-coloured sauce with a hint of citrus. The king oyster mushroom topped with crispy crackling was my favourite, for it was juicy and paired well with rich and strong wasabi (Japanese horseradish) mayonnaise. Last but not least, the honey-glazed monkey head mushroom was pretty sweet and bouncy.

Prosperous Oriental Salad (Set Menu)

Taste: 7.5/10

There wasn't anything particularly exciting about the chilled salad in terms of taste, but I enjoyed the interplay of different textures from beancurd skin, shredded celery, black fungi, sesame seeds and vegetarian fish roe. I felt that there wasn't enough of the sesame oil dressing, which was supposed to make the dish more fragrant.

Sea of Gold Pumpkin Soup (Set Menu)

Taste: 8/10

I believe the last time I had a bowl of shark fin soup was more than 20 years ago, and there's certainly no need to consume the real thing now. Boiled for more than three hours, the thick soup was packed with nutritious pumpkin. Along with ingredients such as carrots, mountain yam cubes and edamame (Japanese green soybeans), the enoki mushrooms made it a good vegetarian substitute.

Smoked Shrooms with Baby Lettuce (Set Menu)

Taste: 8/10

The fourth course came in a covered black claypot. It was such a delight to breathe in the smoky waft when the server took away the lid, which then revealed some crunchy and naturally sweet baby lettuce leaves, as well as minced mushrooms. They were sautéed in teriyaki sauce, which is typically made of soy sauce, mirin (a kind of Japanese sweet rice wine), honey, brown sugar, garlic and ginger.

Red Hot Firecracker (Set Menu)

Taste: 9/10

The crown of the night belonged to the vegetarian take on la zi ji, a Sichuan dish of fiery deep-fried chicken chunks. In fact, it was even better than some of the real ones I've had in recent years. The crispy monkey head mushrooms were so well-coated in spices that they were truly addictive. They certainly didn't hold back on the spiciness level, so I'd give it two thumbs up.

Glass Vermicelli Braised with Truffle Pâté (Set Menu)

Taste: 8.5/10

I love glass vermicelli because of its slick, slightly bouncy texture, and I was glad that the main source of carbohydrate was executed well that evening. Accompanied with eggs, mushrooms and broccolini, the dish was tasty and fragrant. The truffle aroma didn't overwhelm everything else, so it didn't taste one-dimensional.

Chilled Peach Gum with Longan (Set Menu)

Taste: 8.5/10

The classic chilled Chinese dessert was all I needed to wash down the savoury stuff. Being mildly sweet overall, it had a fair amount of peach gum that's rich in collagen and known to confer a range of health benefits. It was made merrier by other ingredients like longans, red dates, lotus seeds and barley. 

Blossom Orange Iced Green Tea (Set Menu)

Taste: 7/10

Containing gut-friendly probiotics, the festive beverage somewhat reminded me of Yakult green tea. When the frothy drink first landed on my palate, I felt that I wouldn't really enjoy it. However, it grew on me as the honey-citrus note became more prominent with every sip. Still, I'd prefer something more refreshing to end the meal.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8/10

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Overall: 7.5/10

Pika's advice: Take note that you have until 15 February 2022 should you wish to try the festive set. Since I mentioned Google Pay's Bao Bao earlier, I just want to say that I'm so lucky this year as I've got it pretty early. Alas, last year I had no luck with BB Loh.

Elemen

1 Kim Seng Promenade

#01-122 Great World

Singapore

(Daily: 11.30am - 4.00pm, 5.30pm - 10.00pm)

*Prices quoted are subject to 10% service charge and 7% GST.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)