April 5, 2009
Imperial takes off
Imperial Treasure's new Terminal 3 outlet is a royal find at the airport
By Wong Ah Yoke
Recently, I have heard many stories about dwindling businesses because of the recession. So it was a particularly pleasant surprise to find diners queueing for tables at the Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine restaurant in Changi Airport's Terminal 3 two Saturdays ago.
The restaurant, located on the lobby level of the Crowne Plaza hotel adjoining the terminal, is not cheap, either. The menu offers both high-end as well as family-friendly fare but even without ordering shark's fin and abalone dishes, you can easily spend $50 per person on a meal.
So the families who turned up in their weekend casuals accompanied by their grannies and babies probably came because the food was good.
Most people may know of the Imperial Treasure outlet in Great World City but the T3 branch is still relatively unknown despite having opened for almost seven months.
But while the airport may be too far for those living in, say, the West Coast, it is actually surprisingly easy to get to for many people. The Crowne Plaza is located very close to the airport's MRT station. And if you drive, the expressways are a breeze outside the office- hour squeeze, and parking is plentiful at the airport.
The hotel has a soothing mood with its spa-like ambient lighting and the restaurant's entrance takes its cue from that. It also has an interesting exterior of vertical wooden slats that allows you to peek into the dining room.
The service is good and the open layout of the room means that you can attract the attention of the staff easily.
But the star attraction is the food. If you have dined at the other Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine branch, you would know to expect some very good cooking.
Indeed, it did not disappoint during my two visits there for dinner. I was back again last week, on a week day this time, when the restaurant was about three-quarters full.
The roasted crispy chicken ($16 for half), a favourite of mine at the Great World City outlet, was just as good here. The skin was crisp, the meat juicy and so tasty that it seemed a shame to adulterate the flavour with the spicy salt dip that accompanied the dish.
I had roasted goose ($20 for small) as well and it was pretty good, though not as aromatic as those in Hong Kong.
The frogs here were excellent, their meat smooth and tender - unlike the tough specimens I usually encounter these days.
For variety, I ordered them prepared in two ways ($20): the legs were deep-fried with salt and pepper while the bodies were sauteed with preserved olive and dried shallot.
The meaty legs came enveloped in light and crispy batter, but the chef could have been a bit bolder with the salt and pepper.
The sauteed frogs were faultless, though. The meat came off the bone easily, and the flavour of the olives was intoxicating.
Another dish to try is the sauteed scallop with Italian white truffle oil ($28). It is based on a common dish in upmarket Cantonese restaurants where the scallops are fried over low heat with egg white till both are just cooked.
Here, the addition of a few drops of white truffle oil gave it a new dimension as the characteristic aroma of the oil assailed me with each bite. Yet I could still savour the sweetness of the plump scallops and totally enjoyed the smoothness of the lightly IMPERIAL seasoned egg white.
There was one dish that failed to excite me. The braised thick noodle with mushroom and preserved vegetable ($14) came with strong recommendations from the waitress, who stressed that the 'mee pok' was from Hong Kong.
It might have worked with a stronger sauce, but the mushroom and vegetables were too bland and failed to cover the strong alkaline flavour of the noodles.
The fried hor fun in Penang style ($18), which I ordered during my second visit, was much better. No doubt inspired by Penang char kway teow - as the hor fun was fried with prawns, Chinese sausage, chives and beansprouts - it had a unique flavour because of the flat rice noodles used.
IMPERIAL TREASURE CANTONESE CUISINE
75 Airport Boulevard, 01-02 Crowne Plaza Changi Airport T3, tel: 6822-8228
Open: 11.30am to 3pm (Mondays to Fridays), 10.30am to 3pm (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays), 6 to 11pm daily
Food: ****
Service: *** 1/2
Ambience: ***
Price: Budget from $50 a person. More for dishes such as shark's fin and abalone
MUST TRY
Sauteed scallop with Italian white truffle oil ($28)
A classic Cantonese dish made unique by being given a Western touch. An example of fusion cuisine that works.
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