Majestic Restaurant

combination of crispy wasabi prawns on watermelon, peking duck and pan seared foie gras - 9/10

if there's one thing i realized, it's that good chinese food can be fabulous. you know, i used to prefer to not explore the territory of chinese cuisine, simply because i used to foolishly think "how good can chinese food get?" i used to think that chinese food is chinese food. yeah, there's good chinese food and bad chinese, but i never thought chinese food could be artistic, delicious and creative at the same time. however, in more recent times, i think i've changed my mind.

and i think alot of people feel the same way. i've written on this topic more than once, so i shan't continue incessantly. the gist of it is that in eating, i think its really important that you open your mind to different things, and don't take anything at face value or have pre-conceived notions. for example, if you think you don't like to eat a certain food that you hated when you were young, try it again if you get the chance. you never know when your tastebuds change. or maybe you just happened to have something that was prepared horribly in the past, and never ever bothered trying it again. or perhaps you see a combination of foods that look or sound utterly horrible. but you never know until you try it. and go try it with an open mind. perhaps only then will you be able to appreciate the different culinary cultures.

drunken chicken marinated with "shao xin jiu" - 5/10

but enough philosophy. i doubt that descartes would be pleased with my rant on culinary logic. as i was saying, chinese food can be great. and majestic restaurant is just another one place which is on my return list. i first stumbled across this place in my holy wine and dine book. it earned one star to its name, which signifies a decent standard to it. additionally, i did further research online and reviews were mostly positive in general. so i decided to try it.

we went to new majestic hotel in chinatown. it's a small little boutique hotel with just one restaurant there. its a nice, small, chic chinese restaurant. it can get hard to get seats so make sure that you make reservations in advance. they have a several set lunch menus and ala carte items. additionally, they have a little dim sum (just 4-5 items). i ordered some dim sum to start, drunken chicken, the wasabi prawns with peking duck and foie gras, fillet of sea perch, grilled rack of lamb, XO sauce seafood, and japanese hand pulled noodles.

the har kau (prawn dumplings) and siew mai (pork dumplings) came first. both were top-notch. the siew mai was meaty and juicy, and the prawn dumplings were really bursting with flavor. the har kau here was exceptional. big, juicy prawns were used to make these little dumplings. i was really impressed with it.

the drunken chicken was slightly disappointing though. but then again, up to now, no place has beaten ye shanghai's drunken chicken. theirs is truly heavenly.

next came the wasabi prawns with peking duck and foie gras. this one was recommended amongst the reviews and i really wanted to try this. this was really good. the wasabi prawns with nice and slightly crispy, and the wasabi sauce was not to pungent, being mildly sweet and very flavorful. a crispy peking duck skin overlayed the foie gras underneath, and you cut a piece and eat it together. the crispyness of the duck went very well with the creaminess of the foie gras.

grilled rack of lamb in chinese honey with pan-fried carrot cake - 8.5/10

i was served my lamb soon later. i thought it smelled really good. all the sweetness of the honey created a nice aroma, along with the freshly cooked carrot cake. the lamb was tender and tangy, and the carrot cake was really good. soft and really fluffy, it almost feels like you're eating a really soft, savourly marshmellow.

fillet of sea perch, steamed with dried leaf mustards and soya sauce - 8/10

the fish was good too. very fresh, a simply taste of the sea. gives you a really refreshing feel when you eat it. healthy and light, with great texture to it too. good and simple.

wok-fried scallops, prawns, squids and honey bean in xo chilli sauce - 7.5/10

up next, the seafood in xo sauce was sweet and tangy. the xo sauce was very mild in spicy, and coated the fresh seafood all around. it had a pretty nice touch to it. but i wouldn't say that you couldn't find this dish elsewhere. finally out came the wok-fried japanese hand-pulled noodles with seafood. i thought this was quite ordinary. nothing fantistic to mention. they were just simply decent noodles that you have at the end of the meal.

overall, i really like majestic. but as with most restaurants, you're not going to find all winners. its all a matter of trying things out and seeing what you like. in this case, i loved the wasabi prawns, and the lamb was something i thought was quite good too. so i think this place is quite worth the try. just don't forget to keep an open mind though.

31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road
New Majestic Hotel
Tel: 6511 4718