Recent Chinese/Cantonese fine dining experiences have been erratic and inconsistent! Establishments that used to excel now disappoint, with below par cooking and executions. Finding a dependable and trustworthy venue could be a major challenge.
Tonight, with fingers crossed, we picked the supposedly reliable and consistently good ‘ The One Fusion ‘ to entertain our out-of-town guests.
The following elevated, Cantonese ‘ pseudo Haute Cuisine ‘ menu, featuring a few advanced order items, was selected for our party of 7.
These include:
- Double Boiled whole Winter Melon casserole with mixed seafood, meat and
vegetables. ( pre-ordered ) - LIVE whole BC Geoduck Clams prepared two ways (pre-ordered)
Siphon/Trunk Sashimi and Chiu Chow style flavoured rice porridge using the
internal organs and more. - House special, mid-cut tenderloin, BBQ Pork ( Char Siu )
- Whole Rose essence, herbed top soya sauce poached Free Range Chicken
(pre-ordered) - Whole deep fried, crispy LIVE Thai Marble Goby Fish with seasoned soya
sauce dip. - Stirred fry Morning Glory (aka water spinach ) with julienne chili and fermented
bean curd.
Complimentary desserts of Purple sago rice dessert soup, Chinese Almond cookies and Goji berry and Osmanthus jello.
Overall, the meal was a delightful and delectable feast that managed to impress and wow our guests. Professional, friendly and attentive service by our lady server was exemplary.
However, from my side, I did find the highly anticipated ‘Double Boiled Winter Melon Soup’ somewhat underwhelming! Considering the generous amount of exotic and flavourful ingredients used to enhance the flavour profile of the broth ( Shrimp, fresh crab meat, roasted duck, Chinese Ham, fresh and dried scallops, fresh and sundried wild mushrooms….etc ). The end result was a bit lack-lustre, watered-down and bland.
On the other hand, the broth used for the Chiu Chow rice porridge was an incredible taste bomb. The use of sun dried Flounder and pickled mustard greens, coupled with the umami of the Geoduck innards did a wonderful job in creating a memorable dish!
Oh Well! You win some…you lose some!!
