MRS LEE'S RECIPES

Culinary instructor and food consultant Shermay Lee is presenting a menu of dishes based on recipes from Mrs Lee's Cookbook at The Clifford Pier until Sept 7.

The late Mrs Lee Chin Koon is her grandmother and the eight dishes selected are from recipes which date back more than 50 years.

My favourite is the Tau You Bak, more commonly known as Kong Ba Bao these days. The pork belly is simmered in a delicious sweet and salty dark soya sauce until it is tender, then eaten sandwiched in a steamed bun.

The Lo Gai Yik - a stew of chicken wing, pork, pig's skin, pig's intestines and beancurd puff cooked with red fermented bean paste - was a little salty when I ate it a few days ago, but hopefully that is fixed now.

I also like the Hainanese Kurobuta Pork Chop, which has an old-fashioned soda biscuit crust.

All the dishes are priced at $23 each.

Where: The Clifford Pier, 80 Collyer Quay, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore MRT: Raffles Place When: Till Sept 7, 11.30am - 10pm daily Price: $23 a dish Tel: 6597-5266

SEASIDE DINNER

The latest place to dine by the sea and under the stars is Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa on Friday nights.

Tables are set up on the beach and diners get to choose a crab dish. There are four flavours: Singapore Chilli Sauce, Black Pepper Sauce, Salted Egg and Steamed With Superior Sauce.

The set dinner, priced at $138 for two people, comes with a whole crab as well as crispy white bait with garlic and pepper, shrimp fried rice, seasonal vegetables and pandan or teh tarik ice cream.

Where: Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa, 101 Siloso Road, Sentosa MRT: HarbourFront When: Every Fri, 6.30 - 9pm Price: $138 for two people, with free flow of beer & house wines Tel: 6371-1966

MORE THAN PASTRIES

Most people think of Antoinette as the place to go for pastries. And it is. Chef Pang Kok Keong is one of the best patissiers in Singapore.

But what many do not realise is that the eatery also has classic and original dishes light enough for Singapore's hot climate.

I especially like the salads. You can order one as a starter, such as the Salade d'Ete or Summer Salad ($16.50), which comprises quinoa with rocket leaves, compressed watermelon, roasted butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, sourdough chips, feta cheese and sherry vinaigrette.

Or get your fill of vegetables as a main course with the Le Grande Jardin d'Antoinette or The Grand Garden Of Antoinette ($30), which has roasted duck breast with pickled pears, poached egg and vegetables in a caramel orange dressing.

Those who like a heavier meal can go for the Entrecote ($36), a Black Angus steak with shallot red wine jus.

But leave room for chef Pang's excellent desserts. His Baked Alaska ($25) is expensive but really pretty, and I like the tart orange confit in it, which makes the dessert less sweet.

Where: Antoinette, 30 Penhas Road; 333A Orchard Road, Mandarin Gallery 02-33/34; 390 Orchard Road, Palais Renaissance B1-08/09/10C MRT: Lavender, Somerset, Orchard Open: 11am - 10pm daily; Penhas outlet opens at 10am on weekends & closes at 11pm on Fri & Sat Tel: 6293-3121, 6836-9527, 6735-6392

FEAST ON SIGNATURES

I've had so many good meals at Park Palace that sometimes it's hard to decide which dishes I want to eat again when I go there. So its eight-course Signatures Feast promotion makes it easy by putting the best dishes on one menu.

Priced at $88 a person for a minimum of eight people, you start off with an Imperial Suckling Pig, with its crackling served as the first course, while the deboned meat returns later baked with lemongrass.

There is also a soothing Double Boiled Sea Whelk & Chicken Soup as well as a simple but tasty Wok Fried Scallops With Asparagus.

The Steamed Thousand Layer Beancurd shows off amazing knifework, with the soft beancurd sliced into thin slices of equal thickness. The beancurd is topped with diced char siew, conpoy, mushroom and ginkgo nuts.

Rounding off the meal is a delicious Braised Vermicelli With Crab Meat And Pumpkin Sauce, while dessert is a crispy piece of Deep Fried Durian.

One dish, however, is a recent addition to the menu. Bi Feng Tang Crab, a popular Hong Kong dish where the crab is tossed with deep-fried garlic, chilli and black beans, is really good. The garlic and black beans are delicious mixed with steamed rice.

Where: Park Palace, Grand Park City Hall, 10 Coleman Street MRT: City Hall When: Till Nov 30 Price: $88 a person (minimum of eight people) Tel: 6432-5543 (reserve one day ahead)