Food Picks: Slithery yusheng at Summer Pavilion
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Summer Pavilion's Prickly Sea Cucumber Yu Sheng for the Year of the Snake.
PHOTO: SUMMER PAVILION
Take a Chinese zodiac animal and, chances are, a Chinese restaurant chef will be able to “yusheng” it. Which is to say, create a Chinese New Year salad out of it.
For the Year of the Snake, there are “snakes” fashioned out of shredded carrot and daikon, thin slices of pineapple, thin strips of zucchini and slices of raw fish.
One-Michelin-starred Summer Pavilion has gone one-up, using Japanese sea cucumbers, which look like snakes, in its Prickly Sea Cucumber Yu Sheng ($238 for small, good for four). The sea cucumbers are marinated in vinegar, garlic and sugar, then cooked sous vide. The resulting texture is delightfully springy. Crunch comes from the vegetables and a large sago cracker coloured with blue curacao liqueur to evoke the sea.
The light tang in the sea cucumber and the perky dressing make the yusheng an appetising start to what will inevitably be a rich meal.
Where: Summer Pavilion, Level 3 The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, 7 Raffles Avenue summerpavilion.com.sg
MRT: Promenade
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm daily
Tel: 6434-5286
Info: Chinese New Year menu available until Feb 12. Go to
