Twelve lucky Straits Times subscribers and their partners were treated to a sumptuous eight-course dinner at the Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant in Parkroyal on Beach Road hotel on Wednesday (Nov 29) night.

The dinner - part of the ST+ news with benefits rewards programme - was hosted by The Straits Times food critic Wong Ah Yoke, along with the restaurant's executive director Ms Wee Wei Ling.

Mr Wong, together with Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant's executive chef Zeng Feng, curated the menu that showcased the very best of authentic Sichuan cuisine - with a variety of spicy and non-spicy dishes.

Highlights include double-boiled minced chicken with beancurd and fungus soup; crispy rice bubble with braised sliced pufferfish; stir-fried Kurobuta pork with garlic and chilli sauce; and the must-have mapo tofu (beancurd in spicy minced meat sauce).

It was not just about feasting, diners got to learn about the many facets of Sichuan cuisine and its history. They also picked up plenty of cooking tips from chef Zeng, who demonstrated how to cook mapo tofu.

The same menu served for the event - priced at $88++ a person - is available at Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant at Parkroyal on Beach Road from Dec 1 to Jan 31. To get 20 per cent off the menu, ST subscribers can flash the ST Rewards app.

Marketing strategist Geraldine Sim, 28, who was at the dinner with her aunt, says: "The meal was a great introduction to Sichuan cuisine for me as I always had the perception that the food is always spicy. I enjoyed the Kurobuta pork dish."