8 weeks of Lei Garden Specialties

I was told about the special culinary feast “8 weeks of Lei Garden Specialties”. And so, I visited Lei Garden Restaurant at Chijmes again, 3 months later. The management is having this food event to thank the customers for their support following the re-opening of its two restaurants. I wish all restaurants will do this so that customers get not only good value for money but also variety. It is an annual tradition at Lei Garden to offer the best quality of seasonal delicacies with exemplary culinary flair spanning eight weeks from 12 April to 5 June 2010. Four different menus were created and each menu will be served for one week and the menu will repeat itself on the fifth week.

For starters my lunch companion and I had the Lei Gardens favorites - Steamed Preserved Vegetable with Wild Mushroom, Deep Fried Fresh Crab Meat Roll with White Wine Sauce and the Barbecued Roasted Crispy Pork. But as I was enjoying these starters to the crumb, my mind was restless, wondering if I should or should not………try crocodile and turtle. Eventually, guess what? The Double Boiled Turtle Soup with Figwort Root and Yun Zhi was served at the table!! In the menu it said “$42++ for 2 pax”. I was expecting to see a half turned turtle or the soup to be served in a turtle shell; but jokes aside, I was impressed by the soup. It was a clear rich broth that had the essence of the figwort and the yun zhi, a kind of mushroom. We were told that the turtle imported from Indonesia was about 60 kg. Apparently, the best way to enjoy the goodness of the turtle meat is to make it into a soup. The Chinese believed in the benefits of turtle meat, especially in the rear soft-shell of the carapace which is a dense collection of collagen. The soup is boiled for hours. Along with the bowl of soup, we were served a plate of neatly cut up cooked turtle meat and shell. Ms. Angie Chew, a long time staff of Lei Garden said, drinking turtle soup regularly strengthens the body's immune system and helps to prevent cancer, reduce phlegm, treat pulmonary infections, to strengthen the tendons and bones, for vital energy, and to support liver health.

The Pan Fried Hokkaido Wagyu Beef in Home Made Sauce which is sold at $78++ per piece - definitely had an unforgettable, velvety-smooth and aromatically delightful taste. Those who have yet to savor the delectable experience may not understand the fuss around Wagyu beef, and the reason for its notoriously expensive price tag. It was grilled just about right and there was a very light hint of sauce so that we can enjoy the taste of the juiciness and depth of flavor. For your information, the waitress cooks it at the table just before serving.

The Braised Indonesian Deluxe Sea Cucumber Stuffed with Minced Meat was done a bit differently at Lei Garden. The sea cucumbers have been cleaned and processed very well so that it did not have the ‘fishy’ smell and then stuffed with minced meat, water chestnuts and finely chopped mushrooms. The rather bland tasting sea cucumber has the ability to absorb and accentuate the flavors of the ingredients in which it is cooked with or stuffed. The feeling of succulent jelly-like texture of sea cucumber infused with the flavorful stock and delightfully tasty meaty stuffing in your mouth is a must try for sea cucumber gourmet. The Chinese believe that sea cucumber is a general tonic and aphrodisiac and very rich in iron and contains minerals like calcium, magnesium and zinc. Therefore, sea cucumber has been known to help ease arthritis pain and relief joints discomfort.

I was nervous for the first time in my life, just before tasting the next dish - Braised Crocodile Limb with Bamboo Pith and Mushroom in Traditional Style. When I heard that people do eat crocodile meat (when I was young) I was curious as to how they will look like – I felt like crocodile meat eaters will be heartless, snappy and ugly. Furthermore, those days only “underground” eateries owned by secret society members used to sell crocodile meat that was brought in illegally. Because of all these I have never carried a crocodile skin handbag. Therefore when I was sitting there looking at the platter of cooked crocodile meat, I was a bit jittery. Angie told me that only the front limbs of the crocodile were used as it is believed to be one of the more tender parts. And therefore I ate my first morsel of crocodile meat at Lei Gardens at Chijmes!! It was braised slowly with bamboo pith until tender. The succulent meat had a turkey-like texture, was white and chewy but tender. I was told that the crocodile’s robust immune system can help cure man’s asthma and skin allergies and crocodile meat is high in protein and low in fat.

It was a refreshing change when I had to go back to eating normal stuff like the Pan Fried Mantis Shrimp Steak. The Mantis prawn from Sabah tastes more like lobster than prawns and the flesh is tender and sweet. The meat was chopped along with other ingredients and pan fried into a flat thick cake and therefore it was called ‘steak. It tasted like a prawn cracker and was served with a strawberry dressing.

Dessert for that day was Double Boiled Snow Lotus Seed served in Coconut.  The coconut water was flavorful, probably a Thai pandan young coconut and was very sweet. It had snow lotus seeds jelly in it. Snow lotus helps relieve cold and impotence. Young coconut makes good sports drink as it contains lots of electrolytes, potassium and other minerals. The Soft Pastry with Strawberry Paste was made with fresh strawberries and one can have more than one in a sitting – it was that nice.

Well, if you do care for your health, if you are adventurous and if you care to take this opportunity to savor the best of Lei Gardens, do visit the restaurant as soon as possible.

 
Lei Garden Restaurant
#01-24 CHIJMES
30 Victoria Street
Singapore 197996
 
Tel:  63393822