Cassia is a tree that is related to Cinnamon and from which the
spice, cassiabark, is derived from. It also happens to be the name
of the newly opened Chinese restaurant at Capella Singapore, which
offers traditional Chinese cuisine blended with haute Cantonese
techniques. In short, modern Chinese cuisine. The place is helmed
by Executive Chef Ooi Soon Lock, who had stints in HK, Malaysia and
Ritz Carlton Singapore.
Located at the upmarket Capella Hotel at Sentosa (where rooms start
at $650/night), Cassia sits on the 3rd story of this stunning
colonial style hotel complete with a sprawling driveway. The
restaurant in itself is another work of art, with its lime stone
lined entrance and intricately cut black lamp shades that provide a
nice warm glow to the place. Seats are comfortable with plush
cushions and the cutlery reads Narumi and Christofle - really
expensive stuff.
Amuse Bouche - Served chilled, the amuse bouche of dragonfruit,
pork belly and mango was quite a novel way to start off. The pork
was surprisingly firm with a mild hint of barbecue sauce but the
fruits didn't quite feature in the overall taste.
Steamed Milk Custard Bun with Salted Egg Yolk - The custard bun
didn't come in the customary bun shape but in a oblong dumpling
shape. It was evidently hand made from the nips in the skin. The
custard filling was smooth with traces of egg yolk sediment but
reminded me uncomfortably of kaya(coconut jam). There was an
overload of flour as well.
Deep Fried Spring Roll with Prawn, Garlic and Mozzarella Cheese - I
thought this dish was quite decent, with the spring rolls crisp
without coming across as too oily. The prawns were crunchy but I
couldn't quite make out the taste of cheese though. Nice as a
finger food.
Pan Fried Bean Curd Skin Rolls with Chicken and French Foie Gras -
Foie gras is the key here but sadly, I couldn't quite make out any
in the rolls. The beancurd skin was limp and not the least bit
crisp but at least the prawns were evident and crunchy. Now where's
my foie gras?
Wok Fried Carrot Cake with Crisp Garlic in Pi Fong Tang Style -
Honestly, I have no idea what constitutes Pi Fong Tang Style but I
do know this. The carrot cake was too soft and mashy. And honestly,
it could really do with a little more flavour. On the upside, it
wasn't excessively oily and deep fried garlic is always nice,
albeit irritating as it tends to stick to your teeth when
chewing.
Steamed Barbecued US Berkshire Pork Buns - I must admit that I
enjoyed the pork buns aka char siew bao. The char siew filling
wasn't cloyingly sweet and the meat pieces were plump and juicy.
The skin was soft and moist too, just that there was a little too
much flour.
Crispy Prawn Dumplings with Wasabi Mayo - Comfort food to say the
very least, the crispy prawn dumplings weren't out of the ordinary
but competent enough to warrant a decent grade. The wanton skin was
crackling crispy and the prawn huge and sweet. It was served on a
cucumber spread with a thick layer of wasabi mayo that didn't
threaten to overwhelm.
Steamed Crystal Shrimp Dumplings with Bamboo Shoot and Celery - The
quintessential dim sum dish - har gao. The skin was thin and
slightly elastic while the whole prawn was fresh and crunchy. The
addition of bamboo shoots and celery gave it an extra crunch but
thats about it.
Deep Fried Thai Papaya Puff - This is actually quite interesting
stuff and I must admit that its the first time I'm having something
like that. The pastry was flaky and inside was mashed papaya that
came across as mildly sweet. Would probably be more suitable as a
dessert in my humble opinion.
Pan Fried Australian Minced Wagyu Beef Bun with Truffle and Water
Chestnut - I have mentioned this countless times and I shall say
this again. Mincing wagyu beef is a blatant and shameful waste of
good beef. And this was no exception. The bun was speckled with
sesame seeds and then pan fried till the seeds turned golden brown.
There was no inherent beefy taste and in its place, a strong taste
of spring onion. The water chestnut gave it a nice crunchy texture
though. In case you are questioning where the truffle went to, I
have that same question in mind.
Steamed Sui Mai Dumplings, topped with Norwegian Salmon Roe - The
filling in the siew mai was probably part pork, part prawn paste,
hence the noticeable absence of the porky taste. However, the
salmon roe proved to be a little too fishy for me and this dish in
general. I wonder if the roe could have been better utilised?
Baked Farm Egg Tart - I thought that the egg tarts were quite
decent, albeit rather smallish in size. The crust wasn't too flaky
and had a oat aftertaste (oat flour?) while the custard was quivery
and not too sweet. Nice, but not that nice.
An uninspiring and partially filling dim sum session set the 3 of
us back by about $72, which isn't alot of money. Food hovers around
average to slightly above average but with the quality and
quantity, I'll be hard pressed to find a reason to return. Maybe
only for the ambience and exclusivity? And even if I do, I'll
probably just stick to the dim sum. I mean, with prices like
$12/pax for tea or $5/bowl of rice, one would be either have to be
obnoxiously rich or simply deranged to actually do dinner.
See all my pictures here.