From 15 July to 14 Aug, Chef Goh Chee Kong launches the Australian Abalone Delight Promotion at Min Jiang@One North, a Sichuan and Cantonese restaurant, affiliated with Goodwood Park Hotel. You can either order a la carte or a 6-course menu (5 courses of abalone and a dessert, $128 per pax, minimum 2 pax).

Little wonder the crowd was brisk on a Tuesday night at an ulu location (best to make reservations): two abalone dishes blew me away. The double boiled abalone with morel mushrooms in shark’s bone cartilage ($32) was lip-smacking collagen awesome. Huai shan 淮山, or wild yam, a Chinese herb, was added for longevity, beautiful skin, and balancing qi in the body. The abalone itself was plastered with a sweetness, and the taste quickly evolved to a saltiness of the sea. 

The other abalone dish I loved was braised 4-head abalone with millet broth ($48). This dish was complex: sweet with millet grain, in this tasty superior broth, a little pungent with leeks, and salty of sea of abalone. UMAMI!

Besides tasting three abalone dishes, I also had the specialty, wood-fired Beijing Duck (half $45, whole $90), and it seemed like every table in the restaurant ordered it too. There are two ways to wrap the duck: the traditional way (sugar, leek, cucumber, sweet sauce), or the Sichuan style (garlic, Tientsin cabbage, radish). I preferred the latter, slightly more savory than sweet, with just a vague memory of spice. But the homemade crepes were doughy for me, and I’d prefer the wrap to be moister. 

The remaining duck was stir-fried in a “mee pok” in xo sauce. The texture was soft, past al dente, but that was how I liked my Chinese noodles. I’d strongly advise people on a low carb diet NOT to order this. Because once you start, you cannot stop. I tried and failed to resist.

Tip for drivers: valet parking available for $6 (enter from Dover Close East Rd), or park at Star Vista and take a 5-minute walk.

Min Jiang@One North

5 Rochester Park, Singapore  139216
T: 6774 0122
11.30am-2.30pm, 6.30-10.30pm
Rating: 3.75/5 (on food and decor alone)

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.

ps: Thanks for the invite, Noelle and Justina.