Being fans of Min Jiang’s scorching Sichuan cuisine, we were pleasantly surprised to find richly balanced regionally inspired Lunar New Year specialities at a recent visit. First, the hamachi yu sheng ($108) was such a hit when it was introduced last year, that they brought it back for an encore. The use of seaweed, meslun and rocket greens, crisp taro and sweet potato strips, onions, pomelo, pine nuts and sesame seed adds a fresh crunch to yellowtail sashimi, flying fish roe, prawn roe and jellyfish. To ensure its freshness, it’s only served to dine-in customers.

New a la carte creations (all available for takeaway) include the braised savoy cabbage-wrapped chicken stuffed with shark’s fin ($248) for traditionalists. The deboned chicken is infused with savoury, salty tanginess from authentic Yunnan ham, after braising for four hours in superior stock. The gelatinous broth is almost overrun by the generous portions of discernible shark’s fin. Our tasting also yielded a glittering Golden Fortune Treasures Egg ($198), holding deluxe ingredients such as pork knuckle, abalone, dried scallop, dried oyster and black mushroom inside a two-inch thick salt crust. Hammer till the ‘shell’ gives way to the richly flavoured stew inside, which had been oven-baked for four hours. Time is the real luxury this season, as the 12-hour preparation for the braised US pork belly claypot ($218) demonstrates. To achieve a melting texture for this Jiangsu-style pork belly, the meat is first braised for eight hours, then steamed for another four together with whole abalone, dried oyster and black moss. Yes, you get to keep the claypot should you order it for your home reunion dinner – excellent for scooping up every last savoury mouthful of broth. Speaking of takeaways, you can never stray too far from Goodwood Park’s famous durian desserts – created for the season in the duo of Prosperity Fish ($88). The durian pudding and mango pomelo pudding satisfies young and old alike – a dense, quivery jello rich with actual fruit. From 24 Jan to 17 Feb. Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Road, Tel: 6730 1704

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