NOTE: Today’s post will be a guest post since K attended the ChineseBites media even on behalf of me. As part of the ChineseBites media event, all food was free, but all opinions are based on K’s own experience.

Since I have been quite busy these days, K attended the ChineseBites media event at Shiang Garden on behalf of me. Shiang Garden has been around for quite some time, and their decor is quite fancy with chandeliers hanging off the ceiling. We’ve both attended some weddings here and the food has always been quite on par. For the media event, K was able to try a whooping 13 dishes!

Prawns Salad with Papaya

First up was the Prawns Salad with Papaya, which was a very refreshing appetizer. K is not a big fan of papaya, but she actually quite enjoyed this dish. There is mayo on top of the prawns and it is great for the summer weather.

Sauteed Mixed Seafood

Next up was the Sauteed Mixed Seafood, which featured shrimp, scallops and sea cucumber intestines, which tastes sort of like a clam. All seafood were pretty fresh, although the clam was a bit chewy.

Tremella with Chicken & Crab Meat Soup

The Tremella with Chicken & Crab Meat Soup was quite delicious. Tremella is like a opaque jelly fungi and it was cut up into bits in the soup. It definitely gave the soup some texture. Allen, the general manager said that the soup normally doesn’t come with tobiko, but for presentation purposes this night, they did.

Whole Chicken in Abalone Sauce

The Whole Chicken in Abalone Sauce was presented like a piece of art! Looked like a peacock, and it was literally the whole chicken! The chicken was very moist and tender. The abalone sauce paired well with the chicken to give it more flavour.

XO Sauce

Allen also brought over some XO Sauce to try, which he said is homemade. K said this was really good since it wasn’t too spicy. It had bits of dried shrimp and scallop in the sauce.

Diced Beef Tenderloin in Honey & Pepper

The Diced Beef Tenderloin in Honey & Pepper had an awesome presentation. The beef bites were very tender and flavourful.

Specialty Layer Pork

The Specialty Layer Pork was really fatty but not super oily. K said it was one of the better ones she’s had. The meat was also pretty tender, while the fat just melted in your mouth.

The dish came with a side of steamed buns, which were perfect to pair together. Put some of that fatty meat in between your buns, and you get a delicious snack!

The meat to fat proportion was on point.

Lamb Chop with Honey & Pepper

The Lamb Chop with Honey & Pepper were really good. You don’t normally see lamb dishes at Chinese restaurants, so this was quite unexpected. The meat was very tender and wasn’t too gamey.

Whole Tilapia in En-Ping Style

Next up was the Whole Tilapia in En-Ping Style. There is a vermicelli like noodle underneath which is delicious when soaked in the sauce. The fish was also quite fresh and moist.

Lobster in Salted Egg Yolk

K’s favourite dish of the night was the Lobster in Salted Egg Yolk. You usually see this salted egg yolk batter on crab and shrimp dishes, but at Shiang Garden, they’ve done it to the lobster too! The batter is dry so it stays on the meat. The lobster was also very fresh.

BC Dungeness Crab in White Wine Sauce

The BC Dungeness Crab in White Wine Sauce was also a favourite amongst the bloggers. The meat is covered with egg whites to keep the meat very moist. It’s also heavily flavoured with the white wine sauce which is delicious. Again, very fresh crab!

Steamed Spot Prawns in Garlic

Another beautifully presented dish was the Steamed Spot Prawns in Garlic. These were butterflied, but K felt it was a bit unnecessary as it didn’t make it easier to eat. She felt that the spot prawns were just average and the ones she had weren’t very fresh.

Buddha’s Feast Roll with Cabbage

Basically the only real veggie dish of the night was the Buddha’s Feat Roll with Cabbage. These were cabbage rolls filled with enoki mushroom and julienned carrots. K felt that it was a bit hard to chew when it was all rolled up and ended up deconstructing it to eat.

Baked Durian Pastry and Osmanthus Flower Cake Pudding

To finish dinner off, there were two desserts. First was the Baked Durian Pastry, which K loved. The pastry was very flaky and there was an abundant of durian filling. You could tell it was fresh durian since it was very strong in taste and aroma. Great if you’re a durian lover! The second dessert was the Osmanthus Flower Cake Pudding. The jelly was light and refreshing, but quite typical. Nothing too special.

Overall, Shiang Garden executed the food well and their seafood was quite fresh. You can also count on them for presenting nice dishes for special occasions!