Cantonese cuisine has always had a strong connection to comfort. At its best, it is food that feels familiar – whether through a carefully simmered broth, the fragrance of aged ingredients, or the satisfying contrast of crisp pastry and tender fillings.
At Pan Pacific Singapore’s Hai Tien Lo, Executive Chinese Chef Edden Yap builds on that sense of familiarity with a refreshed selection of Set, À La Carte, and Dim Sum menus that pair time-honoured Cantonese techniques with seasonal ingredients and contemporary touches.
Central to the refresh is the Hai Tien Lo Chef’s Signature Menu, a plentiful eight-course journey conceived around nostalgia, comfort, and the feeling of returning to a table of lovingly prepared dishes. More than a succession of dishes, the menu is designed with progression in mind. It begins with a trio of moreish appetisers before leading into a double-boiled chicken soup with Yunnan wild yellow mushroom, fish maw, abalone, sea whelk, and dried scallop.
The same consideration of flavour carries through the subsequent courses. Steamed sea perch is paired with aged tangerine peel and preserved radish, creating a balance of citrus, sweetness, and umami.
The meal then becomes progressively richer with wok-fried Australian lobster in creamy white pepper sauce, a flavour that will be instantly familiar to Singaporean diners, before moving towards the lighter, savoury finish of stewed Inaniwa udon with sea cucumber, minced pork, and preserved vegetables.
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That interplay between ingredients from different places is also evident across the wider menu. Water bamboo shoots, prized in China for their delicate sweetness and crisp texture, bring a distinct seasonal character to the table.
Meanwhile, familiar local flavours like white pepper and chicken floss give classic Cantonese preparations a distinctly Singaporean perspective.
Craftsmanship comes through just as clearly in the À La Carte and Dim Sum selections. The Crispy Roasted Chicken focuses on the contrast between succulent meat and thin, golden skin, with a prawn cracker adding another layer of savoury crunch.
Meanwhile, the deep-fried taro puff combines roast duck, fresh mushrooms, black fungus, and ginger for a play of textures, while the Deep-fried Spring Onion Puff gives a familiar Cantonese pastry a local touch with chicken floss.
Together, the refreshed menus reflect a style of Cantonese cooking that respects where it comes from without being confined by tradition.
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