My family and I went on our first staycation at InterContinental Singapore a few weeks ago. Since it was a double celebration weekend for us — Father’s Day and hubby’s birthday — we took the chance to treat ourselves to a sumptuous lunch at Man Fu Yuan just before checking out of the hotel that Sunday.
Cuisine
Man Fu Yuan serves Cantonese cuisine, created by a Hong Kong Master Chef.
Ambience
Man Fu Yuan has a typical Chinese restaurant setting, with rows of round dinner tables set against a luxurious wood decor. With it being Father’s Day when we went there, almost all the tables in the main restaurant area were full.
We were lucky enough to be given a private room to enjoy our lunch that day. Since we had a restless toddler with us, we truly appreciated the staff of the restaurant and hotel taking the time to arrange the room for us.
Food
Man Fu Yuan specialises in authentic Cantonese dishes, using the highest quality ingredients. We were in luck that day because the restaurant had just recently launched its 19th Anniversary menu, especially created by Executive Chef Kwan Yiu Kan.
Dishes under this special menu is priced at $19 each.
Tip: Man Fu Yuan is also popular for their tasty selection of Dim Sum.
I’ll definitely be trying these out next time!
Upon the recommendation of the restaurant, here are some signature dishes from the 19th Anniversary menu that we ordered that day:
Braised four treasure soup with crab meat in Beijing style
The broth was really flavourful, and was presented with fine shreds of crab meat and Chinese mushroom. This received 2 thumbs up from both my hubby and mum-in-law.
Smoked duck with Chinese tea leaf & brown sugar
I’m a big fan of smoked duck, and would usually throw a few slices into my salad. The only gripe I have with smoked duck is the chewy texture of the skin.
Surprisingly, Man Fu Yuan’s Smoked Duck with Chinese Tea Leaf & Brown Sugar is nothing like what I’m used to.
Encased with a layer of crunchy, paper-thin skin, the duck meat was delightfully tender. We were also given a small saucer of plum sauce in which we could dip the duck pieces.
The best part of this dish was that it didn’t have that oily aftertaste.
Deep fried pork ribs with salted egg yolk
We thought this dish was just “ok.” The pork ribs were a bit too oily, and somehow the salted egg yolk flavour didn’t ‘pop out’ with the ribs.
But having said that, I think it would be perfect if this was presented as a prawn dish instead — I can literally taste the juiciness of the prawns complementing the salted egg yolk flavour!
Sauteed diced beef & sliced garlic with black pepper sauce
I’d highly recommend this dish from Man Fu Yuan’s 19th Anniversary menu. The beef slices were so tender that they literally ‘melt’ in your mouth.
I could also taste the garlic in the heavily peppered dish, and the crispy garlic slices added a nice touch to the dish too.
Braised vermicelli with crab & whole garlic
We were already quite full by the time this dish arrived, but that didn’t stop us from scooping up bowls of thin vermicelli noodles and dismantling the crab.
The noodles was extremely smooth and flavourful — and my guess is that it must have been stewed in the crustacean-flavoured stock for many, many hours.
Plum juice
Just as we were about to order our desserts, the waiters came out with a tray of mini ‘shooter glasses’ of some purple concoction and presented a glass in front of each of us. We were told that this was especially created by the chef, and is given out free to all diners at Man Fu Yuan.
The glasses contained plum juice — it had a nice sourish taste which helped to wash away the greasy aftertaste from some of the food we had eaten earlier. According to one of the wait staff, this concoction is known to help with digestion.
Double-boiled Hashima with Longan ($12++)
Although desserts were not part of the 19th Anniversary menu, we just had to try some. This warm, double-boiled longan dish came with teeny bits of Hashima.
In case you’re wondering that Hashima is, apparently it’s a Chinese dessert ingredient that’s made from the dried fatty tissue found near the fallopian tubes of frogs!
What’s even more interesting is that Hashima boasts of health benefits such as improved skin complexion, as well as improved lung and kidney function.
Taro with almond cream ($8++)
This is another of my all-time favourites. The classic Taro paste (also known as ‘Orh-nee’) is bathed in almond cream, which surprisingly tastes quite good.
Chilled mango pudding with mango puree and pomelo sago ($8++)
The mango pudding is one of the popular desserts at Man Fu Yuan. It’s very refreshing with just a tinge of sweetness. Definitely a must-try if you’re a big fan of mangoes!
Some of the popular dishes from Man Fu Yuan’s 19th Anniversary menu.
Note: There are 2 menus of 19 signature dishes for you to choose from to celebrate Man Fu Yuan’s 19th Anniversary. Available only in July 2014, each dish is priced at $19++ per portion.
Service
Service at Man Fu Yuan was excellent!
The wait staff serving us were very attentive, and would come in to check on our ‘progress’ with the food, refill our tea cups and change our plates so we always had clean ones to eat from. They also gave us some pretty good recommendations on what to order.
Is it child-friendly?
We saw a few families with kids at the restaurant that afternoon. High chairs for the little ones are provided upon request, and these look quite sturdy and spacious compared to the normal plastic ones that you’d find in most restaurants and cafés.
While they do not have a kids’ menu, there are a few items on the menu that are suitable for kids (e.g. congee, noodles).
Helpful info
Where’s the restaurant?
Man Fu Yuan is located on Level 2 of InterContinental Singapore. So just take the lift up and look out for the wooden front counter.
Is reservation required?
It is best to make a reservation beforehand, as the restaurant can get pretty packed, especially during weekends.
Can I request for a private room?
There are a total of 4 private rooms at Man Fu Yuan, so this is subject to availability. There are no extra charges for booking a private room, provided you hit the following on your dining bill:
- Lunch – A minimum spend of $78
- Dinner – A minimum spend of $98
Opening hours
Lunch: 11.45am to 3.30pm
Dinner: 6.30pm to 10.30pm
For reservations and more information, you can call (+65) 6825 1008 or email intercontinental.dining@ihg.com.