There’s a new contemporary Chinese restaurant at Marina Bay Sands — the hotel, that is — and it takes over the unit left behind by Jin Shan Lou. Not quite what you’d expect from an average hotel lobby eatery, Blossom is an elegant experience that gives diners the option of people-watching from their elevated perch or enjoying their meal without much disturbance at one of the private dining rooms and enclosed pods.
Revamping its open space with modern elements that retain a cohesiveness with the lobby decor and next door neighbor Adrift by David Myers, the 188-seater shies away from tacky Chinese designs, instead choosing to focus on dark and warm woods.
Dabbling in flavors from traditional to current day Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Canton, Blossom’s got quite a comprehensive selection that can easily take you from delicate Cantonese dim sum treats to Szechuan dishes that pack a fiery punch. The cuisine is a result of a collaboration between Cantonese culinary maestro Fok Kai Yee, who comes armed with over three decades of experience, and Hong Kong chef Jason Lau, who takes the recipes and puts a creative, stylish spin on them.
The menu may be massive, so prep yourself if you’re the indecisive type, but don’t expect prices to be too wallet-friendly — this is a restaurant in Marina Bay Sands, after all. Appetizers range from $10 for century egg with beancurd to $36 for chilled foie gras, while the assortment of bird’s nest starts from $88 per person.
All your usual Chinese delicacies like braised abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw, double-boiled soups, seafood, and meats make an appearance on the line-up as well. We particularly liked the pan-fried Japanese scallop atop edamame beancurd with made smooth and silky with foie gras ($16.80), and the pan-fried lobster sprinkled with caviar for a hint of salt to add to the crustacean’s freshness ($32).
If you’re swinging by in the afternoon, browse through the range of dim sum for a posh take on these bite-sized babies. The siew mai comes with a luscious, creamy quail egg ($7.80/four), the vegetarian dumpling is drizzled with truffle oil ($5.80/three), and pastries get the intricate treatment with cod fish-stuffed swan puffs ($8.80/three) and minced pork enveloped in a chewy, crispy pear-shaped casing ($5.80/three).
For those with a penchant for spice, the page of Szechuan dishes should pique your interest, with items such as firecracker soft shell crab ($36), spicy poached beef ($40), and hot and sour soup with lobster ($16/person).
Otherwise, Blossom’s signature meats include the organic, 60-day peking duck ($40/half, $80/whole) that’s served with crepes, cucumber, raw sugar cane, hoisin sauce, and raspberries with pomelo; the black angus beef ribs ($78) slathered with New Zealand honey; and the organic chicken ($25/half, $50/whole) that’s smoked with a mix of herbs, spices, chrysanthemum and aged pu er leaves.
If you’ve still got room for more, you’ll find dessert mainstays such as mango pudding ($10), almond cream ($15), and mango purée with pomelo and sago ($10) on the menu, alongside deep fried durian ice cream ($12), double-boiled peach resin with red dates and ginseng ($13), and an avocado purée with tiramisu ice cream ($10) that will end your meal on a rich and sweet note.
FIND IT:
Blossom is at Marina Bay Sands Hotel Lobby Tower 2, 2 Bayfront Ave.
6688-7799. Mon-Fri 11:30am-11pm, Sat-Sun 11am-11pm.
MRT: Bayfront
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