Wo Peng Cuisine @ Furama Hotel, Singapore

Helmed by Platinum award-winning Hong Kong chef, Julian Tam, Wo Peng Cuisine aims to deliver authentic flavours of Cantonese cuisine in Singapore. Moreover, Chef Julian Tam is the pioneer of introducing traditional poon choy as a festival new year delicacy. Wo Peng opened its doors in Furama Hotel in the year 2010, albeit slightly run-down, the place reminded me of the typical Chinese restaurants (such as Red Star), with dull carpets and tinted lights. But.. it's usually these places that serve the most authentic food.

Having said that Chef Julian is the pioneer, I raised my expectations for his poon choy (盆菜) unconsciously and was not disappointed at all. Wo Peng's version was braised way ahead of time, hence the explosion of natural flavours from expensive ingredients such as scallops, whole abalones, sea cucumbers, fish maw and pork. The gravy had a perfect consistency and as expected, packed full with flavours.

Since it's the arrival of the Lunar New Year, why not have a Lo Hei (捞起; prosperity toss) together with your friends and family? Due to the raw fish scare recently, they have substituted their salmon with a gelatinous version. At Wo Peng, they also included crispy fish skin for additional texture and flavour. Oh yum. If you're still not sure what to say during lohei, refer to my What to Say When You Lo Hei post.

The Steamed Wild Cod Fish Fillet with superior soya sauce in HK style was slightly disappointing, because it was a tad overcooked (my mum still makes the best cod fish). The deep-fried cod fish head, however, was pretty scrumptious. Zero waste of fish.

This baby looks simple and nothing fancy, but I can tell you that this is my favourite dish of the night. Sauteed "Peach Resin" with Egg White and Green Vegetables has a great combination of sweet and savoury, while possessing a mix of luscious and crunchy textures. Limbeh highly recommend this.

To end off the dinner, we had Glutinous Rice with assorted chinese sausages, as well as Steamed Running Yolk Cream Buns (better known as liu sha bao). I don't know why it is "running", instead of "runny". Eh, but well, both are pretty satisfying, especially the latter. These yellow babies are burst full of salted egg yolk filling, and when I said "burst full", I am not joking. Just check out the fillings:

All in all, Wo Peng is a nice place to head to for authentic Cantonese cuisine, while chatting and drinking tea (they have lavatories there so no worries). They are also open during Chinese New Year for your dining pleasure. I would like to express my thanks to Wo Peng, as well as Hazel for organising this food-tasting event. It was a great night dining with like-minded individuals, while connecting with both old and new friends.

Wo Peng Cuisine

Tel: 6533 2282 / 6534 2282

60 Eu Tong Sen Street

Furama Hotel

#03-01/02

Singapore 059804