Beijing No. 1- Disappointing coffeeshop presentation style

I've heard a lot about the place, and when my Mum decided to host my Dad's birthday celebrations there, I thought it would be a good time to try it out. To get a private room at Beijing No. 1 at Marina Bay Sands, you need to spend $3000 and above. We spent $1000, so we got a semi-private room with one other table.

My dad, the birthday boy! HE's 65 already, it's quite unreal though - I still think of him as 50.

Beautiful centerpiece that went really well with the rest of the decor.

The menu matched the entire theme and was sturdy in my hands.

If you would like a copy of their menu or simply want to browse before heading down, it is available here.

The lights were gorgeous, and to me, the reflections it throws on the ceiling makes it look like an eye.

The lazy susan was ornate and it definitely made the table look a lot classier.

Decor at Beijing No.1 is impressive, no terracotta warriors but it certainly looked regal and imposing, with little touches that helped secure the imperial feel. How about the food? The food paled in comparison to the decor, I expected more subtle flavours and layers, but unfortunately, two dishes in our selection seems to have used the exact same stock, and for the price we were paying, I expected the flavours to be a bit more varied.According to their site, Beijing No. 1 is conceptualised by Master Chef Liu Guozhu, and helmed by Executive Chef Shi Wei Dong, who has over 40 years of experience in the Chinese culinary world.

Beijing No. 1 has good servers but managers who are not as service orientated - it took the manager quite a while to find my reservation, and in the end, I had to point out my mother's name right on the top. Not a complicated name, just Mrs Goh. In his defence, perhaps they are used to writing the names in Chinese. The menu I asked to look at didn't come, so I had to walk over to the counter and pick up a copy.

Ah yes, the food awaits, and they are in the order that they were served, which to me, was strange as the Longevity noodles came out third, after "Peking Duck" and the soup that was more like sauce.

If you would like to try eating at Beijing No.1, its details are as follows:

LOCATION:THE SHOPPES, ATRIUM 2, L2-03

ACCESS VIA THE SHOPPES BAY LEVEL (L1) LIFTS AT UOB AND GRAND COLONNADE NORTH
OPERATING HOURS
LUNCHDAILY

11:30AM  -  2:30PM
DINNER5:30PM  -  10:30PM
TELEPHONE:

+65 6688 7515

Photos follow, with comments on each dish. Click Read More to check them out.
 

Erm...presentation went to the dogs. Everything presented in a hodgepodge mess that was not quite appetizing. Crab claws were tasty but not picked out of their shells and presented nicely, the fish maw was in LARGE pieces and in the end, we had to get the server to put them into bowls for us. My sister felt the dish was like yellow slime, so I ate her bowl of Stewed Fish Maw with Crab Claw in supreme Chicken Soup - $264. It kind of looks like Campbell's chicken soup but made into a sauce, I've not seen yellow soup emerge from boiling chicken.

I tried to make my own bowl look pretty. The crab meat was sweet, contrasting really well with the salty fish maw, but the soup / stock / sauce was not really that pleasant.

Look at this gooey sauce that is trying to masquerade as soup. How thick a consistency, and it was kind of salty with no levels of taste, so my friend put in the entire plate of chili in an attempt to coax more flavour out of it.

How is this Peking Duck? It didn't even come as a duck to the table to be carved - also, the colour of this duck looks suspect. However, the skin was really paper crisp though the meat tasted like...duck. Peking Duck, their version, is $88 and the portion was rather amazingly large. However, I have no idea if there was one duck or three, as we had 3 takeaway boxes filled with duck after eating the skin and some meat.

Peking Duck is supposed to be as described in Wiki:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_duck
I'm quite sure they forgot the  part where the "duck is glazed with a layer of maltose syrup, and the inside is rinsed once more with water. Having been left to stand for 24 hours, the duck is roasted in an oven until it turns shiny brown".

The noodles were tasty...if you were expecting "Longevity Noodles" to look like this instead of the normal Eefu Mian. The prawns were big and sweet and the soup seems to be infused with its flavour. The noodles were springy and didn't have the taste of flour. This dish would be enjoyable if not for the name and therefore, the expectation that came with it.

Soon hock done was done nicely and the fresh taste of the fish was nicely complemented by the soy sauce and cilantro.

Presentation was awful, it looked like a mass grave for the lobsters.

The prawns were gorgeous, big and not "soda-ed". Tasted fresh and the flesh was firm. Soup was tasty with a strong prawn flavour.

Again, presentation was a mess, with no garnish - I would have expected this in an actual melon.

This sauce tastes like the same "Superior Chicken Soup", except a lot more watered down. Fortunately the crab was meaty and tasty. The melon tasted a little boiled and bland and the "chicken soup" looked like it came from a can. Not tasty at all.

Despite the presentation, the lobsters were fresh, tasty and the garlic in the sauce wasn't overpowering. This is easily my favourite dish the entire night.

Finally, some properly presented dishes right at the end. Cod beautifully baked on top of asparagus shoots with roasted garlic was awesome, and the firm texture of the cod giving way to the knife was a pleasure. It literally melted in my mouth. Finally a dish that looked and tasted good.

Just when I was in despair over the terrible presentation of food and thinking that the Cod was the sole focus of the Chef's attention, the pork ribs rolled out. The pork ribs were soft, succulent and the garlic glaze coated the ribs beautifully. Pineapple sitting on the side of the dish seemed baked and it was a fitting accompaniment to the rib on my plate.

Look at my pork...so tender and slightly pink but perfectly cooked.

The birthday cake from Sweet Spot, Marina Bay Sands was really yummy. Fresh strawberries atop a fresh cream sponge cake with strawberry cream layers fenced in by white chocolate was the perfect end to the evening.

Fresh Mango Puree topped with Pumpkin ice cream was a great end to the meal, though its initial description of the dish was quite scary - Mango and pumpkin paste in sweet soup. I'm just glad the dessert turned out great.

My Verdict of Bejing No. 1? Beautiful decor, pricey food marred by bad presentation, boosted by good quality ingredients at the hands of a cook, not a chef. Oh yes, my friend and I had food poisoning after as well, and we both think it could be the dishes with the yellow sauce. My family members didn't get it, so the only two dishes that both of us ate more of was suspect : Fish maw with crab claws in "Superior Chicken Soup" and Crab and Melon in the same yellow sauce masquerading as soup. I wrote in to tell them about the food poisoning incident, together with the fact that there was little or no presentation involved in my first experience at Bejing No.1 and this is their scary response..."Our management and chefs do not see ourselves as a fine dining restaurant"

Post by Vivien Goh.