Since it opened in 2017, Pagoda has become the restaurant of choice for those seeking traditional Cantonese fare that is presented creatively.
From left: Golden Duck; Steamed spotted grouper; Nian gao.
To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the restaurant's head chef Oscar Pun has created a special menu featuring classic auspicious dishes, with the highlight being the "Golden Duck". It's an impressive take on Peking duck. This version sees a whole bird roasted and then blanketed under a thin layer of edible gold. It seems over the top and you might be wondering if this is even worth its price tage of B2,888. From tasting it, I can say that this is one bird that you can judge by its cover. The stuffing of seasoned rice, abalone and eight other ingredients, believed to bring good fortune, are delicious and the flesh of the duck itself is moist and tender.
All dishes on the Chinese New Year menu are available from the a la carte menu. Begin the meal with Yu sheng, a Cantonese-style salad comprising of raw salmon or cooked abalone, various shredded vegetables and a dressing made from plum sauce, rice vinegar and calamansi. The salad is a communal dish, which also has a ceremonial role. Families gather around the salad and toss up the ingredients using their chopsticks. It is believed that one should toss the salad high to attract more luck. You can choose between a Salmon yu sheng (B1,288) and an Abalone yu sheng (B1,688).
I suggest having the Steamed spotted grouper (B450 per 100g) as the main dish. It is served in a sauce made out of egg white and Chinese wine. While enjoying it, you can also take bites of a scrumptiously baked Sugar bun (B138/three pieces), which is stuffed with barbecued pork, and Steamed prawn and conpoy (dried scallop) rice noodle rolls (B208/six pieces), served with soy sauce.
To round out the meal, choose between crispy Sesame balls filled with custard (B120/three pieces) and Nian gao (B150), a traditional lunar new year cake symbolising growth and prosperity, which is made with glutinous rice flour. Not to be missed is the Chilled mango pudding (B150), which has been elevated in status at this restaurant. The pudding is large, in the shape of a koi fish and brought to the table on a heavy vintage Chinese brass plate, shrouded in a cloud of fog, thanks to the accompanying dry ice.
The Chinese New Year menu will be available until Feb 21, during lunch from 11am-2.30pm and dinner from 5.30-9.30pm.
Pagoda, 4th Floor, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park, Sukhumvit 22 / Call 02-059-5999, visit fb.com/PagodaChineseRestaurant.
