SE k750i - mushroom hotpotI love mushrooms. I don't just love them because they make Mario big and strong (you'll have to know your video games to get this one =) ) but also because I like the taste of mushrooms. My favourite varieties of mushrooms are the Shitake mushrooms, the Monkeyhead Mushrooms (especially the ones preped with Wasabi sauce the way they do it at Jiang Nan Chun at the Four Seasons Hotel) and dried black Chinese mushrooms.
My first taste of a Mushroom Hotpot meal was actually in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. It was during my trip to Jiuzhaigou earlier this year and it was one of the optional things that was offered and accepted by the tour group. This meal was also my favourite meal during my trip to Sichuan. I think in the end, if you want good food in China, you really must be willing to pay more because the standard of their regular fare is simply sub-par. And oh yes, I do know that I was ridiculously behind in putting up my entries on Guizhou, Sichuan and Vietnam. =P
So when my mum suggested going to Mushroom Park in Serangoon Gardens, I was more than willing to go. So last night we went to Mushroom Park and I must say it was quite delicious.
At Mushroom Park, each person must select a set which includes a variety of mushrooms, two types of meat, an assortment of leafy vegetables, rice or mantous, a desert, an appetizer and rose tea. The rose buds in the rose tea that they serve is of a high quality and the tea is light and fragrant and is, in my opinion, a good tea to go with a mushroom meal in light broth.
When the pot of soup is first brought over and placed on the small stove in the middle of the table, the waitress will first pour each person a half bowl of soup to let you taste the goodness and purity of the stock first. The stock is sweet and full of flavour without being overwhelming and no MSG is used. After that, the waitress will introduce each variety of mushroom before scooping it into the pot to let it cook for seven minutes. At small time, a small appetizer made up of cold succulent mushrooms served with a dipping sauce made of wasabi and soy sauce is provided to keep you somewhat occupied while waiting for the mushrooms to cook.
SE k750i - mushroom riceAfter the little timer announces that the seven minutes are up, the waitress will bring by their special mushroom steam rice to go with your mushroom hotpot. Now this rice is really awesome. I don't normally eat that much rice but I asked and we paid for a second bowl for my dad and I. Now I don't know what kind of rice they used but I believe it's a variety of brown rice mixed with mushrooms and steamed till each grain is plumb and fluffy... perfection.
The kinds of mushrooms one gets depends on how expensive your set is and their more expensive sets boast of many varieties that I've either not tasted before, seen before or heard about before. Some were light brown, others darker brown and one variety was even red. They all tasted different. Some of them have a rather earthy taste and others have a natural sweetness. All of them were very tasty.
At the end of the meal, you've got a choice of green tea jelly or milk pudding and I thoroughly recommend the green tea jelly, especially if you like green tea. This one taste home-made and the flavour of green tea is strong and fragrant. It's not one of those too sweet, green tea syruup flavoured things. This green tea jelly is the real deal.
If you guys like mushrooms as much as I do and if you don't mind spending a bit of money on good food, I say check out this restaurant in Serangoon Gardens. It's near the Standard Chartered Bank and if you have been to Tip Top Restaurant when they were still around, then you should have no trouble finding Mushroom Park because it is located in the very unit vacated by Tip Top Restaurant.
enjoy =)
