Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞, North Canal Road

{Media Invite} Imperial Steamboat with Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞

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teamboat and Reunion Dinners have always been the most perfect combination and we were glad that Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞 has invited us to taste their Chinese New Year Menu.

Dòu Lāo (豆捞) stems from the term dōu lāo (都捞) which means scooping everything (including Health, Wealth and Fortune) together. This dining concept consists of the finest grade of Chinese Steamboat which uses the freshest ingredients and herbs which helps to promote your physical wellness. The restaurant does not use any processed food, preservatives or chemical additives (like the bubble-removal additive) to ensure that you enjoy your meal at the fullest without causing any harm to your body.

Over at the media tasting, we were honored to meet the restaurant's consultant chef - Master Chef Nian Shu Jian who happens to be the winner for over 2 consecutive of the grand Manchu and Han Royal Imperial Court Feast culinary quest 2007 (known as "满汉全席") by China Central Television (CCTV). Hence we were assured that we not will settle for anything less than what the ancient emperors used to enjoy in their dining experience.

Master Chef Nian Shu Jian explaining to us his dishes in great detail

Master Chef Nian was a very sincere man as he explained his creations with great fervour.

Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞
Location: 
16 North Canal Road
Singapore 048828
Tel: 6532 2777
Wechat / Whatsapp: 9099 1777
Operating Hours:
Lunch: 11:30 - 14:30
Dinner: 17:00 - 22:00
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 The restaurant is housed in a nostalgic shophouse which comprises of 3 storeys and the theme used in their décor differs on each level - the first level has an ocean theme, the second is like a forest / garden and the third is mountain. The overall idea about the interior design is to replicate Chinese paintings of the ocean, forest and mountain in short. The interior can fit a seating capacity of 220 pax inclusive of the private rooms (5 rooms on second floor, 1 room and 1 function room on the third floor) and each table is fitted with personal hot pots complete with its individual temperature control knobs. Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞 strives to bring work, play and dining under one roof and the ambience was pleasant and quiet especially in their VIP rooms. 

30 Pax Function Room with Overhead Projector for lunch meetings / corporate events

Our tasting was hosted at the VIP room at the uppermost level decorated to give us the dining in the clouds feel with a dangling chandelier cascading down from the high ceiling.               All the decorative pieces and furniture were individually sourced from China and forms a collection of modernized retro pieces such as the white gramophone featured in one of their VIP rooms.                     This gramophone allows you to play music from your smartphone (through the USB port), or your own CDs. If you decide to go retro, you may play the black CD and... The song I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to listen on the gramophone would be the classic pieces from 白光 such as the infamous 等着你回来 sung during my grandma's era.          
           Oh dear, I got too carried away by the white gadget that I forgot that I am supposed to review on the food tasting.. *Hehehe*                      Over at Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞 we were served with individual hotpots to maintain the highest hygiene standards whereas the ingredients can be shared among the diners.            

Fu Lin Men's Signature Golden Imperial Broth
Dou Lao Pot layered with skin-boosting collagen, easily digestible vitamins, protein, minerals and antioxidants

          The Fu Lin Men's Signature Golden Imperial Broth is brewed for over 12 hours with fresh red carrot purée, chicken bone marrows, pork shin and thigh with skin and age-dry cured ham (金华花腿). It is also presented with golden flakes on top of the soup.           The soup tasted rich and creamy, not to mention that it is very nourishing.           

Sauce Bar

           As diners there, we get free flow access to their sauces / condiments at the sauce bar.            Maggie Mee, Fruits and pudding are available for grabs there as well :)           Oh yes, they are so considerate to include a few of the mixing recipes for the sauces and condiments in case you are unaware which type of sauces go well with each other.                      

Sauce Recipes displayed at the Sauce Bar

                      I did a sesame paste mixture by following their first recipe -- 养生芝麻酱.           

养生芝麻酱

                      Service-wise is very considerate as we were provided with 肚兜 dù dōu (lingerie worn by women in the ancient times) looking aprons to protect our clothing from getting soiled by the food in the event that we got too engrossed with the eating and mixing of hotpot sauces.                      

We were given "肚兜" looking aprons to wear to prevent dirtying our clothing

TADAAH! HERE COMES OUR FOOD! 

Check out the table full of FOOD!

Will be featuring some of the signature dishes from the Chinese New Year highlights below.

Fortune Chalice (SGD38) 极品海参鲍鱼捞饭
Premium Sea Cucumber, Abalone and Mushroom Rice

 The broth of the Fortune Chalice (SGD38) tasted a little starchy in consistency but the overall taste is still acceptable to my liking. Moreover, who doesn't enjoy having a bowl of fortune in our hands? 

Fortune in YOUR hands

I bet most of you would want a smooth-sailing new year.

Hence the 六六大顺滑丸 (Family Bliss Freshly Handcrafted Dou Lao Meat Balls) would be the most ideal dish for this festive season.

六六大顺滑丸 Family Bliss Freshly Handcrafted Dou Lao Meat Balls (SGD7)
6 Flavours: Prawn Meat Ball with Golden Roe, Beef Meat Ball with Cheese, Squid Meat Ball with Chocolate, Pork Meat Ball with Water Chestnut and black fungus, Seafood-meat ball with golden mushrooms and Squid-meat ball with Spinach

The six meat balls in the platter have different exotic flavours and I distinctively remembered one of them having a sweet chocolaty taste. 

六六大顺滑丸 Family Bliss Freshly Handcrafted Dou Lao Meat Balls (SGD7)

Freshly Cultured Sea Prawns with Marbled Beef (SGD18) 金丝极品肥牛凤尾虾

The Freshly Cultured Sea Prawns with Marbled Beef (SGD18) proved to be a stunner as the visuals in its presentation was so dreamy and divine that we thought we were in heaven for a moment.

Check out the fog it produces at the base!! 

Freshly Cultured Sea Prawns with Marbled Beef (SGD18) 金丝极品肥牛凤尾虾

However this is not the end..

The BEST dish tasted which made me crave for more is none other than their Beer-Marinated Marble Beef (SGD28).

Beer-Marinated Marble Beef (SGD28) 啤酒牛肉

It is recommended for you to soak the beef slices in the glass of beer provided for at least 3 minutes before you toss them into your hotpot to cook. 

Beer-Marinated Marble Beef (SGD28) 啤酒牛肉

When the beef slices were cooked, the taste of beer and its cloying aroma lingered in our mouth and that felt kind of refreshing :)

Fresh Beancurd Pockets with Fresh Seafood Paste (SGD10) 富贵乾坤袋

How interesting it is to have moneybags made of fresh beancurd skin, bamboo shoots and caviar right?

House of Gold Pineapple Glutinous Rice (SGD9) 田园什锦蔬菜拼盘

The House of Gold Pineapple Glutinous Rice (SGD9) can be considered as the Chinese equivalent of the acclaimed Thai Dish - Mango Sticky Rice. The texture of this dish ain't too starchy / sticky and the taste wise is well-balanced with a tinge of sweet and sour taste from the pineapple. I must say that I prefer this dish to the Mango Sticky Rice now!

Cold Black Fungus Salad (SGD6)

For your information, Black Fungus is commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to increase the fluidity of blood and to improve blood circulation. Studies have shown that Black Fungus has properties to inhibit growth of tumours and hence can be good in cancer prevention.

Black Fungus is also a good source of calcium and rich in protein, Vitamins B1, B2 and D. Hence eating Black Fungus has many health benefits, not to mention that it is crunchy in texture.

Bountiful Blessings of Three Treasures (SGD28) 吉祥三宝 (羊肚菌, 松茸菌、猴头)
(Morel, Matsutake and Lion's Mane Mushroom)

Next up, we have the Bountiful Blessings of Three Treasures (SGD28) presented as a Kaleidoscope of vibrant colours and mushroom lovers is going to go crayyy over this dish :)

Wild Bamboo Pith with Fresh Prawn Paste (SGD18) 经典野生竹笋虾滑

Wild Bamboo Pith with Fresh Prawn Paste (SGD18) 经典野生竹笋虾滑

You would have not experienced authentic Chinese dining if you did not have some liquor to go with the food! Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞 serves a vast range of liquors and beers and we were served with a small glass of top-notch Chinese White Wine being poured out from a measuring cup. We were told that the distillation of Chinese Wine was so fine that you will never suffer from a hangover the morning after no matter how drunk you are which I very much agree.

Super Strong Chinese White Wine to go with the food

However, I kind of surrendered after taking the first glass as the taste of liquor was too potent and burning for my throat that I was resisting to reach out for a second serving :D

According to others, this burning sensation would've been reduced if you drink the wine continuously and it will taste smooth afterwards.

I doubt I remained sober after drinking the first glass and I felt like I'm in the mood of singing "China Wine" by Sun Ho -- #PowerOfAlcohol *LOL*



We proceeded to something lighter -- Qing Dao Beer instead to preserve our modesty :p



Special thanks to Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞 and 37 Comms for hosting this tasting.

Behind the Scenes...
#InstagramersAndFlatlays

We had lots of fun being crazy together as a group!

x♥x♥