Red Hot Chili Pepper

Shisen Hanten @ Level 35, Orchard Wing, Mandarin Orchard Singapore
333 Orchard Road, Singapore 238867
Phone: 6831 6262/ 6831 6266
E-mail: shisenhanten.orchard@meritushotels.com
http://www.shisenhanten.com.sg

Kudos to the folks of HGW & Mandarin Orchard for including me at the table

This new establishment is helmed by a 3rd Generation Iron Chef, a Grandson of the Father of Szechuan Culinary in all of Japan, and this is their 1st joint outside of the Land of the Rising Sun. Shisen Hanten roosts atop Mandarin Orchard at Level 35, offers diners the view of the shopping belt along Orchard Road.

The chic interior design & décor offers the ambience of a luxurious dining environment, and attention to detail makes it friendly for wheelchair.

The chef & his crew pride themselves in delivering true to the taste Szechuan cuisine and sprinkle some touches of Japanese culinary techniques to up the game for diners.

In case you’re wondering what good chili & spice does? Chili is a rich source of vitamin-C while the acidity may cause burning discomfort in the oral region. Ironically, the body craves for more of the prickly sensation. The spice factor increases heart rate, unlocks the sweat glands, reduces the body temperature and has a doze of detoxifying influence too.

I’d consider it a trip to the sauna without having to disrobe.

前菜拼盤 – Combination of appetizers
(葱油雞 leek oil chicken + 紅油雲白肉 chili oil pork + 蒜泥牛肉 garlic beef)
These three are most well received appetizers by patrons to date, simply because葱油 (leek oil), 紅油 (chili oil) are favored by Singaporeans too.

蒜泥牛肉 (garlic beef) in my opinion ranks high on my to-eat-list, but that’s only because I’m a meatarian, and we thank God for beef.

紅油雲白肉 (chili oil pork) the thin sliced pork belly glistening in chili oil looks feisty, but is actually very gentle on the tongue & lips.

* Don’t frown at fats since it helps to protect your palates from chili burn.

四川酸辣湯 – Szechuan spicy & sour soup
This prelude serves to perk the drowsy, wakes the palates, and warms the stomach for some serious ingestion

蠔油和牛排 – Stir fried AU wagyu beef sirloin & oyster sauce
This isn’t spicy, but I was on the verge of tears simply because of the texture & taste. If you haven’t seen the menu, you would’ve mistaken it for veal

乾燒龍蝦 – Stir fried Lobster with chili sauce
Do not be mistaken that this is a parody of our local signature chili crab. This sweet chili sauce concoction has a longer heritage than our 49yrs of independence. The Boston lobster is freshly sweet & tender, with the chili sauce combined is sheer goodness.
Most will find this pretty manageable, because the halved Lobster dispels the need for any nut-cracking apparatus

水煮魚 – Stewed fish fillet in super-spice Szechuan pepper sauce
This is probably a winner for any fear factor or spice factor challenge. The fish slices were literally bathing in a pot of peppercorn based sour soup, blanketed with dried chili brewed together.

* As long as you steer clear of the chili seeds & peppercorn while consuming, you’re in the safe zone.

辣子雞 – Stir fried chicken with red pepper
Intimidating as it looks, it’s actually quite harmless. The chili is more for decorative purpose, because it didn’t produce the sting I was hoping for when I chewed on it. In my opinion, the pop corn sized chicken makes for a convenient snack

陳麻婆豆腐 – “Chen’s Mapo Doufu” Stir-fried tofu in hot Szechwan pepper-flavored meat sauce served with Hokkaido rice
Not to be missed… This is the real Mapo Doufu! The tangy flavor in every bite, with a mild prickly sensation, mellowed with the slightly starchy texture of the Hokkaido Rice is by my standards, a meal on its own,.

擔擔麺 – Chen’s originial spicy soup noodles
Another signature you should indulge in, the ramen technique in-house handmade noodles, served in the sesame base soup can easily be mistaken for some variant of the spicy ramen. Lo & behold, is yet another dish that boasts of its heritage & history long before the ramen variants came about.

This dish has earned itself a strong following in Japan, and so they’ve made it available for quick fixes. Those who find themselves addicted to this can get your fix from Meidi-ya Supermarket.

拼盤三甜心 – Dessert platter
Chawanmushi technique mango pudding & almond pudding combined with a red bean paste filled wafer. The pudding is not jello, but is truly pudding for you can taste the fibers of the mango, and the powdered almond.

This is a spot you could consider to impress your family, peers & business associates, have a 5 course spice factor lunch or dinner from the top of the shopping belt.

Level 35 over Orchard Road, is really quite a contrast to Level 25 at MBS.