Something old, something new

New Majestic
31-37 Bukit Pasoh Rd
Singapore 089845
+65 65114718

It is always tricky balancing the forces of innovation and progress with respect for tradition and heritage. In Singapore, this is much more of a delicate endeavour because of one, our youth as a nation and comparative lack of history and tradition; and two, because of the incredible pace of change we have witnessed in past decades. New favourites replace old stalwarts in the blink of an eye, and it scarcely takes a generation’s time for new paradigms to emerge. In food, this is a sensitive topic – especially in Chinese cuisine where an almost sacred reverence is paid to the tradition dishes, which are to be done “the way they always have been”. I have nothing but admiration for successful Chinese chefs who can preserve a respect for the old methods and dishes, yet infuse their cooking with new techniques and flavours.

The Majestic hotel is but one example of the pace of progress in Singapore, and how quickly institutions or trends run their course and are forced to reinvent themselves. Built in 1928, it had become one of the premier hotels in the country by the time of my parents’ youth, with a top-notch restaurant that produced classic Cantonese cuisine. It was one of my father’s favourites, and my mother informs me that they held my 满月 (manyue) celebration there. Clearly I have no recollection of this, but it was still an interesting bit of information that gave me a personal context of Majestic’s evolution through the years.

In the late 80s the Majestic hotel fell into disrepair (and disrepute), and what was once a bastion of the Singapore culinary scene fell in danger of becoming a footnote of history. Yet Fate works in mysterious ways, and five years ago the exterior was restored and the Majestic given a makeover as an edgy boutique hotel – heralded as “heritage chic”. The restaurant resumed operations with a new chef at the helm, and the kitchen soon became known for reflecting exactly what the hotel itself was – an eclectic mix of old and new.

Upon my return to Singapore the New Majestic – as it was now called – quickly came back onto my radar. This was thanks in no small measure to Winnie, who had the good fortune of eating there on her company’s expense and raved about the traditional (and traditionally very expensive) soups there. Winnie, for all her good qualities, does not have a particularly discerning palate; and so I had to corroborate her recommendation with Victor and Hsuen among other foodie friends. The general consensus seemed to be very positive, and as soon as a fitting occasion presented itself, I seized the opportunity to organise a dinner with some of my oldest friends. Winnie herself could not make it, but Daselin, Hsuen and Victor could – which in itself may have been cause for celebration. It was probably nigh-on impossible – what with everyone’s busy schedules – to find a time that worked for everyone. Four out of five was not bad, I felt.

The New Majestic was certainly very eclectic, and I didn’t know what to make of it all. The façade was distinctly local, and preserved the swagger of what the roaring twenties must have been like in Singapore. But stepping through the pillars, past the glass French doors place you square in the middle of the lobby, which is decorated in a playful, subversive manner. The ceiling is left unfinished, with metal fan hooks and vintage Compton fans hanging from it. The walls are markedly white, free of adornment, with clean lines. Decidedly modern furniture – sleek couches and long, low coffee tables offer some respite from the white space. Spliced in between the couches are retro dentist’s chairs and theatre seats, and it was on one of these seats that I plonked myself on to wait for the rest of my friends.

The restaurant has a rather fuller, more consistent decor. Clean lines, a chartreuse green theme that is rather splendidly paired with a earthy brown – it nonetheless falls prey to one act of mischief. The restaurant is situated directly underneath the hotel pool, and through clear glass panels in the ceiling of the restaurant, you can sometimes catch glimpses of hotel guests enjoying a leisurely swim.

But really – it is the food that we are there for, and who has the time to look up when in the middle of eating?

One of the things that the new Majestic is known for is its extensive wine list, which is certainly thick, and is evidence of lots of forethought. Pairing Chinese food with wine is a very tricky affair, and I did not attempt to even try. Besides, I have always been accustomed to drinking tea at Chinese dinners – and the captain recommended an excellent varietal. Called 黄金桂 (huangjingui), it had a fragrant and flowery foretaste, which gave way to an insistent honeyed mid-taste yet finally finished up on a light, cleansing note and free from dominant flavours. I could have gone on drinking it all night.

There are degustation menus designed to give you a sampling of the restaurant’s signature dishes – and they cover a pretty good range of price points. But we eschew all that to order a la carte, off the menu. This strategy can be hit or miss, I feel. If you are lucky enough to have a good sense of what the restaurant does well – and if of course, you have the help of your restaurant captain – you can fashion a far better meal than those in the set menus, with more varied options, for a lesser price. But more often than not you are not that lucky. You will have some misses - that is inevitable. The trick is to try to limit your misses and not let them outnumber your hits.

The appetisers that we ordered represented a rather lukewarm start. The 烧肉 (shaorou – roasted pork belly), without being outstanding, had the requisite fattiness and was seasoned rather well. The 盐水鸭 (xianshuiya – salted duck breast) was far too salty and was not improved by the dipping sauce that came with it. The star of our initial trio was the 肉菘茄子 (rousongqiezi – eggplant fritters with pork floss). These were slivers of eggplant coated with pork floss, then battered and flash-fried. It had a blend of sweet and savoury, and the texture of the fried batter contrasted perfectly with the moist flesh of the eggplant.

Next came the soups – which we had high expectations of. One of the components of Chinese cuisine that has not been exported well to the rest of the world is the variety of herbal broths and soups. Indeed, these have not even been passed from generation to generation that well, much less introduced to the rest of the world. The most traditional and most nutritious of Chinese soups use a staggering number of herbs and medicinal ingredients, and are simmered for days. Winnie had raved about the double-boiled soups at Majestic, so we tried two of their signatures the 海中宝 (haizhongbao – double boiled seafood soup with abalone and black truffle) and the 花胶鲨鱼骨 (huajiaoshayugu – shark cartilage soup). Sadly, it must have been an off-night for the kitchen as neither one was very impressive. The ingredients in the seafood soup promised a lot, but we must have received a fresh batch because the broth did not seem to be infused even with the flavours of sea cucumber and fish slices, much less retain the nuances of the abalone and black truffle. The shark cartilage soup had good flavour, but proved much too gummy for continued consumption. One or two tablespoons were all that anyone could take of it.

The rest of the night was a blur, as dishes came and left the table, and a flurry of chopsticks clicked and clacked through the conversation. There were some truly excellent dishes, but for the most part the Majestic was adequate without being amazing. The stellar dishes included the house signature 中式烤羊排 (zhongshikaoyangpai – Chinese-style lamb chop), which came drizzled with a sinful red wine reduction and was paired with the 萝卜糕 (luobogao – carrot cake), another house special that was light, crumbly and terrifyingly addictive. The 家乡豆腐 (jiaxiangdoufu – house-made tofu) was also made to moist perfection and seasoned with just enough garlic.

We also ordered roast duck and roast chicken – staple dishes that can be used to judge any self-respecting Cantonese restaurant. For the preparation that we ordered it in – 香吊烧鸡 (xiangdiaoshaoji) – the chicken at Majestic was very, very good. Crispy skin with trace amounts of fat, and juicy, tender meat that almost fell off the bone; it was technically perfect, and wonderfully flavoured. The duck was a shade behind, but also bore the hand of a master chef at work.

This is one of the reasons I admire modern chefs – because they face the shackles of traditional menu formats and dishes. Cantonese restaurants are expected to have certain staples – roast duck, roast pork belly, dumplings, whole fish and so on and so forth). As a chef who wants to fashion his own menu, his own concept – there are certain dishes you are obliged to have on the menu, certain concessions you have to make to the public palate, which is accustomed to particular incarnations of particular dishes. You are then also expected to live up to traditional ideals of that dish; so whatever innovation you make – adding an unusual ingredient or using another cooking method – has to be truly outstanding or it will fail.

One of the innovations at Majestic is also one of their most popular dishes – the wasabi prawns. Just as the name suggests, these turned out to be large prawns deep-fried and coated with a special wasabi mayo. They were quite tasty, and I admired the skill with which the kitchen found the perfect balance of wasabi spice to complement the natural taste of the prawns. Yet it did not blow me away.

Neither did the 饺子鹅片面 (jiaoziepianmian – noodles with goose dumplings), nor the only treatment of fish we had: 鲈鱼扒 (luyupa – filet of sea perch). These were frankly quite ordinary, and fell far short of the standards that the Majestic had set for itself. We finished with the lobster noodles, which was actually very good – but hardly worth what you pay for it. That pushed us over the edge and we did not have any room for dessert, which probably was the best idea for all of us.

The service at the Majestic was impossible to find fault with: everybody was courteous, efficient and completely mindful of our needs. It made me lament the paucity of “career” service staff around Singapore – people for whom hospitality is a calling and not a pit stop. Granted, there are fresh-faced teenagers who can do a great job of restaurant service, but it really takes an old pro to understand how to fashion an unforgettable dining experience.

Dining at the Majestic was absolutely lovely, no doubt in large part due to the excellent company. The restaurant was a unique blend of old and new and the latest effort in tempering innovation with respect for tradition. I was thoroughly impressed by both the kitchen and the front of the house. Yet I couldn’t help but feel that we had engineered a few too many misses in terms of food ordered, for me to really feel blown away. Perhaps next time – armed with a better knowledge of what is good and what not to get – it will be a lot more enjoyable.