Ming Pavilion’s contemporary Fujian menu

Located within the Island Shangri-La, Ming Pavilion puts the spotlight on refined Fujian cuisine, offering a fresh perspective on the region’s delicate, often overlooked flavours. The interiors are polished yet inviting, blending elegant eastern motifs with continental poise.

The new menu is a thoughtful exercise in evolution: rooted in tradition but confident enough to innovate. The Fujian appetisers platter makes a strong opening statement—five intricate bites including drunken Scottish razor clams with Qing Hong rice wine, a hot-and-sour mud crab ‘pie’ layered with lotus root and kaffir lime leaf, and an aged vinegar jellyfish terrine that balances nostalgia with flair.

Seafood is where Ming Pavilion truly sings. The local flower lobster is prepared in three classic styles: red lees sauce, chicken fat and Shaoxing wine, or salted egg yolk cereal, each highlighting a different nuance of the crustacean. The shima aji is pan-seared and served with a punchy yellow capsicum sauce made from Yong’an peppers, whose subtle heat and sweetness enhance the fish’s natural richness.

(Photo: courtesy of Ming Pavilion)

(Photo: courtesy of Ming Pavilion)

A centrepiece of any Minnan banquet, the braised pork hock with shiitake mushroom, dried oyster, shrimp and chestnut is a richly layered dish, blending fatty and lean pork belly with Kinmen dried oysters, shiitake and chestnuts. Slow-cooked to indulgent tenderness, it’s a study in umami and nostalgia. In contrast, the Wagyu beef wontons offer a distinctly modern twist and come served with a secret soy sauce; a reimagining of a Fujian street-side staple is as elegant as it is comforting.

The main courses continue to surprise with their quiet sophistication. The wok-fried rice noodles with carrot, green chive and cabbage, a seemingly simple vegetarian dish, demonstrates the chef’s finesse, with perfectly separated strands imbued with wok hei. To close, the Minnan peach gum and white fungus sweet soup arrives either warm or chilled, a gently restorative finale that honours tradition while accommodating the contemporary palate.