5 on 25 is a delightful find. Located at level 25 of Andaz Hotel, 5 on 25 offers refined Cantonese cuisine in a modern upscale setting. It may not sound like a typical Chinese restaurant, but it definitely exudes oriental vibes once you walk into it. There are intimate booth seats or round tables – depending on which you prefer. We love how there is lots of natural light during the day.
To usher in the new year, Andaz’s yusheng is plated into a beautiful dragon – with lots of colourful fresh vegetables, mandarin oranges, peanuts and candied nuts. The highlight would be sustainable new king salmon and king scallops from New Zealand and Australia respectively.After the yusheng, we were served with the dim sum platter, which comprises a wagyu egg tart, taro fritter with mushrooms and a mushroom bamboo shoot dumpling. Start with the mushroom dumpling first – thin crystal skin encases bailing mushroom, wood ear fungus and bamboo shoot. Lightest flavours of the trio. Move on to the Taro Fritter, crisp exterior with taro cubes mixed with mushrooms (from yunnan). The wagyu egg tart is the most interesting, with wagyu beef in a sweet-savoury brown sauce encased in a cheesy egg tart. Have this while it is still warm. The serving size is just right so it does not get jelat.The third course is a double-boiled bird’s nest. As you can see, there is a generous serving of bird’s nest – thick clumps resembling tightly woven threads. Paired with kampong chicken and the nourishing soup, this was definitely a treat!After this was the 5 on 25 Pen Cai: scallops, abalone, king prawns, roast pork, cabbage braised in brown sauce. I love fish and one of my favourite ways to have it prepared is to have it steamed because the natural flavours would be most apparent and it is easy to tell whether the fish is fresh. In 5 on 25’s set menu, we have the steamed turbot fillet – its shape is flatter but retains a firm texture. The lean, white flesh of turbot also makes it a versatile base to work with.To round up the savouries, 5 on 25 features this crispy egg noodles with half Maine lobster tail (yes, in celebration of the dragon year!), golden chives and crispy garlic. Soak the crispy egg noodles in the gravy for a longer time if you prefer having softer noodles – otherwise have it quickly once it is served so the noodles still retain a crispy texture. Our meal ended on a high because of the dessert options! Instead of having only one option for dessert, 5 on 25 Dessert Bar allows diners to choose from a range of desserts. Featured above is the mango cream – something cold and refreshing and one for the younger crowd. Otherwise, the osmanthus & wolf berry fish jelly not only is aesthetically appealing, but the subtle floral fragrance from the osmanthus flowers made us want to have more than one. There are modern options like this sesame pudding and Grand Cru Chocolate Pop with Wu Liang Ye (get this!) or traditional options like nian gao, red bean soup with mandarin peel and cashew nut cookies.
