Lim Chee Guan Bak Kwa's Grand Opening @ Ion Orchard

I was fortunate to have been invited by Lim Chee Guan to their Grand Opening Reception at Ion Orchard. Finally, there's an outlet in the heart of Orchard Road, which is far more accessible than the existing outlets in Chinatown. I hope this also means that the queues will be more bearable during Chinese New Year season. The reception was interesting as there were samples of various culinary creations made using Bak Kwa (Chinese-Style Barbecued Pork Jerky) in addition to tea and wine pairing.

Though I am not crazy about smoked salmon, I liked this creation of Smoked Salmon with Bak Kwa XO Sauce very much. The salmon had a pleasantly oaky flavour and was not too salty. The rich flavour of the XO Sauce had a slight hint of sweetness and the bits of Bak Kwa in the sauce were not excessively tough.

Chef Robin from Marmalade Pantry explained to us that he had smoked the salmon with the use of a "smoking gun". Here he is firing up the gadget for his next batch.

At first glance, I thought this was Bak Kwa & Chinese Mushroom Risotto but Chef Robin explained that it was actually Steamed Rice with Bak Kwa Bits and Slices of Chinese Mushroom added to the pot in the middle of the cooking process. The rice had absorbed the flavours of the Bak Kwa and Chinese Mushroom, resulting in what seems like an easy peasy version of Chinese Claypot Rice (sans dark sauce).

The Crepes were a tad dry and rubbery, I guess because frozen crepes had been used in the preparation of this dish. Thankfully the rolls were small (cigar-sized), so they were pretty manageable.

This creation doesn't look too appealing but were Grissini (Breadsticks) coated with Mayonnaise and Pork Floss. It tasted like a crunchy version of Breadtalk's Signature Flosss Buns. Hmm...good idea.

Here's some Steamed Yam Cake made with Bak Kwa instead of Lap Cheong (Chinese Dried Sausages). The yam cake was delightfully soft and topping of Pork Floss added an interesting touch. Unfortunately the picture isn't terribly clear as Hungry Cow's slightly shaky hoof and my rather shaky paws proved too much of a challenge for my camera's Image Stabilizer. How do you like this "artistically" blurred picture? :P

Wan San Yang Tea Pavilion was offering samples of their tea. I liked the Rose Pu-Er Tea and the Royal Ti Kuan Yin because they were fragrant and had a delicate tang of tannins.

There was some wine being offered by Wine Tatler too but the counter was almost always too busy for me to sneak a shot.

I didn't stay for too long as I had to rush to the outlet to buy 3 packets of Bak Kwa before leaving. You see, I had told my mum that she could buy Bak Kwa from the Ion Orchard outlet in future. She said that I should check out the opening so I can "recce" the outlet's exact location and let her know how to find it. Then she reasoned that since I was already going to be there, I could easily pick up a few packets of Bak Kwa for home. Hmm...mum's as subtle as a sledgehammer. As this happens to be one of her favourite snacks, I obliged.

If you've never been to Ion Orchard before, the place is a maze but try to find your way down to Basement Level 4. The shop is located in the Food Hall area and is directly opposite Yami Yogurt.

Click here for my previous post on Lim Chee Guan's Bak Kwa.

Lim Chee Guan

Main Branch: 203 New Bridge Road, Singapore 059429 (Chinatown MRT Exit A) Tel: +65 6227-8302

Chinatown Branch: 1 Park Road, #01-25 People's Park Complex, Singapore 059108 (Chinatown MRT Exit C) Tel: +65 6535-0927

Chinatown Branches Operating Hours: 9.30am to 8pm daily

Ion Orchard Branch: 2 Orchard Turn #B4-37 Ion Orchard, Singapore 238801 (+65) 6509 3776 Ion Orchard's Operating Hours: 10am - 10pm daily