Fancy Christmas dinner, free parking and a movie at The Cathay?

So you’re looking forward to having a special dinner this Christmas but maybe there are only two of you. You want to indulge, but not too much and you are looking for something that is of quality and is value-for-money. Specifically, you are craving Cantonese cuisine and want to go to a place where you can watch a movie before or after, and for once you’d prefer to go somewhere with ample parking spaces.

Look no further than The Cathay Restaurant. Starting from S$108++ for a Christmas set dinner for two, you can get complimentary parking, a pair of movie vouchers and a glass of house wine each.

During our weekend at hangout@mt.emily, we got to sample the six-course, $108++ set for two persons. House wine (I chose white) was quite decent, not astringent as most house whites go. Browsing through the a la carte menu, we discovered that the set was really very value for money as one bowl of soup and the abalone would have cost more than the set.

The first course was Deep-fried Prawn with Lemon Sauce (千丝西柠虾球). Prawns were springy and the lemon sauce was not too tangy.

Second course was Double-boiled Shark’s Cartilage Soup with Fish Maw (火童鲨鱼骨汤炖花胶皇). This was the favourite dish of the night. The milky soup suggested that all the goodness of the cartilage had been molten into the soup, not that milk or thickeners were added to it. Both bowls got a nice piece of fish maw each and we were glad that the wolfberries inside had not been boiled to pieces. Asher lapped up half a bowl of soup on his own.

Third course was Steamed Bamboo Clam with Minced Garlic (金银蒜蒸竹蚌). Alvin doesn’t usually eat shellfish but he made an exception for this dish. The garlic was not too overpowering and nicely complemented the sweet, juicy clams which were just cooked (as opposed to being overcooked).

Fourth course was Braised Golden Abalone with Homemade Beancurd in Golden Broth (黄焖鲍鱼芙蓉豆腐). This was a close second after the soup – the abalone had been simmered in a flavourful broth until it was no longer tough and chewy. The beancurd was tasty and silky smooth. Eaten together with the sautéed broccoli, this entree was perfectly harmonised.

Fifth course was Fried Rice with Diced Seafood and Honey Pea in XO Sauce (XO酱蜜豆海鲜粒炒饭). I sat this one out as it was quite spicy for me, but it’s very fragrant and Alvin said it was very nice. I could tell – the grains of the fried rice were fluffy and separate and the consistency looked just about right – just dry enough but not too dry.

We ended our meal with some mint pudding for dessert.

Here are the other Christmas set menus available at the restaurant:

For two persons @ $ 168.00++, includes one complimentary glass of house wine each:

Stir-fried Lobster Meat with Egg White in Itailian Truffle Oil (松露油龙虾松炒鲜奶)

Braised Baby Superior Shark’s Fin with Crab Claw in Golden Broth(黄焖蟹钳中鲍翅)

Pan-fried Lamb Chop with Black Pepper Sauce (黑椒香煎羊扒)

Braised South African Abalone (8 Heads) with Homemade Beancurd (8 头南非鲍口芙蓉豆腐)

Steamed Mian Xian with Fresh Scallop, Chinese Wine and Chicken Sauce (鸡油花雕蒸带子面线)

For six Persons @ $ 298++:

Deep-fried Prawn with Lemon Sauce accompanied with Japanese Octopus (千丝西柠虾球拼日式八爪鱼)

Double-boiled Abalone Soup with Cordyceps (冬虫夏草炖鲜鲍)

Stir-fried Bamboo Clam with XO Sauce (XO 酱炒竹蚌)

Braised Sea Cucumber with Japanese Mushroom (日本花菇扣猪婆参)

Roast Shoulder of Lamb (国泰香烧羊肩)

Stewed Vermicelli with Seafood and Dried Shrimp (海皇虾干焖米粉)

These sets and offers are only available until December 25, so hurry!

The Cathay Restaurant is located at 2 Handy Road, #02-01 The Cathay.

Make reservations at 6732-6623.