Razor Clam steamed with Garlic and Vermicelli ($10 per piece)
I recently dined at Tung Lok Seafood Restaurant at Orchard Central and scored myself a great bargain of 50% off; it was almost like I robbed them of $100 worth of food. With the American Express Platinum Card, I have the liberty of ordering more than I normally would, or pick items that are doubly expensive, without exceeding the usual budget.
Braised House Special Beancurd with Nameko Mushrooms and Vegetables ($18)
The American Express Platinum Card has soon become a card gourmands can’t leave home (or live) without; it comes with free membership to two popular dining programmes –the Classic Far Card Membership, and the PALATE programme. Under these two programmes, card members get to enjoy dining perks at over 80 restaurants.
The PALATE programme and the Classic Far Card Membership are pretty similar; they both offer discounts of up to 50% off the bill at participating outlets. To be precise, the Palate Dining Privileges are as follows: 1 diner will be entitled to 15% off, 2 diners at 50% off, 3 diners at 35% off, 4 diners at 25% off, and 5 to 20 diners at 20% off.
Raw Oyster ($3.80)
Tung Lok Seafood Restaurant offers a wide range of seafood, from oysters to clams, lobsters to crabs, and fish to prawns, available in a myriad of cooking styles.
At $3.80 per piece, diners can choose to have their oysters steamed with garlic, baked with cheese, deep-fried with salted pepper, or simply have it raw.
Seafood Salad Rolls ($12)
The Seafood Salad Rolls is an all-time favourite snack, essentially crispy dough fritters stuffed with prawn mousse, served with a mayo dip. It’s hard to resist munching on them while waiting for the mains to arrive.
Steamed Prawn with Minced Garlic ($24; $8/100g)
A fest for lovers of prawn, variants include poached prawns, herbal drunken prawns, deep-fried prawns with crispy oats, and stir-fried prawns with superior sauce. The Steamed Prawn with Minced Garlic that we had was far more palatial than the name suggests; fresh juicy prawns are given an aromatic lift from the sautéed garlic bits, and kissed with an enticing sweet-savoury sauce.
Fried Sea Clam ($18)
Sea Bass ($36; $45/kg)
Fish lovers are spoilt for choice with a variety of fish such as garoupa, sea bass, pating fish, marble goby and red tilapia. Cooking methods include: steamed with light soya sauce; steamed with preserved vegetables; steamed with crispy soya bean crumbs; crisp-fried with sour and spicy sauce topped with shredded mango; steamed with pickled vegetables, sour plum and beancurd; braised in claypot; deep-fried; and steamed with spicy assam sauce, tomatoes and eggplant.
We chose to have the sea bass steamed with crispy soya bean crumbs. First of all, the pristinely fresh quality of the fish is worthy of a thousand (or more) praises. Cooked to the right doneness, I can eat this simply steamed with light soya sauce and be grinning from ear to ear. The crispy soya bean crumbs add a uniquely charred and salty touch.
Tung Lok Chilli Crab ($56 per kg) with Fried Bun ($0.80 each)
Fancy a crab but can’t make a decision? The Tung Lok Chilli Crab would be the safest bet; the spiced gravy is great till the last drop, which will be mopped up with deep fried buns.
Chilled Mango Pudding with Fresh Milk ($5)
Desserts did not disappoint. We ordered almost the entire dessert menu because we couldn’t make a decision. With the amex platinum card discount, most of these desserts cost us a mere $2.50 each.
We had the Chilled Mango Pudding served with sweetened milk ($5), Chilled Almond Beancurd with Longan ($5), Chilled Mango Cream with Pomelo and Sago ($5) and Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts served in Young Coconut ($8).
With the card, we saved $105.50 and paid only $149.36 for the sumptuous feast including drinks. This is how we can eat like a king without breaking the bank.
From now till 9 November 2014, cardmembers get a chance be one of the 5 lucky winners every day to win $100 worth of dining vouchers (TungLok dining vouchers for Monday to Saturday draws and Fairmont dining vouchers for Sunday draws).
For more information about the American Express Platinum Card, visit https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/platinum-credit-card.
For more information about Tung Lok Seafood, visit http://www.tunglokseafood.com/concept.php