Restaurant Review

Red Lily

-A Shanghainese Experience

L1-34, Festival Walk tel: 2265 7000

Red Lily, located on the second top floor of Festival Walk is a restaurant of Shanghainese cuisine. My mum, my brother and I decided to take my great-grandparents there for a big Sunday lunch to catch up with each other. I had been to that restaurant several times before and thought my great grandparents would love it.

As we were waiting for our table, I got a chance to study the dÐ"©cor of the place. The restaurant had a simple yet elegant design. The restaurant was divided into two areas: an inside section and an outside section which overlooks the mall. There were no lamps of any kind in the outside area because the sunlight from the big glass windows of Festival Walk shone and lit up the whole floor. The small bar and the large wine collection in glass cabinets near the entrance give Red Lily a casual fusion feel.

After a short while, a polite waitress led us to our table. I had especially requested to be seated near the windows. Three small tables were put together to fit us all. I sank into the soft plush olive green chairs and took out my clipboard. From where I was sitting, I had a clear view of the entire restaurant. Uniformed waiters were busy hopping from table to table, taking orders from hungry costumers. They all seem pleasant and helpful. One waitress noticed my clipboard and gave me a friendly smile.

Only one menu and a dim sum-ordering form have been given to our table of five. The menu was written clearly in Chinese, Japanese and also English. There were professionally photographed pictures of the most popular food for references. A wide range of rice, noodles, dim sum, appetizer, seafood, poultry, drinks and wine were offered. For appetizer, my great grandparents had chosen Braised Wheat Bran with Mushroom, Bamboo Shoot & Pea ($42). I chose my usual favourite combination Stewed Noodle with Chicken ($38) and Soya bean Juice ($12). My brother picked another favourite of mine, Fried Rice Pudding with Shredded Pork & Cabbage ($52) and my mum decided to try the Noodle in Soup with Jumbo Pork Chop ($48). We decided that was enough just for now. While we were waiting for our orders to come, we quietly sipped our hot Chinese herbal tea. It was boiling hot and burned my tongue with its natural bitter taste, forcing my eyes to water. While the grown-ups chatted about life, I scanned the restaurant and head counted only five waiters. No wonder they looked so busy.

The Braised Wheat Bran came first after around five minutes waiting time. The dish was brown, with a hint of black of the mushrooms. The wheat bran was warm and had a soft sponge-like texture. The sweetness of the sauce quickly washed away the pungent bitter taste of the tea. It was palatable, but I've tasted better. My milky white Soya Bean Juice came next, bringing a cold and bland taste to my tongue, gradually leading to a sweet, sticky aftertaste. After another five minutes or so, our main courses arrived. As the waiter approached our table with huge white bowls, I start to wonder if I'd be able to finish the contents of my bowl. Because of the large quantity, I had to wait for the meal to cool down a bit before I could indulge in it. For the