Taste The Orient
Opened in June, TABLE8 is the resort’s latest culinary trailblazer; a signature Oriental restaurant that brings the traditions of Chinese dining to life. The menu reads truly authentic with a rich selection of home-inspired signature delicacies from Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine, and it comes served in a way that replicates the convivial vibe of a traditional feast. A sweeping live buffet lets diners pick and choose from a sea of steamed, fried and stewed signatures, while the a la carte menu cooks up masterfully crafted favourites from across the region.
As impressive as the culinary offerings, the interiors are quite a sight too, with intricate Chinese touches subtly dotted onto grand European designs. The restaurant actually feels more like a homely dining room, one that you might expect to see in the house of a royal. Everything is lavished in gold and cream hues, yet intricate custom-made pieces keep it warm and intimate, like porcelain vases, thick flowing drapes and luxuriously squishy cushions embroidered with Chinese patterns.
This cosy atmosphere lets the Chinese way of dining really thrive, where a more relaxed, whimsical approach sees dishes arrive at different intervals as the mood strikes, as opposed to being restricted to just a few formal courses. The a la carte encourages diners to swap and share like a family in their own home, while the buffet items can arrive continuously in a dim sum kind of style.
To the TABLE
The buffet at TABLE8 offers a bit of everything, with each variety of cuisine separated into seven different stations. We head straight for the appetisers, where baby octopus, jellyfish and chilled drunken prawn are lined up in dainty miniature dishes. Aromatic plumes from simmering clay pots draw our taste buds towards these Chinese versions of a casserole, where plump shrimps are coated in a slightly spicy black pepper sauce and muddled with wispy streams of vermicelli.
At the dim sum station, an assortment of heartwarming bite-sized dumplings are perfectly sticky and filled with honeyed pork, shrimp and chicken. Made to share, our chopsticks flick from one bun to the next, interrupted only by tender bites of char sui, roast duck and poached chicken from the barbecue.
From the a la carte menu, Australian Five Head Whole Abalone comes braised with wild mushrooms, while succulent slices of Roasted Suckling Pig are finished off nicely with a crunchy skin and a hint of sweetness. A crispy mantis prawn is then glazed with a salted egg sauce, accompanied by buttery oats that make each bite of the ocean treat seem evermore delicate.
A true Chinese feast would never be complete without traditional tea, so at TABLE8, they pay homage to this beloved ritual with a very theatrical Tea Master Ceremony. Dressed in black and armed with a sword-like bronze kettle, the Tea Master approaches with a dramatic Kung Fu-inspired performance. From far across the table, the elongated spout of the kettle jets the tea into the glass, where a handcrafted sphere of Chrysanthemum, Jasmine and Green Tea leaves foster a floral blend. As the tea brews, the delicate sphere blossoms and blooms like a real flower, making for a delightful finish to a most memorable lunch.
