Food tasting @ Mandarin Oriental for wedding! 🫶🏻
hi! 😊 sharing about my wedding food tasting experience at MO! read on if you’re keen! 🤗
We selected 6 course individual plated as we feel that it’s more suitable for our guests!
1️⃣Appetiser:
Home-roasted crackling pork belly, Kataifi
prawn roll & Golden Fried Yam Stuffed with Japanese Mushroom
We did not opt for a cold dish selection as we didn’t like the choices. 😂 the plating was beautiful! Our only comment was that the prawn roll was abit oily and on our AD the chef had taken our comment into consideration! 😊 we didn’t change any of our selection!
2️⃣Soup:
Braised fish maw with Abalone, Sea cucumber & Conpoy
This was so good & one of my favourite! The portion was huge and each bowl had at least 4-5 mini abalones. Our family loved this as well!! A must select for us!
3️⃣Meat:
Braised Pork Belly with Chestnut, Pearl Barley and Broccoli
Our family didn’t favour this option because we felt there was too much fats and not suitable for older folks. The lady serving us for the food tasting told us that the cuts we had on that day were already towards the leaner side 😅 It was soft & does melt-in/your-mouth tho. However we decided to change this course to Bi Feng Tang roasted chicken for our AD! Some friends said that the chicken was really good but some said that it was kinda hard.
4️⃣Fish:
Teriyaki Cod Fish with Kabocha & Green Veg
We heard that the cod fish at MO is super good and we had to select this! Indeed it lived up to the hype and all the good reviews. It doesn’t look huge from the photo but the portion is actually quite generous. We realised that most of us doesn’t eat the edamame and we requested for it to be changed to broccoli for our AD.
5️⃣Main:
Chilli Crabmeat Sauce with Crispy mantou
This was one of the dish I was really looking forward to because of good reviews & it’s rare that chilli crab is served for wedding food. I’m not sure was it because I wasn’t feeling my best that day, but I didn’t feel the wow factor. The dish was kinda spicy for our family. We felt that some guests may not be able to enjoy this course if they don’t take spicy food, including some of our relatives with children. It also felt a bit too much with our dessert course being chocolate cake.
Hence we decided to change to XO Sauce Seafood Five Grain Fried Rice (Less spicy) for our AD. This was a less popular course (according to the chef) but we went with it anyway. Good choice because my husband loved it when we tried it in our bridal suite after the wedding, with premium seafood like prawns and scallops. Our family also mentioned it was a better choice!
6️⃣Dessert:
Signature MO Chocolate Cake
A very safe choice for adults and kids! Not much comment, it was yummy!
The food tasting included drinks (soft drinks/chinese tea/ 1 bottle of red wine/ 1 bottle of white wine).
Everything was well arranged and coordinated. Chef came to speak to us after we finished all the courses to ask for our comments.
On AD, the chef & his team truly delivered, and our guests were full of praises for the food! I hope my friends have their wedding at MO as well so that I can eat MO’s wedding food again 😂
I believe the menu choices depends on your contract with the hotel so it may differ across couples!
That’s all for this long post!
When considering traditional Chinese wedding banquets, dishes like shark fin soup are often requested due to their cultural significance and association with luxury. However, in recent years, many couples choose to forgo shark fin soup in favor of more sustainable and ethical options. Mandarin Oriental’s wedding menus can be customized to reflect modern preferences and dietary restrictions, offering a variety of elegant alternatives without sacrificing taste or presentation. From my experience, while shark fin soup wasn’t on our menu, the braised fish maw with abalone and sea cucumber was a luxurious soup choice that delighted our family and provided a similarly rich texture and flavor profile. For couples interested in traditional banquet fare, it's worth discussing with the hotel chef which dishes can be tailored to meet personal values and guest preferences. Another point to consider is how spicy or rich dishes might affect guests, especially older family members or children. We adjusted our menu accordingly, substituting a less fatty meat course and a milder fried rice option to better suit our diverse group of guests. Ultimately, the food tasting process at Mandarin Oriental offers an excellent opportunity to personalize your wedding banquet, ensuring each course meets your expectations and that of your guests. Communicating your preferences and dietary considerations clearly during tasting sessions can greatly enhance your wedding dining experience.
