Dream Academy® Partners Millennium Hotels and Resorts To Celebrate 15th Milestone In style!

Dream Academy celebrated its 15th anniversary with a birthday extravaganza featuring celebrity chefs from Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) at Grand Shanghai on 16 Oct 2015. I felt very honoured to be invited by Millennium Hotels and Resorts(MHR) to attend this birthday gala because I had been to Grand Shanghai before and I fell in love with their food amidst the nostalgic and magnificent grandeur of the decor.

What was extremely exciting about this birthday gala is the fact that the chefs of Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) who veterans in their field – the culinary arts, were teaming up to come with a Dream Date Menu at Grand Shanghai.

MHR’s celebrity chefs include Chef Lap Fai of Orchard Hotel’s Hua Ting Restaurant, Chef Ho Tien Tsai of Copthorne King’s Tien Court Restaurant, and Chef Tang Yuen Hua of Grand Shanghai at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel who had come together to showcase their culinary prowess with a customised 8-course gourmet menu complete with wine-pairing of each Chef’s signature dish. It was like a dream come true, being able to savour the best of the best!

Celebrity Masterchefs of Millennium Hotels & Resorts displaying their culinary prowess in the kitchen of Grand Shanghai Restaurant. From left: Executive Pastry Chef Nicolas Maugard; Masterchef Ho Tien Tsai of Copthorne King’s Tien Court Restaurant; Masterchef Lap Fai of Orchard Hotel’s Hua Ting Restaurant; Head Chef Tang Yuan Hua of Grand Shanghai Restaurant at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.

The gala event also showcased some of Singapore's most well-loved entertainers, like Siti Khalijah, Broadway Beng, Dr Teo Chew Moi, Dim Sum Dollies, George Chan and Rishi Budhrani.

Judee Tan who acted as Dr Teo Chew Moi opened up the gala event by entertaining us with her humour, following by two actresses who did a great job by making us laugh with an interesting song and dance.

As the show continued, we were served the first dish which was Deluxe Cold Dish Combination consisting of Drunken Chicken, Jelly Fish in Spring Onion Oil, Smoked Egg and Crispy Eel. This was wonderfully paired with Envfol Chardonnay.

I love the crispy eel very much cos it was very different from the usual way eels are served. It was like eating eel crackers, extremely crispy.

This next dish was my favourite of all... Double-boiled chicken soup with wonton. The soup was heavenly! Because it was double-boiled, it took on a slightly thicker texture due to the collagen. And we all know that collagen is so good for our skin, making us look younger. Everyone at our table finished the soup to the very last drop.

I am a big fan of cod fish so I was delighted to know that the next course was Baked Cod Fillet with Spring Onions. I love the fact that the cod fish was baked as it was a healthy way of preparing food. The cod fish was so soft that it kinda melted in my mouth.

I find Siti Khadijah such a natural comedian. She made us laugh with all her jokes... hahaha!

She sang a duet with Broadway Beng but it was really funny as Broadway Being kept singing her part of the song.

Pam Oei was extremely talented as she mimicked different accents using the lyrics of an English song.

Even the way she dressed was so interesting...a bridal dress with sport shoes... hahaha!

I am a fan of sea cucumber hence when this dish, Braised Sea Cucumber in Crab Roe Sauce was served, I couldn't wait to eat this in one gulp. The sea cucumber was extremely tender but with a bit of chewy texture such that when I bit it, I can savour the freshness of the sea cucumber. The crab roe sauce was an extreme great complement to the sea cucumber too. When I looked at the menu, I realised that Masterchef Ho Tien Tsai from Tien Court came up with this dish. I have one word to describe it... Brilliant!

This dish was paired with Envfol Merlot.

While we were waiting for the next dish to be served, Rishi Budhrani came on stage to entertain us with his stand up comedy.

Kudos to Grand Shanghai-Masterchef Tang Yuen Hua, who came up with his dish, Duck Confit with Salt and Pepper. I could never be able to imagine how a duck drumstick could be fried in such a way that it was so super tender and juicy. If I didn't look at the menu, I would have thought that this was a tender chicken drumstick instead. OMG, this was so amazing!

Denise Tan came on stage to host the Best Dressed competition.

Braised Whole Abalone in Supreme Sauce was next. The abalone sat on the zucchini stuffed with prawn paste. This dish was conceived by Hua Ting-Masterchef Lap Fai. Words couldn't describe how succulent the abalone was as it was bathed in the supreme sauce. Everyone at my table finished up the whole dish without a single drop of the supreme sauce. It was that good!

This dish was paired with Clarendelle Rouge by Huat Brion.

I have always been a fan of xiao long baos so when the next dish, Shanghainese Steamed Pork and Crabmeat Dumplings was served, I couldn't wait to try it. When I bit off some parts of the skin and drunk the soup inside, it felt like I was in heaven. It was very tasty with the right blend of sweet and salty flavour. The skin was very thin and the meat inside was so soft that I almost wanted to ask for a second serving.... hahaha!

How could we have a dream date without the Dim Sum Dollies? The trio entertained us with their song and dance.

Robin Goh and George Chan were next up on stage to sing a song for the guests.

Siti Khadijah returned back on stage again but with a different image. She was still as funny as ever. I love this gal manz!

William, Leong and me playing around with the photo angle... hahaha!

Robin Goh, Broadway Being and George Chan sang some songs together as well.

Dream Academy celebrated the 15th anniversary on stage with a decadent chocolate birthday cake by MHR Executive Pastry Chef Nicolas Maugard.

Celebrating a birthday extravaganza with a ‘dream’ date (standing in front of the cake from left): Dream Academy founder Ms Selena Tan, Copthorne King’s Hotel Executive Director Mr Yeoh Cheng Kung (on Selena’s left), and Millennium Hotels & Resorts Chief Business & Administration Officer Mr Bhupesh Yadav.

While there were some activities on the stage. our dessert came and it was Grand Shanghai Signature Dessert which comprised of osmanthus jelly with wolf berries, fried egg white soufflé with red bean paste. This dessert was paired with Pirramimma Late Harvest Riesling.

The osmanthus jelly was cooling and soothing to the throat. The egg white soufflé was super soft and fluffy, combined with the warmness of the red bean paste.

We were also given a mashmellow teddy bar candy as a sweet touch to the final dessert.

Very cute, right?

Lastly, a photo with the famous Dim Sum Dollies!

Super thanks to Millennium Hotels and Resorts for hosting us at the Dream Date @ the Grand Shanghai!

For those who thinking of hosting corporate events, wedding lunches or dinners or just want to have a great meal, do visit the Grand Shanghai located at 390 Havelock Road, Level 1 King's Centre. You won't regret it!