Mandarin Orchard Singapore rings in the new year with Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro. Occupying the space previously inhabited by Mandarin Court, Shisen Hanten makes a grand impression with an opulent constellation of chandeliers dipping into a dining hall decked in black and gold hues — all installed to the tune of four million dollars.

Helming the restaurant is chef Chen Kentaro, a third-generation chef descending from a celebrated lineage of chefs. His grandfather, Chen Kenmin, brought Sichuan food to Yokohama, Japan, while his father, Chen Kenichi, is one of Japan’s most renowned iron chefs. The Chen family currently owns 14 restaurants across Japan and Shisen Hanten is their first restaurant outside of Japan. Here, you can expect to find a menu studded with Sichuan food spliced with various dimensions, ranging from salty to sour, aromatic to pungent, and sweet to spicy.

‘Chen’s mapo doufu’ features stir-fried tofu amped up with the slow heat of Sichuan peppers while a special blend of homemade chilli oil and bean sauce lend the dish an exceptionally flavourful depth. Sichuan chilli peppers make their appearance again, this time sautéed with chicken which is first deep-fried to give it a wicked crisp, then stir-fried once again to tie all the glorious flavours together.

Level 35. Mandarin Orchard Singapore. 333 Orchard Road. Tel: 6831 6262