Last time Sampan spoke to executive chef Richard Chen at Red8, he shared with us his story and his vision towards food. This time, Chef Chen invited me to Red8 to try some of his new creations, available in their Spring menu.
In our last conversation, Chen mentioned that he prefers to incorporate ingredients based on their seasonal availability. In addition, he noticed that here in Boston, “people love seafood,” and mentioned that he was excited to bring in more seafood on their menu. True to his word, seafood was featured in almost every dish I had the opportunity to taste.
To start off with appetizers, there was the Bi Feng Tang style Alaskan King Crab Leg, a Prawn and Papaya Salad, and the Diver Scallop and Green Chive Puff. The King Crab Leg, fried in its shell, was lightly seasoned in the “bi feng tang” style. In this style, the fried shellfish is covered with a garlic and spiced crunchy crumble that sits on the fried exterior. Seemingly unassuming in the photo, the flavors begged to differ as it erupts vibrantly in one’s mouth. The shell trapped the crab’s own flavors and was complemented by a balanced “bi feng tang” flavor.
The Papaya Salad was fresh, light, and had delightfully tender prawns. The slightly sour taste balanced out the two other fried dishes it was served with. The diver scallop and green chive puff was a surprise to bite into. The crunchy spring roll exterior completely trapped the flavors of the scallop and chive. The individual flavors stood its own ground but complemented each other beautifully.
The Peking Duck was tender, juicy, and flavorful, paired well with the thick hoisin sauce, scallion, and cucumber. While having the dish, I was reminded that Chef Chen mentioned how he learned how to “[make] the peking duck pancake by scratch” while he was helping out in his father’s restaurant. The cucumber and scallion cut through the fatty and thick flavors of the sauce and duck, a dish I have always enjoyed whenever I was fortunate enough to have some.
The Braised Fish Maw Soup was clear yet thick, full of collagen. The jelly-like texture of the fish maw and the sauce was not only fun to eat but so satisfying to have. Our next dish was a Steamed Grouper fillet placed over steamed tofu and served with bok choy in a soya broth. This was a lighter dish that really emphasized each ingredient’s own flavors. Perhaps not for everyone, but a dish I enjoyed a lot. Simple and satisfying.
The main events were the entrees: wok-charred beef tenderloin with asparagus, bell pepper, and black peppercorn sauce and wok-tossed lobster with XO sauce. The beef tenderloin was incredibly tender, paired well with the almost sweet vegetables, all tied together with the sweet and savory black peppercorn sauce. Next to it was the equally strong flavored XO sauce of the sauteed lobster dish. The well-spiced XO sauce was thick but not oily, and was so flavorful it could be eaten interchangeably with the beef dish without overpowering the other, and vice versa.
The steamed glutinous rice was wrapped in lotus leaves and stuffed with abalone, sausage and salted egg yolks. The ratio of the rice to the filling was equally balanced that I almost craved more of the fragrant rice.
For dessert, my favorite was the Green Tea Gelato with Crispy Black Sesame Crunch. I did not expect the sweet black sesame to pair so well with the green tea gelato ice cream. This was the sweetest on the plate, followed by the Red Bean Jelly Cake and the Mango Sago. The red bean was paired with a coconut flavored jelly, and the mango sago was full of diced fruits.
As Chef Chen said in my last interview with him, one must try his food in order to understand his vision. Having tried this exciting spring menu, I am now curious as to what new creations Red8 will offer in the seasons to come.
