In the months leading up to our wedding, The Astronomer and I worked closely with New Capital Seafood to plan an exceptional banquet for our guests. The restaurant has a dozen set menus that most brides and grooms choose from, but we insisted on selecting each of the ten courses individually. Food might be an afterthought for some couples, but we wanted our guests to eat ridiculously well.
When the big day rolled around, The Astronomer and I were so caught up in laughing, dancing, toasting, and reveling that we ended up not eating much of the feast that we had thoughtfully planned. We stole a couple bites here and there in between making the rounds, but the party superseded the meal that evening.
We recently returned to New Capital Seafood to celebrate our first anniversary. Since we missed out on the ten-course banquet the first time around, we decided to order the whole shebang to share between the two of us. It was an over-the-top endeavor, but also incredibly festive and quite romantic.
The kitchen here has a tendency to rush things a bit, so we ordered three dishes at a time to control the pace and to avoid eating cold food. To start, we shared a luxurious platter of cold appetizers. The “house special combination” ($29) included jellyfish, pork hocks, beef brisket, roasted duck, and cuttlefish. Our favorites were the cinnamon- and anise-tinged brisket, as well as the glistening pieces of fatty duck.
The next dish to arrive was a super-sized bowl of hot and sour soup ($8.99) that our waiter messily dished out into two smaller bowls. Brimming with soft cubes of tofu, snappy woodear mushrooms, tender pieces of pork, and wispy curds of egg, the soup was soothing, well-balanced, and true to its name.
Everyone at our wedding raved about the lobster with ginger and scallions, so we were stoked to dig into our three pounder ($1 per pound with a $30 purchase). To strengthen our grips and to maximize our meat extracting abilities, The Astronomer and I abandoned our chopsticks and dove in with our fingers. The lobster meat was tender and sweet, with the essence of ginger and scallions perfuming each chunk.
The original wedding menu included vegetarian fried rice for our herbivore friends. Since The Astronomer and I are both enthusiastic omnivores, we ordered the Chiu Chow-style fried rice instead ($12.99). In between the grains of rice were fried taro, toasted peanuts, scallions, scrambled eggs, and roasted pork. The seasoning was a little on the bland side, but eaten with the salty proteins it tasted just right.
The lone vegetable on our menu was a platter of deceptively virtuous braised string beans ($8.99). Each skinny bean was imbued with savory and spicy flavors from the ground pork, soy sauce, and chilies.
The problem with sharing an order of Peking duck ($22.99) with a table of ten is that everyone only gets one bun, which is never ever enough. The Astronomer and I didn’t encounter such a situation this evening—we were both able to eat as many buns as our hearts and stomachs desired.
We made the most delectable little packages by swathing the warm buns with Hoisin sauce, tucking in a few crispy shards of duck skin, and garnishing it with fresh scallions. I put away three of these, while my dear husband finished off two.
We rested a short while following the first six courses, but plowed forward once the French-style fillet steak ($12.99) arrived. A Chinese interpretation of Vietnamese bo luc lac, the irresistibly tender cubes of beef struck a delicious balance between sweet and savory.
The Szechuan-style sauteed prawns ($12.99) were prepared to perfection as well. Both the shrimp and broccoli retained their characteristic snap. The dish’s flavor wasn’t as tongue-numbing as we had anticipated, but still a delight nevertheless.
The final savory course was steamed Red Rock Cod with ginger and scallions ($26.99). Lightly steaming the fish kept its flesh supple and tender while imparting the most spectacular flavor. The fish was really fantastic, but the best part of this dish for me was spooning the sauce over rice. Oh, so good!
For dessert, our waiter brought over complimentary bowls of sweet red bean soup and mango pudding. Although we appreciated the gesture, we mostly left them untouched because we had brought along a very special sweet.
For our final bite of the night, The Astronomer and I giddily dug into a miniature replica of our wedding cake. From the yellow fondant dots to the layers of lemon curd and blackberry jam, our friend Sarah made the cake identical to the one we enjoyed at our wedding. It was the perfect conclusion to the awesomest spread ever.
LOVE!
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New Capital Seafood Restaurant
140 West Valley Blvd #4D
San Gabriel, CA 91776-3786
Phone: 626-288-1899
Yeah, you guys are nuts to eat that many dishes, but I would ordered that much too if I knew I was the one that missed out.
No shark fin soup this time around? LOL!!
Pepsi Mo – No shark’s fin soup EVER. That stuff is inhumane and cruel.
Love this! Congrats! And now I’m starving…
What can I say, but #winning!! 🙂
Such a fun dinner for you guys to do, and for me, to relive that special night.
Congrats and what a great spread! A tasting menu I can get behind 🙂
Ps. I want jellyfish. Hmm, weirdest midnight craving to date…
Happy one year! What a great idea and endeavor! All the food looks amazing and are awesome leftovers 🙂
Gorgeous feast! The duck and lobster looks divine. Congrats on the ani 🙂
O man, I loved the Peking duck from this restaurant… most excellent!
This made me relive your wedding! I really enjoyed the food! Happy Anniversary G & A !!
we did the same thing for our first anniversary! i’m not sure anyone gets to really eat at their wedding… i saw some engagement photos over at WORC, very cute 🙂 congrats to you and vernon!
Love your anniversary dinner idea! Makes me happy that you guys enjoyed my recommendation so much…and also makes me look forward to our wedding there! =)
So glad you finally got to enjoy the feast that we did at your wedding! Thanks for spoiling your guests rotten – really was the best wedding food ever!
Happy Anniversary! 🙂
Lol, what an awesome way to celebrate your first anniversary! I love this idea. I’d be afraid to tell my friends and family though, they’d think I was nuts.
That’s cute! 🙂 Looks like a great wedding meal indeed, especially that lobster.
Did you guys eat leftovers for the next 3 days??
You two are absolutely adorable. Congrats on your 1 year anniversary!!
Happy anniversary you two!
Im going n ordering the gastronomy blog 10. By myself and im gonna eat their dessert too just to top you and scarily enuf ill hv the same exact cake. Be awarned. This meal must b copied. By me
so cute! happy anniversary!!! 🙂
Happy 1 Year Anniversary! I can’t believe a whole year has gone by. Anyway, that wedding feast you put together looked so yummy, I might just have to bring some friends to copy that meal. 🙂
Happy 1 year Anniversary! Wow…you must have been eating leftover for days…Makes me want to relive my wedding day dinner with the wife this weekend too.
Wow! Happy first anniversary! What a wonderful meal…can’t believe it has been a year already! Feels like we just read about the wedding yesterday! 🙂 Congrats and here’s to many more. – mary
I really like your blog. Congrats on the anniversary.
Next time I’m there, I’m trying a few of these dishes!! The duck is making my mouth water!! Congrats on your one year anni!
How sweet and very cool you guys did this! Happy Anniversary!
I love that you eventually were able to enjoy the feast, it looks so incredible, I am drooling over each course. You two celebrate in style! Happy anniversary too, has it really been a year!?
so cute! congrats!! =)
Awwww, what an awesome idea–happy 1st anniversary to you & the Astronomer!
I love that you two came in ready to feast – Asian Wedding Style!! What a way to celebrate your 1 year anniversary! Congratulations and wishing you two a lifetime of happiness and love. It’s so true that you get so caught up with everything that it’s hard to enjoy the food on your wedding day! Glad that you got to enjoy all of the offerings a year later! Love the cake – it’s beautiful and the color is perfect for you guys – it’s bright & cheery! Take care! XOXO!!
Happy belated anniversary! (am behind with my RSS reader!) Wow, what a fantastic idea to recreate your wedding dinner…though after that last photo, I’m guessing you were eating it for the rest of the week too?
Thank you for your extensive post!!
I just sent you an email, hope you have time to answer me.
Thank you, Cathy!