Steamed buns

Outside Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao at level 2 of Great World City is a kiosk selling Crystal Jade dimsum. I bought these buns there after brunch on Sunday.

BBQ Pork with Preserved Beancurd Sauce Roll 南乳烧腩卷, S$1.50

This kong bak bao 扣肉包 (soy-sauce braised pork belly bun) look-alike is rather hefty. I thought it would be very tasty, but the flavor of the pork belly was surprisingly muted. It tasted nothing like kong bak bao.

Sandwiched together with the meat was a slice of steamed yam. The entire bun was rather dry.

Cream Custard with Salted Egg Yolk Bun 流沙包, S$1.20

I have very fond memories of this item at Crystal Jade Dining IN. This takeaway version is about double the size of the dainty ones served in the restaurant.

Because of its bigger size, the dough skin was a lot thicker. The dough-to-custard ratio was also higher (meaning: less custard = not as satisfying). Also, it seems that the salted egg yolk custard here was grittier and not as smooth.

Don’t think I’ll be buying these takeaway buns again. The pork bun is too plain for our liking, whereas the custard bun is better enjoyed in its mini version at the restaurant.

Hungry for char siew bao? Check out these recommendations that are both delicious and easy on the pocket to satisfy your char siew bao craving!

Clockwise from left: Big pork bun (S$1.50), mini char siew bao (S$0.70 each), siew mai (S$0.60 each)

Yesterday, I was waiting for SBS bus service 16 in Joo Chiat Road when I saw D’Bun just behind the bus-stop. Ah, let’s buy some 包 (bao / Chinese steamed bun) for hubby’s breakfast, I thought to myself. They have the usual selection of handmade bao and dimsum, available for takeaway only.

Beginning with the siew mai, the meat was smooth and bouncy, but not particularly tasty. Not bad, but neither was it spectacular.

Cross-section of big bao

Hubby and I share-shared the big bao. The interior had a decent amount of meat and egg. The pork filling was tasty, but not juicy enough.

Cross-section of char siew bao

No such issue with the char siew bao. The filling was most luscious! The char siew was deliciously sweet and sticky, with a faint fragrance of oyster sauce.

Because this was made into a mini-sized bun, the dough was thin, sufficiently soft and delicate. In terms of satisfaction, the char siew bao beats the big bao, hands down!

Nearly as small as siew mai, these dainty char siew bao are rather pricey, considering they’re half the size of a regular-sized one. But they’d be great for a tea party or dimsum spread where you don’t want to fill up so quickly or you wanna reserve tummy space for other goodies.

D’Bun
358 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427603
Tel: +65 6345 8220
URL: www.dbun.com.sg

Open daily: 8am – 10pm

Three Sundays ago, Rick and I had a double-date with Keropokman and his babe (and my old schoolmate), Momo. It was Momo who suggested dimsum brunch at a very old-school Cantonese establishment — Yan Palace Restaurant.

Steamed Pork Dumplings "Siew Mai", S$3.20

We kicked started our meal with the pre-requisite siew mai. Meaty and bouncy — it was rustic but good.

Deep Fried Yam Balls with Lychee, S$3.20

Curiosity got the better of me. Yam puff with lychee? We all agreed it sounded much more interesting than it tasted.

Baked BBQ Pork Pastry, S$3.20

With its thick crust, the char siew puff didn’t look promising. Surprisingly, the pastry was buttery and rather melt-in-the-mouth. Definitely not as stellar as Crystal Jade’s version, but I’d order this again.

Steamed Chicken Claws in Spicy Sauce, S$2.60

I didn’t touch the chicken feet. Not very nice, according to Keropokman and Momo, who are THE chicken feet experts.

Steamed Dumplings "Teochew" Style, S$2.60

Filled mostly with veggies, these were pretty refreshing.

Steamed "Cheong Fun" with Prawn, S$3.60

The rice flour rolls were rather thick but sufficiently soft, with a single big prawn in each roll.

Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling, S$3.60

Except for siew mai and har kow (which come in fours), dimsum items always come in threes. I wonder why?

Anyway, the wait staff at Yan Palace thoughtfully cut all trio dimsum items into halves so all four of us could have a go.

Steamed Prawn Dumpling "Har Kow", S$3.60

The har kow — though petite in size — boasted fresh, bouncy prawn and sufficiently thin, resilient skin.

Deep Fried Banana & Prawn Rolls, S$3.60

Momo and I both love banana and prawn rolls. Not many places do this well, but this was a very good rendition. Would definitely order this again if we return.

Deep Fried Pumpkin Pastry with Oatmeal, S$2.60

Another interesting-sounding item. Couldn’t detect where the oatmeal part was. The crispy skin was slightly chewy (probably glutinous rice flour dough).

Pan Fried Carrot Cake, S$3.20

Radish cake = too dense and not enough flavor. Will skip this next time.

Steamed Spare Ribs in Black Bean Sauce, $3.20

Well-executed, but nothing wow about the steamed spare ribs.

For old-school, decent quality, and affordable dimsum, Yan Palace fits the bill nicely. The dimsum is not say the refined type, but I was impressed with the freshness of the ingredients, particularly the prawns.

Out of around 30 items on the dimsum menu, we ordered 12. The bill, including tea and taxes, came up to a very affordable S$50.55 for 4 people.

By the way, good luck if you’re coming here for Sunday breakfast/lunch. Expect full capacity, with lengthy queues at the door to boot. Apparently, Yan Palace remains a popular Sunday dimsum destination for large families and groups.

Yan Palace Restaurant
Blk 531 Upper Cross Street
#01-49 Hong Lim Complex
Singapore 050531
Tel: 65-6222 2516
URL: http://yanpalace.com.sg

Mon – Sat: 11am – 2.15pm
Sun & public holidays: 10am – 2.15am
Dinner: 6.30pm – 10pm daily

Let’s start with this one, which was Sunday lunch with mother-in-law and hubby two weeks before Lunar New Year.

BBQ pork pastry 叉烧酥, S$3.80

We only tried 5 dimsum items – there’s only so much the three of us could eat! – but already, we were mighty impressed with the quality of the food here.

All 5 items were fabulously executed, but the clear favorite was the char siew sou. Served piping hot, we could find no fault with the buttery pastry and delicious char siew filling.

Salted egg yolk custard bun 流沙包, S$3.60

Another winner was the salted egg yolk custard bun. It’s one of those nouveau dimsum items. I haven’t found many restaurants that can do this satisfactorily, but I’m very happy with Crystal Jade Dining IN’s version.

Molten salted egg yolk custard

The dough skin looks thick, but is actually very soft and airy. I also like the oozy custard, which isn’t too cloying and has a good balance of sweet and salty flavors.

Har gau (shrimp dumpling) 虾饺, S$4.80

What’s dimsum without har gau and siew mai? Usually, when checking out a dimsum place for the first time, I’ll order these two traditional items as a yardstick. And I was very impressed indeed. Look at those fat har gau! They were full of fresh, crunchy shrimp, encased in extremely thin, resilient skin. This is one of the best har gau I’ve had in a long time!

Siew mai 烧卖, S$4.80

The siew mai was just as impressive. Like the har gau, they were supremely fresh, meaty, and juicy, with a high proportion of shrimp to pork. True to tradition, the siew mai is topped with crab roe (though not a lot of it) instead of tobiko. Nice!

Steamed rice roll with fresh scallop 带子肠粉, S$5.00

The rice roll was also very good. We picked scallop over char siew or shrimp filling for a change, but next time, I think we’ll stick to our usual choice. Not that the scallop wasn’t nice, but I prefer the more robust taste of char siew and sweet crunchiness of prawn.

BBQ Combination (char siew, roast duck, roast pork) 三屏烧腊, S$22.00

The roast meats were also of high standard, but still fell short of our current gold platinum standard – Imperial Treasure. On its own, it’s excellent, but to nitpick, Crystal Jade Dining IN’s roast pork belly crackling wasn’t as light and crispy nor as melt-in-the-mouth as Imperial Treasure’s version.

Crispy noodles with seafood 海鲜生面, S$18.00

We finished our meal with a carbo-filler. What I liked was their attention to detail. The crispy noodles and seafood in gravy were brought separately to our table. The server then poured the gravy over the crispy noodles just before serving so that our noodles wouldn’t go soggy so quickly.

In fact, I’d say that the service staff here deserve praise, too. Although the restaurant was packed and the servers were kept very busy, they remained efficient, brisk, and polite.

One thing to note: The restaurant floor isn’t level, but tiered, so that even tables furthest from the full-length windows get to enjoy the Sentosa harbour view. This means you have to navigate quite a number of steps around the restaurant, which also means the premises aren’t exactly handicapped- nor wheelchair-friendly.

Conclusion: Crystal Jade Dining IN is classic Cantonese cuisine, beautifully executed with deftness and finesse. Prices here belong to the fine-dining range (higher than their mid-range, casual dining joints like Crystal Jade Kitchen), but I think every cent was absolutely worth it.

The total bill – including cost of tea, pickles, 10% service charge, 7% GST – for the three of us came up to S$80.25.

Dimsum is served only during breakfast/lunch hours. Reservations are highly recommended for weekends.

Crystal Jade Dining IN
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-112 VivoCity
Singapore 098585
Tel: (65) 6278 5626
URL: http://www.crystaljade.com/dining_in.htm

Mon to Fri: 11:30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10:30pm
Sat: 11am – 4pm, 6pm – 10:30pm
Sun: 10:30am – 4pm, 6pm – 10:30pm

Thanks to CK Lam’s recommendation, we had a fabulous meal at De Tai Tong Cafe in Cintra Street, which is a short walk from Traders Hotel where we stayed.

Dimsum breakfast

De Tai Tong looks like an established dimsum place in Penang. There was another joint selling similar dimsum down the road, but that one was rather empty, whereas Tai Tong was packed!

The staff said it’s self-service on Sunday. So after getting a table, I grabbed a tray and went to the kitchen section to pick the dishes. There were so many items to choose from! So, I just grabbed the first few items I saw.

Yummy spread!

Rick and I were surprised by how delicious EVERYTHING was! Even though the fried items were pre-cooked, they were warm and crispy. The siew mai was fat and juicy, stuffed full of sweet crunchy prawn and bouncy pork. Every item tasted fresh and naturally flavorsome.

I thought we’d go for seconds. But by the end of the first round, we were already quite full, because the dimsum items here are jumbo sized! They’re double the size of those served in finer dining joints!

Cheong fun (steamed rice flour rolls) with prawn

Then, one of the servers came around bearing a tray of congee and freshly steamed cheong fun. We said no thanks, but apparently, this motherly lady wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Are you sure you don’t want? They’re very good, you must try!”

Ok, Auntie, if you insist.

Pork & century egg congee

If we ever return to Penang, we must go back to thank this auntie for her persistence. This was one of the best congee we’ve ever had.

It’s been eons since we had old-school dimsum like this. Teahouse, or 茶楼, dimsum is, of course, in a different league from dimsum served in fine dining restaurants. It’s not as dainty in presentation nor as refined in taste, but if done well, teahouse dimsum can be just as satisfying.

Sadly, it’s hard to find quality teahouse dimsum in Singapore now; for decent dimsum, one has to go to finer dining establishments. I really miss this kind of experience – enjoying rustic and hearty dimsum in a casual, unpretentious setting.

Old school dimsum trolley

Don’t you miss the thrill of peering into dimsum trolley shelves to pick out your favorite items? Sure, we were always tempted to order more than we wanted/needed, but that’s what made dimsum so fun. Oh, the nostalgia!

Full house

Penang was so memorable, not just for its historical sights and amazing food, but also the warm and friendly folks. Can you spot someone making the peace “V” sign?

The front facade

I don’t have the price breakdown, and can’t remember the exact bill amount, but I remember this meal cost around S$12. This works out to…S$6 each person.  That’s shockingly cheap by Singapore standards!

Also read:
Penang Day 1 – Supper from street stalls along Lorong Baru (New Lane)
Penang Day 2 – Hotel breakfast, Toh Soon Cafe, and tang yuen for supper
Penang Day 3 – Char koay kak
Penang Day 3 – Lunch at Lorong Selamat
Penang Day 3 – The Great Penang Cendol Face-off!

The first session on Day 3 was at Si Chuan Dou Hua located on the top floor (60th storey) of UOB Plaza. The view of the city from up here is simply stunning! Although specializing in Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese dishes are available too. Its weekend brunch buffet offers an amazing 100 items of Sichuanese and Cantonese delicacies.

Just some of the cold appetizers we sampled!

Although we tried only 40 out of 100 dishes, it was still a lot of food! My favorite part was actually the cold appetizers which delighted and tempted my palate into wanting more!

Chilled chicken in spicy bean paste

This was numbingly spicy, but super shiok! No wonder in Chinese it’s called “Salivating Chicken” – it really makes you drool!

Duck gizzard

This didn’t have any significant flavor, but I’ve always enjoyed the texture of duck gizzard, and the good thing is they managed to remove any gamey smell.

Chilled preserved cucumber with chilli & peppercorn

Cold, crunchy, and deceptively spicy, this was very refreshing. I like!

Asparagus with sea moss

The asparagus was also cold, crunchy, and refreshing, but unlike the cucumber, wasn’t spicy. I enjoyed this too!

Steamed siew mai

When we go for dimsum, it seems almost a crime not to order “har gow & siew mai”. So how does the siew mai measure up here? It’s definitely more than decent, and I like that it’s not too big, allowing one to have more tummy space for other dishes.

Steamed prawn dumpling

The prawn dumpling (har gow) is also daintily-sized and of decent quality.

Crispy carrot cake

The carrot (radish) cake was a total surprise! Instead of pan-frying both sides till a crust develops, Si Chuan Dou Hua wraps a slice of carrot cake in popiah skin, then deep-fries it till crispy and golden brown. What a novel way of presenting carrot cake!

Crispy chicken puff

Smooth, bouncy, tasty minced chicken encased in flaky pastry, these chicken puffs were really delightful!

Pan-fried shredded yam pancake with waxed meat

Don’t you just *heart* these adorably-shaped yam pancakes? And it’s truly apt as dimsum literally means “touch the heart”. They tasted as good as they looked too!

Pan-fried sweet corn pancake

The sweet corn pancakes were ok, but not especially memorable.

Sichuan chilled noodle

Somehow I forgot to try this, but I *heart* the presentation, so can’t resist sharing it with you.

Fried pumpkin pancake

It’s really a joy to see rustic Sichuanese fare so elegantly presented. Like the chilled noodles, this fried pumpkin pancake is a common street food, but the chef at Si Chuan Dou Hua has elevated it to a work of art. It’s both a delight for the eyes and the tastebuds!

Crispy fried glutinous rice balls

I also left this out. There were simply too many things to try!

Savoury beancurd

But no way was I going to miss the house specialty, the silky beancurd, or dou hua 豆花. Heck, even the restaurant is named after it! The restaurant makes two separate batches a day to ensure supreme freshness. Besides the savoury topping, there’s also a sour & spicy topping.

Homemade beancurd with wolfberries

Call me old-school, but I still prefer my tau hway as a sweet. Out of all the desserts we sampled, my favorite was the ethereally soft beancurd topped with light syrup and wolfberries.

More desserts

If beancurd’s not what you fancy, take your pick from fresh mango & pomelo cream, almond cream, glutinous rice with coconut milk, red bean paste with lotus seed, yam paste with gingko nuts, herbal jelly, chilled coconut & jackfruit cream, and chilled strawberry jelly.

Eight Treasure Tea

An integral part of the dining experience here is watching the tea masters wield their copper kettles – attached to thin, elongated spouts – with acrobatic grace and precision. You can choose from a choice of 6 kinds of tea for the weekend brunch, but if you haven’t tried, do order the signature Eight Treasures Tea.

Although no MSG was used, the food was tasty. I was also charmed by the dainty presentation. Too bad I wasn’t able to try all 40 dishes! No worries, I’ll probably go back on my own one of these days. Here’s the complete menu for Si Chuan Dou Hua’s 100 Dim Sum Delights, priced at S$38.80++ per adult.

Many thanks to Linda of Si Chuan Dou Hua for being such a passionate and hospitable host, and to Jackson Sim of Cuisine Wine & Asia for arranging this event.

Also read: Cuisine Wine & Asia dimsum feature: Hai Tien Lo @ Pan Pacific

Fellow bloggers at this session were: Camemberu, ieatishootipost, and ladyironchef.

Kicking off our dimsum marathon was Hai Tien Lo on level 37 of Pan Pacific Hotel. Even before we were wowed by the food, we were already blown away by the breathtaking view of Marina Bay, the Singapore Flyer, and the Singapore city skyline.

Special steamed crab meat & shark's fin with Jin Hua stock wrapped in dough

Currently helmed by Master Chef Lai Tong Ping, Hai Tien Lo has long been a name synonymous with fine Cantonese cuisine. The most impressive dish we sampled must be the dough-wrapped crab meat and shark’s fin in stock. I love the paper-thin, silky dough and sweet crab meat, as well as the light but flavoursome stock that’s infused with the natural goodness of Jin Hua ham and dried scallops.

Just as impressive is the Imperial Lobster Dumpling (pictured in the background above). About 3 times the size of a normal har gow, it looks like a giant har gow, except that it’s stuffed with luxurious lobster meat instead of shrimp.

Deep-fried sea perch in vermicelli

We chomped our way through many more dishes, but there are too many pictures, so I’ll just post some of the more memorable ones. Like this very irresistible-looking plate of crispy vermicelli bundles. I like the contrast of the crispy noodles against the delicate fish inside.

Pan-fried rice flour rolls with crispy conpoy

Another elegantly presented dish! Instead of the usual steaming method, here the rice rolls are lightly pan-fried and topped with a very addictive-tasting crispy shredded dried scallop. We’d actually prefer the rolls to be more charred, and the rolls seemed quite dense. But we spent a lot of time taking photos, so this could be the reason they turned cold and stodgy.

Deep-fried crispy yam patties layered with mashed golden pumpkin

I thought I’d like this, cos there’s yam and pumpkin, which are two ingredients I adore! Unfortunately, the taste of five-spice powder was just a little too much for my preference.

Steamed carrot cake with preserved meat

Another very healthy-tasting item. Now, I love carrot (more accurately, radish) cake, whether it’s steamed or fried. This was very soft and smooth, but it’d have been even better with a more pronounced taste of preserved meat.

Stuffed vegetarian rolls with bamboo pith, pine mushrooms, carrots & bean gluten

The chef and his team have thoughtfully created a number of vegetarian dishes for non-meat eaters. But I think meat eaters will enjoy the veggie options, too, like these stuffed rolls that were crunchy, juicy, and flavorful! The flavors and textures of all the ingredients complemented one another perfectly. I didn’t expect that something so healthy and light could taste so fabulous!

Bird's nest egg tart

These precious little egg tarts luxuriously topped with mounds of pure bird’s nest provided a sweet ending to our first dimsum session. We were truly spoiled!

Overall, I find that Hai Tien Lo’s dimsum is delicately prepared and with a strong emphasis on clean-tasting and light flavors. The food here will please those who find that Chinese food is too oily and salty.

Tempted yet? All these items and many more are available at Hai Tien Lo’s Exquisite Cantonese Weekend Brunch at S$48++ per adult. This ala carte buffet features up to 60 dishes.

Check back as I update on the subsequent sessions of our dimsum extravaganza!

Many thanks to Cindy Lim and Merissa Chong of Pan Pacific Hotel for hosting us, and feature writer Jackson Sim and photographer Danny Lim of Cuisine & Wine Asia for arranging this event.

Also read: Cuisine & Wine Asia dimsum feature: Si Chuan Dou Hua @ Top of UOB Plaza

Fellow bloggers at this session were: Camemberu, Hungry Cow, and ieatishootipost.

It was only 12pm on Saturday, and already, the restaurant was full. But we didn’t mind waiting as we were first in the queue.

Steamed pork rib in black bean sauce, S$3.50.

We were in the mood for dimsum. The dimsum menu here is quite limited, but the usual suspects are there. Perhaps the strategy is to make us order the more profitable main courses?

The steamed ribs were decent: smooth, succulent meat, and not too salty.

Cheong fun (rice rolls) with prawn, S$3.80.

The cheong fun was sufficiently fresh and silky, but not thin enough for my liking. Still, I’ve tasted far worse. It’s hard to find a killer version of made-on-the-spot cheong fun these days.

Har gow (steamed prawn dumplings), S$4.60.

The har gow was gorgeous. Crunchy, juicy prawns encased in thin skin with the right balance of softness and resilience, I could have polished off the whole basket!

Siew mai, S$4.40.

Juicy and springy, the siew mai was just as superb! It was also nice to see that these were true to tradition by being topped with crab roe instead of salmon eggs.

Fried beancurd roll with shrimp, S$4.30.

To their credit, all the dimsum items we tried were excellent, made with fresh ingredients and served piping hot. Same for the fried beancurd rolls. The skin was very light and crispy.

Crispy noodles with beef and vegetable, S$12.80.

By the time we got to them, the noodles had already been softened by the gravy. But because they had been crisp-fried, they didn’t go all soggy. Yes, all that oil is unhealthy, but what the heck!

Together with the tender beef and tasty gravy, the crispy noodles really hit the spot! One plate was sufficient for the two of us to share as we were already half full from the dimsum.

I’m not exactly a fan of chain restaurants that monopolize major shopping malls, but to be fair, Crystal Jade Kitchen’s food quality has been generally consistent over the years. Prices are reasonable (I’m not saying it’s cheap) for the quality and portions. These factors, along with strategic location, is what makes the CJ chain so successful.

Total bill: S$42.35, inclusive of tea, towels, 10% service charge and 7% GST.

Crystal Jade Kitchen (Orchard)
391 Orchard Road, B2-36
Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238872
Tel: (65) 6238 1411
URL: www.crystaljade.com

Daily soup, S$28.00 per pot.

Starting things off on a cold, rainy day was a tummy-warming, slow-cooked soup. A Cantonese specialty, 老火湯 (literally “old fire-cooked soup”) is achieved by simmering various ingredients for at least 3 hours, resulting in a “sweet”, clear, nourishing broth.

Because of the long cooking time, many restaurants do not deem it economically profitable to have this on the menu. Not Lei Garden, and they have a faithful following, going by the numerous earthen soup pots we saw. Today’s poria cocos, sweet corn, and pork soup was extremely flavorful and full-bodied, simply superb!

Steamed chicken feet with black bean, S$3.50.

Our lunch comprised mostly of dimsum items. I didn’t try the chicken feet ‘cos I get squeamish just looking at them! Hubby said they tasted typical.

Pumpkin & yam puff, S$3.50.

Well, this is something more atypical. Mashed pumpkin sandwiched between finely shredded yam (taro), the exterior fried to a crispy brown. I enjoyed this very much!

Fresh prawn cheong fun, S$4.30.

Don’t know why, but it’s so hard to find well-made fresh cheong fun these days. Lei Garden’s version was more than decent; the rice roll was thin (but not super thin), silky, and resilient, while the prawn was fresh and crunchy.

We also had the char siew cheong fun, S$4.30 (sorry, no pic), which was similarly delicious.

Shanghai dumplings with minced pork, S$4.30.

I didn’t try this, so can’t comment. The skin looks thin, though. Can you see the soup through the translucent skin?

Stuffed chilli and eggplant, S$8.00.

This is one of MIL’s favorites, eggplant and chilli stuffed with fish paste, then pan-fried and doused in a tasty gravy. Very homey but yummy. I suspect the bouncy filling was a mixture of fish and prawn, resulting in its complex tastiness.

Crispy taro puff with prawn, S$4.30.

Ooooh, the taro puff is absolutely a must-try! I’m still drooling over how that delicate lattice-like crust gives way to a most creamy mashed taro. Then, the contrasting textures magically melt in the mouth! Oh. So. Divine…

Cod fish in Japanese style, S$16.00 per portion (double portion above).

Another stunner, I thought the cod fish was worth every penny of its price tag. A fat steak glazed with soy and grilled, the fish was perfectly cooked, but still melt-in-the-mouth soft and juicy, with a hint of smokiness. The onion rings by the side were an unusual but fun accompaniment.

Barbecued pig's knuckle, S$28.00.

This was one of the specials highly recommended by the staff. Well, I wasn’t blown away, but still sufficiently impressed. The crackling, similar to that of suckling pig, was beautifully crisp, while the very tasty, smoky meat was lean but tender with bite.

My only peeve is that it’s pricey. The six of us only had two, tiny slices each! Then again, considering the labor and expertise gone into roasting these knuckles, it’s not that expensive.

Baked prawn with crispy noodle, S$22.00 (sufficient for 4 pax).

What’s a Chinese birthday celebration without noodles? We had one and a half portions of this. The noodles used here were exceptionally thin, and fried till very crispy, moistened only by the prawns cooked with aromatic spring onion and ginger.

Lesser versions of crispy noodles involve icky, starchy gravy to drench the noodles. But here, things are kept simple, allowing us to appreciate the natural flavors and textures of the ingredients. Such a feat can only be pulled off with fresh ingredients and masterful skills.

Birthday peach buns, 8 for S$10.40.

To end on a sweet note, birthday buns (filled with lotus paste) to wish our dear mom happiness and longevity!

We came here with high expectations, and we sure weren’t disappointed. It was a marvelous experience: fantastic cooking, premium ingredients, great service, elegant table settings. No wonder Lei Garden has been in this business for years and is still going strong.

Total bill for the 6 of us: S$203.15 inclusive of 10% service charge and 7% GST. On average: S$33.85 per person.

Lei Garden Restaurant
30 Victoria Street
#01-24, Chijmes
Singapore
Tel: (65) 6339 3822