Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine

Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine – 391 Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City, #04-20A

The more I visit Chinese restaurants, the more I begin to think that service is a Western ideal. Forget about them noticing that one of my party was clearly very Indian and spoke not a word of Chinese, every member of the wait staff simply rattled away in mandarin. Do not even expect thought to be put into your pace of eating when dishes are served for everything is dumped on your table at once; too bad if much of it grows cold before you manage to get round to it or if you lack room to move. Yet, these places manage to draw snaking queues because the food miraculously redeems all that with its variety and scrumptiousness. My party of three racked up a massive $115.93 bill and polished off every last morsel.

Our order of Marinated Duck's Tongue ($8) had a most curious texture midway between crunch and gelatinousness. While rather fussy going with a central shard of bone, it was excellent with a sharp white vinegar dip.

Vermicelli Soup with Roast Goose ($8) had a mixed reception for the jury's still out on whether the roast goose was pleasantly moist or soggy.

However, the thick, milky vermicelli soup with wonderful springy noodles found a fan in me for it seemed to have drawn inspiration from sliced fish noodles, one of my favourite comfort foods.

The Deep Fried Pig's Intestines ($8.40) were absolutely sensational. Extremely crisp on the outside, luxuriously soft and creamy on the inside while managing to remain not the least bit oily; it bordered on perfection.

Alas, the Pig's Trotters with Egg and Black Vinegar ($5.50) was proof that some things are best left to home cooks. The ginger sections were unpeeled, leaving a chewy, unappetizing layer of skin to ruin the mouthfeel of the tender young roots. Furthermore, the meat was not braised nearly long enough for the fat to be emulsified by the vinegar so the trotters were still tough and fatty rather than melt-in-your-mouth with little visible marbling. By cutting corners and saving time, all that remained noteworthy in this simple dish was a pleasantly syrupy sauce.

The Stewed Pig's Shank with Peanuts ($5) fared much better with its thick, rich gravy, generous chunks of gelatinous tendon and soft, delicate layer of skin.

The Steamed Teochew Dumplings ($3.30) were one of the more unusual dim sum offerings. Stuffed with turnip slices, black fungus and peanuts, they had a wonderful combination of textures.

I had to try a steamer of Har Kau ($4.40) which had delightfully soft skins stuffed till the verge of bursting with deliciously crunchy shrimp.

The Siew Mai ($4) were a touch too salty though but otherwise aced the combination of tender, juicy chicken stuffing and still more springy shrimp.

I loved the strong, grassy pungency of chives in the Pan Fried Chive Dumplings ($3.50) but they could have been far less greasy.

The Steamed Chicken with Fish Maw ($4.80) presented a gorgeous amalgam of flavours and textures with spongy fish maw, chewy shiitake, meaty ham chunks and juicy chicken pieces.

Shanghai Steamed Pork Dumplings ($3.60) are my perennial favourite but - as always - featured skins that were way too fragile. Nevertheless, I enjoyed whatever dribble of thickened meat broth and marinated mince that reached my mouth.

The Fish Maw Soup with Pearl Leaves ($9) was decidedly average though I always marvel at how a swim bladder can even be rendered edible. The crunchy fungus and small bits of mince provided the bulk of the texture and flavour though.

I much preferred the Minced Beef with Vegetables in Thickened Soup ($8) as the beef was not overcooked to toughness and flavoured the eggdrop-thickened soup generously.

A Chinese restaurant meal is never complete without a Mango Pudding ($4) and this one was a princely specimen with actual mango chunks embedded in the gelatinized mango purée, no chemical aftertaste detected.

The Walnut Cream ($4) was another winner with a pleasant viscosity and that bittersweetness I adore.

Less remarkable were the Egg Tarts ($3) which were a little too flaky but the custard struck a good balance of firmness and moistness.

Privé Bakery Café

Privé Bakery Café - Marina at Keppel Bay, 2 Keppel Bay Vista

Privé has been on my list of places to visit for the longest time for a number of reasons. I heard they do a mean brunch, they are situated in a gorgeous location and they have Eggs Benedict/Royale on their menu. Alas, my long wait was for a $52.90 meal for two that ultimately proved disappointingly average.

My dining partner started off with a TWG French Earl Grey ($4.80) which was wonderfully refined and delicate, filling your nose with the rich perfume of bergamot and your tongue with clean, clear astringency; credit here rightfully goes to TWG whose outlet at ION I adore. Next to that, the crunchy oatmeal-raisin cookie seemed out of place as it was a flavour of comfort rather than of sophistication. A Sable Breton nibble would have been a better fit IMHO.

This was followed with the decadent-sounding Prawn Bisque with Cognac and Prawn Ravioli ($12) which was far from what it promised. Flat-tasting and underseasoned, it lacked even moderate crustacean sweetness; a dribble of sherry would have also given it much-needed depth. The ravioli offered an equal dearth of flavour with a slight doughiness to them too.

The extensive selection of pastries would have been excellent IF they had not been stone cold. Ignoring that, the Lemon Twist ($2) was delightfully flaky and light. Sweet but not cloying, its lemony character lay purely in an intensely citrusy aroma as it was not tart at all.

Even better was the Blueberry Muffin ($2.80) which was so rich, dense and moist that it almost resembled a pudding at points. Generously studded with sugary and richly hued blueberries, it was quite gorgeous. If only warmed slightly and served with butter...

The Croissant ($2) was another let-down though, too buttery to the point of being oily and lacking that characteristic flaky airiness.

Things did improve somewhat after that though. The Eggs Royale ($14.50) was sensational despite initial appearances. I was taken aback at the sight of fully-cooked smoked salmon but ventured a taste and was rewarded. Beneath a layer of molten cheese, the bernaise was luxuriously thick and creamy, clinging to the delicately poached eggs and oozing over the firm, flaky grilled smoked salmon.

Finishing things off was the Hazelnut Praline Royale ($6.80), highly recommended by our waiter and helping tip the scales just slightly further away from an unsatisfactory brunch. Rich, smooth and creamy; the mousse had a generous dose of lovely hazelnut flavour while the crisp base added that contrasting crunch for a balanced mouthfeel.

Lavender Corner

Lavender Corner - 195 Lavender Street

This food centre was my family's go-to place for a good Chinese fix in my picky-eating childhood days. While they would enjoy the typical bak chor or wanton noodles, I'd only sample the more unusual items; and that's the stuff that has brought me back all these years later instead of to any run-of-the mill neighbourhood joint. You simply can't find this stuff in other hawker centres, let alone literally next to each other under one roof.

Ju Hao La Mian Xiao Long Bao (#01-29)

I've always had a soft spot for Xiao Long Bao ($5.50 for a steamer of 8). This is a cousin of the fiddly sort almost exclusively found in mid-range Chinese restaurants, I'll explain how shortly. Each of these little soup-filled parcels delivers an unfailingly surprising gush of flavour when its chewy outer layer yields under your teeth, sending steaming, rich thickened pork stock spurting in all directions (hopefully within your mouth). That's my private Asian version of present-opening Christmas joy; and I can have it all year round with a lovely astringent ginger-black vinegar dip.

This perhaps plebeian sort differs from the over-refined restaurant XLBs in the way their thicker skins allow my chopsticks to find purchase and lift them to my lips without the constant threat of a premature explosion. The deft, limp chopstick grip mastered by my Chinese ancestors wasn't something I inherited, as any casualty of a dim sum lunch with me will attest to.

Bugis Street Ngak Seah Beef Kuay Teow (#01-28)

I will never understand why Beef Kuay Teow ($5) is so elusive in Singaporean hawker centres. Do people fail to appreciate the allure of springy, chewy tripe; that unparalleled mouthfeel of gorgeously gelatinous tendon chunks or even the magic of beef strips morphing from blood-red to rosy pink as they are flash-cooked for mere seconds in boiling broth? I can't even begin to describe that mysterious thick, black, umami-vinegary-peppery sauce napping the chewy noodles that I've tried for years - in futility - to deconstruct. I'm delightfully resigned to a pilgrimage here whenever a craving takes me.

As a sidekick to all that richness is a meatball soup that is as simple as it is exquisite. Two dense, springy meatballs float in clear beefy stock. Do dip generously in tangy, fiery chili.

Kin Turtle Soup Geylang Lorong 35 (#01-27)

Before you go all PETA on me with the whole save-the-cutesy-turtles spiel; imagine with me the meaty bite of mutton meeting the leanness of chicken and the lovely jelly glory of sea cucumber, all available in one package. I trust you've exchanged your arms for cutlery?

The $15 bowl I ordered differs from the $10 option in that it contains wonderful sea-cucumber-esque turtle blubber and only the tenderest, choicest cuts of the reptile. The latter goes best with a simple garnish of cilantro and ginger or - for the bold - fiery vinegar-based chili sauce. The mildly herbal broth gets its characteristic bittersweet flavour from wolfberries and a dozen mysterious herbs; don't ask what, just eat.