Singapore Food Blog - Chong Qing Grilled Fish 重庆烤鱼

Location: Bugis, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Liang Seah Street branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

Recommended: Grilled Fish (what else...)

I was unaware of this Szechuanese restaurant until my friends brought me to try it out. Apparently Chong Qing Grilled Fish is quite famous and throngs of customers were waiting for a seat when we left. Fortunately for us, we arrived before dinner peak hour and managed to avoid the same fate as those diners.

Despite the fact that Chong Qing Grilled Fish occupies 2 shop floors, the interior is not too spacious, with seats arranged close to each other and conversations within earshot. Coupled with the fact that the grilled fish was served piping hot (no, really...), we felt like a steaming can of sardines, with the aroma of grilled fish to go with.

With a name of Chong Qing Grilled Fish, there wasn't any surprises that the main dish of choice was various Szechuanese based grill fish, coupled with a limited selection of other dishes to go with the spicy main offer. Although grilled fish took the main spot, the other list of dishes would help cater to a larger group and more varied tastes.

Our choice of dish - Golden Snapper 红曹 in Pickled Cabbage flavor hot pot (酸菜)

Singapore Food Blog - TungLok XiHe Peking Duck

Location: Orchard, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Recommended: Peking Duck

* Lokkee is operated by Tunglok Group. Other reviewed eateries from the same group include Lokkee and TungLok XiHé Peking Duck.

My friend and I craved for some ducks for our 2015 Chinese New Year Reunion, and since I saw a picture from another friend dining in Tunglok Xihe Peking Duck, I suggested this as our possible choice to savor this famed dish from China. Its location in Somerset was another reason for our choice as it was almost equidistant to each other’s abode. 

TungLok XiHe Peking Duck is located on a high spot, awarding a panoramic view of Orchard Road.

Singapore Food Blog - Hai Di Lao Hot Pot (海底捞火锅) @ 313 Somerset

Location: Orchard, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in 313 Somerset branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

Recommended: Ramen (捞面) (SGD4), pork slices (五花猪肉片) (SGD14)

I wouldn't expect that a hot pot restaurant could garner so much support, and wouldn't even dream of finding it located in an upscale mall. Yet Hai Di Lao Hot Pot did just that - locating itself on the top levels of 313 Sommerset, one of the malls along Orchard Road and its legendary queue is testament to the support it garnered.

I only managed to enter this restaurant on my second try. A queue numbered ticket needs to be obtained upon arrival, which the waiter manning the machine will estimate from his long waiting list how long you need to wait before your turn is up. On my first visit we were told to wait for 2 hours, and it was 7 p.m. at that time, which meant we could only dine at 9. The hunger in my stomach had not such patience so we decided to return another time.

On our second visit, we were much earlier, arriving at 5 but still was told to wait for 2 hours. This time we had the patience to wait, and were treated to some pleasant surprises.

What else do you expect from Hai Di Lao Hot Pot? Hot pot of course! We asked for chicken soup and tomato soup (鸡汤番茄锅) (SGD22) as our stock.

Singapore Food Blog - The Asian Kitchen's Lu Gang Xiao Zhen 鹿港小镇

Location: Bugis, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated: This business is permanently closed.

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Bugis+ branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

The Asian Kitchen's name is rather peculiar as its name English and Mandarin name does not match each other. Its Mandarin name is 鹿港小镇 (Lu Gang Xiao Zhen), potentially named after a small township in Taiwan though the reason why is beyond my guess. Apart from a peculiar name, I do find its dishes memorable, worthy of a recommendation from me.

I usually patronize the branch in Bugis+, personally because the restaurant is located on the highest floor of the mall and has a high ceiling. Despite its relative lack of deco the high ceiling and ample distance between tables gave a spacious feel to the place.

Herbal Crispy Duck (药材烧鸭) (small - SGD12.70) is one of our favorite dish in The Asian Kitchen . Its crispy skin and succulent flesh soaked up the sauce it bathed in, bringing forth the flavor with every bite and chew.

Singapore Food Blog - Mini Snowskin Mooncakes of Park Palace

Location: City Hall, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Mooncakes - what started originally as a way to defeat the Mongols by the Chinese evolved into the colorful and flavorful varieties we now see in the market. The traditional conservatives would choose the lotus paste mooncake with their distinctive baked brown skin, but snowskins had been our favorite for a long while. Those attractive colorful skins attracted our attentions, a lure to the younger generations.

With Park Palace promoting their snowskin mooncakes in our company near the end of the Mooncake Festival, we bought a box of 8 assorted mini snowskins, allowing us to mix and match between the 4 flavors they were offering. This article may come late past the festival, but for those who missed the mooncakes that they had devoured, here are some photos to rekindle your passion and appetite while waiting for the festival to arrive next year.

A box of 8 assorted mini snowskin mooncakes (SGD50.00) with 4 flavor variants, allowing customers to mix and match between the flavors. The empty spot there was due to a greedy and hungry photographer...

Singapore Food Blog - TungLok Signatures @ Vivocity 同樂經典

Location: Harborfront, Singapore

Note: This piece was written base on the dining experience in Vivocity branch. Experience may differ from those in another branch.
* Lokkee is operated by Tunglok Group. Other reviewed eateries from the same group include Lokkee and TungLok Signatures.

This review will start with a sincere and heartfelt thanks to my friends for treating us to a dinner for celebrating us newlyweds. It was unexpected and definitely very much appreciated. This is written fully dedicated to their thoughtfulness and undying friendship.

Tung Lok Signatures in Vivocity was chosen as the venue for our celebration. I was aware of Tung Lok Group having a range of restaurants under its management, but I was not familiar with what the Signatures brand offers. A quick surf into their website shed some light on this particular chain - its main business is in serving traditional Chinese cuisines, particularly dishes of Cantonese, Sichuan and Shanghainese variety and taste.

This celebration by my friends gave me a chance to sample their offers and compare that to their equally famous competitor which I had experienced before - Paradise Inn (樂天客棧) (read more on my Paradise Inn experience in the review here).

Tung Lok Signatures in Vivocity is situated on the ground floor, right beside one of the exits to the boardwalk facing Sentosa Island.

Singapore Food Blog - Paradise Inn @ NEX

Location: Serangoon, Singapore

Updated 30-Dec-2013: This outlet in NEX Serangoon is permanently closed. Outlets of Paradise Inn can still be located in other locations through here: outlet locations.

Note: This piece was written base on the dining experience in NEX Serangoon branch. Experience may differ from those in another branch.

The name 'Paradise Group' (乐天集团) is rather famous in Singapore, holding numerous outlets across the island republic and different concept restaurants in tight competition with a few other big shots in Chinese F&B dining. That includes a group shared in my previous article, Imperial Treasure Restaurant Group (御宝饮食集团) (read more in Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant). While I tasted the latter's dim sum delicacy last time, this time I tried Paradise Inn's main course to see what they have to offer.

The outlet in NEX is really jam packed with diners. It is not unusual to see diners lining up to wait for a seat during dinner time, and this is worsened during weekends. This does not discourage diners from revisiting though, a testament to how popular the restaurant is with Singaporeans. 

Singapore Food Blog - Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant @ Takashimaya 御宝南北小馆

Location: Orchard, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

To visit a restaurant along Orchard Road usually entails a significant lightening of your wallet. So when a friend of mine recommended Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant for their tasty dim sum at a not-so-significant reduction of the bills in my wallet, I should be forgiven for showing doubt. Even reviews online shared the same recommendation, and despite my cynical approach, I have to say that I was intrigued enough to give it a try. 

Imperial Treasure group is one of the large restaurant conglomerates in Singapore, bragging numerous awards and restaurants across the island republic. I would usually avoid such restaurants. For one, some of these restaurants are really a splurge – spending at least $30 or more per person is normal and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy without constant checking of the amount of bills in my wallet. The other reason is that the taste does not justify the price – a tastier version could be sampled in a stall rather than a restaurant, and at a lower price too. 

My misgivings on the restaurant proved unfounded. 

Diners are already lining in wait for their lunch.