Dinner at Yan Palace Restaurant @ Chinatown

Blk 513 Upper Cross Street #01-49 Hong Lim Complex, Singapore 050531

Tel: 6222 2516

Website: http://yanpalace.sg

Having been to Yan Palace @ Warren Country Club some years back for dimsum lunch but not having great impression, I decided to give it another shot - this time at the Hong Lim Complex outlet at Chinatown. The restaurant is furnished in traditional Chinese restaurant style - complete with carpeted floors and big round tables with white tablecloth.

Disappointingly, they do not serve any dimsum at all for dinner, so *Edwin and I had to make do with ordering a few ala carte dishes for sharing.

We started with Roasted Meat (SGD$12.00) - crispy skin and tender meat, with texture that is not overly greasy. Even the layer of fatty meat sandwiched between the lean meat was a fine thin layer, hence making this meat dish rather delicious.

The Pan Fried Vegetables (SGD$10.00) was fresh and crisp enough, a good-sized serving of greens for a balanced meal.

*Edwin tried the Fish Maw Broth (SGD$8.00), a just-nice serving for one person. The broth was rich enough without being too sticky, and deliciously infused with the flavor of fish maw. The fish maw itself was crunchy in texture even after being softened a bit by the soup it was boiled in; overall flavor further raised by the shiitake mushroom's strong aroma.

I decided to try the Venison Broth with Egg White (SGD$5.00). The venison cubes were not too tender, but retained the sweet natural flavor of venison meat. The silken soft tofu cubes were a good contrast, and the egg white soup was clear enough to complement the flavor of its ingredients.

The Cod Fish in Beer (SGD$12.00) that I had been looking forward to was a little disappointing. The cod, while buttery smooth and luscious in its natural form, was definitely not enhanced by the overly sweet flavor of the beer sauce it was infused in. The gooey and far-too-sweet sauce somewhat reduced the flavor of the cod by a huge tad; might've been lovelier if it had been a bitterer beer for this dish.

We also had the Crispy Duck with Yam Paste (SGD$24.00) - a bit of a carbo overload, but nonetheless a delicious indulgence. The fried yam was very crispy on the outside, and we loved the coarsely sweet flavor of yam. The duck meat was ensconced within the crispy fried yam slices, turning the dish into a savoury-sweet combination of multi-textures.

Chinese tea was at SGD$1.80 a cup, and all in all we spent SGD$83.80 for two. The overall service was unremarkable, with some obvious lapses; the food was average and the ambience of the night was terrible for catching up because we had the misfortune of clashing with some club / association's celebratory dinner hence the noise level was notches up.