Lunch at Lao Beijing (老北京食堂) @ Novena Square

238 Thomson Road #02-11 / 12 Novena Square Shopping Mall, Singapore 307683

Tel: 6358 4466

Website: http://www.laobeijing.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TungLokGroup

Lao Beijing is part of the TungLok Group, specialising in Northern Chinese cuisine such as noodles, crispy skin roast duck, steamed dumplings etc.  They used to have more outlets but it seems there's only the Velocity Novena Square outlet left.  Service was rather friendly, and decor gives a very vintage heritage feel.

Appetiser was interesting Pickled Pumpkin (SGD$2.00) slices (mom insisted it tasted like papaya instead). crunchy and sweet with light tinge of spiciness.

The Pork & Chive Dumplings (SGD$6.00) were pretty good and melty, tender minced pork wrapped in soft flour skin.

Braised Pork Rice (SGD$3.50) was decent, with delectable bits of tiny braised pork cubes and half a soft-braised egg. I thought a little more gravy might transform the simple rice dish better.

Finally, Wanton Noodles (SGD$12.00) made with fresh shrimp dumplings, springy la mian noodles and a whole braised egg. Taste was a little bland but portion was very generous.

Overall a pleasant dining experience here at Lao Beijing (Olde Peking Dining Hall) - a lot has changed since my last dining experience there nearly a decade ago.

Dinner at Teahouse by Soup Restaurant @ Tampines

2 Tampines Central, #01-20, Century Square, Singapore 529509

Tel: 6260 0030

Website: http://www.souprestaurant.com.sg/teahouse.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Teahouse-by-Soup-Restaurant/2084158468490974

Being dim sum lovers, my family and I were thrilled that Tea House by Soup Restaurant serves dim sum items for dinner as well, therefore here we were!

They have 3 Teahouse outlets - IMM Jurong East, Changi Airport Terminal 1, and Century Square, Tampines. We went to the latter as it was the closest to our places of residence.

Simple settings done with a Chinese retro feel; service was excellent. Especially one elderly lady whose name eluded me; she was very meticulous and warm. We also had the private room because there were 10 of us.

Started with their Crispy Fish Skin appetiser, always an enjoyable snack that I could munch non-stop on.

Then we had the Soup Restaurant's signature Samsui Ginger Chicken (SGD$15.90); utterly tender steamed chicken paired with ginger and cucumber slices. The specialty is the ginger with sesame oil, very aromatic and tasty.

Another one of their popular items was this adorable Dim Sum dish, Happy Animal Farm. It is made up of Chick-a-boo Buns (corn paste), Panda Buns (red bean paste) and Hedgehog Buns (lotus paste). Very cute, tasty and fun to eat.

We also had the Steamed Char Siew Buns (BBQ pork) (SGD$4.90); velvety bun skins comprising saccharine honey BBQ pork bits.

Following that, the Prawn Dumplings (Har Gow), with its fine crystal skin and springy fresh shrimps.

Then the Crispy Prawn Chee Cheong Fun and BBQ Pork Chee Cheong Fun (rice rolls).

Other dishes included the Beef Stir-fried with Spring Onions - tender pieces of beef tasting delicious with the infusion of spring onion's flavour.

Finally, the Sweet and Sour Pork - deep fried to a golden crispy texture and tasted very palatable with the zesty gravy.

Overall, enjoyed ourselves dining here very much, and I can foresee myself coming back for more dim sum and other dishes.

Lunch at Din Tai Fung Restaurant @ Marina Bay Link Mall

8A Marina Boulevard #B2-05 / 06 Marina Bay Link Mall, Singapore 018984

Tel: 6634 7877

Website: https://www.dintaifung.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dintaifungsg

Time for lunch in one of the busiest business districts in Singapore's CBD area - Marina Bay Link Mall. Cracking our heads on what to eat, I let my colleague pick, and she chose Din Tai Fung Restaurant.

Huge and spacious with rather good service, this Taiwanese restaurant, a franchise outlet under the Breadtalk Group, serves mainly Chinese cuisine centred on dim sum items, soup, rice and noodle dishes etc. My last review can be found here.

We started with drinks - Iced Lemon Earl Grey Tea (SGD$5.50) for me, and Iced Lemongrass Tea (SGD$5.50) for her. If I was baffled by the hefty price of these teas initially, I now understand why. The ice ball inside the drink is made of the flavoured tea itself, not water. This means that our teas never got diluted, even as the ice ball melted gradually.

Hot and Sour Soup (SGD$9.80 for Medium) graced the table first, piping hot bowl of flavorful soup with a smooth texture, comprising slivers of mushrooms, pickled vegetables etc. This was certainly appetite-whetting.

Then there was the customary basket of Xiao Long Bao (SGD$11.30 for 10 pieces) aka steamed meat buns with soup. I always enjoy this fun and tasty dish, feeling the explosion of palatable soup filling my palate.

Next, we had the Stir-fried Pea Shoots (Dou Miao) with Shrimps (SGD$16.80), another delectable and healthy delight, adding a touch of balance to the meal.

Finally, Fried Rice with Pork Chop (SGD$13.80) - the rice was fragrant and delicious with eggs; texturized with bite. The pork chop was moist and succulent, very tasty as well.

Overall dining experience here was good, and most importantly my dining companion enjoyed it.

Dinner at Paradise Teochew @ Scotts Square

6 Scotts Road #03-05, Scotts Square, Singapore 228209

Tel: 6538 0644

Website: https://www.paradisegp.com/brand-paradise-teochew

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParadiseGrp

Time for another family dinner, and it seems we have been fans of Paradise Group lately, deciding to try out Paradise Teochew at Scotts Square.

The interior decor was tasteful and elegant in earthly shades of brown, beige and cream. Service of the crew was attentive, polite and friendly, complete with smiles and small thoughtful gestures.

Menu here is mainly Chinese dishes with a Teochew focal as well as some seafood items. Helmed by Executive Chef Cheng Ee Kwan with 34 years of experience and his talented chefs, they seek to uphold traditional Teochew standard of light-hearted dishes with minimal flavour enhancers.

They started us with a tray of Nuomi (glutinous) Tea, served us our pot of Pu-er Tea (SGD$9.60) and ended with a tray of Oolong Tea brewed with fragrant fresh tea leaves.

The appetisers (SGD$6.00) comprised little fried tofu cubes with diced long bean, cooked in a delicious dark sauce.

Next up, Teochew-style Pork Balls (SGD$12.00), deep-fried to a lovely crisp and enhanced with five spices powder.

The Teochew-style Fried Rice was encased in a thin egg omelet layer. The fried rice consisted minced salted pork, ginger and olive vegetables; flavour was light but tasty.

Next item was Steamed Cod Fish (SGD$45.00 for medium) with a light dark sauce, topped with cordyceps flowers, minced pork, slivers of mushrooms and fine slices of red date. We loved the natural sweetness of the smooth, flakey flesh of the cod.

Following that, Teochew-style Seasonal Vegetables with Chinese Ham (SGD$30.00 for medium) comprising cabbage, mushrooms etc, cooked in a dark sauce with taste akin to oyster sauce. Fresh and delicious, this dish was a great balance to our otherwise meaty dinner.

And then we had the signature Teochew Braised Duck with Yam Casserole (SGD$38.00 for medium), highlighted by a delicious herbal taste. Duck was utterly tender but I thought the yam could be just that slightly softer , to be perfect. Still, dish was very palatable.

Finally, we ended off the meal with desserts. Mashed Yam (aka "Orh Nee") with Gingko Nuts (SGD$4.50) and with Pumpkin (SGD$4.50) was fine-textured, gently sweet with yam flavour and very lovely.

Osmanthus Jelly (SGD$4.80) made for a beautiful and cooling dessert, as well as Mango Sago Pomelo (SGD$4.50) and Almond Beancurd with Longan (SGD$8.00).

The meal was very pleasant from start to finish, once again exhibiting Paradise Group's high level of customer service and quality food. I would definitely love to be back again.

Lunch at Jia He Chinese Restaurant @ Farrer Park Hotel

1 Farrer Park Station Road, #01-14/15/16, Connexion, Singapore 217562

Tel: 6694 8988

Website: https://www.jiahe.com.sg/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JiaHeChineseRestaurant/ 

I chanced upon Jia He Chinese Restaurant buying a takeaway dinner to share with The Mom, and it was so good, I brought the fam here to dine-in a week later.


Each dish at Jia He is created with “harmony” in mind, striving to serve a wholesome gastronomic experience through a balanced menu. From time-honoured Chinese delicacies to bold, contemporary and multi-sensorial creations, their menu embraces the best of both worlds. One that is of tradition and another of modernity.

The must-have (and my accidental discovery) was the signature Crispy Hor Fun with Seafood and Egg Sauce (SGD$18.00) for small portion. The slim hor fun  strips were deep fried to a fluffy crispiness, good enough to eat on their own. But of course we dipped in into the delectable broth with generous servings of fresh shrimps, fish slices and squid, as well as vegetables and egg sauce.

We also had a few Dim Sum items to share, as well as the side dish of Stir-fried Freah Scallops with Brocooli and Minced Garlic (SGD$26.00) for small. Enjoyed the tasty and springy texture of the scallops as well as crunch of brocooli.

Our Dim sum starters comprised of their signature Xiao Long Bao with Bak Kut Teh broth (SGD$8.00) for 6 pieces; an interesting local twist to this delicacy. Would be nicer if the broth was stronger; we thought it was too diluted.

The Steamed Rice Rolls with BBQ Pork  aka "Chee Cheong Fun" (SGD$5.50) was quite good, though the rice roll skin could be smoother.

Next, Steamed Siew Mai with Fresh Prawn and Fish Roe (SGD$5.50) for 3, was quite palatable.

We also had Deep Fried Yam Dumplings with Minced Meat (SGD$5.50) for 3, simply because they were made into beautiful swan forms. Crispy and melty, this dish was enjoyable to eat.

Finally, Baked BBQ Pork Buns with Pineapple aka "Bolo Buns" (SGD$6.00) for 3, pretty tasty; and I liked how the pineapple flavour was distinctive.

Overall dining experience at Jia He Chinese Restaurant was lovely - good service, huge round tables and bright interior. Foodwise, dishes from the main menu would be a much better bet compared to the dimsum menu.