One of the first things that strike you is the ambiance of the place. The restaurant is set in an old colonial house, partially restored with white columns and old Chinese tiles. We were there for dinner on 1st February 2012, and took the Lunar...New Year menu which comprised of the following dishes: Fatt Choy raw fish; Thick fish mau and crab meat soup; Steamed Rockfish Hong Kong style; Feng Sha chicken; Poached live prawns in Hua Diao wine; Dried oysters with black moss and dried scallop; La La He Fen (rice noodles); Black pepper crabs, and a Desert of warm red beans with stuffed rice balls.
The poached prawns were fresh, succulent and sweet, matching well with the dark thick sauce containing sliced chilies. The Rockfish had a firm meat, was well cooked, and went well with the light sauce that was not too salty to taste. The chicken came with a marinate of honey, and was eaten with a green garlic and vinegar paste, which was a deviation from the normal salt and pepper compliment. The skin of the chicken was crispy and the meat, moist. The dried 'oysters' looked, smelled, and tasted like they were mussels and we thought they were! The black moss that came with the dish was a little too strong in ‘medicinal’ flavor. This was the only dish that had leftovers. The black pepper crab that night was not up to standard as the meat was not firm and succulent.
The restaurant has other ‘signature‘ dishes, but the dishes we had were on the menu for the Lunar New Year season. The La La He Fen dish of fried flat rice noodles we are told, is many many times better in the regular menu. The waitresses dressed in the Singapore Airlines batik outfits added more local touches to the ambiance, but the noise level in the air-conditioned dining hall was at most times unbearable.
The Restaurant is situated at 462 Upper East Coast Road, which is along the main road. On weekends it can be very crowded and parking is a problem although there are valets on duty. It’s better to go on a weekday for your meal. They are opened daily from 5pm to 11.30pm and their phone number is: +65 6442 9313. There is an out door portion to the restaurant in front of the main building for those who prefer fresh air and where the noise levels are probably tolerable.
Tip:
Instruct the waitress to serve the pepper crabs as the last dish, because after consuming this dish, your taste buds get rather numb and you will not be able to appreciate the flavors of the next and remaining dishes!More