I am sure you know that I am on a quest to try all the dim sum places in Singapore. My latest adventure brings me to Imperial Treasure Nan Bai at Ngee Ann City.
I have been wanting to go there for a while, but never had the chance until recently. Judging from the crowd on the weekend, Imperial Treasure Nan Bei seems to be extremely popular, especially with families.
Besides Marmalade Toast at Takashimaya, another place that I like to go whenever I am in town is Pique Nique American Cafe by Chef Pang Kok Keong.
I am a huge fan of Chef Pang. I’ve tried almost all his desserts while he was at Canele Patisserie (under the Les Amis group). Boy was I excited when I heard that he left the group late last year to set up his own company, the Sugar Daddy Group.
Pique Nique is located at the basement of Takashimaya where McDonald’s used to be. It serves favourite American comfort food like mac & cheese ($12-16), hot dogs ($8.5-11), burgers ($10-13), all day breakfast ($7.5-13.5), whoopie pies ($2) and desserts ($4-8).
Amongst the Crystal Jade Fine Dining restaurants, there are Crystal Jade Golden Palace at Paragon (contemporary Cantonese & Teochew cuisine), Crystal Jade Dining In at Vivocity (modern Cantonese cuisine) and the flagship Crystal Jade Palace at Ngee Ann City.
I was impressed during a recent visit to Crystal Jade Korean Restaurant at Takashimaya. They have pretty good Korean food at affordable prices and it currently ranks highly on my list of Korean Restaurants in Singapore.
I have to admit that I wasn’t a fan of Crystal Jade restaurants initially as I didn’t like restaurant chains. But after several visits to the different Crystal Jade restaurants, it’s not too difficult to understand why they are popular.
// Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge is now closed
After having lunch at Paradise Dynasty, we wandered around Orchard in search for an afternoon tea place. I don’t fancy the new Marmalade Pantry at Ion Orchard, the space is too open and you can’t even hold a private conversation there. In any case, it was full (on a weekday afternoon), and so was TWG Tea Salon which had a queue outside.
We ended up at Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge at Takashimaya – and yes, the place was also packed. Don’t people need to work on weekdays?
Everything starts with a craving.
The story goes something like this: I woke up one day, and found myself craving for tonkatsu, or more specifically, Katsu Sandwich. I was suddenly reminded about Romankan Yokohama, this Japanese eatery in the basement of Ngee Ann City.
This is my first visit to Crystal Jade.
Okay please stop staring at me as though I’m a weirdo. When I mentioned on twitter that I have not been to Crystal Jade before, everyone gave me the ‘what-is-wrong-with-you’ reply.
I can understand the reactions, since there are so many different Crystal Jade restaurants in Singapore. From the fine dining Crystal Jade Palace restaurant, to the family-oriented Crystal Jade restaurant, Crystal Jade Korean Ginseng Chicken & BBQ or the causal dining options like Crystal Jade Kitchen and Crystal Jade La Mien Xiao Long Bao – there are options for everyone.
So when I finally stepped into Crystal Jade La Mien Xiao Long Bao at Ngee Ann City, there was a slight tingling sensation in my stomach. ‘Hello Crystal Jade, I’m finally here!’
Confession of a non-Japanese food lover. Right, I admit. I’m not the biggest fan of Jap food, while others rave about the freshness of the sashimi, I stared at them and wondered why they like to eat raw seafood. When others sipped and finished their bowl of ramen, I’m quietly thinking of my wanton mee. But, I can’t stop myself eating Tonkatsu, whenever I enter a Japanese restaurant.