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Long Jiang Classic Noodle and Congee House
as a spin-off concept from the successful seafood restaurant Long Jiang Chinos at Bottle Tree Park, the folks have come up with another congee and noodle based restaurant at Clarke Quay. Taking a prominent spot just around the taxi drop-off point, the outlet is poised to capture the taste-buds of tourists and locals alike with its claypot congee dishes and Singaporean / Malaysian delights. its spacious and colourful interior also sports a trendier look, ditching the typical Chinese restaurant feel that probably blends better with its surroundings.
Helmed by Chef Francis Chong, Long Jiang Classic has its own range of Malaysian influenced dishes. The restaurant has been featured for reviews from across the Causeway and could address cravings for KL Hokkien Mee or fried Bee Tai Mak over in Singapore (not many food establishments really serve them here). the latter, also known as Seafood silver needle noodles, is served in a claypot with clams, squid, fish slices and prawns stir fried in dark sauce. had this a couple of times and would like to say that its pretty good with ample wok hey, but it could actually be a hit-and-miss sometimes turning out a tad too soggy. 
of course, the signatures here would be their congee and rice vermicelli claypot dishes. Lobster is probably the king, and although priced rather steep, they give a generous quantity that is fresh and meaty. nonetheless, we went for the XO Mud Crab with Rice Vermicelli. the broth probably is the unique selling point because it was thick, flavourful and well immersed in the XO sauce. the vermicelli is the fine type (would have preferred them thick) and there was practically a whole crab inside. Besides the lobster congee, this is recommended. 
they also carry a couple of popular zi char sides for bigger groups. we went for this Crispy prawn bean curd that was chunky, well fried with spices and has a really crunchy texture. other patrons would also try their KL-style soya sauce chicken which is also often ordered. to go with much of the fried and strong flavoured dishes, Long Jiang offers a medley of Chinese herbal drinks such as "Luo Han Guo" and "Buah Long Long" plum juice that are all healthy thirst quenchers. 
in line with the night life of Clarke Quay, the restaurant opens till late (4 am in fact!) and also does a lunch-time run. office workers or those coming at noon would find individual set selections of rice and noodle dishes, with the favourite being Penang-style prawn or crayfish noodle soup. once again, the broth is the clincher and when there's a promotion, the price is a steal. while consistency could remain one of Long Jiang Classic's challenges, this place has the potential to be the South-east Asian answer to the range of international restaurants at Clarke Quay. 
Long Jiang Classic Noodle and Congee House 3B River Valley Road, #01-16 Clarke Quay Singapore 179021 Opening Hours Daily: 11 am to 2.30 pm; 5 pm to 4 am find comforting seafood congee dishes or heart warming noodle soups in the wee hours.. Labels: #clarkequay, #crabbeehoon, #lobstercongee, #longjiangclassic, #ricevermicelli, #seafoodnoodles, #seafoodsilverneedlenoodles Aura
the page has enjoyed quite a few visits from Italian friends in recent weeks, so a big shout-out to and grazie to all. in the spirit of Italian fare, we had the opportunity to visit Aura at the National Gallery recently. established by the ilLido Group under renowned Italian restaurateur Beppe De Vito, Aura adds to their profile of quality Italian restaurants in Singapore.
Aura's brass and bronze colour theme brings about a sophisticated and elegant feel to the restaurant, and probably blends in well with the atmosphere of the National Gallery. we went for dinner and decided to try their degustation set menu. probably the best way to check out some of the chef's best interpretations in bite-sizes. before the courses was served, dinner came with complimentary Focaccia bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. the bread is really unique, very spongy in texture with a smooth skin crust drizzled with black olives. from the picture, it looks like traditional Chinese pastry. 
dinner itself was a 4 course meal that started with this Hokkaido Scallop Tartare served with sea urchin and Sevruga caviar. raw dishes are always tricky but Aura passes splendidly with fresh scallops that were soft and chewy, well accompanied by the explosive bits of caviar. this was followed up with a tasting portion of Fettuccine pasta with spanner crab, Prosecco and pollen. personally, i'm a big fan of authentic Italian pasta and i found the texture of this just right, with good spices and a reasonable portion of crab meat. 
there were a couple of choices for mains and we selected this Smoked Duck with Foie Gras, young spinach and Marsala Wine Sauce. Duck meat is probably one of the tougher poultry types to bite through and we found that the dish could be made a tad more tender. so we were a little torn with this one as the first impression with the wine sauce, the dash of hummus and first bites were great, but it somewhat became a jaw-bone exercise as we laboured to bite into the whole slice of duck. Our other main selection of Chilean Seabass with spicy Broccoletti and lemon potatoes was certainly a much safer choice. the fish was fresh, meat was tender and very easy to lap up. 
we kinda liked the dessert very much, this Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart served with Whisky Cream and Amarena cherries is just tops. and coming from someone who isn't a big fan of chocolate pastries, this is a huge compliment. post dinner activity for the romantics can adjourn to the sky-lounge bar where this is a fantastic view of the Padang and the Marina Bay skyline. in all, a hefty price tag for semi-fine-dining but a great experience of quality Italian food with good ambience. 
Aura 1 St Andrews Road #05-03 and #06-02 National Gallery Singapore Singapore 178957 Opening Hours Daily: 12 pm to 2 pm; 6:30 pm to 10 pm Skylounge is open from 11.30 am to 1 am daily an elegant and modern multi-concept dining destination... Labels: #aura, #degustationmenu, #illidogroup, #italianfood, #nationalgallerysingapore, #scalloptartare, #sgitalianfood |
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