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翠華 Tsui Wah (Clarke Quay)
this is somewhat of an institution in Hong Kong, probably one of the most popular Cha Chan Teng chains that went super commercial when it decided to go for IPO and list its shares in 2012. today, it has decided to take the brand international, and recently opened a South-East Asian outlet, and in Singapore no less. Perhaps to the hype and popularity it deserved, Tsui Wah opened its doors at Clarke Quay in June.
the queues to enter the store has been long since its opening, in fact, there were a couple of humourous cases of clueless fans who started queuing outside the refurbishment site before it was slated to open. despite its long opening hours, perhaps the best time to visit this Hong Kong cafe would be in the mid-afternoons. the fit-out inside carries their authentic look and there is that buzz around the place that gives it the distinctly local "busy" feel. 
For those who may be unfamiliar with this brand, you can think of it like the Hong Kong cafes that you are familiar with back home. Just that Tsui Wah has developed almost cult status in Hong Kong. their signature dish is the Crispy buns with condensed milk, often going well with traditional local milk tea. the toasted bun topped with butter and condensed milk has the right mix of crispy texture with sweet taste, however in the air-conditioning of this outlet, the bread hardens a tad too quickly. you are encouraged to finish this as quickly as you can to do it justice. the milk tea / coffee cups are a signature of the brand as well, and we are glad that they have brought the full works over. 
we tried some mains including this King prawns in XO sauce with tossed noodles. this was really an enjoyable one for me, because i really like the tangy Hong Kong gong zai noodles. they also made the noodles in a harder texture which is the way i'd like to have my noodles and the XO prawns came in pretty generous servings. another interesting dish was the Western styled fried rice which was essentially tomato fried rice with sausages, tomatoes and cabbage. the dish was extremely flavourful and its not often that you find good tomato fried rice here anyway. 
overall, Tsui Wah's first outlet in Singapore mirrors the menu of their Hong Kong stores to a great extent. The classic pork chop buns, pork cartilage noodles, almond milk drinks and yuan yangs are all there. the delivery of the concept and the food quality is pretty much the real McCoy, and whatever reviews out there about the food being hits and misses, is also reflective of the brand's global situation post IPO. we enjoyed the authentic experience and would certainly look forward to try other dishes on their menu next time. 
翠華 Tsui Wah (Clarke Quay) 3A River Valley Rd #01-03 Clarke Quay Singapore 179020 Opening Hours Daily: 11 am to 1.30 am Hong Kong delicacies of great quality, at great value.. Labels: #chachanteng, #clarkequay, #condensedmilkbun, #hongkongcafe, #hongkongcuisine, #tsuiwah, #tsuiwahsingapore 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 VLV Singapore
we have always wanted to check out VLV Singapore's exquisite range of Cantonese cuisine and award winning dim sum. having passed by the outside of the restaurant and club located at Clarke Quay a few times, few could imagine that the conserved building that once housed Indochine's Forbidden City would have carried a classy club and elegantly designed Chinese restaurant on the inside. speaking of Chinese, one side of its exterior certainly befits the lunar seventh month theme.
Run by the folks who once made Ku De Ta and Catalunya famous, VLV also boasts Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao's 2017 chef of the year Martin Foo. and despite if mysterious looking exterior, the restaurant on the second floor is all bright and snazzy. i recalled looking forward to our experience dining at Hong Kong's Tin Lung Heen a couple of years back, well the interior design and ambience of this restaurant also makes visiting VLV an experiential one. 
we had the opportunity to try one of the lunch sets that's being offered on weekdays, i thought it was a good summary of some popular Cantonese food through the medley of dishes that had been curated into each set. The Tasting lunch set menu offered such variety and we enjoyed this serving of Sea Prawn in nutritious herbal soup. the soup was very rich in taste and went well with the fresh prawns and mushrooms inside. 
The Crispy roast chicken is one of the specialties at this restaurant. it's roasted with sesame until the skin is really crispy and served with a unique five spice salt. if you didn't have a set lunch and looking to taste VLV's signature chicken dish, then order the Beggar chicken when you visit. we also enjoyed the Sweet & sour Chillean seabass and poached Choy Sum that was included in this set. 
As the Tasting menu is supposed to encompass abit of the various VLV offering, some popular dim sum dishes were also included such as Har Gao, pan-fried carrot cake and this Roselle flower Osmanthus Jelly. through these samples, it truly exemplifies the quality of the dim sum and has motivated us to come back to try the full dim sum menu. In all, our first dining experience at VLV Singapore was in many ways an eye-opener, but more importantly, the delivery of the food lives up to its award winning billing, the service and ambience is of good standard as well. hopefully these ingredients would come together, to make this place one of the contenders for next year's Michelin guide. 
VLV Singapore 3A River Valley Road, #01-02 Clarke Quay Singapore 179020 Opening Hours Daily: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 11 pm Weekend Brunch: 11.30 am to 1.30 pm (first seating); 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm (second seating) a peerless global destination for the lifestyle connoisseurs.. Labels: #cantonesefood, #clarkequay, #dimsum, #highclassdining, #vlv, #vlvsingapore |
..ThE lEgEnD..
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