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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 Kam's Roast
continuing with the theme of Chinese food, we cover a franchise that is something of an institution in its home country. with its roots stemming from famous roast goose restaurant Yung Kee in Hong Kong, Kam's Roast is a by-product of the family business' brand diversion. the outlet in Wan Chai Hong Kong has drawn scores of crowds since its opening in 2014. having been brought into Singapore by the folks behind Tim Ho Wan and Tsuta, it's reputation and media following has given the franchisees confidence to open in a fairly quieter location of Pacific Plaza.
perhaps not the most prominent shop front as well, tucked behind a pair of escalators. and unlike its Hong Kong main outlet, there is no goose served in the Singapore edition, thus taking the name Kam's Roast only (without any mention to the latter poultry). nonetheless, we loved all things Hong Kong and were somewhat surprised that it took us so long to try this in Singapore for the first time. 
without goose, the signature dish at this restaurant would be roast duck. it can be served in quarter portions, half-portions or whole. we ordered a quarter serving, of which we chose the lower-half which is supposedly more juicy. i personally think that selling duck these days is all about honesty, i mean, given that poultry production these days are generally quite advanced, you probably only would get lotsa bones because some dishonest salesman was trying to sell you some other parts. gladly, this was not the case at Kam's, with the meat portions generous, easy to eat and well roasted. 
the same could be said about the roast meat served here. this mixture of BBQ Char Siew and roasted pork was awesome. the pork crackling had a layer of very crispy skin, and beneath it was tender and flavourful meat. the Char Siew was glazed with honey and well marinated and probably, if this dish was served on its own, would have made a very addictive snack. the roast cuts at Kam's goes very well with steamed white rice and probably lived up to its standards from its Hong Kong counterpart. 
in all, it was an enjoyable experience for us. probably also with the hype having quite settled here, we avoided the massive queues that we experienced when we were in Hong Kong a couple of years back. the quality control of the food ensured that local patrons are not missing out and service here was probably better as well. it's just a pity still, that Singapore doesn't serve goose... 
Kam's Roast 9 Scotts Road, #01-04/05/06/07 Pacific Plaza Singapore 228210 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11 am to 10 pm Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays: 10.30 am to 10 pm Serving impeccable food in the warmth of a family-oriented environment Labels: #hongkongcuisine, #kamsroast, #pacificplaza, #roastduck, #roastmeat, #roastpork |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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