Crystal Jade Holland Village reopens with new menu – Carrot Dumpling, Osmanthus Chicken, Seafood Congee & more!

Crystal Jade is an award-winning Group operating over 120 outlets across 30 major cities in Asia Pacific. Undoubtedly, this 27-year-old household brand name is well-known and well-loved (myself included!) for their traditional Cantonese fare of dim sum, noodles, congee and home-style dishes.

Despite being nested in Holland Village, one of the popular hangout spots for cafes amongst youngsters, this outlet has maintained its strong foothold with consistency in the high quality of food and attentive customer service, bringing back a constant stream of loyal customers.

Diners would be pleased to welcome Crystal Jade Holland Village back into business after a 2-month long renovation, even more so now with a tempting new menu!

Stepping into this two-storey outlet was simply inviting. Gone are the days where you have to strategically manoeuvre between tables due to the cramped arrangement; the floor plan is very well-drawn and diners can certainly dine in comfort in the extremely spacious layout.

Characterised by light wood elements and artfully decorated with contemporary light fixtures and wall art, the polished interiors exude a classy, traditional and warm feel.

 

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Staying true to the Crystal Jade Group’s mission of preserving the rich traditions of Chinese cuisine, recently-appointed Group Executive Chef Martin Foo is ready to excite your tastebuds with his new creations alongside the perennial favourites.

Demonstrating a good grasp of the trending taste profiles of Singaporeans, Chef Foo has employed the use of highly-prized truffle to spice up the classic Siew Mai. These Steamed Siew Mai with Truffle ($7.50/4pcs) feature a combination of minced pork, prawns, shiitake mushrooms, truffle paté and truffle oil.

Truffle lovers are bound to love this gem that boasts of intense earthy flavour of truffle, which complements the natural sweetness of the minced pork and prawns so well.

Not falling behind the recent craze over cute dim sum, their Deep-fried Chicken & Dried Shrimp Carrot Dumpling ($5.30/3pcs) cleverly takes the form of an adorable carrot, encasing a lightly-spiced minced chicken filling. It tasted like a milder version of char siew bun, except that the nugget had a slightly chewy texture and the filling was more moist and juicy.

Famed for their tantalising selection of roast meats, Crystal Jade has also injected novelty by introducing their Soya Sauce Chicken with Osmanthus ($14.80/regular, $20.80/half, $35/whole). Featuring succulent and well-marinated chunks of chicken meat with a glistening glaze of osmanthus-infused syrup, this is one inviting dish where you get to enjoy both sweet and savoury flavours in a bite.

The sprinkle of osmanthus petals not only added brownie points to the aesthetics of this elegant-looking dish but also rendered a subtle floral tone which I found delightful.

A worthy representation of a traditional Chinese dish with a modern twist would be the Steamed Homemade Tofu with Assorted Seafood ($18.80). Served in a traditional wooden tofu press and mould, a generous amount of scallops, prawns and shiitake mushrooms lay atop a bed of delicate tofu, made with organic soy milk and eggs. Topped with a luscious sauce and dancing bonito flakes, this is certainly a winning formula.

Akin to Japanese chawanmushi, the tofu was silky smooth but leaned towards the light and bland side, carrying a faint soy aroma and taste. This is immediately compensated with the stronger flavours of the bonito flakes and savoury sauce, as well as the natural sweetness of the seafood. Overall, the taste of this dish was well-balanced and remained a refreshing treat.

Crystal Jade’s Cantonese-style congee needs no introduction and they have taken it a notch higher with their Premium Seafood Congee with Japanese Seaweed ($13.80). Perfectly flavoured with the freshness of scallops, prawns, crab and Kombu (Japanese kelp) that also added a good crunch, this bowl of velvety-smooth congee was extremely comforting.

Those looking for a hearty yet healthy meal can give their Fried Brown Rice with Black Bean Dace Fish & Egg White ($15.80) a try. Perhaps ‘leng yu’ (in Canto) would sound more familiar to some of you! I always have this canned Fried Dace with Salted Black Beans in porridge but having it with fried rice is a first.

Fret not – there is a mixture of unpolished red rice and white rice so the blend did not feel hard at all and best of all, it carried a strong wok-hei taste! Coupled with the smoky and savoury notes of the black bean dace fish, crunchy capsicums, spring onions and egg whites, this made a very homely dish.

Add on a portion of Sautéed French Bean with Tai O Shrimp Paste and Minced Pork ($13.80) to complete the meal! Loved it fragrant and robust-tasting but not overly salty.

The star of the show has got to be the Sautéed Live Prawn with Vermicelli, White Peppercorn, Ginger and Scallion in Claypot ($24.80). The Ginger and Scallion flavours were super on point and the tang hoon, having fully absorbed the essence of the ingredients and seasoning, tasted superbly flavourful.

Paired with fresh prawns that are thoughtfully halved for easy de-shelling, this dish was simply irresistible.

Hot, cold, sweet, savoury – no matter what your preference for desserts may be, Crystal Jade has got you covered. I simply love the pastel shade of that Purple Sweet Potato & Taro with Coconut Milk, Gum Tragacanth & Sago ($5.80)!

Just mildly but sufficiently sweet, I truly enjoyed the natural sweetness and earthy tones of these tuberous roots with a pleasing creamy texture which reminded me of my favourite Yam Paste (‘orh nee’).

Alternatively, the Deep-fried Sesame Ball with Lava Salted Egg Yolk ($6.80/3pcs) is bound to end your meal with a burst of flavours with its creamy molten salted egg yolk filling encased by a subtly-sweet crisp exterior lined with aromatic sesame seeds.

To celebrate its re-opening, Jadeite Members get to enjoy 15% off total bill at Crystal Jade Holland Village, daily from now till 31 Oct! (T&C applies)

 

 

Crystal Jade Kitchen Holland Village & My Bread

2 Lor Mambong, Holland Village, Singapore 277671

Daily 8.30am – 11pm (restaurant), 9am – 9.30pm (bakery)

 

Tel: +65 6469 0300

Website: www.crystaljade.com/kitchen

 

You might be interested in Dim Sum Inc too!

Dim Sum Inc by Crystal Jade at Punggol Oasis Terraces – Affordable Bowls & Piggy Dim Sum

 

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Words and images by @serenetomato

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