To celebrate the nation's 50th birthday, Crystal Jade has launched a range of limited edition dim sum and xiaolongbao creations exclusively for the period 1 July to 30 September 2015.
Above: Chirpy Chick Pastry | S$5.50++/3pcs
Photos by Chong Yap of Make Your Calories Count
Most would agree that Crystal Jade is a household name and one of the top few names when it comes to selecting a good casual dining Chinese restaurant. Serving consistently good dim sum and Cantonese dishes, it is one of our family's favourite go-to places.
While most are familiar with Crystal Jade Kitchen that has a more casual dining ambience, they also specialise in fine-dining cuisine such as the Crystal Jade Palace, Crystal Jade Golden Palace and Crystal Jade Dining IN.
Its SG50 promotion from July to September entitles customers to one complimentary new dim sum item with every order of two new dim sum dishes! Let us cut to the chase and review the new dim sum delights!
Its adorable Chirpy Chick Pastry chicks score full marks with us as we fought hard emotionally whether or not to bite off their heads! We finally gave in and snapped off the head, revealing a warm and rich lotus paste filling that was subtly sweet, coated with a gorgeous layer of warm pastry crust. Such attention paid to detail reminded us of our experience at Michelin 2* restaurant at Macau, Eight!
Goldfish Crystal Dumpling | S$5.50++/3pcs
If those chicks were not enough to impress, these delicately crafted goldfish certainly will. With a rich salted egg yolk custard carefully tucked in the shape of a goldfish, it was absolutely precision and what we enjoyed was that the richness of the custard was just nice. Have a sip of the Chinese tea and it would cut through and cleanse your palate just right.
Fried Chilli Crab Meat Bun | S$5.50++/3pcs
Most of us would be more accustomed to dipping deep fried mantous into a viscous chilli crab gravy but this was quite something. It was almost reverse engineering and making it relevant by having the gravy and chilli crab as filling for the deep-fried mantou!
Full Bloom Lotus Paste & Yam Pastry | S$5.50++/3pcs
After the above dishes, if there is any doubt about the chef's culinary capabilities, it is all put to rest with this flaky pastry that encases a smooth lotus paste with pine nuts with each piece of pastry almost an art itself. When fried, the pastry blooms into a beautiful flower as shown!
Deep-fried Hokkaido Milk Custard | S$8++/5pcs
These innocent-looking crisp pillows are surely must-tries as crushing through the golden brown batter reveals a soft and creamy centre made from Hokkaido milk. While it tasted rich, it was not overwhelming and pleased everyone's palate.
Steamed Siew Mai with Caviar | S$9.50++/3pcs Speaking of fine-dining, caviar seems like an ingredient that has to be presented in one form or another and on this occasion atop a nice plump minced meat that comprises generous chunks of prawn. The mound of caviar adds a beautiful umami touch to each mouthful, at a premium price, of course.
Steamed Siew Mai with Quail Egg | S$5.50++/3pcs
Looking almost like a large meat ball rather than your usual siew mai, slicing it open will surprisingly reveal a quail egg tucked in. The meat ball has a succulent mix of minced pork, black fungus and sweet diced chestnuts that added a variation in textures and flavours.
*The following dishes are NOT part of the new SG50 inspired dim sum.
Doubled-boiled Whole Yellow Melon Soup with Assorted Seafood | S$18/++
Cantonese cuisine is never complete without a good old bowl of soup and our experience at Crystal Jade was no exception! While we were more used to a large bowl of yellow melon soup, these individual pots are definitely worth a shot as each saw an awful lot of time simmering! It was filled with ingredients such as dried scallops, mushrooms and other assorted seafood!
Poached Spinach | S$20/++ (Regular portion for up to 4 pax)
While the dim sum dishes were the star, do have the poached spinach in braised superior broth for some greens!
Stewed meepok with XO sauce | S$18/++ (Regular portion for up to 3pax)
While many would agree that ee-fu noodles are a more common feature at a Cantonese meal, these stewed meepok with XO sauce gave a somewhat different perspective to the main carbohydrate dish.
All good things must come to an end and preferably on a sweet note.
Chilled Red Wine Jelly | S$9/++
It is close to impossible to give this beautiful Chilled Red Wine Jelly a miss especially if you are a fan of a full-bodied wine. While there was a strong fragrance, the flavours were watered down to make sure the dessert would suit the likes of adults and kids alike!
While the above dishes find their home at Crystal Jade Palace, do head over to Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao and Crystal Jade Jiang Nan for the following SG50 creations!
Chilli Crab XiaoLongBao/ Hainanese Chicken Rice Xiaolongbao | S$7.80++/4pcs
With 2 pieces from each flavour, there is no better way to celebrate our nation's birthday with these red and white xiaolongbaos! The chilli crab xiaolongbao gave a delicious looking blush on the dumpling skin with a spicy chilli-infused broth that hit the note for me but might be a tad too overpowering for those with a low tolerance for heat.
Paired with a homemade ginger paste, do have it with the Hainanese chicken rice xiaolongbao and the flavours were spot-on with the tender minced chicken thigh delicately wrapped within those translucent skin. With a minimum spending of S$30 on ala carte food items, you get to enjoy these lovely xiaolongbaos at just S$5!
With no lack of exquisite dim sum creations from the kitchens of Crystal Jade, it is easily one of our top dim sum picks apart from Wah Lok and Man Fu Yuan. Despite the great craftsmanship in the dim sum, the prices are affordable and has a nice ambience!
Overall Verdict: 8.0/10