Since the friends wanted some dim sum for brunch, I thought we could give Crystal Jade Golden Palace a try, given it was just awarded recently the Michelin One Star. The restaurant limits your dining time to 1.5 hours which makes sense given that amount of time is enough to finish your meal and probably due to the popularity of the place. The restaurant does a mix of Cantonese and Teochew cuisines so you can get the best of both worlds, but since we were in the mood for dim sum we didn’t really give their main dishes a try

Peking Duck $78 (whole)

Not the most flattering picture since they started to slice the duck before I could get to the table

The staffs wrap it up for you. You can add more sauce to it if you want to. But I think I still find enjoyment in doing my own

The skin was crackling and sweet and the fats were thin. It was a rather decent Peking duck with a smooth and powdery crepe

BBQ Pork Pastry $5.80

A rather popular dish among the table, the pastry was crisp, flakey and buttery and the barbecue pork was fragrant, tender and sweet

Baked Crispy Pork Buns $5.80/portion

I thought the buns were pretty decent too, though we all agree the pastry was better

Mini Baked Egg Tarts $5.20/portion

I love these egg tarts! The pastry was delicate and delicious and the egg custard melts in your mouth. They were baked to perfection

Fried Carrot Cakes with XO Sauce $11.80

I thought the fried carrot cake could have been more fragrant and flavourful but still worth a try

Pan Fried Carrot Cake $4.80

I think we went a little overboard with carrot cake. ha

Deep Fried Mango Prawn Roll $5.80

Deep Fried Shrimp Dumpling $6/portion

Fried Beancurd Skin with Prawns $6.20/portion

The beancurd skin was evenly thin and crisp and the prawns were succulent and juicy. Served piping hot, they were really delicious

Scallop Rice Roll $7.80

Thin and smooth rice rolls with huge, sweet scallops wrapped in it

Har Gao $6.80

The har gao skin was thin and a little sweet and complements well with the prawns in it

Siew Mai $6.80

I like how the minced meat is firm yet not too bouncy and the siew mai skin thin, yet able to contain everything in it

Xiao Long Bao $5.50

Rather normal

Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce $4.80

Sautéed Beef with Garlic $30

Beef was tender and flavourful but I think the addition of more garlic to bring out the fragrance would taste even better

Add on $20 for noodles

The quality of the duck doesn’t just come from the skin, but also from the preparation of the meat. We were pleasantly pleased that the meat was really tender and it went well with a hearty bowl of ee fu noodles

So I asked the friends what they thought of the meal, and if they deserve a star

Friend A: This is definitely better than THW (in HK)

Friend B: Okay lor

Friend C: huh? okay?! you everything very nice very nice leh!

I burst out laughing. Sometimes le friends are even more difficult to please than me. Not everything is fantastic but the quality of the food here speaks of its own, and so is the service. I used to think ITSPD and Paradise Pavilion (which has since closed) serves good Peking duck, but hey, I just found another place. And I’m also glad to say this is probably one place that serves decent dim sum without having the need to fly all the way to Hong Kong, and we agree it’s worth coming back

Crystal Jade Golden Palace

290 Orchard Road, #05-22 Paragon Shopping Centre, S(238859)