Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant (Paragon)

Chinese New Year is around the corner. An occasion for family to get together and feast! Have you decided what to have for reunion dinner? For those who have a budget of more than $80 per pax, you get to enjoy a feast of 山珍海味 at Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant (Paragon). View the CNY 2014 menu here!

Alternatively, if you want to keep your budget within the wallet-friendly category, visit the restaurant for its Peking Duck and dim sum on days that do not fall within the CNY dining days.

If you wish to enjoy the renowned Peking Duck that placed Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant at 49th in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2013, it is highly recommended to call and reserve a table and the Peking Duck about 3 days in advance.

I am not afraid to hide my kiasu-ism. If I am bringing my family to a restaurant for CNY dinner, I would do some tasting sessions to sample the restaurant's standard and check out the restaurant's ambiance. And I did. Now, let's feast and eat!

While I was deciding what to order, I was munching away these Cashew Nuts Glazed with Honey and Sesame (self-made name). Gosh.. I'm not a nutty fan and I hardly eat the snacks offered at Chinese restaurants but these were so good that it slowed down my mental processes to decide what to order.

Winter Melon Soup with Crabmeat and Conpoy ($10/pax) was so rich and flavorful! The natural sweetness from winter melon and crabmeat was so addictive. I just kept drinking it.

And look at the generous conpoy (dried scallop)! No wonder the soup was so tasty. Seriously, we just bottoms up the soup.

(Click on image to enlarge)
Well, I was given the dim sum order sheet. I just find dim sum irresistible and I had to order some!

(Note: There were some discrepancies between the prices stated on the dim sum order sheet and the actual prices. Prices for some dishes had increased.)

Steamed Rice Roll with Prawns ($6) was served with big chunky juicylicious prawns. I thought that the rice roll could be thinner though...

One of the usual favorites would be Siew Mai ($5). It was normal and decent. I like that the pork inside was still moist and sweet but there was no wow factor.

Another usual favourite would be Har Gau ($5) but it was... complicated. Hahahaa.. Hear me out. It was good that the skin did not stick to the paper and did not tear and break open when I picked it up. The prawn inside was juicy and chunky. But! I found the skin too floury and thick.

Deep Fried Beancurd Skin Roll with Prawns ($5) was over-fried. I like that the skin was fried to crisp but over-frying them made the beancurd skin loses its flavor. -_- That being said, the prawns were still moist and springy inside. The prawns saved the dish.

Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling ($5) was fried to its optimal crunchiness on the outside and the prawns were kept juicy and moist on the inside. Dipping it into the salad sauce provided on the side clears some of its greasiness. (^o^)

Steamed Custard Buns ($4.50) was good but I've had better ones. The bun was not fluffy enough and the custard was not tasty enough. It is comparable to the ones at Cryst*l J*de but I still prefer the ones at Bosses Restaurant (Vivocity)...

Now comes the main highlight! The Peking Duck ($68)!! The chef was very swift and quick in cutting the thin crust of skin and placing the slices onto the plate. The chef would then cut some of the meat from various parts of the duck and place them neatly on the plates (shown below). I like the cute duck plates.

How to eat?

1. Eat the skin first! Dip the skin in sugar and sweet bean sauce and enjoy its crispiness.
2. Start the spreading and wrapping. Spread sweet bean sauce and sprinkle some sugar on the steamed flour crepe.
3. Place spring onions and cucumbers (as many as you want) onto the steamed flour crepe.

4. Top up with the tenderlicious duck meat, how much you like, onto the steamed flour crepe.
5. Wrap it up and make sure it could still fit your mouth! Hahahaaa...

You can decide what to do with the rest of the duck (additional charges applied). Stir-fry duck with vegetables, Duck soup, Fried Rice with Duck meat, E-fu noodles with Duck meat and etc.

My recommendation: E-fu Noodles with Duck Meat ($10). Verrrrrrry good! I was surprised to find mui choy (sweet preserved vegetables) in it. After stir-frying the duck meat with mui choy, it enhances the flavor of the duck meat and brings out its sweetness. The noodles then absorbed all the fragrances and essences of the duck meat and mui choy. Hou hou sek (delicious in Cantonese)!!

Let me apologise for the lack for photos on the wraps and noodles because my hands were full! I was so occupied with prepping my Peking Duck wraps and slurping the noodles that I forgot to snap pictures. Nonetheless, let me assure you, the Peking Duck is really worth the money, the trip and the wait (to book in advance). It is also a good place to consider for CNY!


Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant (Paragon)
290 Orchard Road, #05-42/45, Singapore 238859
Email: paragon@imperialtreasure.com
Website: http://imperialtreasure.com/en/super-peking-duck
Tel: 6732 7838

Opening hours
Monday to Friday
Lunch: 11.30am to 2.45pm
Dinner: 6.00pm to 10.00pm

Saturday
Lunch: 11.00am to 2.45pm
Dinner: 6.00pm to 10.00pm

Sunday
Lunch: 10.30am to 2.45pm
Dinner: 6.00pm to 10.00pm

Bosses Restaurant (黑社会)

Image source: I-S Magazine

Bosses Restaurant (黑社会) offers 30% discount off for dim sum items and desserts, from Monday to Saturday, from 2.30pm to 5.30pm.. I've long heard about the unconventional dim sum items Bosses offers.. And it was about time to cancel Bosses from my to-eat list and report to the restaurant right away~

(Click on image to enlarge.)

I was presented with a thick menu, but because I was there targeting the 30% off, so I only focused on their dim sum and dessert menu!

Please note that the prices I stated below are after 30% off.

Fried Fish Skin ($3.80) was sneakily placed on my table as a snack.. I thought most dim sum restaurants serve peanuts? Oh well.. though I'm not a fan of fried fish skin.. I applaud the novel idea.. However, I did saw another table having peanuts.. Perhaps they asked for peanuts instead.. Hence, if you do not want to pay for the snack, please make note to the staff when they place it on your table..

Superior Lobster Dumpling ($6.65) was ... unbelievably normal.. It was like Har Gau (Prawn Dumpling) with three prawns.. I was surprised to see the three dumplings in different colours.. However, it turned out that it was just coloring.. All tasted the same.. Haizzz.. I sighed when I picked one up.. the skin was glued to the paper and the skin was detaching from the big ball of lobster.. (-_-)

Crispy Sesame Mango Prawn Salad Roll ($4.90) deserved more sighs from me.. The skin was too thick with too much sesame.. There were too little mango and I could barely taste the prawn as they were too bland.. *cries for help*

Shredded Duck & Mui Choy in XO Sauce Rice Roll ($5.46) was yummilicious! I could finish two plates of this.. really.. Shredded duck and mui choy already sounds yummy.. With the savoury XO sauce over the rice roll.. Oooh.. Hou hou sek! (Delicious in Cantonese)

Signature Custard Lava Bun ($4.20) was very impressive! Yes.. like most people who had reviewed on Bosses' custard lava bum.. The custard really overflows! See pic below!

As if there's soup inside right?? (^O^)

Famous Chilli Crab Tart ($5.95) was kinda deceiving.. Shreds of crab meat and dices of prawns stir-fried in chilli crab sauce then placed in a tart..
What you imagine was what it tasted like.. *cries again*

Experience: It was like a roller-coaster ride.. Among those dim sum items that I've ordered, a few were nice and some that did not make the mark.. Judging from the marketing point that Bosses offers dim sum that are different from usual, I like that it serves many items that most dim sum restaurants don't.. However, it still lacks a bit in the tastiness..

Ambience: It's a modern dim sum restaurant.. Unlike most Chinese restaurants, Bosses uses the colour, BLACK, boldly throughout the exterior and interior of the restaurant, including the furnishing..

Service: The staff was polite and prompt.. I know there were a few reviews on how bad their service were.. Probably because I was there at 3.30pm.. The restaurant was not crowded.. So my orders came fast and the staff were pretty attentive to my needs.. Oh! They would check and refill tea and hot water for the teapot for me.. That was nice~ (^O^) Although I was puzzled why the staff, who had ushered me in, had asked for my name.. I was like thinking "Why would you want to know? Would you even remember me?" LOL..

Verdict: Hmmm.. I might be back to try other unconventional dim sum items.. But I'll still be targeting the 30% off timeslot! Haha.. I don't think that the delicious index of the dim sum items was worth paying for in full.. My total spending for the above 5 dim sum items, plus tea ($2 per pax), plus the snack ($3.80) and towel ($0.30 per pax) was $41.86 (inclusive of GST and service charge) after 30% discount.


Bosses Restaurant (黑社会)
Address: Vivocity, 1 HarbourFront Walk, #02-156/157
Tel: 63769740
Opening hours:
Mon - Thu: 10:00 - 22:00
Fri - Sat: 10:00 - 22:30
Sun: 10:00 - 22:00
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bosses-Restaurant-Vivocity/178715018843432

Tim Ho Wan

Brief info: Hong Kong's Tim Ho Wan is a recipient of a star from the Michelin Guide in 2009.
Please note that the SMS queue number system has not kick start yet.



What do Singaporeans splurge on? FOOD!
What do Singaporeans queue for? FOOD!



Pork Congee ($4.20) was pretty average.. Besides century egg, there was also salted egg.. and minimal minced meat.. hahahaha.. I still prefer Imperial's congee though.. Tim Ho Wan's congee don't have the HK's hou hou mei (好好味, tasty/savoury).. a bit disappointed..



I kept hearing an auntie asking the staff if one table can only order 3 BBQ Pork Buns ($4.50).. To clarify this once and for all.. currently.. the BBQ Pork Buns are limited to ONE ORDER (3 buns, what you see above) PER PAX.. means if you are in a table of 4.. you can make 4 orders = 12 buns..



The BBQ Pork Buns lived up to its name of being one of the four heavenly kings.. because.. it was really heavenly!! because it was baked, it was mildly crisp on the outside and when you bite it.. omg.. the fragrant and diced char siew just oozed out! No wonder I heard that some auntie came to tabao 50 of these..



Carrot Cake ($4.50) was different from what I usually had at other Chinese restaurants in Singapore.. you can distinctively chew on slices of radish with every bite you take.. what makes it still far from perfect would be the lack of Chinese sausage (腊肠).. there were only a few bits and pieces here and there.. if there were more, the carrot cake would have been more tasty..



Spring Roll with Egg White ($4.20) was unexpectedly good! it's not an easily-done dish k.. coz egg white would ooze out oil and water and the moisture would make the outer skin soggy.. BUT! it was still very crispy! next shocking factor was that - the egg white does not taste like egg white! I wonder what they put inside.. soda powder? haha I dunno.. there was a pleasant surprise though.. I did not expect that there would be some diced prawns inside.. haha.. adds another star to this dish..



Tonic Medlar & Osmanthus Petal Cake (Cold) ($3.50) introduced me to a totally new roller-coaster food experience.. there was a slight bitter Chinese herbal taste.. but at the same time.. there was a tinge of sweetness and fragrance from the osmanthus petals.. by right.. these are the tastes I would find in a Chinese hot dessert.. but when all these were put together in a cold dish i.e. jelly.. oh gosh.. I don't know why.. it just tasted weird but nice at the same time.. am I confusing you? wahahahaa~~



Deep-fried Beancurd Skin Roll with Shrimp ($5.50) was average.. there was no surprise.. it's similar to most Chinese restaurants. . . . . . okie next!



Steamed Beancurd Skin Roll with Pork & Shrimp ($4) was much nicer than the deep-fried version.. maybe because of the tasty saltish sauce.. so the steamed version has more layers of tastes than the deep-fried ones.. it was also more savoury and juicy.. hou sek! (delicious!)



In-house Special Chilli Sauce (FOC) was not spicy.. it was tasty! the chilli was mixed with beans so it was really special..



Prawn Dumplings (Har Gau) ($5.50) was very juicy and filled with prawnssssss.. the skin doesn't dry up and get stuck onto the paper like what happens in most Chinese restaurants.. this was really good.. thumbs up up up!



Pork Dumpling with Shrimp (Siew Mai) ($5) was a little disappointing.. it was not even half as nice as Har Gau.. saddens.. it was bland and plain dull..



Steamed Egg Cake ($3.80) was FLUFFY!!! it was sweet, light and fluffy.. I admit that it was a little overpriced for a mah lai gou but it was really nice leh..



Vermicelli Roll with Shrimp ($5.50) was reeeeeeeeaalllly awful.. omg.. it was not up to a dim sum restaurant's standard.. the skin was too thick and there were too few prawns.. even if there were.. they must be baby prawns.. I know the Vermicelli Roll with Pig's Liver is one of the Big 4 Heavenly Kings.. but I don't eat liver.. so I had to pass on that.. -_-



hahahaaa.. I got a free tee~~ hahahaha.. shhh shhh.. actually I didn't queue that long.. hahahahaaa..

Today was Tim Ho Wan's official opening.. Chef Mak Kwai Pui was there and smiling all the way.. taking pictures.. so cute.. while the people were queuing all the way.. haha..

Tim Ho Wan
68 Orchard Road
#01-29A Plaza Singapura
Tel: 62512000
Website: http://www.timhowan.com
Operating Hours: (Daily) 10:00 - 22:00

Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House (ION)

i had my dim sum lunch @ Imperial Treasure (ION Orchard) on the eve of CNY.. it was very crowded.. the patient queue of people lining outside the restaurant is such a common sight already.. first of all.. i'd like to compliment the staff for their ultra-good service and politeness.. this is, thus far, the most applaudable customer service of a dim sum restaurant i've encountered.. not only they were very courteous.. the staff were super efficient.. the food were served piping hot in less than 10 minutes.. they were observant to the tables of customers.. cleared the plates and refilled the tea readily..

okay.. now let's go on to the food~~

Century Egg with Pork Congee



Smooth congee with lotsa ingredients! the pork was well marinated.. could taste the sweetness of the meat and it was still tender.. good! the congee is different from that of Crystal Jade's.. this is at least a level better than CJ's.. i find CJ's congee too diluted.. and recently has became less tastier.. Imperial Treasure's congee is more fragrant and more worth the price.. (^O^)

Har Kau



the skin was not dry but it was slightly thicker than i expected.. but still acceptable.. the prawn was very Q.. springy and tasty BUT because of the thick skin.. the prawn's juiciness diminished alot.. nonetheless it's better than CJ's..

Siew Mai



well done! it's on par with CJ's Dining IN but i still prefer Old Hong Kong's Siew Mai.. the taste of the pork, prawn and mushroom blended nicely.. its really tender and juice spurts out when u bite it~ (>_<) sweet...

Yam Puff



i don't like this dish.. nothing against the restaurant.. just that Yam Puff was never on my dim sum list of faves.. i like yam!! but when it's mixed with mushroom and what's inside?! idk.. the taste that turns out from the whole combi really doesn't appeal to me.. so i gave mine to my mom.. haha~~

Deep-fried Prawn in Beancurd Skin



ahhhh~~ this is good!! good !! good! i wanna eat this again.. the outer is suuuuuuuper crispy! the prawns were springy and tasty! pls note that the beancurd was salty already so u don't need to dip the soy sauce provided..

Pan-fried Carrot Cake



disappointed! CJ's Dining IN and Old HK are the two places that serve the better carrot cakes.. this one is not fragrant! dry and bland.. sadzzzz..

Shrimp Rice Roll



the rice roll was too thick! another disappointed dish..

Char Siew Bao



wah! i was surprised.. not only they were generous with the char siew.. the char siew was very tasty and fragrant.. the bao was soft and fluffy.. though it was left on the table very long but it was still springy.. good!

Steam Custard Bun



MUST-EAT!!! this is much much better than CJ's!! omg.. i was shocked when the hot custard oozed out.. the fragrance just spreads through your mouth every bite u take.. this is very very good!!

Souffle Egg White Ball with Red Bean



MUST-TRY! i like this.. i can finish all 3! LOL~~ it's very nice.. the outer is fried egg white sprinkled with icing sugar.. it wasn't too sweet coz the red bean inside blended in just nice.. it's not all mushed up! u can still savour the soft red beans..

definitely i'll be going back again! hahaaa~~
Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House (ION)
2 Orchard Turn
#B3-17 ION Orchard
Tel: 65098283