This was a celebration for Lunar New Year as well as a birthday. You really have to book early, as most tables were booked for Lunar New Year celebrations. They can accommodate events like birthdays even when they are very busy and the restaurant is packed; my booking was at 7:45 PM. Overall, we enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Their service is great. Do book early and send in your menu choices for easier and faster service.
Yong
4
Here's the lightly edited review:
Pricey Teochew Zichar.
Teochew Steamed Pomfret (S) ($75++) – Damn fresh.
Crispy Fried King Prawn coated with Salted Egg Yolk (S) ($20++) 😋 – Very nice.
Famous Homemade Beancurd ($15++)
Stir-fried Kailan with Garlic (S) ($12++)
Teochew Kway Teow (S) ($12++)
Teochew Yam Paste served with Ginkgo Nut (S) ($5++) 😍 – Traditional and nostalgic.
Cover Charges ($2++/pax) – Wet Towel and Tea
Snack ($4++) – Heated Braised Peanuts
Service-wise, still okay lah.
Evie K
4
Here's the lightly edited review:
"Food is good, but the dining experience is dampened by the manager's poor service. We ordered steamed fish, sweet and sour pork, asparagus, deer meat, and caipo kway teow. There is a cover charge of $2/pax."
Shirley Sim
5
Came here after I watched on YouTube a video series called Art Beyond Museum by Lotus On Water, a top-notch fengshui gallery in the world. Must try the steamed fish and the yam dessert. Their cai pok kwey tiao and fish maw soup were great too!
A9 Kakis
4
I've been to the Bedok branch before, but it was quite some time ago.
I was here for a simple lunch 🍱, and ordered some dim sum 🥟, pork jelly, and cai po kway tiao. For the cai po kway tiao, be aware of its saltiness; I'd recommend ordering it for sharing, as the wok hei was fragrant.
The food was decent, and you can tell they are very proud of their Teochew-style cuisine. The service staff were attentive and friendly. It’s located on Level 2 of Canberra Plaza; walk straight after coming up from Level 1 via the escalator. The whole place was spacious and comfortable.
One thing that took a star ⭐️ away was the lack of clear information about the cover charge. Honestly, it's not a new concept for some restaurants, and I personally think it's reasonable, but customers should be briefed so they are aware of what they are paying for and what they are entitled to. Thanks to Manager Florence, she apologized and was willing to waive it for this time (as we had ordered aiyu ice, didn't drink tea or water, and returned the wet towel).
I will return for the great food, tea, and service.
Gavin Ng
3
Came here for dinner with our family today. We finally tried this so-called 'hidden gem,' a Chinese restaurant in Canberra. We were quite disappointed in the portion size. While the taste was pretty good, given the price and portion size, we will most likely choose to visit a nearby zi char instead, especially since the service here is mediocre. The only real positive was the air-conditioned setting within a mall.
Priscilla Pei
3
The dishes were good. The dining area was spacious. Service was really bad, from the manager to the waitress. Well, if the manager is rude, what can we expect from the waitress?
Christine Ang
4
Not salty, and this is good. Healthy cooking. It wasn't crowded, so the staff kept coming to our table. The food is good, but the business isn't attracting a big crowd. Maybe they could do more promotions.
Angeline Lim
3
Here's the edited review:
We arrived on a Saturday noon. Plenty of tables were available, but we weren't sure if we should walk in directly or wait to be seated, as no one was at the entrance. So, we ended up scanning the safe entry and just walked in ourselves. However, someone did come after that and led us to a table.
Both the main menu and dimsum menu were placed on the table, but no one explained the ordering process. We guessed we had to fill out the dimsum menu, but no pen or pencil was provided or found on the table. We ended up having to ask an 'auntie' for one so we could place the order. Basically, you just fill in the quantity in the brackets on the dimsum menu and then get someone to come over to place the order on their iPad. A male manager (we weren't sure if he was a manager, but he was in a black blazer) came over, took the paper, and placed the order, but we didn't hear him say anything at all. There were no interactions, but they were actually very friendly to the seniors dining there, though they seemed to care less about younger patrons.
There's a $2/pax cover charge, which includes your choice of Chinese tea (teapot & refillable), a wet tissue, and water. They will serve a small dish of braised peanuts as an appetizer ($4); if you don't want it, you can just tell them.
Items ordered:
1) Teochew Pig Trotter Jelly (4 pcs): My husband liked it; it was my first time trying it. The flavor was good, but I'm just not used to eating 'jelly meat' (it's a cold dish).
2) Siew Mai (3 pcs): Normal, nothing to rave about. It contained a small, full-sized prawn.
3) Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice: Normal, not as fragrant as I liked, but my husband 'kinda' liked it.
4) XO Sauce Pan-Fried Carrot Cake: Nicely pan-fried, crispy on the outside, soft and melty inside, but the flavor was not robust. Song Garden has a really nice XO Sauce carrot cake, though, and the one here cannot hold a candle to it.
5) Charsiew Bao: I really liked it because the filling inside was more of the leaner meat, and the bun was very soft. The bao's size was on the smaller side.
Servers would help refill our tea whenever they walked by, but I think they could have explained the ordering procedure when they seated us, especially those wearing the black blazers, instead of remaining silent.
I would go back to try their other offerings, though, because the food was not bad, to be honest.
Ming Heng Tay
4
Food ****
Price ***
Ambience ****
Service ****
First time here, and I must say it's pretty spacious (not cramped and not noisy). The food is quite good. I love the coffee spare ribs; you could smell them the moment the aluminum foil is unfolded. Simply one of the best I've ever had. The orh nee dessert is also worth a mention. It looks very different from what I usually get out there, and it's really smooth and not gelat. The oyster omelette is also quite good, featuring plump, juicy oysters, and the flavor is quite good. (The pricing for the oyster omelette is on the high side, in my opinion.) Do note that it's only available on weekdays, but we tried our luck, and they prepared it upon our request. The cai po fried kway teow is a simple yet flavourful dish. Good wok hei as well. The wait staff were attentive and friendly. I will go back again to try the other dishes :)