Tien Court Restaurant
We make it a point to avoid the Orchard Road vicinity during the year-end festivities. Traffic is horrendous (and don't even get me started on the horror of parking in the central shopping belt), masses of sweaty jostling crowds abound, and the repetitive loops of cheery Christmas songs over the intercom can get quite nauseating. It seems as if our little island has suddenly shrunk to a third of its size and the population has exploded by several times.
And so, hidden dining gems with a quiet, peaceful ambience are very much our go-to spots during this time of the year. I've mentioned before that Tien Court is one of those hidden gems, always tranquil and always a great dining experience. And although we were there for a late dim sum weekend lunch without reservations, we managed to snag a table without any fuss. While most of the dishes impressed, as usual, we were surprised that a couple of dishes were terrible and below par.
We started off great with a portion of the Crispy Roast Pork ($12), which was brilliantly done. The golden skin crackled when bit, the meat-to-fat ratio was just perfect, and the decadent roast was tasty without being overtly salty.
The generously portioned Crispy Fried Cod ($18) was brushed with honey for sweetness, and spiked with curry leaves and cut chillis for a little heat. This was addictively delicious.
We also loved the Deep Fried Mango and Tempura Prawn ($5.80) wrapped in filo pastry. The vermicelli wrapped around the mango and prawn filling was light-as-air and the sweet, juicy mangoes complemented the sweet succulent prawns.
The Steamed Prawn and Chive Rice Roll ($4.80) was one of the few dishes that disappointed terribly. The prawns were rubbery, tasteless and reeking a little of alkaline, and waaaay overcooked. Too bad, because the rice rolls were very well done, soft, thin and chewy.
The other dish that disappointed hugely was the Sweet Corn and Chicken Soup ($7), which is surprising really, because I usually love the soups here. Something just tasted off with the soup. The corn tasted like it was kept in the can past its expiry date and the soup should have been sweet, but it was just tasteless.
Purely on an unrelated note, we saw an elderly couple at the next table. The littlest of gestures from the wife, tenderly asking her husband to eat more of the scallops, was just the sweetest thing ever. Also, the diminutive figure of the wife pushing her husband's wheelchair while carrying a whole bunch of humongous bags just tugged at our heartstrings. It just reminded us how love like that, which transcends the passage and ravages of time, is so real and everlasting. We want to be just like that.
Tien Court Restaurant
Copthorne King's Hotel
Level 2
403 Havelock Road
Tel: 6318 3193
Opening hours:
Lunch from 12noon to 2.30pm
Dinner from 6.30pm to 10.30pm
And so, hidden dining gems with a quiet, peaceful ambience are very much our go-to spots during this time of the year. I've mentioned before that Tien Court is one of those hidden gems, always tranquil and always a great dining experience. And although we were there for a late dim sum weekend lunch without reservations, we managed to snag a table without any fuss. While most of the dishes impressed, as usual, we were surprised that a couple of dishes were terrible and below par.
We started off great with a portion of the Crispy Roast Pork ($12), which was brilliantly done. The golden skin crackled when bit, the meat-to-fat ratio was just perfect, and the decadent roast was tasty without being overtly salty.
The generously portioned Crispy Fried Cod ($18) was brushed with honey for sweetness, and spiked with curry leaves and cut chillis for a little heat. This was addictively delicious.
We also loved the Deep Fried Mango and Tempura Prawn ($5.80) wrapped in filo pastry. The vermicelli wrapped around the mango and prawn filling was light-as-air and the sweet, juicy mangoes complemented the sweet succulent prawns.
The Steamed Prawn and Chive Rice Roll ($4.80) was one of the few dishes that disappointed terribly. The prawns were rubbery, tasteless and reeking a little of alkaline, and waaaay overcooked. Too bad, because the rice rolls were very well done, soft, thin and chewy.
The other dish that disappointed hugely was the Sweet Corn and Chicken Soup ($7), which is surprising really, because I usually love the soups here. Something just tasted off with the soup. The corn tasted like it was kept in the can past its expiry date and the soup should have been sweet, but it was just tasteless.
Purely on an unrelated note, we saw an elderly couple at the next table. The littlest of gestures from the wife, tenderly asking her husband to eat more of the scallops, was just the sweetest thing ever. Also, the diminutive figure of the wife pushing her husband's wheelchair while carrying a whole bunch of humongous bags just tugged at our heartstrings. It just reminded us how love like that, which transcends the passage and ravages of time, is so real and everlasting. We want to be just like that.
Tien Court Restaurant
Copthorne King's Hotel
Level 2
403 Havelock Road
Tel: 6318 3193
Opening hours:
Lunch from 12noon to 2.30pm
Dinner from 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Comments
i think the roast pork fat layer is a wee bit too thick. Where's the meat huh? huh?
On the last para - go have some kids. Roll eyeballs.
very nicely taken!
Eh btw, having kids will just screw with our whole lovey-dovey routine. No more "us time", no more freedom, no more privacy, no more SLK, no more 6-series, no more 6-star hotels, no more city penthouse, no more fireworks...really, the list goes on and on and on. Besides, I've paid my dues. Time for me to enjoy my life, our lives, instead of taking care of someone else's.
You and the Bern should form a "I hate kids" club.