Peony Jade Restaurant, Keppel Club
The Amex-HungryGoWhere 30licious $30 Deals In 30 Days promotion is now on. Till tomorrow at least. With an impressive stable of reputable restaurants participating in the promotion such as Da Paolo Bistrobar, Golden Peony, Gyu Kaku, The Song of India, and Peony Jade, diners will be spoilt for choice. You can eat very well for very cheap for the entire month!
We were at the Keppel Club branch of revered Cantonese stalwart Peony Jade Restaurant last night to sample their 30Licious 6-Course Set Dinner ($30 per person). I was very relieved to secure a booking late in that afternoon (we're not the type to plan our meals in advance, you see), through an idiot-proof online reservation system. To be honest, I was initially skeptical about dinner, thinking that the food would turn out a pale shadow of the ala carte fare, but I thought, how bad could the lauded Peony Jade get?
Turns out, not bad at all! The restaurant, resplendent in its cheesy 70's decor replete with plastic florals, garish red carpeting, antiquated furniture and dated mandarin oldies blaring out the overhead speakers, was, save for a bunch of rowdy Japanese businessmen high on "happy juice", almost empty when we arrived for dinner. I liked that we pretty much had the restaurant all to ourselves. The food was very commendable, portions were substantial and service accommodating, if a bit impersonal.
The starter was a Dim Sum Duo Combination comprising a Siew Mai and Beancurd Skin Wrapped Prawns. The plating was uninspiring but the taste was spot on. The siew mai was fresh, succulent and bouncy, while the beancurd skin wrapped prawns was nicely crisp on the outside, and juicy on the inside.
The Scallop Bouillon with Egg White and Pumpkin Paste, uniquely served in a martini glass, was pretty good. Crunchy chestnuts were tossed in together with fresh scallop dice, set atop a mound of baby bottom-smooth egg white custard and slathered with a mellow creamy pumpkin-based gravy.
The Stewed Beancurd with Honshimeiji and minced pork and spinach was excellent. Delicate and refined, I especially loved the smooth-as-silk beancurd.
The 'Rojak' Prawns with Mixed Fruits was the Hubs' pick of the lot. This was at the same time spicy and sweet and piquant, an explosive medley of flavours cut by the tart fruitiness of the strawberries, avocados and melons.
The Wok Tossed Empress Noodles 'Hongkong' style was choc-a-bloc with peppers, chives, beansprouts, barbecued pork and scrambled eggs. No discernible wok hei but packed with flavour.
To round off the overall satisfying dinner, the Dessert-of-the-Day was a Barley Beancurd Skin Soup, homestyled and lightly sweetened for a balanced finish.
Peony Jade Restaurant
10 Bukit Chermin Road
Keppel Club Mezzanine level
Tel: 6276 9138
Open weekdays from 11am to 2.30pm for lunch; 6pm to 10.30pm for dinner
weekends from 10.30am to 2.30pm for lunch; 6pm to 11pm for dinner
Website: www.peonyjade.com
We were at the Keppel Club branch of revered Cantonese stalwart Peony Jade Restaurant last night to sample their 30Licious 6-Course Set Dinner ($30 per person). I was very relieved to secure a booking late in that afternoon (we're not the type to plan our meals in advance, you see), through an idiot-proof online reservation system. To be honest, I was initially skeptical about dinner, thinking that the food would turn out a pale shadow of the ala carte fare, but I thought, how bad could the lauded Peony Jade get?
Turns out, not bad at all! The restaurant, resplendent in its cheesy 70's decor replete with plastic florals, garish red carpeting, antiquated furniture and dated mandarin oldies blaring out the overhead speakers, was, save for a bunch of rowdy Japanese businessmen high on "happy juice", almost empty when we arrived for dinner. I liked that we pretty much had the restaurant all to ourselves. The food was very commendable, portions were substantial and service accommodating, if a bit impersonal.
The starter was a Dim Sum Duo Combination comprising a Siew Mai and Beancurd Skin Wrapped Prawns. The plating was uninspiring but the taste was spot on. The siew mai was fresh, succulent and bouncy, while the beancurd skin wrapped prawns was nicely crisp on the outside, and juicy on the inside.
The Scallop Bouillon with Egg White and Pumpkin Paste, uniquely served in a martini glass, was pretty good. Crunchy chestnuts were tossed in together with fresh scallop dice, set atop a mound of baby bottom-smooth egg white custard and slathered with a mellow creamy pumpkin-based gravy.
The Stewed Beancurd with Honshimeiji and minced pork and spinach was excellent. Delicate and refined, I especially loved the smooth-as-silk beancurd.
The 'Rojak' Prawns with Mixed Fruits was the Hubs' pick of the lot. This was at the same time spicy and sweet and piquant, an explosive medley of flavours cut by the tart fruitiness of the strawberries, avocados and melons.
The Wok Tossed Empress Noodles 'Hongkong' style was choc-a-bloc with peppers, chives, beansprouts, barbecued pork and scrambled eggs. No discernible wok hei but packed with flavour.
To round off the overall satisfying dinner, the Dessert-of-the-Day was a Barley Beancurd Skin Soup, homestyled and lightly sweetened for a balanced finish.
Peony Jade Restaurant
10 Bukit Chermin Road
Keppel Club Mezzanine level
Tel: 6276 9138
Open weekdays from 11am to 2.30pm for lunch; 6pm to 10.30pm for dinner
weekends from 10.30am to 2.30pm for lunch; 6pm to 11pm for dinner
Website: www.peonyjade.com
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