#04-07
ION Singapore
You know you’re flipping with excitement inside when you walk towards a restaurant you’ve been dreaming of visiting, when your heart suddenly beats faster and even when the queue has only three people, it feels immensely long.
Last Monday, we went Taste Paradise for “a light lunch”, since it was dim sum and we thought it wouldn’t really fill us up very much. It was our first time eating dim sum after a long break following a buffet at Zhou’s Kitchen which had us swearing off the “Chinese tapas” indefinitely. Oh well, but after reading glowing reviews about Taste and feasting on visual images of delicious dim sum, we caved in & let’s just say, we aren’t disappointed. J
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| XO Carrot Cake ($7.80) |
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| Charsiew Sou |
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| Siew Mai |
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| Egg Tarts |
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| Har Gow |
Price-wise, it was much more affordable than the higher end dimsum restaurants that we are planning to visit, like Royal China. That said, it was steeper than Swee Choon, our usual hangout place for dim sum since we first got together. ;) Of course, the food was much better too.
Joy says:
I LOVE THE CUSTARD BUN. Like, really. I mentioned to Paul I wanna marry the chef. I was so excited about it as I read super good reviews about it elsewhere. My excitement must have influenced Paul cos neither of us took a picture of the buns as we were too hasty in sinking our teeth into that goodness.When the waitress placed it on our table, a milky sweetness from the bouffant beauty queen wafted to my nose invitingly. I held the hot, white gem in my hands, gently peeled off the paper backing, careful not to rip the delicate bun housing the yellow custard goodness. As demurely as I could, I broke the bun into two without much effort. I was drawn into a juggling act as I distributed the filling speedily among two halves. I couldn’t wait any longer and popped one half into my mouth. The filling was still warm, and the sweetness coated my entire tongue. Slightly grainy in texture, the sweet custard bun was a winner. It’s a MUST ORDER.
For the other items, they were pretty good too. The char siew sou was super delicious. Warm, flaky pastry with sweet charsiew filling, one was not enough. We shared three among the two of us. If I were any greedier, I would have ordered more of this.
The usual har gow and siew mai were plump, juicy and fresh. The taste wasn’t much different from those we usually had, but the crunch of the prawns was notable.
In all, we only ordered from the dimsum menu cos it was pretty much what we can afford for now, and the other items were on the steeper end. The whole lunch was vvvvvvvery worth the money and we were really propelled into PARADISE when we TASTED the dishes. And I must add that we were pretty much stuffed by then.
And yes yes yes yes, I WILL GO BACK TO SINK MY TEETH INTO THE SEXY STEAMED CUSTARD BUN. The madness continues.
Grade: A
Paul says:
Service was prompt and we were ushered into the place in less than 10 minutes. Interior was ultra posh and the prices that we paid for the dim sum, though higher than usual, fully justifies its price due to the quality of its food above all else. We were seated in a "private" cabin-like those you see in ancient china dramas that were equipped with curtains. You ARE allowed to pull the curtains back for some privacy but no raunchy business please:P. Food was served promptly upon order and the har gow that came first was awesome! The prawns were spongy-"hou yao tan seng". They were fresh and enveloped in the warm embrace of the white crystal-like skin. Next came the special XO sauce fried carrot cake. Though nicer than the one prepared at Zhou's kitchen, it was nothing to shout about especially as it was priced at $7.80 for just carrot cake tossed with some sambal chilli and beansprouts. Keep your moolah for somemore kickass dim sum I reckon.
Next up was the Char Siew Sou. Normally, these chinese pastries were served in a rectangular fashion with fillings that were cold. However, this eatery sought to buck the trend that I had experienced. I was pleasantly surprised when I sank my teeth into the light and flaky samosa-shaped pastry that revealed warm substantial pieces of char siew within! This dish was indeed a revelation. Definitely the BEST rendition of this dish that I had ever tasted. Even after leaving the last piece of pastry in the open for 15 mins, the char siew was still kept warm. Excellent.
The Siew Mai came shortly after and boy was I not disappointed. I had previously tasted excellent siew mai at both Pony Jade(@ Keppel Club) and Tung Lok(@ECP). But this one came out a winner. Tiny bits of roe(yes, they could be seen individually) was seen on top of each Siew Mai and this was a welcome change from the orange dots that we see atop most Siew Mais. The filling didn't disappoint too. A fresh prawn was embedded within the minced meat and it was a joy just munching on the crunchy prawns accompanied by a generous portion of meat. Two thumbs up.
The egg tarts came next and while they were not bad, they certainly weren't worth the price that we paid for it. Besides being inadequately sized, the seemingly runny yolk fillings didn't quite live up to expectations. I would say that the best egg tarts that I have ever tasted were from Tong Heng at Chinatown.
Next up was the dough fritters that were wrapped in chee cheong fun. Though it was accompanied with 3 different kinds of sauces- peanut,soy and sweet, the dish was a disappointment.In retrospect, should have spent just a little bit more for a prawn/scallop filling.
Saving the best for last, the much raved about custard buns made its appearance. It was definitely worth the wait. Piping hot molten golden custard was kept in the safety of the bun that held it within. But barely so. The slightest of touches broke a little hole when I delicately tore the paper underneath the bun. I gingerly proceeded to break the bun into half, careful not to let any of the precious custard to flow out. In one gregarious open of the mouth, I wolfed down half the bun. I closed my eyes in bliss as the warmth of the custard bathed my tongue. The bun wasn't overly hard and was soft and fluffy. Thus, it actually blended quite well with the custard that was in my mouth. 3 buns were definitely not enough for us two and this would definitely draw me back to this place for round #2.
In all, the name of the restaurant was quite befitting of the delightful experience I had during lunch. I was in paradise indeed as I marvelled at the taste of the delicacies that I was so fortunate to have before me.
Grade: A
Total bill was $44 (incl. GST & Scv Charge)]
In conclusion,
Food: A
Service: B+
Ambience: A
Value-for-$: B+
Overall grade: A
Apples given:
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