Nanjing Impressions – Impressive Nanjing Cuisine

Jinling Signature Salted Duck @ Nanjing Impressions

Dining at Nanjing Impressions like a time travel experience. Imagine that you are seated at an ancient tea parlour in the late era of the Qing Dynasty, served with traditional food by service staff from that time.

The Entrance

Nanjing Impressions pride themselves with quality original flavours fuelled by coal-fired clay pots and seasonal ingredients. Their trove of recipes has been time tested to delivery the immaculate flavours in front of you.

Items on the Table

Green Plum Marinated with Chinese Wine ($5.80). Crunchy plum with sweet and savoury flavours. A good dish to open up your appetite or to balance the sweetness of Madam Chiang’s Nutritious Beauty Porridge.

Green Plum Marinated with Chinese Wine

Jinling Signature Salted Duck ($16.80 (S), $32(M), $62(L)). Nanjing’s famous salt-water duck. Don’t let this simple looking dish deceive you. To produce this dish, it needs to go through 10 extraneous steps. The result is well-seasoned duck, with tender flesh, bouncy skin and unique deep umami flavour. Yummy!!

Jinling Signature Salted Duck - Small

Jinling Signature Salted Duck - Large

Celestial Roast Duck Dumpling ($5.80 for 3 pcs). This dumpling can easily be mistaken for pork dumpling. The fillings in juicy and bursting with delicious sweet jus.

Celestial Roast Duck Dumpling

Celestial Roast Duck Dumpling

Celestial Roast Duck Dumpling - The Fillings

Chilled Drunken Virgin Red Crayfish (($19.80 (S), $38.80(M), $68.80(L)). Most Chinese Restaurant only served the red crayfish in mala version. When LD saw this version is marinated with wine, she did not hesitate to order this. It takes a bit of work to get to the flesh, but you will be rewarded with sweet, bouncy and delicious flesh. The wine marinated nicely accentuates the sweetness of the prawn. If you like the brain of the prawns and shellfish, there are abundance here for you to savour.

Chilled Drunken Virgin Red Crayfish - Small

Chilled Drunken Virgin Red Crayfish

Chilled Drunken Virgin Red Crayfish

Madam Chiang’s Nutritious Beauty Porridge ($6.80). Made from soya, starch and sugar. It is sticky with a smooth texture, surprisingly tasty and easy to eat. The lily buds and yam provided different texture in this Nanjing version of sweet soya milk porridge.

Madam Chiang’s Nutritious Beauty Porridge 

Jinling Noodles in Light Soy Sauce Broth ($4.80). It looks like plain shoyu ramen. The noodle is springy and bouncy, while the robust is broth infused with the right amount good quality soy sauce.

Jinling Noodles in Light Soy Sauce Broth

Jinling Noodles in Light Soy Sauce Broth

Sesame-scented Beancurd Julienne ($8.80). The julienne beancurd in the soup gives it an impression of the noodle. The milky duck broth is robust, filled with the duck essence and duck meat. The julienne ginger helps to remove any gaminess from the duck and brought up a bit of fiery spark in each bite. Yum Yum.

Sesame-scented Beancurd Julienne

Sesame-scented Beancurd Julienne

Pan-fried Pastry with Minced Meat & Preserved Vegetable Fillings ($5.80). A crispy and fluffy bun filled with “mei cai” (preserved vegetable). It can be better if they are more generous with mei chai fillings, let’s say about 50% more.

Sesame-scented Beancurd Julienne

Sesame-scented Beancurd Julienne

Custard / Steam Egg with Preserved Vegetables ($6.80). Smooth and velvety steam egg topped with mei cai. A simple dish, yet one of the most likeable dishes by the young and old.

Custard / Steam Egg with Preserved Vegetables

Steamed Glutinous Rice with Pork ($12.80). Thinly sliced marinated pork belly, steamed with glutinous rice. The sticky glutinous absorbs the flavour of the pork and braising sauce as well. Surprisingly, the taste is milder than I expected.

Steamed Glutinous Rice with Pork 

Nanjing Special Shredded Duck Fried Noodles ($14.80). A solid rendition of duck fried noodle. It has a strong wok hei aroma, crunchy noodle and succulent duck meat.

Nanjing Special Shredded Duck Fried Noodles

Braised Pork Shank ($28). The meat is firm, tasty, while the skin is chewy and crunchy. The tangy sauce on the side helps to reduce the jelakness from the meat.

Braised Pork Shank

The overall atmosphere in Nanjing Impressions is just superb, just like dining an ancient tea parlour in the late era of the Qing Dynasty. The receptionist greeted us in Qing Dynasty costume and carry Hu / Shaku (flat sceptre of Chinese Origin). He will then escort the guests to their allocated tables. Service staff is friendly and helpful, however, if you are seated in the cubicle, it will be more challenging to get the service staff attention.

View from Outside

Dining Hall

Overall, Nanjing Impressions deliver a traditional Nanjing dining experience. The food standard is very good and the ambiance is just excellent. As a restaurant serve Nanjing cuisine is very rare in Singapore, this place is worth a visit. Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 8/10

Value: 8.5/10

Service: 7.5/10

Ambiance: 9/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25, $26 - $50

Nanjing Impressions

68 Orchard Road

#04-46/51, Plaza Singapura

Singapore 238839

T: +65 6352 7877

W: https://nanjingimpressions.business.site/

F: https://www.facebook.com/nanjingimpressions/

IG: @Nanjing_impressions

OH:

Mon – Fri: 11.30 – 14.30; 17.00 – 22.00

Sat: 11.00 – 22.00

Sun: 11.30 – 22.00

Menu Part 1

Menu Part 2

Menu Part 3

Menu Part 4

Bong Tong Kee – The Real Taste of Boon Tong Kee

Signature Boiled Chicken @Boon Tong Kee Whampoa West

Boon Tong Kee is one of the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice restaurants in Singapore. It started by Mr Thian Boon Hua in 1979 in Chinatown, before it progresses to its first restaurant in Balestier in 1983. On the second year of the operations, it started to received recognitions from customers, media and F&B industries. Over the years Boon Tong Kee has expanded into 8 branches.

The branch that I want to review here is their Whampoa West Branch. It came highly recommended by our friend after I told them the unsatisfying experience in Balestier and East Coast Road branch. We have visited this branch a few times before I wrote this review.

Boon Tong Kee Whampoa West

Located in the matured HDB estate of Whampoa, this old style of restaurant is usually packed with regulars. At the front of the shop, beside the entrance, you can see the boiled chickens hanging on the pole through the glass windows, ready to be chopped. This restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating. The indoor dining area is air-conditioned and the tables are covered with a brown and white colour checkers table cloth. Meanwhile, the outdoor dining area is mostly used for people to sit and wait, instead for dining.

Signature Boiled Chicken on Display

This time around we came in a big group, allowing us to order more variety. Signature Boiled Chicken ($28 for whole, smaller portion is available). The whole chicken is halved, then evenly chopped and presented nicely in two plates as halved chicken each. Each plate looks like a mirror image, showcasing the chopping skills of the chef in the kitchen. Once the plate of the boiled chicken is served, the service staff will pour the mixture of oil and soy sauce on the dish.

Signature Boiled Chicken (half chicken per plate)

The chicken is served at room temperature, tender, succulent, tasty and cooked to perfection. You can taste the coagulate oil in between the chicken skin and the flesh. The flesh from the breast part is also moist, bouncy and with a good bite to it. The chopping is so clean, you won’t find any splinter of chicken bones on the plate.

Signature Boiled Chicken (half chicken per plate)

Those who are a connoisseur of chicken bishop, you won’t be disappointed. It is firm, bouncy and bursting with robust chicken flavour. Of course, you need to know how to remove the smelly parts. I was very friendly to the service staff and I got rewarded with 4 pcs of the bishop in return.

Chicken Bishop

Meanwhile, the chicken rice ($1) is fragrant and each grain is plump, al-dente and well infused with chicken stock, ginger and garlic. One thing that I have to admit, they sure perfected the rice recipe across all their branches, unlike their boiled chicken. For Boon Tong Kee (‘BTK’), they served their rice on a small rice bowl, instead of on a plate.

Chicken Rice

From the Zi Char selections, we tried Sweet & Sour Pork ($13). The pork is deep-fried till super crispy, then coated with sweet and sour sauce. Interestingly there is fried youtiao in this dish to add the crunchy texture, plus lychee and cherry tomatoes for sweetness and tangy flavour. Very Good in the taste and texture, but we do hoped for more meat than youtiao.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Crispy Beancurd ($8). The mini cubes of fried egg beancurd is a signature dish of BTK. It is crisp externally, followed with velvety smooth beancurd internally. It comes with mayonnaise like dipping sauce.

Crispy Beancurd 

Fried Pig’s Liver Served in Claypot ($13). The pork liver is cooked just right, coated with minced garlic. The combination of garlic and spring onion subdue any smelly flavour from the liver. The cut of the liver is very generous and the juicy plus bouncy texture is just a delight.

Fried Pig’s Liver Served in Claypot

Fried Pig’s Liver Served in Claypot

Steamed Assorted Egg ($9). The smooth and velvety texture of the steam egg, topped with sliced of century egg and salted egg. The base of the steam egg slightly bland, however, it is nicely balanced with the solid flavour from the salted egg.

Steamed Assorted Egg

For the vegetables, we ordered Fried Baby Kailan with Garlic ($9) and Poached Chinese Spinach with Gluten & Garlic ($12). The baby kalian is crunchy with a touch of bitterness. Meanwhile, the spinach is poached in a robust stock base. The chewy gluten acts like a sponge, soaking the robust broth and sweetness of the spinach. Yum Yum.

Fried Baby Kailan with Garlic

Poached Chinese Spinach with Gluten & Garlic

Service here is friendly, mixed with old traditional auntie style. The price of the Zi Char dishes is also very reasonable.

The Dishes

Overall, LD and I are glad that we found this Boon Tong Kee branch. We agree the food served here are one reflects the old style of the restaurant and the standard that received the accolade in the past. For LD, this is the taste of her childhood. We’ll come back for more chicken rice here. Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 8/10

Value: 8.5/10

Service: 6.5/10

Ambiance: 6.5/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25

Boon Tong Kee 文東記

Blk 34 Whampoa West

#01-93 Singapore 330034

(Beside Boon Keng MRT Station Exit B)

T: +65 6299 9880

W: https://boontongkee.com.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/boontongkeesg/

IG: @Boontongkee_sg

OH:

Mon – Fri: 11.00 – 14.45 (LO 14.30); 17.15 – 22.00 (LO 21.30)

Sat, Sun & PH: 11.00 – 15.00 (LO 14.45); 15.30 – 22.00 (LO 21.30)

Online menu available here

BOTAN – Premium Traditional Japanese Restaurant [MEDIA INVITE]

Sashimi Moriawase @ BOTAN 

BOTAN Japanese Restaurant is a traditional Japanese restaurant that prides itself using premium ingredients air-flown from Japan. Helmed by Executive Chef, Thomas Kok, a pioneer of the Japanese culinary scene in Singapore with over four decades of experience in Singapore and Japan.

BOTAN Japanese Restaurant

Our meal at BOTAN started with Ikura Onsen ($15). A perfectly cooked Japanese egg with super creamy yolk. The portion of ikura are generous, not fishy yet bursting with flavour. A good way to start the meal.

Ikura Onsen

Kawahagi (Grilled Leather Jacket Fish Skin, $10). It has a gentle chewy texture, with a sweet seasoning. I personally like the seasoning to be salty instead of sweet.

Kawahagi

Pitan Tofu ($6). Homemade Tofu drizzled with Century Egg Sauce and topped with Tobiko, Century Egg & Spring Onion. It is chilled, smooth and creamy. The century egg flavour subtle, not overpowering the delicate tofu.

Pitan Tofu

Assorted Sashimi: Hotate (scallop), Tai (Red Snapper), Kinmedai (Splendid Alfonsino), Otoro (Tuna Belly) and Kanpachi (Amberjack). The assorted sashimi is priced at $48 for 3 kinds and S$88 for 5 kinds. For just the Kinmedai alone, it will cost S$80 to S$100, showcasing premium ingredients available at BOTAN.

Anti-clockwise :Hotate (scallop), Tai (Red Snapper), Kinmedai (Splendid Alfonsino),
Otoro (Tuna Belly) and Kanpachi (Amberjack).

The sequences to eat this platter is Hotate, Tai, Kinmedai, Kanpachi and Otoro. The scallop is sweet with a slight bounciness to it. Tai has a flaky and a grit texture in it. Kinmedai is smooth, fatty with delicate flesh. Kanpachi is smooth, silky and crunchy, while the otoro just melts in your mouth.

From Left to Right: Otoro, Kanpachi, Kinmedai, Tai and Hotate

As the Kinmedai served from the whole fish, Chef Thomas team boiled the leftover head and bones to create a clear soup. It has a clean tasting flavour, with a subtle sweetness. Perfect to calm your stomach after a heavy meal. The soup is served after the beef curry later.

Soup from Kinmedai Bones

Hamachi Kama Shioyaki - Yellowtail Collar Grilled with Salt ($25 to $45). Due to the huge size of the hamachi, this yellowtail can be classified as buri kama. There are two part of this collar, the meaty part and the fatty part. The meaty part is more dry and flaky texture, while the fatty part easily melts in your mouth. Some consider this fatty part as foie gras of the sea. Yummy.

Hamachi Kama Shioyaki

Hamachi Kama Shioyaki

Hokkaido Tonkatsu ($18). BOTAN use the pork from Hokkaido. The nice marble pork is fried till golden brown and served with tonkatsu sauce. The exterior is crispy, while the meat is juicy, succulent with good fattiness on one side of the meat that gives it an extra flavour.

Hokkaido Tonkatsu

Hokkaido Tonkatsu

Tempura Moriawase ($25). A combination of deep-fried king prawns and vegetables. The prawns are huge, fresh and crunchy. The homemade batter is crispy, and it retains its crunchiness after I dip it into the tempura sauce.

Tempura Moriawase

A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef ($80 for 100g). Cooked to medium, the beef cubes retain its delicate wagyu characteristic. Juicy, succulent with a good bite to it. The MooMoo flavour is present in each bite.

A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef

Hokkaido Snow Beef Don ($20). Stir-fried Hokkaido Snow Beef over Rice topped with Onsen Egg, Garlic Chips & Spring Onion. The meat of Hokkaido Snow is tender and crunchy. The Hokkaido Snow Beef has strong beefy taste; however, it is well subdued by the mixture of fried garlic, spring onion and onsen egg. A good beef don.

Hokkaido Snow Beef Don

We thought the beef don was the last of our main meal. Instead, Chef Thomas whips out Hokkaido Wagyu Burger Kare Don ($18). Hokkaido Beef Burger with Japanese Curry Sauce Served with Salad. The curry is mild and creamy, while the beef burger has a crisp exterior with a tender interior. The curry balanced the beefy nicely. Even though we are stuffed, we can’t stop scooping the rice, curry and beef.

Hokkaido Wagyu Burger Kare Don

Desserts are a simple affair of Yuzu Sorbet ($7) and Black Sesame ($9). LD and I prefer the Yuzu sorbet better as it gives a mildy tangy and refreshing feel. For the black sesame, it is more earthy and creamy.

Yuzu Sorbet and Black Sesame 

The restaurant is very spacious. It consists of 2 shop unit in Pekin street, with indoor and outdoor seating. The décor is simple and zen, like any regular Japanese restaurant. The only drawback that I find is the restaurant can get very loud when the place is more than half full. Thus, you might need to speak louder at times.

Sushi Bar

Overall, we find the food here is very good. The ingredients used in sashimi and tempura are fresh. The use of seasonal and unique ingredients such as Kinmedai and Hokkaido Snow Beef are a crowd puller on its own. The decades of Japanese cooking experience of Chef Thomas clearly shine in creating the current menu. Do consider visiting BOTAN for your next Japanese food adventure. Kanpai!! Cheers!!

Part of Dining Area

Additional Note: BOTAN Japanese Restaurant also specialises in exquisite Omakase curated by Chef Thomas using seasonal ingredients. Prices start from S$10++ for starter, S$35++ for main course and S$7++for dessert. Omakase starts from S$68++ per person.

Food & Drinks: 8/10

Value: 7.75/10

Service: N/A

Ambiance: 7.25/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80, $81 & Above

BOTAN

36 - 37 Pekin Street

#01-01 Far East Square

Singapore 048767

T: +65 6536 4404 / 9271 5004

F: https://www.facebook.com/BOTAN-Japanese-Restaurant-110840443813312/

IG: @Botanjapanese

OH:

Mon – Sat: 11.30 – 14.15; 17.45 – 22.00

Closed on Sunday