I'm not one who usually patronizes Chinese restaurants, but Crystal Jade seemed to be the best located for dinner before sending a friend off at the airport.The meal started off with crispy cuttlefish with salt & pepper ($13.95++). This was one of the better dishes at the table.The pork chops with crispy garlic ($27++) were tender and none too greasy.The Claypot Eggplant with Minced Pork and Salted Fish was decent ($20.70++) but pricey. I find it difficult to justify paying so much for this dish when mixed rice stalls dish up comparable renditions of this dish...
I felt that the homemade beancurd with abalone mushrooms ($25.20++) was even more overpriced. Thankfully, it passed the taste test.The Yang Zhou fried rice ($12.80++) had nice wok hei and was something I wouldn't mind ordering again,I've never been a fan of E-fu noodles so I'll reserve my comments on the dish. A medium portion of this was priced at $18.80++ and was served with assorted mushrooms and some pieces of roast pork which could have been more crisp.The almond jelly could have been more springy.

Cha chaan teng (tea rooms) are popular in Hong Kong for their tasty and inexpensive food. The food at Xin Wang is however not inexpensive, costing about at least $10 per head for a meal.

The pork chop baked rice came with a thick layer of cheese, but the tomato sauce (tasting predominantly of ketchup) smeared on the rice got sickening after a while and I struggled to finish my portion. I wouldn't mind trying the black pepper baked rice on my next visit to Xin Wang though. Thankfully, the iced milk tea was decent (by Singapore's standards), as I would expect of a cha chaan teng.

I love my waffles cakey, so I didn't really fancy the light and fluffy version served at the Daily Scoop. Crisper edges would have been welcome too. On the other hand, I have no complains about the brownie-studded Salted Mister Brown ice cream that crowned the creation- though I wouldn't have minded if the brown sugar-based concoction was a little saltier.

Prices here are reasonable at $2 for a junior scoop, $3 for a single scoop and $5.60 for a double scoop. What's more, dine in customers get to enjoy their ice cream in chilled bowls!

While I enjoyed the rich and creamy texture of the Mango Cheesecake, I found the biscuit base a tad soggy. Nevertheless, at $5 for two slices, Swissbake's cheesecakes are a rather good deal and I wouldn't mind having them again. They're better than the cheesecakes at some coffee chains, at least!The Lemon Passionfruit Cake, which comprised layers of passionfruit cream and sponge topped with lemon curd, was pretty alright. While I liked the flavor profile of the cake, the sponge layers were a tad dry.

While I enjoyed the slurpy kuay tiao noodles and generous portions of tender beef brisket, bouncy beef balls, half-cooked beef slices that came with the Long Phung Special Beef Pho, I wasn't too impressed with the broth. Yes, it was sweet and flavorful, but it wasn't hearty enough and was laden with MSG. The soup was also lukewarm and was too cold to cook the raw egg which came with the dish.The Chả Giò (fried spring rolls) were crisp and meaty though. Thumbs up!

Having never visited Vietnam, I'm not sure Vietnamese iced tea is supposed to taste like. Though light and refreshing, the tea had a bittersweet aftertaste which didn't go down well with me.