Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine

Had one of the worst Dim Sum experience ever in Singapore - this restaurant might serve half decent food but their service is a total disgrace.
We had a lunch reservation on a Sunday - The whole experience is nothing other than constant pressure and harassment from the staff:

- Within 2 minutes of sitting down 3 different waiters/waitresses drop by asking us if we are ready to order
- Our order sheet is curiously marked with Chinese words "Hurry"
- Our order (about 8-9 dishes) was remarkably delivered to us all in the space of 5 minutes - some end up stacking on top of each other while others are left there getting cold
- 30 minutes into lunch one of the waitress drop by and ask whether we would like dessert - we politely declined at the time for the obvious reason that we are still in the middle of our dim sum
- 5 minutes later (and we are obviously still eating) one of the waitress drop by and offered to pack our food in doggie bags
- Another 5 minutes later one of the waitress walked by and took our papers and order sheets away without asking
- Then comes another waitress who eagerly offered to clean up our plates and basically clean up the whole table

At this point it's clear to us what they are trying to do - though we are really puzzled as we didn't see any queues outside of the restaurant and we have merely been there for 40 minutes or so

- We asked for the bill - one of the waiter half acknowledged - 7 minutes gone by the bill never came
- Have to ask another waitress for the bill again - finally ending this miserable lunch

Imperial Changi should be ashamed of their services - this is definitely one of the worst dim sum experience i ever had in Singapore

2013-03-17

Another CNY gathering at Imperial Treasure, this time with a couple of my friends on a weekday evening.

Appetiser - It used to be walnuts but probably due to cost cutting measures, the appetiser has been changed to cashew nuts. Still good though, just not as good.

Salmon Yusheng - And the obligatory yu sheng to toss for good fortune in the year of the snake. Decent with a nice citrus taste to it but pretty expensive for a for a 6 pax portion ($39++).

Old Yellow Cucumber Soup - The old yellow cucumber soup (老黄瓜汤) came served in a yellow cucumber with its center partially scrapped out and was choke full of mushroom and chicken slices. Very tasty and a great way to start off the meal.

BBQ Combination - We opted for a combination of roast duck, BBQ pork and roast pork for this platter. Apparently geese is now a rare commodity in Singapore as AVA has banned their import, hence the choice of duck.

While the roast pork had a crackling skin coupled with a nice fat to meat ratio, the BBQ pork wasn't quite my cup of tea as it was salty instead of sweet and the meat was a little too soft for my liking. The roast duck was good as well, coming across as moist with a crisp layer of skin.

Sauteed Scallops with Italian White Truffle Oil - My absolute favourite dish but this time round, the truffle oil seems to be a little lacking and scallops sizes have shrunk while prices have shot up. Definitely not a good combination! But still good and something I would definitely splurge on.

Sauteed Beancurd with Mushroom - Whilst I appreciated the generous amounts of mushroom and the savouriness of the beancurd, it wasn't as silky as I expected it to be. But still one of the better beancurds out there.

Pea Shoot with Bamboo Shoot - A simple yet well executed dish with the pea shoots not overcooked and the bamboo shoots crunchy.

Inclusive of 4 desserts to share, the total bill for the 6 of us was about $372, which is honestly a little pricey. But food quality is still apparent though standards seem to have dipped a little. I'll probably drop by after Chinese New Year to see how things fare then.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/02/imperial-treasure-part-viii.html

And yes, back once again for dinner at Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine @ Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Double Boiled Shark Bone Soup - Big enough to share between 2 people, the shark bone soup was richly flavourful without coming across as too strong and nausea inducing. The layer of sediment on my tongue was also kept to a minimal, which was definitely good.

Sauteed Scallops with Italian White Truffle Oil - I might sound like a broken record but I just love this dish. Decent sized, perfectly sauteed scallops surrounded by luscious egg white and immersed in white truffle oil - a great combination of taste and smell. Polishing an entire plate by myself is definitely a walk in the park!

BBQ Platter - Not being content with just roast goose alone, I opted for the platter, which which with a selection of roast pork, BBQ pork and roast goose. The BBQ pork or char siew, came across as insipid at first but somehow or rather, the taste slowly grows on you and it actually tastes better without the sauce that was drizzled over the entire platter.
What can I say about the roast goose except that the meat was deliciously tender and moist under a layer of crisp skin without coming across as too gamy.
However the roast pork was a little disappointing. The skin wasn't as crisp as I expected and the memory of an oily aftertaste that came about after every bite is still etched in my mind. What has happened!

Sauteed Beancurd with Mushrooms - A staple in my diet, the smooth, silky beancurd had a nice savoury taste to it with a layer of dried spinach sandwiched in between. Topped with mushrooms for that additional woody flavour. Nice!

Durian Pudding - For desserts, we had the durian pudding - Chilled and rich with chunks of durian flesh in it. Nothing short of an excellent ending to our meal and a very fattening one at that.

I don't harbour any illusions that $130 for 2 pax is anywhere near cheap. But the food is worth it. And that's all that matters, isn't it

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2012/01/imperial-treasure-cantonese-cuisine-vi.html

SGD 65(Dinner)

Summer Pavilion was full so we decided to stick to the tried and tested Imperial Treasure for our reunion dinner (seems like we are making a trend out of it with dinners at Imperial Treasure in 2008, 2010 and this year!) A second seating at 815pm ensured that we could enjoy our dinner at a leisurely pace in the comforts of a private room.

Walnuts - We've always been a fan of how Imperial Treasure's walnuts and to show our support, we had an additional 2 tubs to go. I don't know if they are priced any differently during the normal period but it's $28/tub (probably 500g or less) during CNY.

Salmon Yu Sheng - I've never quite understood or taken to the tradition of tossing yu sheng during CNY but well its good fun to be able to mess up the tables once in a while and not feel guilty about it. This yu sheng came across as delicate in the sense that everything was finely chopped and sliced, with a nice addition of lime leaves for an added fragrance.

Stir Fried Special Shark's Fin with Fresh Crab Meat - This was not your conventional shark's fin dish. It came in 2 parts - a bowl of chicken and mushroom (very strong woody smell) soup and a plate of stir fried shark's fin with plump pieces of crab meat. A joy to eat, when consumed individually or paired together. A subtly savoury taste comes forth with every mouthful of the fins and crab and the ever so light chicken broth comes across as savoury and uplifting. And when paired together, the flavours complement each other to a T. I am definitely going to be ordering this again if I ever see it on the menu.

Pan Fried Baby Lobster with Superior Soya Sauce - Now this was one huge baby lobster (but the amount of meat was still less than generous!). Succulent and savoury without being overcooked, it was however, a little heavy on the salt content.

Steamed Soon Hock Fish with Minced Garlic - If you love garlic, you will definitely love this dish! The garlic taste was rather strong (through the addition of both fried and raw garlic) which at times did threaten to overwhelm the natural sweetness of the fish. The firmness of the flesh was done just right though and overall I liked this dish quite a fair bit.

Roasted Crispy Goose - Ever a personal perennial favourite, the roast goose lived up to expectations. Succulent meat coupled with a layer of crisp skin. Excellent!

Braised Australian Sliced Abalone with Black Moss and Vegetable - Although I'm not quite a fan of starchy vegetables dishes like this, I must say that it tasted quite good. The abalone was soft while the gravy had a nice savouriness and didn't come across as too starchy. Throw in some crunchy vegetables and fa cai and you have a wonderful dish to go with your bowl of steamed rice.

Fried Glutinous Rice with Wax Meat & Sausage - The glutinous rice was fragrant and not too heavy on the palate. Dried shrimps and waxed meats were plentiful, which made for a good eat.

Chilled Cream of Sago with Mango & Pomelo Topped with Ice Cream -
I was expecting the cream of sago to be sweet but by golly, it was cringingly sour. Thank god for the scoop of ice cream which balanced things out with its sweetness. Nice contrast if I may say.

The 5 of us had a set meal for 6 and still wolved everything down (save for parts of the glutinous rice which we had to doggy bag). The damage? A cool $1,065, inclusive of tea and the 2 small tubs of walnuts we ordered. Quality of food was evident and it served to reinforce our belief in Imperial Treasure's food consistency.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2011/02/imperial-treasure-iv-chinese-new-year.html

SGD 213(Dinner)

Ex boss brought me here for farewell lunch. Imperial treasure has always be on top of my yum cha list in Singapore due to it's closest taste & standard to HK restaurants, & this Crown Plaza branch is the best of the 3 branches I've tried!

It's boss' treat so I didn't care what was ordered, but every dish was delicious including the dessert~ Every dish is a little more 精致 than the ones at Orchard & Tampines1. Have a feeling that the price is also a little higher but tat's jus a feeling, I have no proof of tat ;p

Definitely a place to bring parents & relatives to~

Prior excellent meals throughout the months at various Imperial Treasure outlets paved the way for it to be the venue of choice for our annual Mother's day celebration meal. And to mark the occasion, we travelled far east to one of the chain's esteemed Cantonese outlets, where yours truly have had the pleasure of dining at on previous occasions.


In all honesty, we didn't exactly get very good seats, squashed right at the front of 2 private dining rooms. But at least it wasn't part of the main dining area, which of course meant more privacy and less environmental noise, or din if you would like.


Special Shark's Fin Soup

I am not sure if this was on the menu, but it was recommended by our captain. Please allow me to express how fantastic this soup was. A huge whole piece of fin resting in a rich, lightly milky stock that didn't threaten to overwhelm. Pure unadulterated goodness and we finished the soup, down to the last drop. For the record, it was $60++/serving.



Roasted Platter

This wasn't your usual roasted platter as we opted to include suckling pig alongside the usual roasted goose and pork. And to be honest, the roasted pork was a little bit of a let down with its high fat content even though the skin was unbelievably crisp.
On the other hand, the roast goose was excellent. We had opted only for breast meat but even so, the meat was tender juicy with the flavours permeating right through the meat.
Now suckling pig can be a little tricky as alot tend to have an overwhelming porky taste. But not this one. Crackling crisp skin with a thin layer of fat beneath, it was just to good to resist, especially when dipped in the accompanying sweet sauce.



Sauteed Scallops with Truffle Oil

One of my must have dishes whenever I visit, the scallops with truffle oil were served up in individual portions ($7++ per piece) this time round. Very fragrant with a hint of earthy truffle oil taste in the egg white coupled with a huge, tender yet firm piece of scallop; seconds would have been great.



Homemade Beancurd

The homemade beancurd wasn't exactly my idea of a fantastic dish, but I personally thought that it was better than quite a fair bit of Chinese restaurants that I've eaten at. A mashed layer of spinach sandwiched between two pieces of savoury and soft egg beancurd - Very palatable, especially with the generous sprinkling of mushrooms alongside.



Sauteed Frog Leg in Chinese Wine

It's been quite some time (probably years!) since I've had frog leg and I'm glad that my reintroduction to this delicacy was a positive experience. The meat was tender yet firm, carrying a bit of a bite while the "soup" was lightly milky with a nice rice wine fragrance and taste.



Vermicelli with Goose Web

We opted for this to be done Thai style which meant a tangy, mildly peppery rendition topped with a nice strong blend of lemongrass flavouring for the vermicelli, which remained springy while retaining a little moisture. Good! I am not a fan of goose web though so I shall reserve my comments.



Custard Buns

Although Peach Garden's custard buns still rank as the best I've tried in Singapore so far, Imperial Treasure's offering comes in a close second. Oozing custard with egg yolk sediments. Nice! Would have been topped my list if the egg yolk was a little saltier.



Durian Pudding

Durian desserts are aplenty nowadays and most Chinese restaurants would have a durian dessert in one form or another. Imperial Treasure was no exception but their durian pudding stood out from the crowd with its richness coupled with a smooth gelatin texture. Almost like the real thing, save for the texture. Best eaten chilled.



Bill

What can I say? A fantastic dinner with a matching price to boot - $600 for 5 pax. Worth every cent. Service was good as well which was a sweetener I guess. And we struggled to get our bottoms off our seat after the dinner. Now how good is that?



Final Verdict:
Ambience:7.5/10
Service:7/10
Food:8/10
Value for money:7/10

Overall:7.5/10

Address: #01-02 Crowne Plaza Hotel, 75 Airport Boulevard

Contact: 6822 8228

Opening Hours:

Mon–Fri
11.30am–3pm, 6pm–11pm

Sat–Sun & PH
10.30am–3pm, 6pm–11pm

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2010/05/imperial-treasure-cantonese-cuisine-ii.html

2010-05-12

SGD 120(Dinner)