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2014-11-07
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Full Restaurant Home review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/11/restaurant-home-tasting-session.htmlHelmed by award-winning Singaporean celebrity chef Tan Yong Hua, Restaurant Home in The Rail Mall promises a homely, comfortable communal dining experience, with tasty, classic Chinese and Singaporean zi char dishes prepared using traditional methods. Founded in September 2013, at Restaurant Home, the philosophy of “家”, or "Jiā", represents more than just "Home", it also represents
Helmed by award-winning Singaporean celebrity chef Tan Yong Hua, Restaurant Home in The Rail Mall promises a homely, comfortable communal dining experience, with tasty, classic Chinese and Singaporean zi char dishes prepared using traditional methods. Founded in September 2013, at Restaurant Home, the philosophy of “家”, or "Jiā", represents more than just "Home", it also represents "Family", where the staff are welcoming and friendly, and the deeply personal zi char dishes from Chef Tan are like Chinese soul food.
Ambience at Restaurant Home, as befits the name, is homely and comfortable. Walking in, you'll feel like you've stepped into a relative's house! Clean, brightly lit, with rosewood furnishings in mahogany and pearl, the open dining room with its high ceiling lends a sense of space.
Service at Restaurant Home is professional and efficient. I find staff to be welcoming and friendly, offering greetings and farewells. They're also quick at seating guests, and clearing away dirty plates. I commend their proactiveness in offering to change plates for diners, their unobtrusiveness at topping up tea, and their ability to not only portion dishes evenly, but present it beautifully even after portioning as well.Food at Restaurant Home revolves primarily around classic dishes from the cuisine of China, specifically, the regions of Beijing and Guangzhou, as well as classic Singapore Zi Char style dishes. Executive Chef and Restaurant Home co-founder Tan Yong Hua has 2 decades of culinary experience under his belt, and is perhaps best known for clinching the gold medal at the 6th World Championship of Chinese Cuisine in 2008, as well as being the 1st Singaporean chef to triumph in the Iron Chef Thailand challenge in 2013.
Not surprising then, that each dish at Restaurant Home is tasty, packed with flavour, and beautifully presented. Restaurant Home encourages communal dining, so portion sizes are much too large for just 1 person, and a minimum of 2 diners is recommended, although 4 or more diners is better value for money. I think the biggest drawback of dining at Restaurant Home is their high price, due to the use of premium ingredients, and traditional cooking methods that are both painstaking and time-consuming. Slightly more expensive than other Chinese fine dining restaurants, budget SGD $30 or more per person for lunch, and budget SGD $65 or more per person for dinner here, especially if you order fish or seafood.The Barbecued Peking Duck with Lychee Wood (SGD $68 Whole Duck) is Chef Tan's signature dish. If you order a whole duck, it's presented in 3 stages. First, the Crispy Skin, cut from the duck breast, is served with a zesty sugar. I find the skin to be very crisp and flavourful, not oily at all, extremely satisfiying. Secondly, the sliced Duck Meat is served with wraps / crepes, leeks, cucumbers, and a sweet hoisin sauce. I like the contrast of textures, with the crunch of the vegetables against the tender, tasty duck meat, cut through with a balance of savoury and sweet. However, because the ducks here have little fat under the skin, the meat tends to be on the dry side. I also find the wraps / crepes to be slightly thick. Thirdly, for an additional SGD $10, the remainder of the odd cuts of the duck meat can be prepared in your choice of a stew / soup, a stir fry with ginger and onion, or deep fried with garlic and chili.
The Baked Marble Goby in Claypot with Chef Tan in-house Recipe (SGD $9 / 100gm) is another signature dish, derived from a classic Guangzhou Cantonese dish, but again with Chef Tan's unique spin. A mix of local spices like lemongrass, galangal, and spring onions are stir fried, then heaped on a large, fresh marble goby fish, along with ginger and parsely, then baked in a claypot. This results in a very tender, fragrant fish, with a mind-blowing, savoury sauce, infused through with the aromatics.
I have high regard for the Homemade Egg Bean Curd with Shrimp Paste, Crabmeat and Roe in Pi Pa Style (SGD $36). Not just because the sefood is fresh, and painstakingly deshelled. It's because the tofu itself is freshly made daily, using premium quality soybeans, and the process of hand making the tofu is both time-consuming and labourious. But this imparts the tofu a wonderful fragrance, packed with flavour, and renders the texture very smooth, light, and airy. Just one bite, and you'll be able to taste the difference! So smooth, so soft, so tasty... yum.
I haven't had a unique, memorable dessert like the Chilled Rosella Flower Jelly with Diced Mango (SGD $6) in a long time, totally outstanding! Refreshing, fragrant, rosella flower jelly, with a beautiful red purple hue, slighlty sour, slightly sweet, and so smooth that it slides down the throat. Balanced with fresh cubes of diced mango, each mouthful awakens the sensations in your mouth. Absolutely delicious and yummy, highly recommended!
The Chilled Japanese Pumpkin Puree with Black Glutinous Rice Served in Pumpkin (SGD $10) was presented beautifully, served in a hollowed out pumpkin! It's so cute! Within is a smooth, slightly sweet, very fragrant pumpkin puree, flavoured with sticky sweet black glutinous rice. This modern dessert may not go down too well with those of a traditional palate, but is evident of Chef Tan Yong Hua's creativity and passion for innovation. Worth a try!
Overall, Restaurant Home is a great place for a Chinese fine dining meal, provided you're willing to splurge. With great tasting, classic Chinese dishes, friendly service, and a bunch of family and friends, you'll have a great time at Restaurant Home.
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