Restaurant Home

Open Now

Now Closed

There's no place like home, and there is no greater pride than having our very own local Gordon Ramsay in Singapore. Award-winning Chef Tan Yong Hua is not only the FIRST Singaporean chef to emerge triumphant in Iron Chef Thailand, but also a winner of a gold and 2 silver medals at the prestigious 6th World Championship of Chinese Cuisine in China. Now, he has his very own Restaurant HOME brand on his shoulders at The Rail Mall. Is his craft comparable to that of non home-grown brands? Let my tastebuds tell you more. (Read till the end of the post for an ongoing promotion at Restaurant HOME)Chef Tan Yong Hua with his signature smoky, tantalising duck!Barbecued Peking Duck with Lychee Wood炭烧荔枝木烤鸭 — SGD $68 (Whole Duck)The Peking Duck is Chef Tan's signature dish! If you order a whole duck, you get a three-in-one dish presented to you. First, the skin from the breast is served together with palm and white sugar. Chef Tan knows his duck really well, and pointed out that this part is the prime cut of the duck. Indeed, it was extremely crispy even while retaining much of the duck's juices. It's best eaten with the mixed palm and white sugar so that the varied flavours melt evenly in your mouth.Meat from the whole duckNext, the sliced duck meat is served together with cucumbers, leeks, sweet hoisin sauce and crepes. I was surprised we had to put the ingredients together ourselves as most Chinese restaurants serve up ready-made Peking duck crepes. Chef Tan explained that upon exposure, the crepes lose moisture quickly and turn hard. They were thus served in a dim sum steamer which we could cover to retain the moisture.Warm and soft freshly-steamed crepes.The dish was perfectly balanced and had a therapeutic yin-and-yang feel to it. The cucumber and leek formed the yin food, while the yang food was the meat and hoisin sauce. Combined into the crepe, the dish was both richly savoury and sweet at the same time. Just as Chef Tan pointed out, the crepe was satisfyingly chewy, probably because it was thicker than most other crepes.Baked Marble Goby in Claypot with Chef Tan In-house Recipe 炭烧焗鼎锅笋壳 — $9 per 100gInitially stir-fried with lemon grass, galangal, spring onions and oil, the fish is then steamed in Chinese white wine, ginger and parsley for about 7 to 9 minutes. The taste is extremely compact; the fish packs some strong flavours without any unpleasant fishy smell. I would highly recommend this as a sharing portion for about 4-5 people.Chef Tan explains the intricacies of cooking up a perfect dishHomemade Egg Bean Curd with Shrimp Paste, Crabmeat and Roe in Pi Pa Style 珊瑚琵琶豆腐 — SGD $18My first reaction to this dish was: Where is the tofu? It seemed as though it was drowned in shrimp paste, crabmeat and roe, but lo and behold, looks are deceiving! The egg bean curd almost melted in my mouth without any vigorous chewing and I thought I could slurp the entire dish down all by myself! It was really fragrant and extremely fresh and soft. Visually, the dish doesn't appear that pleasing but it is victorious in the sensory realms of taste, smell and texture. Contrasted with some other tofu dishes with rough skin and partly burnt edges, this dish was evenly cooked. I couldn't pick out the individual elements of shrimp paste, crabmeat and roe because they had fused into a thick and rich gravy, and one that was absolutely sumptuous.Three Kinds of Vegetables Wok-fried in X.O. Chili Sauce 酱皇烧田圆 — SGD $18A trio of broccoli, asparagus and snow peas wok-fried in X.O. sauceCrunchiness defines this dish. The vegetables were sweet and fresh, with a spice kick from the sprinkling of chili flakes. However, I thought the portion was smaller than average. The X.O. chili sauce provides the flavour that unites the dish. This is clearly not for you if you don't like spicy flavours in your food!Deep-Fried Duck with Dried Chili, Roasted Minced Garlic and Capsicum Pepper Fine Salt桥低避风塘鸭件— SGD $10This dish is created from the meat left over from the Peking Duck. For an additional $10, the remaining meat can be prepared in one of three ways: as a stew with vegetables, beancurd and mushrooms, wok-fried with ginger and onion, or deep-fried with garlic and chili. The latter version provided a huge contrast to the flavours experienced earlier, and I was surprised at the various ways in which duck meat could be cooked. I thought the capsicum pepper fine salt was slightly overpowering though, and so I didn't really fancy this dish.Stewed Golden Noodles with Lobster and Spring Onions wrapped in O Ba Leaf 乌巴叶姜葱龙虾焖黄面— SGD $12.50 / 100 gmThe lobster is great enough to be a dish on its own. The huge chunks of briny crustacean made it extremely satisfying to devour, and I didn't think lobster paired with stewed noodles would make such a winning combination. I really loved the creative presentation of this dish, and coupled with the tantalising flavours, it definitely deserves high praise.Stewed Golden NoodlesWhile I thought the noodles looked like bee hoon, they actually had a bouncier texture, and the strands were easily separated. In other words, it's easy to divide the noodles into serving portions because they are not clumped together.Soup of the Day (Old Cucumber Soup)老黄瓜汤 — SGD$20Have you ever had a dish which gives you a heartwarming feeling of home and family? This old cucumber soup is a familiar favourite of mine, and I would say there is a sweet finish to every spoonful. It was only later that I realized the usual pork ribs were replaced with chicken, and this little twist certainly did no harm at all to the taste of this ubiquitous traditional favourite.Homemade Ramen with 8 Head Quality Amidori Abalone 8头网鲍拉面 — SGD $26We had a sampling portion of the 8 Head Quality Amidori Abalone, and oh my goodness! The abalone had a really chewy texture and I truly enjoyed the dish. The abalone itself is the star and highlight of this dish, and the simple, pared-down presentation allows it to truly shine.Crispy Roast Pork with Homemade Yellow Noodles干捞烧腩仔肉黄面 — SGD $24The roast pork is extremely crispy because it is initially boiled before being placed in the steamer and then dripped dry. The layers of pork were almost fused into one, with no visible signs of fat at all. It was indeed very crispy, and there was a slight hint of saltiness cutting through the various flavours.Barbecued Duck with Lychee Wood served with Homemade Yellow Noodles 干捞荔枝木烧鸭黄面 — SGD $24This dish wasn't as good as the earlier Peking Duck portions as it was a tad too dry. If you are looking for a simple single-portion meal, this should cut it, though my personal preference would be to order the Peking Duck over this dish.Chilled Japanese Pumpkin Puree with Black Glutinous Rice Served in Pumpkin 金盅南瓜紫米露— SGD$10Another thoughtful presentation that looked like a dish for Halloween. The pumpkin puree with black glutinous rice was heavenly as I could taste the simple pureness of the dessert. It almost gave me goosebumps because I felt it was really light and pleasantly satisfying. I would highly recommend this.Chilled Rosella Flower Jelly with Diced Mango 洛神冻 — SGD $6This chilled Rosella Flower Jelly makes a great takeaway for sleepyheads, in particular those who encounter after-lunch drowsiness. It really perked me up because of the shocking flavours of extreme sourness, though my friend who is used to the taste of Rosella thought it was perfect. My shoulders and arms trembled with each bite as I tried to suppress my equally sour facial expressions, but I guess the health benefits of this dish make it a great conclusion to the feast. Restaurant HOME is currently offering a 1-for-1 Set Lunch promotion (min 4 pax) on top of the lunch set menu. More details here: http://www.littletinysun.com/2014/12/restaurant-family-singapore-review.html continue reading

Full review and pics: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/11/restaurant-home-rail-mall-bbq-peking.htmlUnlike most Chinese food local restaurants, the cuisine here is unpretentiously tasty and quite healthy. I highly recommend the Lobster Oba Leaf braised with noodles as you can hardly find the exact same interpretation elsewhere. The oba leaf imparts a rustic aroma to the lobster, which is fresh and very sweet, complementing the fine strands of egg noodles which have absorbed the essence of the braised lobster. Other interesting dishes include the Lychee Roasted Duck and the Baked Claypot Soon Hock Fish. continue reading

I wanted to say that Restaurant HOME 家 would be perfect for Chinese New Year reunion dinners... but then again, why do we have to wait for only important occasions for an excuse to have a satisfying meal together? The best part of life is an aggregate of the most precious moments with our loved ones, especially those involving great food and the longgg conversations after finishing! Helmed by established Chef Tan Yong Hua, Restaurant HOME captures the essence of heartwarming dishes very well and had me feeling so blessed:As I entered, I found Restaurant HOME 家 to be spacious with comfortable distances between each table. There are also different sizes to accommodate both large and small groups. Instead of fancy interior design and furniture, the interior design's direction remains very down-to-earth, with semblance to a semi-traditional Chinese Singaporean home. The restaurant is also equipped with a washroom at the back.I love to look at restaurants' walls of fame (which Restaurant HOME had at least two)! I had to look twice when I saw Hillary Clinton at the bottom row (third from left) standing together with Chef Tan Yong Hua - it felt so amazing to be able to enjoy the same dishes that this inspiring woman has tried. Amongst politicians, there are also many Mediacorp artistes as well.Despite the multiple accolades Chef Tan Yong Hua has acquired, he is extremely humble, kind, forthcoming in sharing his culinary tricks with us and even gamely posing for photos. Oh, I'm a fan already.There's something about blue porcelain patterns that remind me of family dinners. I can't be the only one thinking that, right? This attention to these details to ensuring an experience of family dinners is giving you no room to not feel all fuzzy inside.Indulging dining experiences at Chinese restaurants is best done with Peking Ducks. At Restaurant HOME 家, you can delight in Chef Tan's signature Barbecued Peking Duck with Lychee Wood 炭燒荔枝木北京烤鴨 ($68 - whole duck, $38 - half duck) which begins with crispy skin sliced from duck breast to be eaten with a hint of sugar in traditional Peking-style. In good ol' do-it-yourself Peking Duck traditions, we wrapped a slice of juicy, rich duck meat, classic julienned cucumbers with thick and mildly sweet plum hoisin sauce around thin Mandarin pancakes. Every wrap is very delicious and all savoured in sweet satisfaction. If you can't get enough of it, you can always opt for a second serving in which the same roast duck to be served in (1) soup, (2) wok-fried duck with ginger and onion or (3) deep-fried duck with dried chili, roasted minced garlic and capsicum pepper fine salt.A top-up of $10 is all it takes for this extra goodness. And so we went with the second serving: Deep-fried Duck 桥底避风塘鸭件 stir-fried with dried chili, roasted minced garlic, and capsicum pepper fine salt! Beautiful name and an immensely crispy bite to match, with little bursts of spiciness that would entice those who can't get enough of the roast duck... though I would say that nothing beats the original ;)Not the most photogenic dish but all that concentration went into making the Baked Marble Goby in Claypot with Chef Tan in-house Recipe 炭烧焗鼎锅笋壳 ($9/100gm) taste good. Bathed with an aromatic, light, rendolent sauce of lemongrass, Shaoxin wine, ginger, parsley, coupled with the tender yet textured fish... it's one of the better ones I've tasted in a long while. One of the more memorable dishes with its seemingly simple yet lovely consistency of the Homemade Egg Beancurd with Shrimp Paste, Crabmeat and Roe in Pi Pa Style 珊瑚琵琶豆腐 ($18). There are many layers to the dish, the more recognizable flavours are shrimp, prawn, water chestnut, mushrooms... it was beautiful. The beancurds were none of those store-bought generic ones, they are made with premium soybeans with a slightly rough texture. If you need a recommendation, this is it.The most photogenic dish but not exactly the easiest to eat.. some wrestling needed here with the Stewed Golden Noodles with Lobster and Spring Onions wrapped in O Ba Leaves 乌巴叶姜葱虾焖黄面 ($12.50/100gm)... but staying glam while eating is the least of your concerns if you're close enough to have such a fantastic dinner together. Served with a plate of egg noodles tossed with soya sauce, I would say that for the little meat I managed to wrung out from the lobster shells, they are very fresh and juicy, highly complementary with the seafood savoury sauce.Then we come to my absolutely favourite dish - the Old Cucumber Soup 老黄瓜汤($20) which I must emphasize heavily, boiled to perfection with sweet dates, candied dates (or jujubes, if you will), goji seeds, soft old cucumber and of course chunky meat to simmer with the soup for extra flavour. It's something if I go from disliking it to loving it, I guess. The pork was a bit tough to bite though. Tasting portionThe classic plating of Homemade Ramen with 8 Head Quality Amidori Abalone 8头网鲍拉面 ($26) involved springy ramen noodles and slippery with abalone sauce, with a luxurious portion of abalone which had a pleasing bite that I couldn't get enough of.Tasting portionTasting portionI would mention both the Barbecued Duck with Lychee Wood and Crispy Roast Pork 干捞荔枝木烤鸭黄面 | 干捞烧腩仔鸭黄面 ($24) together, similarly styled and served with homemade noodles. The homemade noodles are reminiscent of wonton noodles in both taste and texture; the chilli on the other hand had fine touches of shrimp and a rather delayed but quite intense spicy aftertaste. Between the crispy roast pork and duck, I would have to go for the roast pork - but perhaps only because the original Barbecued Peking Duck with Lychee Wood has set the bars too high. The roast pork packed enjoyable fatty meat yet not being imposing, with a perfectly crispy skin that's painstakingly done with multiple steps in the kitchen.Allow me to rave about this a little, only because most Chinese restaurants neglect desserts quite a bit... but not here! This Chilled Rosella Flower Jelly with Diced Mango 洛神冻 ($6) is a refreshing, jelly-smooth sweet-sour treat that would be a charming end to a wonderful meal.But if you are a dessert-chomping monster like me, then you'll probably need another one... and for that I'll recommend the Chilled Japanese Pumpkin Puree with Black Glutinous Rice served in Pumpkin 金盅南瓜紫米露 ($10) which was exuberantly presented with a special Japanese pumpkin. The pumpkin puree tasted almost nothing like the regular pumpkin to be honest, the texture was more similar to coconut and curiously divine when paired together with the sticky black glutinous rice which was smooth and not grainy at all.And of course, I had to get a picture with the MVP of the night - Chef Tan Yong Hua who came up with all the spectacular dishes for the night. If you would like to get a taste of his Signature Peking Duck with Lychee Wood, catch him at the Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 on 22 November 2014. I enjoyed myself tremendously with such great food at Restaurant HOME 家 @ Rail Mall, and I'm sure you will too! For the complete full review & other exciting posts, follow my blog: www.amiehu.com continue reading

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 "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. continue reading

I was truly disappointed with the S$59.80+ ala carte buffet at restaurant home on 25.6.2014. It probably had to do with wrong expectations, as the award winning chef tan yong hua has so many accolades, not least the first Singaporean chef to win against iron Chef Thailand. also the price of S$59.80+pax would be quite ok if the dishes were good & not just mediocre. #1 The mini buddha-jump-over-the-wall(bjotw) had a light decent soup base (not intense & maybe that was intended), a good flower mushroom, a quite small abalone which was ok & lots of chicken plus a cheap fish maw (not 花胶). i supposed average ingredients were quite ok if the soup was really tasty. it was not a bad soup. 1 of us commented any lie tong (例汤) soup of the day by tunglok or imperial treasure would beat this, so there was nothing much to say.#2 The bite/texture & flavour of the 8-head abalone & also the flower mushroom were quite good. the spinach was just average, and perhaps it was more the method of preparation, but any brown sauce braised chinese abalones (ah yat, tunglok, xin restaurant etc) would be a better overall taste experience than this (not a better abalone). I guess this dish would be above average to good whereas the mini bjotw was just average.#3 The salmon & maguro (tuna) sashimi were ok, the lobster was buried in mayo. a wasabi or salted egg prawn would be better. The dish was ok but nondescript.#4 The prawns were big & fresh & quite tasty. I guess it was about as good as a herbal prawn could be. it was not a dish i was much fancied though, unlike the wow factor with the golden prawns at mikuni.#5 The deep-fried red garoupa was competent, good even. but as 1 diner commented, it was no better than ah yat though the garoupa tasted better than soon hock. i also thought it was not much better than peach garden miramar, not counting ban heng’s deep-fried soon hock which was very average.#6 The roast duck was to me about the best dish for the evening (& it was not among the chef selected dishes above limited to 1 serving). skin was crispy, meat was tender, moist not overcooked & very flavourful.#7 The crabmeat broccoli was another better dish, look good, tasted great, more like the standards of tunglok or imperial treasure.#8 The Sichuan spicy fish fillet (I forgot to take a photo) was okay edible not good but as 水煮鱼 it was a disaster! even the NUS canteen foodgle hub S$6 水煮鱼 was better than this.#9 The Sichuan spicy beef with rice crackers was worse than the fish! beef was bad by any standard, the sinewy quite tasteless like rubber type. even the artificial tenderised beef at coffeeshop zi char stalls were better! not sure the thai type rice crackers qualified as 锅巴. if it were any zi char stall, i guess one could argue that’s just a choice of words.#10 The osmanthus jelly was pretty good, i guess no so far off timhowan which was better, but it’s just jelly.#11 The rosella jelly was ok for a jelly but really a poor dessert c/w any of tunglok, xin, imperial treasure, I guess better than having red beans & green beans at ah yat.#12 3 of us ordered the almond jelly (no photos). this was good restaurant standard.I had earlier booked en japanese dining @ alocasia to try their S$56++pax queen crab wagyu ala carte buffet, but had canceled that to try this new restaurant. it was a manifestly wrong decision to take restaurant home's ala carte buffet. it was not any near as good as peach garden miramar’s (S$30.80++pax 3 paying 1 free) which was 1/2 the price. this 4pax dinner cost S$264nett. my recent fabulous 4pax dinner at mikuni which cost only S$195nett. There was totally no comparison at all regards the food! :-)1 Facebook friend who dined there recently commented that the ala carte orders – lychee wood smoked peking duck, claypot steamed fish, tofu egg, braised pork knuckles vermicelli in oba leaf – were pretty good. i guess a sound opinion & i am not totally ruling trying ala carte here if there are takers among my friends, but the ala carte buffet is totally out for me! & i think really the organisation is still not in groove to put up this level of cuisine for a S$59.80 ala carte buffet. continue reading