Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Weekend dim sum brunch at Jade (Fullerton Hotel)

Early last month, I received a Fullerton newsletter promoting Jade's weekend dim sum brunch. See right for photo (click to see bigger version).

This is the dim sum brunch that I always hear is solidly booked for weeks. Wow, does this mean I can finally get seats now? That was both good and not so good at the same time. Good because I can finally try the well-raved dim sum buffet, but not so good because falling demand usually has its reasons.

Well, I thought Jade would have a certain standard to uphold, and I was just too curious. Anyway, it seemed a steal at only S$28++ per person (for the 11.30am - 1.15pm sitting) or S$33++ (for the 1.45pm - 3.30pm sitting).


Don't bug me, I'm texting, twittering and updating my Facebook...
I guess those who go for buffets deserve what they get. Copious quantities but debatable quality. Even with tempered expectations, the meal turned out to be decent but not dashing. What really tested our patience was the slow service. It was hard to get the servers' attention (I put up my hand and counted a full 15 seconds once, before I got someone), and food came really slowly. I'm easy-going enough to accept that, but it was tough managing two hungry and fidgety toddlers.



Deep-fried taro paste wrapped with truffle and mushroom (wu kok)
Well, there were some highlights. Most of the dim sum is competent, and some even with a touch of luxury.

Deep-fried taro paste wrapped with truffle and mushroom (wu kok). This worked pretty well, with a strong enough hint of truffle in the filling.



Crystal prawn dumpling
But certain standard items like the crystal prawn dumpling was surprisingly average. Floury skin and middling prawns (not really crystal-style).



Steamed Xiao Long Bao with Foie Gras
Steamed Xiao Long Bao with Foie Gras. Yes, you can taste the foie gras - it is not overwhelming, but just enough to lend flavour. We had seconds.



Steamed custard buns
Steamed custard buns - the salted egg yolk custard was tasty, just not "flowy" or liquid enough.



Steamed abalone siew mai
More luxury in the form of steamed abalone siew mai. I'm not fond of abalones, so this was lost on me.



Crispy honey vinaigrette sliced sea bass
There were some interesting appetisers and mains with the brunch. Crispy honey vinaigrette sliced sea bass - deep-fried fish laced with a delicious tangy sauce.



Stewed beef brisket with bean sauce
Stewed beef brisket with bean sauce. The tenderly thin slices are quite addictive. Gone in a flash.



Deep-fried golden cheese dumpling
Deep-fried golden cheese dumpling - lauded as a signature item, but mozzarella itself is not too flavourful, and there wasn't much seasoning. Cute pear-like presentation, with chewy glutinous rice flour skin like ham sui kok's.



Roasted pork belly with five spice and sea salt
Roasted pork belly with five spice and sea salt. I think you can see it's a little dried up. Probably pre-prepared on plates in the kitchen, but if so, why did it still take so long to come out?



Deep-fried prawn coated with wasabi mayonnaise
Deep-fried prawn coated with wasabi mayonnaise. Prawns fried a little too dry, and the wasabi mayo is more like a sweet, gooey fruit salsa.



Crispy bean curd with chili fragrant salt
Crispy bean curd with chili fragrant salt. Got this for the kids, which they normally like, but somehow would not touch here. Guess the other stuff is more tempting than tofu!



Steamed beef ball with sun-dried orange peel
Steamed beef ball with sun-dried orange peel. Not my favourite item, but hubby seemed to think it unusual.



Steamed scallop dumpling with minced vegetables
Steamed scallop dumpling with minced vegetables. It's always good to have some serving of vegetables, but this tasted a little strange. I think it had crushed peanuts in it.



Crispy chicken with dried chili and spiced fragrant salt
Crispy chicken with dried chili and spiced fragrant salt. Crispy, salty and crunchy. Beer snack!



Sauteed pork ribs in coffee flavour
Sauteed pork ribs in coffee flavour.



Braised pork knuckle with red vinasse
Braised pork knuckle with red vinasse - the Fuzhou love marinating meats using red wine lees. I don't normally like this sort of preparation, but this one was very well-executed.



Baked Barbeque Pork Pie
Baked Barbeque Pork Pie or char siew sou. Again, competently done, but by now I was too full to really savour it much.



Wok-fried egg noodles with shredded chicken in superior soy sauce
The menu includes lot of carbo choices, should you not be satiated yet by all the freeflow dimsum. Wok-fried egg noodles with shredded chicken in superior soy sauce - simple but oddly satisfying. The kids loved this.



Mango Sago with Honeydew and Ice cream
Dessert is really simple, only a few selections, both hot and cold. The Mango Sago with Honeydew and Ice cream looks messy but is quite delicious.


Warm 8 Treasure Cheng Tng
Warm 8 Treasure Cheng Tng - not to everyone's taste, but I liked this one for its clear and comforting herbal flavours.


Does this say "Feed me!" to you?
There are about 50 items on the menu, including a single serve of sharks fin soup, and other soups. Not everything is stellar, and the service seriously needs improvement. But honestly, you can't argue with the price for a spread like this, and at a place like this.

JADE
Level 1 Fullerton Hotel
1 Fullerton Square
Singapore 049178
Tel: +65 6877-8188


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12 comments

  1. i know friends who actually waited one or two month for this, crazy right? was it crowded when u went?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello! I look very delicious!
    Please link to this site.
    (URL)http://food-collection-simauma.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wu Kok will always ranked as my #1 fave dim sum. But I've never tried it with truffle as part of the ingredients - sound luxurious! :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brad: Yeah!! Now I can confirm it's really crazy to wait that long to eat this! And yes, it was full house when I was there. Every table filled.

    Simauma: Hi, you're new, aren't you? Gambatte!

    Kenny: my first time too...wu kok is also one of my favourites. And I have to say the truffle works!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! The food pictures u have in the blog, all looked delicious! Great photography too! and great insight on the taste of food, they make me drool!

    On a side note, what DSLR are you using?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Steamed Xiao Long Bao with Foie Gras- this is something unique. The price for this buffet seems good for the food. Will try it one day

    ReplyDelete
  7. I never had beef balls here that are as good as those in HK. I loved the citrus taste that came along.

    The custard buns looked 'to-die-for'!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi BanBan/Daniel!

    The HK ones cannot be beat. I had some pretty good ones at Sun Tung Lok. But they didn't have custard buns, sadly.

    Linjie: price is good but you do get what you pay for.

    John: Thanks! I'm sorry I missed your comment earlier. I'm using an old Canon 400D.

    ReplyDelete
  9. may i know the attire for it?

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  10. I know this is a difficult question, but what's your favorite dim sum place?

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  11. Wow this looks so good! I love yumcha/ dim sum too, but what city is this in?

    Chewie from

    Chewie from
    Dim Sum in Victoria, BC, Canada
    Easy Asian and Western Recipes

    ReplyDelete
  12. Chewie: as the address says, it's in Singapore.

    Oh I missed some other comments earlier too...

    Diana: smart casual should be fine

    Anonymous: I have three favourites - Royal China, Cherry Garden and Bosses. Been wanting to try Paradise Pavilion as well.

    ReplyDelete

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