Boasting close to 30 years of culinary experience, Chef Aaron Tan ( 陈 健 倫 ) was appointed Executive Chinese Chef at InterContinental Singapore in February 2019, where he plays a key role in overseeing the hotel’s culinary operations across its portfolio of restaurants, banquet and outside catering in addition to helming Man Fu Yuan, InterContinental Singapore’s award-winning Cantonese restaurant.
Aaron cut his teeth in Asian and Western cuisine in the kitchens of several well-known establishments including Conrad Centennial Singapore and Fairmont Singapore. Under the guidance of several master chefs, he further honed his skills in Chinese cuisine, specialising in Cantonese gastronomy.
The award-winning chef currently also serves as the Vice-President in the Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs (Singapore)—so it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about Chinese cuisine and the Chinese food scene in Singapore.
With new restaurants and regional offerings opening all the time, as well as old-school favourites remaining tried and true, here’s a roundup of the best Chinese restaurants in Singapore, according to Executive Chinese Chef Aaron Tan.
Man Fu Yuan
80 Middle Road, Level 2, InterContinental Singapore
Image credit: Man Fu Yuan | Supplied
Located inside InterContinental Singapore, Man Fu Yuan is a stalwart in the Chinese fine dining scene in Singapore, serving culinary presentations that showcase an artful balance of spices and flavours, uplifted by modern interpretations and quality ingredients while retaining the essence of traditional favourites.
One of the highlights is their chef combination platter which showcases the four key functions within the Chinese culinary kitchen: steam and wok, roast, dim sum, and cold/cutter. You can expect dishes such as steam egg white with crab meat and sea urchin (representing steam and wok), roasted smoked duck (roast), bean curd seafood spring roll (dim sum), and chilled Fanny Bay oyster (cold/Cutter).
But the star of the show has to be their 3.33 slow braised pork ribs which are meticulously prepared in three steps over a total cooking time of 3 hours and 3 minutes. Slow-braised for 3 hours, deep-fried for 2 minutes, and wok-glazed for 1 minute, these ribs undergo a flambe process before being served. This not only adds a theatrical flair but also adds an additional smoky flavour to the ribs. Finally, the dish is finished with a drizzle of delicious desiccated coconut.
Hua Ting
442 Orchard Road, Level 2, Orchard Hotel Singapore
Having won multiple awards for its timeless signatures, roast delights, and home-crafted dim sum, Hua Ting at Orchard Hotel Singapore is known for its authentic Cantonese cuisine.
Led by Hong Kong Masterchef Chung Lap Fai, you can expect dishes like their signature roasted London duck, poached dragon tiger grouper fillet with salted mustard green, wok-fried Kurobuta pork with asparagus and XO sauce and wok-fried rice with wagyu beef.
The restaurant is comfortable and classically decorated and offers additional private rooms for exclusive dining, from intimate spaces that seat a group of four, to the luxurious 20-seater Chairman's Room with its own dedicated entrance.
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Dong Fang Mei Shi
195 New Bridge Road
Image credit: Dong Fang Mei Shi | Facebook
A stone’s throw away from the Chinatown MRT, Dong Fang Mei Shi is known for its Northeastern Chinese cuisine and is always packed during peak times. We recommend getting there early unless you’re prepared to line up.
There is no fuss and frills with regards to the decor, the focus remains on the flavour of the food. While pan-fried meat is the calling card, you'll also find all your old Chinese favourites here.
We recommend their juicy pork dumplings and sauteed dried chicken with chilli and pepper Chongqing style. The chicken cubes are deep-fried to perfection and covered with mouth-watering mala spices.
Golden Peony
2 Temasek Boulevard, Conrad Centennial Singapore
The cuisine at Golden Peony is centred around a cherished heritage of carefully sourced ingredients, intricate techniques, and a striking balance of taste, texture, and presentation which is all done under the hands of Chinese Executive Chef Ku Keung.
With dishes that pay homage to the chefs Hong Kong heritage, you can expect to be treated to a host of Cantonese culinary treasures, but our favourites include the roasted Peking duck with homemade pancakes, bean curd skin, cucumber and spring onion, sweet and sour pork with fresh mango, bell pepper and onion, and the chilled mango pudding for dessert.
JB Ah Meng
534 Geylang Road
Image credit: JB Ah Meng | Facebook
Frequently visited by some of Singapore’s top chefs (and some of the most famous chefs in the world), JB Ah Meng is a Bib Gourmand awardee famous for its white pepper crab.
Owner Wang Feng stir-fries Sarawak white pepper, ginger and spring onions with meaty Sri Lankan crabs to create a dish so good that the late Anthony Bourdain wanted to include it in one of his New York restaurants. Wang ultimately refused Bourdain’s invitation as he wanted to focus on his little restaurant in Geylang and serve the locals.
If crab isn’t your thing, the JB san lou mee hoon is another one of the restaurant's signature dishes. Vermicelli noodles are stir-fried with squid and prawns until it resembles a pancake. The outside is deliciously crispy while the inside stays nice and moist.
Zi Yean
56 Lengkok Bahru, #01-443
Helmed by Chef Fok Wing Tin who made his name in the 1990s at Empress Room and later Xin Cuisine Chinese restaurant at the Holiday Inn Atrium hotel, Zi Yean is a cheap and cheerful spot that offers all the usual dim sum goodness from pan-fried dumplings to steamed egg yolk buns and honey BBQ pork.
Occupying the entire ground floor of a HDB block in Lengkok Bahru, the restaurant is divided into two parts: an open area dedicated to zi char (home-cooked fare) and an air-conditioned area (always a plus in our books) for more upmarket stuff like bird’s nest and abalone.
We like to think of Zi Yean as the kind of place you go when you're looking for some good, budget Chinese delight.
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Main image credit: Man Fu Yuan | Supplied
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