Instead of always patronising Crystal Jade or Yum Cha, I thought of trying dim sum from somewhere at least I have never tasted before. So after doing some online research I found Grand Phoenix Restaurant, which is has relocated from their Outram Park outlet to the current one at Novotel Clarke Quay. That is the hotel besides Liang Court for those who don't know.
What actually drew me to their dim sum was their promotion. 50% OFF ALL DIM SUM! But it didn't strike me when I placed my reservations that that would probably mean that they would inflate the prices of their dim sum items so that they won't be making any losses.
Last Saturday, my family arrived about 15 minutes earlier than our booking time of 11.30am, but since the restaurant was still quite empty, the waiter showed us to our table without much hesitance. The ambience was quite nice, a cross between a newly furbished restaurant and a old Hong Kong style char chan teng. Lighting was quite dim though. My brother was quick to pounce on the dim sum menu and start ordering. Their dim sum menu is quite limited, with only 24 items on the list. I didn't manage to order everything on the list but I did order some from their a la carte menu too. Below are some photos of what we ordered, so enjoy!
Note: All dim sum prices are before the 50% discount.
Special Lunch Items (A La Carte) Menu
Dim Sum Menu. Don't be misled! They are actually the same menu! I didn't realise when I took this photo though :P
Pu Er Tea, if I remembered correctly
Jelly Fish and Pork Knuckle, $8++. The pork knuckle was fine but the jellyfish was a bit tart.
Egg tarts, $4.20++ (left) and Baked Char Siew Pie, $4.20++ (right). The egg tart was too sweet for me. I actually expected it to be the flaky pastry type but this one was more of the shortcrust type. There is two servings of egg tarts here by the way. On the other hand, the char siew pie was slightly above average.
Poached Hong Kong Vegetables, $6++. I guess this was the most commendable dish out of everything that I ordered. The kai lan was nicely cooked and the sauce not too salty like others that I have tried. A must try when you visit Dragon Phoenix Restaurant.
Devouring the food as soon as it reached our table. Luckily I still managed to take some shots before it was all gone.
Banana Prawn Roll, $ 4.60++. Not exactly of standard. The banana was not really somewhat faded behind the taste of the prawns.
Steamed Rice Roll with Char Siew, $4.60++ (top) and Steamed Rice Roll with Shrimps, $5++ (bottom). These were excellent. The soft rice roll practically slips down your throat and the fillings was sufficient.
Deep Fried Prawn with Almond Clusters, $5++ (left) and Fried Spring Onion Puff with Yam, $4.80++ (right). The almond clusters were something new for me. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Meanwhile, the spring onion puff will be nice if you like yam rings or wu kok. The yam filling was aplenty, however, the spring onion stuffed in the puffs were too overpowering.
Shanghai Dumpling, $4.80++. Be careful when handling this small little pouches. The skin is brittle and breaks easily.
Shrimps Dumpling, $ 4.80++. Recommended to order this. The shrimp dumplings had a smooth skin that was not too thick or floury and the prawns were fresh.
Deep Fried Golden Custard Buns, $3.60++. Cheapest item on the dim sum menu! Not the usual steamed ones but they were still worth the money. Though the custard was not runny, it was still flavourful and sweet enough. The skin was thin, so you won't be eating too much carbo, and the custard really filled the bun. It was simply a lot of custard! SHIOK!
Deep Fried Shrimp Dumpling, $4.60++. If you can, avoid this one. The skin was close to rubbery and the prawns inside were not fresh at all. Also, the prawns were tasteless.
We also ordered the Steamed Vegetarian Dumpling, $4.20++, and the Deep Fried Dumpling with Custard, $4.80++. Sadly, I didn't manage to get any pictures of those:( But if you do like custard buns and jin tui, do order the deep fried dumpling with custard as it is a combination of both.
Service wise,hmmm... They were a bit slow on refilling our teapot though it was left open for more than 5 minutes. Other than that, there are no other complains:D Would I recommend this restaurant then? Maybe not for the dim sum. They are popular for their yam rings and Phoenix Spring Chicken though. Maybe it would be more worth while to order those instead.
Dragon Phoenix Restaurant (Clarke Quay) Pte Ltd
177A River Valley Road
#06-00 Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore (Liang Court)
Singapore 179031.
Tel: (65) 6339 3368
Fax: (65) 6339 3383
Operating Hours:
Mondays to Saturdays -
Lunch: 1100hrs to 1500hrs
Dinner: 1800hrs to 2300hrs
Sundays & Public Holidays -
Lunch: 1000hrs to 1600hrs
Dinner: 1800hrs to 2300hrs
