5.0
out of 5
Singapore
Telephone: (65) 6226-2959
Website: http://www.tasteparadise.com.sg
Category:
Nightlife » Bars and Pubs
Restaurants » Chinese (New)
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Overall Rating:
Taste paradise is run by none other then the Paradise group of restaurants and has been raved by my friends in their blogs as well as commercial reviews. See here and here. My wife-to-be was having her birthday as well and that's when i decided to bring her there for a meal. Its a risk since i've never personally tried their food and seafood paradise wasn't exactly mind blowing but its what she has been asking for, so i figured it would be a good birthday present.
The interior is slick with heavily carpeted floors, padded leather chairs and corner booths for comfort and intimacy. Its also one of the more colorful restaurants i've been to with emphasis mainly on red, yellow and white. Lighting was dim and sleep inducing with mild instrumental chinese music in the background for added ambiance. Everything felt perfectly synchronised and well thought.
Service is personalized and impeccable. The staff will remember you by name and provide commentaries and recommendations on the food if you are lost. Advise them on your preferences and they will remember it for you next visit. Simply outstanding.
Signature XO Carrot Cake ($7) - For a $7 carrot cake, it arrived with little fanfare. However, pop a piece in your mouth and you'll be treated to an explosion of taste and texture unlike any $3 carrot cake could ever dream of giving. Crispy and clear wok hei taste on the outside and quivery smooth on the inside with a fragrant XO aftertaste. This is definitely something everyone should try.
Peking duck: Fragrant herb taste, crispy and minimal fats make this a winner.
Wasabi Mayonaise Prawn: The prawns is generally big, juicy and well battered with a subtle wasabi mayo coating. The wasabi is strong enough to exert its presence, yet mild enough to not overwhelm. Add the fact that the prawn is crunchy and sweet and pair that up with a palatte cleansing watermelon and this is simply perfect.
Pan Seared Foie Gras: Having heard good thing about the foie gras, i'm glad to report that it is at least as good as they say. Soft and quivery on the inside and seared to a crisp on the outside. It doesn't feel overly oily as well but still, take in moderation.
Double Boiled Shark's Fin with Bacon Onion Roll - Designed to be another signature dish by the restaurant, this traditional Beijing broth is double boiled to perfection and served in a japanese claypot to keep the broth warm all the way to the last drop. The broth is light and not starchy with generous amounts of shark's fin, scallops and dried conpoy. The accompanying bacon onion roll is also worth a mention as it is extremely crispy, fragrant and goes really well with the broth. This is most definitely the best item we had that day.
Baked Rack of Lamb in Lamb Stock - Smooth tender, medium rack of lamb with a delectable sauce. I'm not really into lamb but this is very very good.
Baked Cod Fish with Chef's Recipe - Sweet, soft cod fish marinated in chef's special sauce. The sauce gave the impression of being a little like teriyaki and honey which gave the fish its golden color. Its also lightly charred on the outside and still moist and quivery on the inside. Wonderful.
Baby Abalone, Hoshimeiji mushrooms and hand made noodles - I was pleasantly surprised when this final dish was served, to find a decent sized abalone sitting atop the noodles. The noodles were very springy and yet surprisingly soft just as the abalone is and the sauce it was done in reminded me of Sze Chuan spicy soup which is perfect since we were already pretty stuffed by this time. Excellent.
The desserts were nothing short of excellent as well. Especially so when one of them was given free via the recommendation of the captain. Sweet, sourish and palate cleansing, its the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
The total bill for this meal came up to $222.45.
Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Food: 8.5/10
Value for money: 7/10
Overall Score: 8/10
Last word:
Good food, good service, new experiences and good ambiance. To me, this place has won me and my girl over quite simply and i'll definitely be back. No doubt about it. If i really need to complain about something, it would be the location. Driving is very much recommended to hae a meal here. To those who have not tried it yet, i heartily recommend giving it a chance. Go in with an open heart and it will warm up to your expectations.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!My mouth watered at the memories of the dishes when you mentioned them in the review. I am definitely going back soon!
21 Apr 2009 at 10:10 am
yeah man. i'd love to return for the sharks fin! yum!!
26 Apr 2009 at 11:11 am
Frankly speaking, i am totally unaware of the existence of this restuarant. It was only till the recent promotion of their peking duck and double boilded shark fins, then did i get to know them. Hidden in the pretty quiet mosque street, we did spent quite a fair bit of time before we actually located them. Luckily, the staffs called us and gave us some clear directions, which had indeed shorten our finding time.
The interior restuarant decoration were pretty artistic and the two main colours (red and black) that they have choosen, gave one a mysteric feeling rather than a comfortable feel. We were led through a long passageway before we finally arrive at our table. I believed that the passageway would definitely be nicer when its being lit up at night.
Very plain and wordly menu were being presented to us. Of course, if there are more pictures in the menu, it would definitely be better and easier for us to decide on the food. Finally, we choose the dishes and they are the double boil shark fins, the peking duck, the szechuan roasted chickend as well as the stir fried rice vermicles.
The most impressive dish is definitely the double boiled shark fins. Before tasting this dish, the staffs would do an introduction on this dish. The shark fins were served in a japanese stone pot, which will allow it to remain hot for at least 20 mins. Well, this shark fins is definitely one of the best. Taste wise, it is not too salty and neither is it too milky. Their is absolutely no need for additional vinegar or pepper.
Not only that,there are hugh chunks of shark fins and ham strips to be seen in this dish. Very tasty and worth for the price that we are paying. One interesting factor is that they actually served this dish with the crispy onion roll. When it is dipped into the shark fins soup, it would release some sort of aroma that makes the entire shark fins soup even tastier.
The peking duck tasted not too bad either. Their chef even personally came to slice the peking duck for us. Although the chef looked pretty fierce, the slices that he cut were rather uniform. The crispy skin were dapped into some sauce and together with the cucumber slices, they were being rolled in the egg sheets. The taste of this is simply superb and the cucumber slices seemed to neutralize any strong smell that would linger in our mouth. This has led us to eat more without feeling sick.
As for the szechuan roasted chicken, it seemed rather normal, not extremely hot and in fact, i find it quite acceptable. But, i quite like the thick slices of chicken meat that they use, and they have managed to keep the original 'chicken' flavour in their meat.
Personally, i find their services to be very good. First, they provide complemenary parking, which i feel that it is a blessing especially in that area, as we hardly saw any carparks along the way. In circumstances where one is rushing for time, they also provide vault parking, thus one will need to spend unnecessary time for a empty slot.
Second, the staffs were pretty attentive to our needs. They even have a spare chair for us to put the ladies's handbag, this would avoid them to place their hugh bags on their laps and not able to enjoy their meal comfortablely. They also ensured that our cups are always refilled with warm tea, there is really hardly any chances for us to refilled the drink ourselves. They even took the initiatives to separate the food for us, so as to avoid dirty the customer's hands and minimize the hazzle to divide the food.
Third, the staffs were very polite. When we stepped into the restuarant, they would greet us. When we left the restuarant, they would also greet us. This is really impressive. This is really one of the few restuarants that have staffs that were so well trained and polite.
Overall, i think this restuarant is simply excellent with their good food and their good services. Although it may cost abit more on the expensive side, but i feel it is pretty worth to spend this money here.
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Had dinner at taste Paradise, an upmarket offering by the Paradise Group of Restaurants, which also owns and operates the popular Seafood Paradise at Defu Lane and the Singapore Flyer. Opened less than 2 years ago, it has made it to the Straits Times top 100 restaurants as well as garnered rave reviews from magazines and forums.
Hidden along a row of shophouses along Mosque Street in the traditional Chinatown area, Taste paradise sets itself apart with its classy glass facade. Through the doors onto the lighted walkway that leads up to the dining area, the interior oozes chic in a very subtle way. The dining area is divided into a few sections by means of partitions in which there are a couple of tables and a captain to oversee each section. Heavily carpeted floors coupled with a low ceiling and a rather limited floor area meant that conversation tones had to be kept to a low for fear of disturbing the other customers (not that we did though).
XO Carrot Cake - One of Taste Paradise's signature dishes, the humble XO carrot cake. It honestly wasn't impressive when served, looking more like your usual stir fried rendition from the hawker centre than a $7 plate of carrot cake. But pop a piece into your mouth and you will understand why it is truly one of the signature dishes. Chunky yet smooth and soft carrot cake with a discernible wok hei taste fried with beansprouts, egg, Chinese sausages and other condiments. Lightly spicy and sweet and not to mention fragrant. Nothing short of excellent.
Combination of Pan Seared Foie Gras, Wasabi Mayonnaise Prawn and Slice of Beijing Duck with Condiments - I was actually wondering how did foie gras get onto the menu and initially skeptical if a Chinese restaurant could pull it off. Just for the record, Taste Paradise is a Chinese fusion restaurant, which explains why foie gras is listed on the menu. As for my initial skepticisms, they were unfounded. The foie gras was very good, crisp on the outside yet soft, quivery and smooth on the inside. No overwhelming taste or sediments.
The wasabi mayonnaise prawn was quite good as well, with the wasabi not overpowering and the prawns fresh and crunchy. I personally liked it together with the watermelon as the sweetness from the watermelon permeated through.
The only bummer was the peking duck which didn't seem memorable. Sure the skin was crispy but the crepe tasted bland and limp.
Double Boiled Superior Shark's Fin with Dried Conpoy in Traditional Beijing Broth accompanied with Bacon Onion Roll - Another recommended dish, the shark's fin soup, was served up in a pre heated Japanese stone pot which can remain hot for 20 minutes, thus ensuring that the soup remains hot till the last drop. The fins were decent and plentiful while the soup was flavourful and thick. A little too starchy and heavy on the vinegar though, which made it a little sharp. The bacon and onion roll was crispy but other than the novelty, didn't seem to complement the dish very well. On a side note, there are 3 variations in prices for the shark's fin. $38, $58 and $68 (which isn't on the menu). You get what you pay for. The quality of the fins improve as the prices tend upwards.
Braised Homemade Beancurd with Shredded Scallop and Japanese Mushroom - Tofu has always been a staple at most of my Chinese dinners and this one was no exception. The tofu was very smooth and silky but the skin was a tad too hard and it lacked the smokey savoury taste that I personally like. Even the sauce was rather bland. And for $6 a person, it was 1 piece of tofu each.
Spinach Fried with Garlic - The low point of our meal, the quintessential vegetable dish. Very average tasting but at least the diced garlic was fried till golden brown, which gave the vegetables a nice slightly crunchy texture.
Szechuan Style Roasted Chicken with Homemade Crispy Crumbs - We ordered this on the recommendation of the captain and also because it sounded interesting. Honestly the only interesting part was the crispy crumbs, which I believe were rice crisps. They were coated with a Szechuan sauce which gave them a myriad of flavours - sweet, sour and spicy, all in one tasting. The roasted chicken didn't taste out of the ordinary but the execution was commendable. Crispy skin with moist and tender meat.
Mashed Taro with Almond Cream Served in Fresh Coconut - My dessert and no, it wasn't complimentary (only chilled desserts were accorded that privilege). Its the first time I've seen mashed taro or Orh Nee served up in a coconut and predictably, the coconut smell was very strong. Not that it mattered anyway as there wasn't a hint of coconut taste in both the almond cream and mashed taro. I usually don't like almond cream but this one wasn't too strong on the almond taste which suited me just fine. The mashed taro was smooth and not too sweet but more interestingly, it contained bits of chestnut, which added a nice crunchy texture and is used predominantly used in Teochew cooking. The only gripe was that the taro was a little too sticky and I had problems licking if off my spoon. Oh and there's the almost exorbitant price as well ($6.50).
An excellent dinner for 5 set us back by about $454, which is really quite steep. However I'll be the first to admit that food quality is top notch and so is the personalised service extended by the captain and his team. I can see why Taste Paradise is rated as one of the top restaurants in Singapore. And I agree.
See all my pictures here.
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Arggh really that good? I want to go! Anyone treating? Hmm...
09 Apr 2008 at 11:35 pm
Wow 5 stars from boss!
10 Apr 2008 at 10:12 am
hahah then you know how 5 star it is. :)
10 Apr 2008 at 2:53 pm
Chinese Cuisine with a Difference is Taste Paradise's tagline. Curious about how different this might be, 5 of us dropped by for a cosy dinner last Friday.
It was pretty easy to locate the place, however, parking wasn't that easy. In front of the restaurant there're some parallel parking spots but as you would guess too few for every one. Trying to look for parking in the area isn't too easy as they are all one-way streets. So do plan where you want to park before you go. Hong Lim or Chinatown Point would be two good places.
The restaurant is tastefully decorated with a long passage right up front. It's mainly in reds and blacks and the lighting is a little dim but still bright enough for me to see what I'm eating. Good enough for me.
We were greeted politely at the door and led to our seats in one of the rooms. After some observation, we noticed that one of the walls was actually made of panels which could be removed to make the room bigger for functions.
I couldn't bear to analyse the menu like my companions did for it didn't have any pictures were just filled with words. There were curly Chinese characters and English descriptions but it was still pretty difficult to read. So the rest of us just let two of them decide.
One little interesting thing was that there were 3 prices for the same bowl of Shark's Fin - $38, $58 and $68. $38 was the regular serving, $58 had more shark's fin in it and $68 was fin of high quality.... the staff patiently explained to us when we asked.
Food ordered:
Carrot Cake
which I forgot to take the description of. But this was delicious. I LOVED IT! The serving was enough for 2 and slightly more. It wasn't too oily. the texture was very smooth and very tasty! YUMS!
Pan-seared Foie gras, wasabi mayonnaise prawn and sliced Beijing duck with condiments - $18 per personOur starter for the day was this great combination! The foie gras was crisp on the outside and pretty smooth on the inside. It was quite sizeable, any bigger and I would be worried about my heart. The wasabi prawn was alright. The wasabi taste wasn't too strong which is good and it was quite a big one. It was served on top of a watermelon which was suppose to compliment the taste of the prawn. But I couldn't be bothered to eat it. I liked the Beijing Duck slice. It was pre-prepared with the skin and sauce and wasn't too sweet. Just right.
Double boiled superior shark's fin with dried conpoy in traditional Beijing broth accompanied with bacon onion roll - $38 per personThe presentation of this dish was impressive! It was served in a grey bowl, the sort people used to mash belachan in, with the bacon wrap on top. It was bubbling when it came and bubbled for a long time whilst we drank it. There was plenty of fin and the broth was not too starchy like at some places. But it did smell of vinegar though I didn't find it too sourish. The bacon onion roll was a nice touch though I did find it a little troublesome to eat.
Braised homemade Beancurd with shredded scallop and Japanese Mushroom - $16
This was the one dish which I found a little disappointing. The skin of the beancurd was a little too tough and hard to tear. The taste was ok and the texture of the inside was smooth. The sauce it came with wasn't too salty as I have tasted in other places and the scallop was a nice accompaniment. Just the skin bothered me.
Szechuan Style roasted Chicken with homemade crispy crumbs - Half $16By the time we got to this dish I was pretty full but I still picked up a few pieces to munch. My companions were commenting about it being spicy but I found it barely so. It was quite tasty and the meat didn't taste as dry as it looked. I liked the texture of the meat but I'm the sort who likes chicken breast meat so if you aren't like me... well.
Stirfried Spinach with garlic - price unknownToo full to have any of this. But it looked just like your regular vege to me.
Mashed Taro with almond cream served in fresh coconut - $6.50I wanted to order this but I was in a mood for something cooler but I was happy to get a taste of it. It was served in a tiny REAL coconut! SO COOL! I was more fascinated with the coconut bowl than anything else. I think the Orh Nee tasted very nice. It wasn't too sweet, not overly flavoured. It had a hint of almond (or maybe I didn't scoop so much almond) which gave it a nice twist.
Chilled Mango Puree with Sago and Pomelo served with coconut ice cream - $4.50This was my dessert of the day!! I was worried about the coconut ice cream as I'm not a fan of coconut actually. But everything's worth trying right? So try I did and I enjoyed this dessert very much. Served cold and sweet (just right).
Chilled Pumpkin Puree served with coconut ice cream (Chef's Special) - $4.50Sadly I didn't get a taste of this.... but no complaints. She seemed to enjoy it...
Chilled Aloe Vera in refreshing calamansi juice - $4.50
Neither did I try this...
We got the 3 chilled desserts free, they were on the house which was a nice surprise.
The service was very good throughout the meal. Our tea was constantly topped up and Desmond, the assistant manager was jovial and sincere when serving us. When the 2 servings of the shark's fin were late, he took the initiative to inform us, which I think is a show of good service.
Each of us paid $93.50 for our share of food. It does seem quite a lot doesn't it? But I guess with foie gras and shark's fin on the list, I find it pretty acceptable. Minus those two, it would be more reasonable.
For more pictures go to my blog .
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Excellent, cant wait to try it myself. And my review will be coming soon too!
09 Apr 2008 at 9:53 pm
Wow...5 Stars...Must be super good. The Taro sounds tempting...
09 Apr 2008 at 9:54 pm
:) it is good... mm the Orh Nee was quite nice :) a bit thick but good. :)
09 Apr 2008 at 10:28 pm