I really miss eating Chinese food, but at the same time, I want to continue to hang around the heritage area of Chinatown to search for good food. So when I heard about Yue Bai, a Chinese restaurant located at Duxton Road, which is part of heritage area, my eyes lit up. And a browse through the menu, I immediately made a reservation. After a meal here, I say this is one of the best Chinese restaurants I had been to. The experience here reminds me of Summer Palace, a Michelin Star restaurant that I sussed out way before the Michelin inspectors 😉 The type of dishes and the tastes are different, but both feature light yet very flavourful cuisines that have complexity in the taste profiles.
Herbal Poached Rice, Atlantic Cod, Black Fungus is a must-try, for both the taste and the experience of seeing the collagen-rich soup sizzles in the hot stone pot as the staff pours it in. The egg fried rice is very fragrant and retains its grain shape despite soaked in the super flavourful soup imbued with herbs and shao xing wine, thus yielding a very good bite. The cod fish is smooth, full of omega oil and succulent, going very well with the rice. And the fish is very well prepared in which all bones were totally removed.
I'm glad that the staff recommended this, taking into the account that a solo diner like me will have difficulty finishing the 3 person portion mee sua or fried rice by myself. And it is not like one can find such delicately prepared poached rice everywhere, so this is quite an unique experience that I appreciate.
Crispy Tofu, Yuzu sauce is another must-try of Yue Bai. I'm not sure how the chef did it, but each cube of silky smooth tofu is perfectly coated with an even layer of seasoned batter. Each cube is packed with flavours, so good that I can eat it on its own. When dipped with yuzu sauce, the extra zest makes the taste even more exciting. And the texture is wow: just imagine biting into each cube and the crispy smooth exterior gently breaks up to reveal the hot smooth, soft interior of tofu. I'm so happy with this choice of mine that I chose based on my acute senses for good food.
I had been wanting to eat bamboo clam, so when I saw this on the menu, I just went for it. This is very interestingly served in black garlic sauce, unlike the usual light soya sauce. And it works. The sauce is actually pretty light despite the appearance, with hints of sweetness, and it goes very well with the delicate briny flavour of the clam. The friendly service staff told me that the black garlic sauce is specially concocted for the winter season since black colour food is great for health during this season. For coming spring, the sauce will be based on green colour. I'm excited to try something different. By the way, the bamboo clam is perfectly cooked: being springy in texture yet easy to bite.
Deep-fried Granola Prawn, Beetroots is a must-try for fans of cereal prawns or wasabi prawn balls. Yes, another must-try. Generally speaking, I like cereal prawns for the wholesomeness of the cereal that goes very well with the umami of prawns. But I prefer wasabi prawn balls since the prawns are deshelled for better texture. The Deep-fried Granola Prawn here is the perfect marriage of the best aspects of cereal prawns and wasabi prawn balls. The homemade granola is rich in flavour and even more wholesome than the cereal, highlighting the umami of the super large, plump, succulent, fresh prawn balls. By the way, it's one whole large prawn being rolled into a ball 👍 The beetroot strands inject a refreshing element to the taste, making it even better. A very well-executed dish.
Crispy Black Sesame Mochi, Osmanthus-infused Sugar is another example of how well the chef makes the different textures complement each other well. The crispy shell actually showcases how soft the slightly chewy mochi, aka glutinous rice dough, is. Due to the earthy aroma of sesame, the sugarless mochi actually tastes good on it own. For us who cave in to sugar cravings, just dip the mochi into brown sugar with osmanthus. The caramel taste of brown sugar and the floral aroma of osmanthus make this dessert such a delight to enjoy.
I like the plants at the corner so much that I got to saunter over to them to take a closer look.
The premium Gong Ting Pu Er here is fragrant and very smooth.
I love this place not only for the awesome food, but also for the modern, classy Chinese interior with zen influences that reflects the philosophy behind the creation of the food: modern, clean, classy and inherently Chinese.
In fact, the cuisine here fuses together elements of Cantonese, Hokkien and Teochew cuisines to create dishes that are familiar yet unique at the same time. Chef Lee Hongwei is a local who has an impressive resume of satisfying palates in China and Macau for many years before coming back to Singapore with his wealth of culinary experience to helm Yue Bai. I like how his dishes are different from other Chinese cuisine in certain elements that makes it a brand new gastronomic experience for me.
The service is so thoughtful, meticulous, friendly and professional. The staffs are also very knowledgeable on the food and the philosophy behind the restaurant. They go the extra mile to make sure patrons are well-attended to. I'm impressed. Part of the reason that I said Yue Bai reminds me of Summer Palace is because of the service.
I'm so happy to find a new gem in Yue Bai. I definitely look forward to going back, and this is one place I can bring my family to since the food here will cater to their tastes too and the great service will make the outing even more enjoyable.
Thoughts: One of the Best Chinese Restaurants, and one of my favourite Chinese Restaurants.
33 Duxton Road
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar or Outram Park or Maxwell
