I came back from Hong Kong not too long ago and I’m already missing the delicious Cantonese food there! Although Hong Kong is just a 4-hour flight away from Singapore, there aren’t many casual Hong Kong-style eateries or restaurants serving true blue Cantonese food here. Or perhaps I have not really combed through the food scene in Singapore to find out more about the Cantonese eateries here.
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East Bistro
But recently, we discovered East Bistro at MyVillage in Serangoon Gardens, along Maju Avenue. This casual dining place reminded me of the comforting Cantonese food I had in Hong Kong. The food here is simple, unpretentious and substantial. This place is reminiscent of the casual Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong.
Helming East Bistro’s kitchen is none other than Chef Tony Wong who was previously working as a head chef at Lei Garden Restaurant in Singapore. He has over 40 years of culinary experience and is well-known for his Dim Sum creations. I’ve yet to try his Dim Sum but now that I’ve tried his main dishes at East Bistro, I wouldn’t mind heading back for their Dim Sums.
The restaurant’s interior is minimal but cosy. It makes a good dining spot for family dinners and gatherings. I am pretty sure that your folks and grandparents would find such a setting nostalgic.
Beverages
Their recommended drinks are their milk teas. However, we prefer something more refreshing so we ordered their Barley drink and Luo Han Guo tea. Both drinks aid in digestion too.
What’s on the menu?
That evening, we tried dishes from their Chinese New Year menu as well as a couple of more dishes from their regular ala carte menu.
Rice Rolls with Dark Sauce
These plate of rice rolls is akin to Chee Cheong Fun except that it is stir-fried with bean sprouts. We like the smoky charred taste of the rice rolls that complements well with the crunchy bean sprouts. However, we find the rice rolls a little on the dry side. We personally the rice rolls to be drenched with sauce so that it slides smoothly down your throat. Now, that’s what we are after.
Iced Sweet and Sour Pork
This dish is by far one of the most innovative dishes I’ve tasted. Who would have thought of serving Sweet sour pork on a bed of ice? The intention of placing ice cubes underneath the dish is to create that sticky, candied sugar layer on the surface of the pork. This intensifies the sweetness of the pork and provides an added texture to the overall dish. That’s pretty ingenious, isn’t it? This is definitely a must-try dish here at East Bistro.
Crab with Crispy Rice and Soup
Another signature dish of theirs is this Crab with Crispy rice and soup. It is like rice porridge served with Sri Lankan Crab cooked in a chicken and pork bone broth.
This dish is served with a plate of golden fried rice crisps. We could hear the crackling sounds of the fried rice crisps as their staff tossed them into the pot – perfect sound effect for an ASMR video.
Overall, it was delicious and very comforting.
Smoked Chicken in Ginger
The next couple of dishes we have had, are featured in their Chinese New Year Menu. We tried their Smoked Chicken in Ginger, Steamed Garoupa Fish and Chilled Double Boiled Lotus seed soup. These are the standard dishes we usually have for Chinese New Year too. Your folks might dig into the steamed fish.
Steamed Garoupa Fish in HK-Style
Chilled Double Boiled Snow Lotus Seed
For desserts, we tried their Chilled double-boiled snow lotus seed, Jian Dui and Chilled Mango Sago cream with pomelo.
For the chilled double-boiled snow lotus seed, they used high-quality snow lotus seeds which are imported specially from Hong Kong. The snow lotus seeds are cooked with dried longans and red dates which provides a natural sweetness to the dessert soup itself.
Golden Sesame Balls
Next, we tried these golden sesame balls which are delightful. This Chinese pastry is made with glutinous rice flour and sesame seeds. Each ball is actually hollow inside. All you get to taste is the cool crispy layer on the outside as well as the warm chewy layer on the inside.
Chilled Mango Sago Cream with Pomelo
Last but not least, we had their chilled mango sago cream with pomelo. It’s one of those Cantonese desserts served at Dim Sum restaurants. It was light and not too overly sweet at all. I just wish that there were more fresh mango chunks in it so that the mango flavour will stand out more.
Verdict
This restaurant is definitely worth a try if you’re looking for an affordable Chinese-style family restaurant. Hopefully, I can try Chef Wong’s Dim Sum during my next visit to East Bistro.
Rating: 3.7/5.0
