My family brought me to try this latest craze located at Plaza Singapura called Nanjing Impressions. I've seen a lot of photos on instagram thanks to the bloggers I'm following. Mixed feelings about the place before I visit. Nanjing food doesn't really quite appeal to me but that said given the hype, I want to try!
We picked a list of dishes at my brother's recommendation (he did the research) and some based on photos. One of the best dishes for the night, Poach Lion's Head Meatball ($13.80/portion), really makes me crave for the soup. It's flavourful and very rich in taste, something rare in Singapore and a stark reminder of cantonese soups in Hong Kong. The meatball was big and fat with a good mix of meat and fats which were all tender and easy to eat.
Another of their key highlights that looks very different from the photos showcased by the popular bloggers is Sesame Scented Beancurd Julienne ($11.80/portion). That's the white noodle soup looking photo you see. You know I kinda have the feeling they gave us some other dish but because my chinese is bad, I can't tell. In any case, the noodle looking beancurd is famed because of the chef's workmanship and how my mom mistook them for noodles. Taste wise, it's pretty interesting but I'm quite certain its the wrong dish.
One dish I picked for myself was Sliced Fish in Spicy Pickled Cabbage Broth ($18.80/portion). It's awesome and my favourite of the night! My mom however doesn't like the Mala taste that accompanies the slice fish. She kept insisting it taste like Indian Curry. I like the authenticity of the Mala chilli oil mixed with pickled cabbage. The fish which was cooked till soft and tender went just right with it.
Because it's supposedly my birthday celebration, my mom insisted on ordering noodles. We picked Nanjing Special Shredded Duck Fried Noodles ($14.80/portion), It tastes pretty good! I enjoyed the mix of tender shredded duck meat and the fried noodles which was excellently cooked. That said, it's typical of China dishes that they are very oily.
Another dish which my brother insisted upon was the Jinling Signature Salted Duck ($16.80 for small). He said it's one of the key highlights of Nanjing Impressions. The duck wise was a mixture of hits and misses. The meaty parts tasted really great with the saltiness and tenderness coming together just right. On the other hand, the gripe was the boney parts of the duck which were difficult to eat and tasted quite hard. You decide if you want to play roulette with this dish.
Dessert was Osmanthus-Scented Steamed Sponge ($4.80). I quite enjoyed this chewy dessert and its rich flavouring of osmanthus. For a more local description it tasted like the 9 layered colourful nonya kuey. Worth a try!
Wrapping up the post is always the question if I'll return again. I would IF I'm hosting my China friends. I have a feeling they will like the food here especially the spicy fish. There're hits and misses on the table but my biggest issue was the thirsty feeling I had after the meal. Too much MSG?
Nanjing Impressions
#04-46, Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road