Taste Paradise

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.

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.