Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant

How I miss the food here.

The restaurant boundary deco is rather distinct. Impossible to miss.

It was my grandmother's birthday. Thus the luxurious layout of food. I've actually been to Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant a number of times, but didn't have the fortune to take any photos of this place. Now lets cut to the chase and introduce some really great Chinese cuisines.

Condiments to go with the food.
Their chilli paste is really special, made of dried shrimp and belachan.

Candy Walnut

Instead the normal peanuts or mixed nuts that are serving in most Chinese restaurants, Nan Bei serves up candy walnut to its customers. They honey glazed and roasted. Really different way to start a meal. I can't get enough of these.

Chrysanthemum Tea

Longevity Buns

More lotus paste then bun.

Braised Shark's Fin with Crab Meat and Bamboo Pith

Chunky to the brim with ingredients.

The shark's fin is exquisite. Each bowl is so packed that its more like a stew instead of a soup. I could really see the comb pieces of shark's fin. They were very generous with the crab meat too. The meat are really smooth and sweet. Though I prefer the soup to be tact bit more "thicker".

Roasted Duck

They even name their roasted duck "golden plated". No joke at all. I've never eaten a roast duck nearly as good as this. The flesh is at an impossible tenderness and juicy without being oily. In addition the chef did a good job removing the strong duck "smell" that some people dislike. Needless to say, when is a roast duck without its crispy skin. Its crackling good. Highly recommended.

Steamed Live "Soon Hock" Fish

Somethings simplicity is the greatest enjoyment in life. Just like this dish. The fish is smooth, but yet its firm flesh doesn't brittle or fall apart when picked up. The clear soy sauce base isn't too heavy and really brings out the freshness of the fish. Not a hint of "muddy" taste detected at all. One can tell that creating this simple dish, isn't all that easy at all. Since the pairing of ingredients and timing is essential in this dish.

Salted Egg Yolk Prawn

The prawns they serve here are huge. The blissful bits of salted yolk perfectly coats each prawn. Sulking all the bits of yolk coating them is really addictive. The prawn are crunchy, very "Q" and fresh. Though I was a bit disappointed that the flavors didn't really permeate into the prawn flesh. A point to note. They even remove the legs and dirty bits in head for the convenience of the customer and to absent those funky unwanted flavors.

Braised Mushroom & Sea Cucumber with Vegetable

I don't really appreciate sea cumber, thus I shall not comment on it. The mushroom though is really juicy and chewy (in a good way).

Braised Spinach with Beancurd & Assorted Mushroom

This is my person favorite and so does my whole family agree. Each time we come here. This is a must in our order. The spinach infuse beancurd sits on a canopy of extra braised spinach and is sprinkled with mushrooms. The beancurd is so soft that you can practically slurp its rich egg tofu up. Within it is bits of spinach that gives it a great contrast with smooth texture of the beanurd. The base of the beancurd is shear crisp giving it additional "wok heat" enhancing the taste. Recommend to die for.

Baked Pork Rib with Taro Sauce

The pork ribs are marinated with taro sauce (apparently something my grandma using in her vegetarian dish. Sorry about unable to find the English translation). Its like magic that the chefs are able to make the top layer is crispy and yet the fat just below it is totally soft, before you pop it into your mouth and watch it slowly melt away. Meat is tender and doesn't even cling into the teeth.

Stewed Eggplant Minced Pork with Thick Noodles

At a first impression. It seems like the common mee pok that you would see in the hawker centre. I assure you. Hawker and restaurants "mee pok" are miles apart. The noodles are super springy and break cleanly with each bite. I must admit. I am very impressed with what they did to the eggplant. It doesn't have any slimy texture and the sticks of eggplant is very tender, no sign of overcooking it. For a eggplant hater I'm impressed.

Sweetened Almond Cream

Lastly is the almond cream dessert. Nan Bei version is not as thick as those outside, which I feel is a better retention of the almond cream. Since sometimes the thicken cream would make it very clogging to consume after a few spoonfuls. Not so with this version. I also like it as it is sweeten just slightly, not too sweet that it overpowers the nature aroma of the almond.

All these award guarantees top notch service.

Service is really top notch. Each dish is served into personal serving for the waiting staff and after each dish the plates are switched with fresh one. The managers were always checking with us whether the dishes were up to our satisfaction. I can see why they are even awarded the Singapore Service Star for their even prevailing good service. All these of cause comes at a price. However, Nan Bei Restaurant is that so extremely good at its service and food, that I believe every dim spent was all well worth it.

Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant
391 Orchard Road
#05-12 Ngee Ann City
Tel: 6738 1238