Hi there. I’ve a lunch at the airport and was wondering if there are any restaurants at the Jewel that are unique or stand out? I was browsing the stores (https://www.jewelchangiairport.com/en/dine.html) and the ones that interested me so far are Jumbo Seafood and Song Fa Bak Kut Teh. I’m leaning towards Southeast Asian cuisine. TIA.
The two most well-established local brand-names there are: Paradise Classic and Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, although both are more Chinese than South-east Asian. Local Singaporean diners will gravitate towards either of these. If I can only have one meal at the Jewel, I’d also choose one of them.
Paradise Classic is from local homegrown Paradise Group, whose growth has been nothing short of phenomenal - from a rustic tze char (local stir-fry spot) on Defu Lane (a roughshod, industrial neighborhood) known as Paradise Seafood Restaurant back in 2002, to become the most successful chain which it is today, ranging from sumptuous temples of Cantonese fine dining to smart casual bistros, all spread out over 10 countries in the region. Its flagship restaurant, Taste Paradise, located in the ultra-posh, swanky ION Orchard was an eye-opener when it was unveiled in 2009. For many of us Singaporeans at the time, the incredulity it garnered was akin to seeing hillbillies arrive in Beverly Hills.
But Taste Paradise had shown Singaporeans that it can shed its tze char roots effortlessly, and it quickly became the new favorite of the city’s society hostesses, with its surprisingly sophisticated cooking and immaculate service. The all-important Chinese fine dining crowd was wowed. Just as the 80s belonged to the Tung Lok Group of restaurants, the 90s to Crystal Jade Group, and the 2000s-2010s to the Imperial Treasure Group, the Paradise Group has come to dominate the Chinese restaurant scene in Singapore in the 2020s.
One can also not ignore Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck - its flagship store in downtown Orchard Road set the bar in Cantonese dim sum and Northern Chinese Peking duck. Imperial Treasure is a much-respected brand name in Singapore - started by the legendary HK-born Alfred Leung in 2004, after he left Crystal Jade, the iconic HK-style Cantonese restaurant which he’d started together with his brothers, Vincent and Jimmy.
Before Crystal Jade started in 1991, it was virtually impossible to find a good, HK-standard Cantonese restaurant in Singapore. The Leung brothers changed that forever, by bringing in skilled Cantonese chefs from Hong Kong. In 1992, their brother-in-law, Ip Yiu Tung, had bought Crystal Jade over from them.
Imperial Treasure’s Peking duck is the best in town today - try it if you have a chance.
You mentioned that you might prefer Southeast Asian:
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Dapur Penyet is Indonesian, mainly Javanese, with its predilection for crisp-fried chicken, accompanied by rice, spicy sambal and raw salads.
https://www.dapurpenyet.com.sg/
This airport outlet is a casual cafe, and suitable if you want to grab a quick meal. -
I’d not tried Kantin, which touts itself as Bornean. I think its Sarawak laksa is intriguing - if made well, it’s an amazing noodle dish.
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Tambuah Mas is another trusted name in Singapore for local Indonesian food. The original Tambuah Mas outlet dated back to 1981 (at Tanglin Shopping Centre, which has since been sold to Indonesian billionaire, Sukanto Tanoto in 2022). I was first introduced to Indonesian food here, and it has outlasted many of its contemporaries from the 80s/90s like Sanur @ Centrepoint, Ramayana @ Plaza Singapura, Kintamani @ Furama Hotel, etc. This Jewel outlet of Tambuah Mas is the newest of its three outlets.
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