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.
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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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Thanks very much @klyeoh. Your insight is exactly what I was looking for and will be showing my dining companions your post. We’re not 100% stuck on Southeast Asian but we’re limited to one lunch at the Jewel and both recommendations peaks my interest… but that dim sum especially since we were initially thinking of trying Lei Garden later on the trip as we’ve never tried “Michelin star” dim sum before.
Indonesian, for me, might scratch that itch but doesn’t satisfy that urge… as my family used to operate a restaurant in Malaysia (I was too young to know any of this). I will be in Kuching too so the Sarawak laksa is definitely on our list… say do you have a reco on that? 
Side note, thanks for your posts on Penang as we will be exploring the city as well.
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Lei Garden used to be our go-to place for dim sum and top-notch Cantonese cooking back in the 1980s/90s when it was located in Boulevard Hotel on the Orchard Road retail belt. It moved to CHIJMES when the dining precinct opened in 1996, and it’s gotten better over the years, despite stiffer competition nowadays.
Definitely make a beeline for Choon Hui Cafe, where Anthony Bourdain had his taste of the dish.
This blog has a very good list of Sarawak laksa places:
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