Spring Court Restaurant – best popiah in Singapore?

Spring Court Restaurant is (according to its website), the oldest family-run restaurant in Singapore. With a history dating back to 1929 when Wing Choon Yuen opened in Great World Amusement Park, this makes it one of the oldest restaurants in Singapore. Despite its long history and the heritage building along Upper Cross Street where it is now located, the interior of their Chinese restaurant is surprisingly modern looking. The leading signature dish of the Spring Court Restaurant is the humble popiah (which some say is the best popiah in Singapore) and we had the chance to sample this, as well as other dishes at the restaurant at lunch recently.

Most parts of Spring Court Restaurant look like any other Chinese restaurant such as the big fish tanks and white table-clothed tables.  In fact, some parts of the restaurant looked even luxurious, with the modern styled paintings providing a contemporary feel to the place. The tables were however placed close to each other and the restaurant felt congested when the tables eventually filled up.

The menu at Spring Court Restaurant contained a mix of familiar and some unique dishes. Here are pages from the dim sum menu and signature menu.

The highlight of the restaurant was the popiah. This item was featured prominently in the menu and was included as an appetizer in all its set meals. A popiah stall is situated at the entrance to the restaurant, facilitating the purchase of these wonderful rolls for take-away. The stall was manned by a friendly and cheerful lady who prepares the popiah.

At $7.50 per piece, the Spring Court popiah is three to four times as expensive as a typical popiah.  Was it three times as nice? Our answer is a resounding yes! The size of the popiah was large, about twice the size of a regular popiah.  It was crammed full of good stuff. Crabmeat was present in noticeable amounts. All the other vegetable and other ingredients blended so well to make it an exceptional dish.

We also had some dishes from the dim sum menu. The fried carrot with XO sauce ($5.80) and the glutinous rice in lotus leaves ($4.20) were very good. The portions, though small, were moist and flavourful.

We also tried a couple of other dishes from their signature dish menu. The roasted chicken with stuffed minced prawn ($22) was quite an unusual dish. A layer of crisp roast chicken was supported by a lower layer of prawn paste. The cross-section of each piece looked and felt like roast suckling pig, the prawn part looking like fat, but of course tasting better and being less oily.

The pan-fried hor fun with prawn omelette ($22) was another signature dish. It looked quite plain, just a piece of fried egg on some hor fun, but the taste was better than it looked. The main reasons were the well-fried hor fun with ‘wok-hei’ and the generous amount of spring onions, ginger and other garnishes. Both dishes are interesting and certainly deserve a try.

Overall, our lunch at Spring Court Restaurant was quite different from a typical Chinese restaurant in Singapore. We can see why it is still so popular after all these years. It was crowded at lunchtime and reservations are recommended, especially during the coming Chinese New Year festivities. The nearby Chinatown area is already bustling with activities.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 3
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs     

Spring Court Restaurant 
52-56 Upper Cross Street
Singapore 058348
(Opposite Chinatown Point carpark)

Valet Parking available

Reservation Hotline:
6449-5030

Opening Hours:
Lunch: 11.00am to 3.00pm
Dinner: 6.00pm to 10.30pm

Nearby Stations : Chinatown

Spring Court Website

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