Crystal Jade Jiangnan Toa Payoh

We sometimes wonder why tourists come to Singapore and choose to eat at McDonald’s or Hard Rock Cafe. Recently, we were in Toa Payoh, one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore and a place with a wide range of interesting dining options. However, we were not too familiar with the area we were in. Feeling hungry and not quite sure where we could find good affordable food nearby, we were quite happy to see a Crystal Jade outlet. It seemed like a safe option and so we ended up having dinner at Crystal Jade Jiangnan Toa Payoh. We learned that we should be less judgmental of tourists taking the safe dining options.

Crystal Jade Jiangnan Toa Payoh is located in a building just next to HDB Hub. The Chinese casual dining restaurant is quite nicely decorated. It is not big but tables are reasonably well spaced out.

Menu of Crystal Jade Jiangnan

Crystal Jade Jiangnan features the cuisine of the region south of the Yangtze River of China, a geographic area which encompasses the cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Wenzhou and Zhenjiang. Jiangnan food will include the dishes typically found in Shanghainese restaurants. The menu of Crystal Jade Jiangnan Toa Payoh offers Xiao Long Bao in assorted flavours, a selection of dim sum, a variety of la main and a fair range of soups, seafood and meat dishes.

Below are photos of sections of the menu of Crystal Jade Jiangnan Toa Payoh.

It also has various set menus as well as attractively-priced lunch and tea time specials.

Dinner at Crystal Jade Jiangnan  Toa Payoh

We ordered Fried Chicken Wings ($7.80 for 5 pieces) and Dan Dan La Mian ($10.80). We also chose a dim sum item, the Pan Fried Shanghai Pork Bun ($5.80 for a 3), because it looked good in the menu picture. We also had the Glutinous Rice Balls ($5.80) for dessert. Chinese tea was $2.10 per person. Service charge and GST would be added to the bill.

The Pan Fried Shanghai Pork Buns did not look as good as the ones shown in the menu and did not look like the ones we had in Jardin de Jade in Hong Kong recently. In terms of taste, it was not bad but a notch below the ones we had in Hong Kong.

The Deep Fried Chicken Wings was the favourite dish of our dinner. The chicken wings were crispy and flavourful – “finger licking good”.

The Dan Dan La Mian was enjoyable. The handmade noodles were quite thick and had good texture. They were not soggy or sticky. The sauce – containing preserved vegetables, scallions, minced meat and other ingredients – was rather spicy but tasty.

 The Glutinous Rice Balls in light ginger syrup had sesame paste fillings. The skin had a soft-chewy texture and the fillings were not too sweet. It was a very satisfying way to round off a light dinner.

Aside from the slight disappointment over the Pan Fried Shanghai Pork Bun, we had a simple but satisfying dinner at Crystal Jade Jiangnan Toa Payoh. The casual setting was pleasant and the service was friendly and efficient. The food was of the consistent standard we had come to expect of Crystal Jade restaurants. When we are too tired or too hungry to be adventurous, a tried and familiar place like a Crystal Jade outlet seems like a most sensible option. We now understand how hungry tourists may feel. We will never roll our eyes at American tourists eating at McDonald’s again.

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

Crystal Jade Jiangnan
470 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 #01-70
Singapore 310470

Tel: +65 6250 2301

Opening Hours: 11 am – 10 pm

Nearby MRT Station: Toa Payoh

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog