Wine and Dine at Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant, Forum Shopping Mall (Orchard Road)

Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant in Forum The Shopping Mall (金湖海鮮酒家) is a favourite Chinese restaurant of many people. Especially those who like to bring their own wines (BYO) for their meals.  Jade Palace Restaurant is one of the rare restaurants in Singapore these days which still have a simple no-corkage policy. There are no conditions or restricted days. Together with the attentive service and good food, this is a winning combination that ensures bustling business, even on weekdays. They are located in the basement of the Forum Mall next to Orchard Rendezvous Hotel (formerly known as Orchard Parade Hotel). It is not a highly visible restaurant, which makes their popularity even more impressive.

The “wine friendly” culture at Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant can be seen from the displays of wines and serving equipment at the entrance. Even though they have an extensive wine list, the no corkage BYO policy is extended to all diners.  Not too long ago, many Chinese restaurants had such a policy. These days, it is the exception. Some still do but with conditions – for regular diners only or those with loyalty cards etc.

We were early for dinner on a weekday and the restaurant was still quiet. It soon filled up by around 7.30pm leaving only a few tables. It is advisable to make reservations even on weekdays. The decor of Jade Palace Forum restaurant is that of a Chinese restaurant from the 90s. It is brightly lit by lots of flourescent downlights. The dining hall is partitioned into a main area and a smaller area. I understand that there are private dining rooms but I did not see them. The place does not have the ambience for a typical romantic date but is suitable for a family or business dinner.

Here are pictures of some sample pages of the Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant Menu. The full menu contains many of the classic dishes of a Cantonese restaurant. Chef’s recommendations were listed on a loose leaf which I suspect may change from time to time. The claypot rice selection looked interesting.  But they are meant for 3 to 4 pax and would be too much for the two of us. We selected two items from the Chef’s recommendation list and a traditional claypot dish.

Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant Menu

When in Rome do as the Romans do. Dining at a wine friendly restaurant, we were wine friendly as well and turned up armed with a bottle of red wine from Bordeaux.  The wine service was excellent. From the opening of the bottle to the continued topping up of wine.  Our glasses were never empty or overfilled. They can teach a thing or two to many restaurants, even those that charge a hefty corkage fee.

We were charged $4 for these boiled peanuts. We sometimes turn away these tidbits at Chinese restaurants but we were glad to have kept these nuts which were cooked just right and with a balanced amount of sweetness.

Dinner started with two appetizers from the Chef’s recommendations.  The crispy you tiao stuffed with prawns ($15, picture above) was very enjoyable.  We like the crispy surface enclosing the bouncy prawn contents.  The salted egg sauce added an extra layer of flavour.

The marinated goose liver with bean curd ($36) was a more challenging dish. The portion of liver was quite large. It also had a robust liver taste. Even my dining companion who always orders foie gras found it strong.  Eating the liver with the beancurd and chilli sauce balanced the taste somewhat. But it was a dish we would be unlikely to select again.

Stewed beef brisket with radish ($36) is a dish that goes so well with red Bordeaux. The best parts of the dish were the pieces of brisket and radish that were soft and had soaked up the delicious gravy. The pieces of meat were fine but were a bit dry in comparison. The claypot kept the food warm for a good period of time.  It was a large portion and together with steamed rice, it was enough for two persons.  We did not have room for desserts.

Ratings:
Food: 3
Service: 5
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs 

Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant
B1-13 Forum The Shopping Mall
583 Orchard Road
Singapore 238884

Tel: +65 6732-6628

Opening Hours: 11 am to 3 pm;  6 pm to 11 pm

Nearby MRT Station: Orchard

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