Crystal Jade Jiang Nan VivoCity

Crystal Jade Jiang Nan VivoCity sports a new, more elegant look after undergoing some refurbishment at the end of last year. What is Jiang Nan cuisine? Jiang Nan refers to the area to the south of the Yangtze River in China, with Shanghai being the main city in the region. We found the wooden panels to be the most outstanding feature, giving the place a warm golden glow and at the same time serving as an effective room divider.

The best tables at Crystal Jade Jiang Nan VivoCity are those ensconced within the wooden dividers. We felt like dining at a set of a wuxia film, with a bunch of bad guys about to crash through these fragile dividers anytime. We were less enthusiastic about the wooden benches. Each bench seats two which meant that any movement had to be coordinated. The thin wooden rod that serves as a backrest was not comfortable.

Crystal Jade Jiang Nan VivoCity Menu

Here are pictures of some sample portions of the Crystal Jade Jiang Nan VivoCity Menu. There is a dim sum page in the menu. But unlike the wide range oof dim sum selections found in Cantonese restaurants, the range of dim sum was limited.

We tried two dim sum items – pan-fried pork dumplings ($5.80) and deep-fried radish pastries. The pork dumplings could do with more frying. They looked like steamed dumplings with hardly any browned parts. The radish dumpings were better. The pastry was thick but light. The vegetable filling was tasty.

The Braised Minced “Lion Head” Meatballs in YangZhou Style ($16.80) was one of the two favourite dishes that day. The meatballs tasted good and had a nice bouncy texture.

For a spicy dish, we selected the Sautéed Chicken with Aromatic Spices in Claypot ($18.80). This dish had a fragrant aroma from the spices. It was quite spicy. We found that it went well with the Pan-fried Pancake with scallion ($5.80) which looked like shredded roti prata and was very plain by itself.

The other dish that we liked a lot that day was the La Mian with Sautéed Egg White with Conpoy & Fish Meat ($12.80). It looked like a bland dish at first glance. But we soon discovered that while it was a lightly flavoured dish, there was a complex taste of many flavours. The noodles could be eaten in two ways – with a light broth or with some vinegar. We tried both and they were both enjoyable.