Best Chinese Restaurant in Singapore?

As we start the new year 2020, we have looked back and considered which were the best restaurants we have tried over the past year in 2019. A recent lunch at Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine at Ion Orchard confirmed the generally positive impression that we have held over the year. We think that it is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Singapore.

Best Chinese Restaurant in Singapore

The Imperial Treasure group of Chinese restaurants needs no introduction. The Teochew restaurant at Ion is probably one of the nicest of the group. There is a wide range of seating options. From private dining rooms to cosy booths for couples and a bright spacious general dining hall. The competition to be the best Chinese Restaurant in Singapore is fierce, especially in the Orchard Road area. This is where many good and well-known Chinese restaurants are also present.

Imperial Treasure Teochew Ion Menu

Here are pictures of some pages from the Imperial Treasure Ion Menu taken on our recent visit in December 2019. There are enough dishes to cater to different events and budget. From a grand banquet to a simple dim sum lunch. This accessibility is one of the reasons we think that it is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Singapore. We do not have to order the exotic, expensive dishes to experience the best Chinese cuisine. In fact, we had rather typical Chinese dishes at our lunch.

Lunch at Imperial Treasure Ion

We started lunch with some dim sum. Our favourite dim sum is the pan-fried chive dumplings ($6 for three pieces). Together with the siew mai (or sio bee in Teochew) these are two ” very Teochew” dim sum dishes that we are fond of.

The XO carrot cake ($12, picture below) is also a delicious dish, although a bit untidy in presentation.

We decided to have a steamed bamboo clam each ($18). They were large and plump. Bamboo clams are essentially bland food with a nice texture. The sauce and toppings are the secret to their success. These ones had a wonderful sauce and generous amount of garlic and vermicelli which all combines to make a great dish.

We also had a couple of quintessential Teochew restaurant dishes – marinated duck ($20) and oyster omelette ($28).

If we could only eat one dish at Imperial Treasure Teochew Ion, it would be the smoked chicken ($30 for half). I am not sure that it is a Teochew dish, but it was the best chicken we have eaten in a while. The meat was tender and the smokiness of the dish was like an intense wok hei flavour.

We rounded up the main part of our meal with sauteed diced beef with sliced garlic ($45) and stir fried kai lan ($20).

Wine, Corkage and Dessert

A good lunch at a Teochew restaurant usually ends with oh nee – mashed yam. We had two versions of it – the regular type mashed taro with pumpkin ($6 each) and mashed taro with gingko and almond cream ($7 each). Both were great ways to end our meal at a candidate for best Chinese restaurant in Singapore.

We brought along a bottle of Italian wine for the lunch – 2010 Orma, Bolgheri IGT Toscana. Made from a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes, it was an easy-going red wine to go with the meaty dishes of that day. We figured out that since we intend to visit Imperial Treasure restaurants more than twice a year, it makes sense to sign up for the Imperial Treasure Club loyalty program. There is an initial joining fee but that is made up for by the spending vouchers that can be used at the restaurants. Members also get some corkage vouchers to avoid paying corkage at the restaurants. The lowest membership tier gets 4 vouchers a year. Their website contains more details.

Menus and tastes may change. People may come and go. So it is hard to say which restaurant is the best. But we have been impressed by the food and service at the Imperial Treasure Teochew restaurant at Ion over the course of some visits in 2019.

For other dining options in Ion Orchard – see our list of Best Restaurants at Ion Orchard.

Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine
ION Orchard, #03-05
2 Orchard Turn
Singapore 238801

Tel: +65 67362118

Nearby MRT Station: Orchard

Website

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