Shang Palace Singapore Shangri-la Hotel – Lunch at a Classic Chinese Restaurant

Chinese restaurant Shang Palace Singapore at Shangri-la Hotel has a history dating back to 1971. It may have dropped out of the One Michelin Star status in the Singapore Michelin Guide 2023 edition. For us, it still remains one of the most charming Chinese restaurants in Singapore. We were at Orange Grove Road recently to visit the grand dame of Chinese dining in Singapore.

Chinese Restaurant at Singapore Shangri-la Hotel

Shang Palace Singapore has a classic Chinese restaurant look with its ornate restaurant decor. The warm yellow lighting could be brighter, but it gives the place a traditional feel. The main dining hall is spacious but has no windows. Several private rooms line the side of the hall.

Shang Palace Singapore Menu

The full Shang Palace Singapore menu is available on the Shangri-la Hotel Singapore website (link provided below). We appreciate having the various menus – set menus, dim sum, a la carte, all with prices being so easily accessible online. Here are pictures of some pages of the menu.

Our Lunch at Shangri-La

Shang Palace Singapore Dim Sum

These were the two dim sum items we tried during our lunch. Steamed crystal dumplings ($9) and Deep Fried Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings in Carrot Shape ($9). We had picked these two dim sum because of the nice pictures in the menu. They looked quite decent in real life but they seem more photogenic in the menu pictures. Taste-wise they were not bad. Substance is more important than looks, we consoled ourselves. This, it seemed, was to be a theme that ran through our lunch that day.

Soup Dishes – Posh and Ordinary

For our soup dishes we tried a posh double-boiled ginseng soup with abalone and black chicken ($42) and the humble soup of the day – pork ribs soup ($16). The expensive soup was of course more interesting as there were precious ingredients in the soup. The inclusion of ginseng and black chicken also made us feel that it was the healthier choice.

In comparison, the pork ribs soup was nothing to look it but it had a wholesome taste which comes with familiar types of comfort food. It may not have the exotic taste of ginseng broth but was certainly complex and interesting enough for us.

Meat and Fish

The BBQ pork loin glazed with honey sauce (i.e. char siew, $48) at Shang Palace Singapore was better than we were expecting. It is not as awesome as the one from Mott 32, but is possibly one of the best in Singapore.

Our next meat dish was another ugly duckling. The pan-fried beef tenderloin ($27.50 for a half portion) was a pile of dark objects. The taste was not bad but would be even better if it had more visible appeal.

The best dish of the day was the sautéed cod fillet with yellow paste and onions served in a claypot ($78). The fish was presented in thin slices, carefully cooked till they were at their peak. The supporting cast of garnishes and yellow paste made it all taste wonderful. A pricey dish, but one we will order again, to be eaten with plain rice.

The Noodle Dish

Poached naniwa udon with sliced abalone in fish broth ($32 per person). This impressive noodle dish was also presented very simply. The abalone added luxury to this dish but the star was the fish broth which was rich and flavourful.

A mouthful of slippery inaniwa noodles with this soup was delicious. The serving size of this dish was quite large. Two people can share one. This was our final dish of our lunch at Shang Palace Singapore. Good food but not the most attractive. Service was good – helpful, courteous and attentive.

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

Shang Palace Chinese Restaurant
Shangri-la Hotel Tower Wing, Lobby Level, 22 Orange Grove Road
Singapore

Tel: +65 6213 4398

Operating Hours: 
Lunch
Monday to Friday
12pm to 2:30pm (Last order at 2pm)
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays
First Seating: 11am to 12:30pm
Second Seating: 1pm to 3pm 

Dinner
Monday to Sunday
6pm to 10pm (Last order at 9:30pm)

Website