Kaki kaki jio-ed (invited) me to Imperial Treasures Super Peking Duck at Paragon Shopping Centre level 5.
First time here, found the restaurant after asking one of the cleaning staff 🙏
One of my pet peeves of some Singapore shopping centres is, the shops remove or minimise their unit number displays, making it less convenient (sometimes even difficult) to locate the shop, especially in a hurry 🙄
We warmed up with an appetizer of fried squid. The airy light crisp batter was sweetish and fruity fragrant, reminding me of goreng pisang 🍌 👍 The squid tentacles inside were chewy and slightly savoury. Overall, the combined savoury and sweet flavours set the tone for our scrumptious lunch.
But, I'll have to admit that I love Imperial Treasures' savoury beefy beef balls. They were smooth and have the soft tender texture of good fish ball, thanks to nice meat to fat ratio and vigorous smacking.
I should know about smacking because I used to be the one assigned the vital task of throwing and smacking the minced beef to make beef balls for gatherings 😬 Good beef was very affordable in old Canada and our Hong Kong classmates taught us how to make beef balls.
Next, the Peking duck 北京式烤鸭, the main reason for today's assembly.
The young staff was very skillful in slicing up the gleaming golden brown roasted duck. He was also patient with us hovering around him like honey bees, snapping away while he worked 😆
Hats off to the staff for his skill and deftness in cutting up the bird. The young man hails from Kuala Lumpur.
The skin was paper thin and subtly crisp. Tasted mildly savoury from the seasoning and marination. Very little gaminess or fat (as it was scraped off with a knife from beneath the skin). Personally, I like some fat and ducky gaminess.
The lean breast meat was wonderful. It was soft tender, juicy, succulent. In the mouth, it felt smooth, almost creamy and tasted savoury subtly ducky sweet. (There was none of that dry rough, fibrous chewiness of less well prepared ducks.)
The prescribed way of eating Peking duck is, of course, to wrap meat and skin with stalk of scallion and stick of cucumber, a dab of savoury sweet sauce in soft light sweetish crepe.
Haven't been to Peking for decades but this is as good as it gets in Singapore (as far as I know - I don't eat Peking duck that often lah...).
西施鱼子酱 Sautéed Egg White with Caviar.
Caviar on egg white in an elegant martini glass. Savoury briny on savoury eggy. Poppy soft crunch on a soft tender white bed.
Scallop on glass noodles with garlic, scallion, fermented black beans, mushroom and chili pepper.
The fresh tender juicy scallop was nice, of course.
The thing that blew me away was the humble glass noodles as they absorbed all the complex layers of umami savoury sweetness from the lead (scallop) and all its supporting cast.
剁椒蒸鳕鱼件 Steamed Cod Fish Fillet with Diced Chillies.
Snow cod in mala style sauce.
I can still taste the snow cod's signature sweetness in its soft juicy flesh even though the mala sauce was quite assertively savoury salty spicy. Even then, I can't say I have gotten used to this style of snow cod which is popular with younger folks.
葱油富贵鸡 Steamed Chicken with Shallot & Ginger.
Elevated ginger scallion chicken 😁 Yes, there was a whole chicken buried under that pile.
Absolutely tender juicy chicky sweet poached chicken with overlay of ginger, scallion, aromatic oil and sauce tastes.
But, nowadays, after my Hainan trip, I prefer my chicken to be slightly stringy chewy, not too soft. Just like those people who sport a twang after a week in ang moh country 🫢
姜汁酒炒芥兰 Sautéed Kailan with Ginger & Chinese Rice Wine.
Obligatory green nicely done with the kai lan's crunch, juices and fresh taste retained and complemented by an aromatic blend of sauce and oil.
I thought we were done, then the staff brought out this large plate of wok hei fried rice smothered with a thick savoury sweet sauce with lots of ingredients like prawn, diced chicken, mushroom, beans, etc.
Not a dessert but we somehow miraculously managed to summon up extra stomach space for it. No regrets. Nice!
Come again?
For sure.
When the occasion calls for a premium location and slightly elevated Chinese cuisine, Imperial Treasures will be among the options at the top of my mind. I enjoyed every dish we had today.
Written by Tony Boey on 31 Aug 2023
🎗 Opinions in this blog are all my own as no restaurant paid money to be featured.
To ensure neutrality, this blog is powered by voluntary contributions from appreciative readers to Tony Boey Johor Kaki PAYNOW 96888768 in Singapore $.
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