i’m not someone that’s true to her roots…
…when it comes to dining, that is. i would much rather eat western, italian, japanese or even muslim food anyday! so when i was at crystal jade la mian xiao long bao recently, i was pleasantly surprised to find that i actually loved the food!
the crystal jade chain of chinese restaurants is so ubiquitous these days you can’t go to a popular shopping mall without seeing one. the chain is so popular it has even divided into different specialisations. there’s crystal jade kitchen, crystal jade palace, crystal jade bakery, crystal jade la mian xiao long bao, crystal jade shanghai cuisine hu cui, et cetera. recently, they have even gone express! to think this was only my second time visiting any crystal jade outlet at all.
for drinks, we ordered their home-made longan drink, which came along with white fungi. it was a refreshing change from the usual lemon tea, and a very healthy drink at the same time.

there were so many food items on the menu that we had a really hard time deciding what we wanted; each one looked as yummy as the next! after much deliberation, we went with the following items.

when the sichuan soup came, i was alarmed to find such a small portion for $6; barely enough for one! but it certainly didn’t disappoint. there was just the right amount of spiciness and the right amount of tang, a good complement to the milder xiao long bao (steamed pork dumpling) that we ordered. i guess anything that is cooked sichuan style can’t go wrong!

despite it being the house specialty, i didn’t really like the shanghai steamed pork dumpling that much. it was just okay for me. i did wonder how it was wrapped though, since it was extremely soupy on the inside.

the beijing pork dumpling fared better. less soupy than its shanghainese counterpart, but more savory overall. oh yeah it’s a fraction cheaper too!

the spicy chicken dish is a very popular dish at chinese restaurants and hawker stalls. i have eaten the same dish at various places before, but this was the first time the chicken came along with cashew nuts! it was simply delightful!
the best part about the meal (besides the yumminess) was that we didn’t have to wait much. even though crystal jade is quite notorious for always having long queues, we were there past 4pm and were ushered to a good window seat pretty quickly. once placing our orders, the food came fast with minimal waiting time.
this definitely won’t be the last time i visit crystal jade!

goes by the name veron (english) or wanting (chinese). a definitive leo born august 1, 1984. a solo traveler. loves cats, coffee, sensual music, yummy food and technology. when she's not at her job as an IS developer for the government, she's likely to be out dining, or visiting an interesting art gallery or event.







glad you like the food =)
View all comments by Chup
thanks for the meal chup =) View all comments by Veron
crystal jade was once a classy chinese restaurant…then one day, my friend noticed that because of its ubiquity, people were allowed to enter wearing sandals and really casual wear. To him, that kind of degraded the classiness of the place.
But everytime we’re there, xiao long bao is always the default appetiser! Their prawn dumpling noodles are also very good - the prawns are just so juicy and succulent! Also, their various fried rice dishes are very fragrant and certainly different from the usual egg-and-meat fare in hawker centres. I tried the scallop-and-crab-meat one: yummy! View all comments by harrison
Crystal Jade still looks like a classy place. The waiters/resses are quite professional in their service. The only thing that makes it less classy would be, like you said, the patrons! But I guess it’s not exactly an upmarket restaurant (except for Crystal Jade Palace perhaps) so I’m fine with people going in in slacks!
I haven’t tried enough of their food I think. A must-try next time: their home-pulled la mian! View all comments by Veron
maybe other then food and service rating, you can have a ambience rating also.. View all comments by chup
great idea! View all comments by Veron
yeah~ View all comments by chup
Cool site revamp! :)
Keep up de fab work. View all comments by [G]
I will! View all comments by Veron
i stmbled upon tis website juz want to comment so beautiful sia heee hee :)
so nice here food, movies, songs, travels, veron so pretty too kekeke :D View all comments by redstars
always glad to know i have something to offer. thanks for those nice words! View all comments by Veron
Wow!! Ur site looks so beautiful!!! the 1st time i saw it, i was captivated by it… hahaha!
Btw, which xiaolong bao restaurant is good lei? am goin to treat my frens there on my birthday, but dunno which outlet… any suggestions???
thanks !! View all comments by iwan
Thanks! I like Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao and frequent the Great World City outlet as there are less people and the service is excellent. Din Tai Fung’s xiao long bao is comparatively not as good. View all comments by Veron
i ate at Crystal jade kitchen- holland village 2 times. at that time i didnt know different outlet has different specialities and tastes. therefore, i just ordered normal food like wanton noodle or pordrige, quite boring. maybe have to try again. heard that “la mian” at la mian xiao long bao is very nice ^^ View all comments by hana
crystal jade is a rip off compared to din tai fung
dtf’s xiao long pao is like the must have…dipped in vinager and eaten with ginger ….yeah..
the bad point is that if ure eating on a weekend during dinner time… u’ll probably spend most of your time waiting for your seats…they take numbers….
i rate it a 6/10 View all comments by Jared Lim
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