Monday, October 22, 2012

Mouth Restaurant (地茂馆) @ China Square Central

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Pride itself as being the first restaurant to bring the teahouse concept to Singapore in 1989, the original Mouth Restaurant (地茂馆) at Chinatown Point had snaking queues where customers had to wait up to 2 hours to savour their dim sum.

Mouth Restaurant (地茂馆) has evolved over the years to become an all inclusive Chinese restaurant offering exquisite Hong Kong cuisines, infusiing traditional culinary with a touch of modernity at an affordable price. Revamping its menu to capture the younger palate, I am impressed with the food, relinquished my misconception of the food served at Mouth Restaurant.

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Har Gow with XO Sauce 4.2/5

We have seen Chinese restaurants serving Xiao Long Bao in various colourful flavours, Mouth Restaurant went for the different and comes up with these colorful Har Gow also known as Shrimp Dumpling. The colour Har Gow skin are made from natural ingredients such as squid ink, spinach, carrot, sweet potato and pumpkin. The Har Gow itself was sturdy and the skin was thin. Eaten with the XO sauce, the freshest of the seafood flavour was raised by another notch.

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Squid Ink Char Siew Bao 4.2/5

Studies have shown that having squid ink helps to fight cancer and tumor cells. It prevents the growth of new blood vessels which causes cancer and tumor cells to grow. With the health benefit of squid ink, Mouth Restaurant has created several interesting squid ink dishes. There were careful thought dishes so no worry about after meal stain of the squid ink on your teeth.

Many restaurants probably will copy Mouth Restaurant and serve Squid Ink Char Siew Bao in the future. With the health benefit of squid ink, eating the yummy barbecue flavoured pork filling and fluffy dough killed two birds with one stone. I can consume them without guilt.

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Squid Ink Chee Cheong Fan 4.5/5

The Squid Ink Chee Cheong Fan is another interesting and unique creation from the kitchen. Served in a special sweet and peanut sauce, topped with pork floss, sesame and spring onions, the squid ink chee cheong fan is bursting with flavours. It felt like having a party in the mouth. It is highly recommended!

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Squid Ink Seafood Soup 3.5/5

Have you tried or seen Chinese soup served in a cup? When the Squid Ink Seafood Soup was served, I thought it was the Ying Yang Paste (Black Sesame and Almond Paste). The thought of drinking squid ink may seem scary. The squid ink was prepared and cooked together with superior broth which turned out to be quite delectable. A bed of egg white sat the moment of the cup and pieces of prawns and scallops can also be found in the soup.

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Spinach with Crab Meat Soup 4.2/5

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Lobster Bisque 4/5

Among the 3 soups I tried, my favourite was the Spinach with Crab Meat Soup which tasted quite similar to the shark fin soup. The Lobster Bisque was also creamy, flavourful and very enjoyable to drink.

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Asian Four Delights Platter 4.2/5

Premium and healthy ingredients served on a platter, the Asian Four Delights Platter has Silver Fish with Truffle Oil, Prawn Roll with Goose Liver, Drunken Chicken and Desert Farmed Live Prawn. Being an advocate of using ingredients free from antibiotics, Mouth Restaurant uses Sakura Chicken for the drunken chicken dish.

The most interesting ingredient on the platter is the Desert Farmed Live Prawn. The prawns are fed directly from the pristine, crystal clear water of the Red Sea. No antibiotics are used at any stage of production. Served in sashimi style, dip it in a Pomelo infused Soy Sauce with wasabi that complemented excellently with the prawn bringing out its sweetness and freshness.

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Prawn Balls in two ways 4/5

The Prawns Balls using the desert farmed prawns were prepared in 2 ways, Japanese Sesame Mayo with Mango and Spicy Chardonnay Sauce. The big and succulent prawns was fried to a nice crispy golden brown paired with delectable sauces.

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Fried Soon Hock 3.8/5

This majestic dish resembles a Phoenix is actually Fried Soon Hock with egg white batter in a superior stock. The fried fish eaten with the stock made the whole dish swam together.

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Carrot Cake with Salted Egg Yolk and Pork 3.8/5

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Carrot Cake with Fruits and Rojak Sauce 4.5/5

Another exquisite plating, the carrot cake is presented in a basket form with netting. The Carrot Cake with Salted Egg and Pork Filling had abundance of flavours and textures. For me, the Carrot Cake with Fruits and Rojak Sauce stood out the most. The pairing of carrot cake, fruits and rojak sauce was not only interesting but surprisingly very good. It is a must try.

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Lion Head Stewed Rice 3.8/5

The Lion Head Stewed Rice is a fusion between Hong Kong and Shanghai cuisine. The deep fried pork ball eaten with the stewed rice in superior stock was very comforting. Also available on the menu is the Abalone Stewed Rice which accordingly to the boss is even more flavourful.

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Dessert Platter 4.5/5

Ending the sumptuous lunch was a dessert platter of Baked Custard Bun (Liu Sha Bao), Japanese Sweet Potato Paste and Snowskin Durian Ball. All the 3 desserts blown me away. I love Liu Sha Bao but I have never tried the baked version. It gave the bun an enjoyable chewy texture like eating Muah Chee.

The Japanese Sweet Potato Paste with sago served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream was refreshing and smooth. Japan sweet potato which is low in calories and fat, contains many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients that are good to the health.

The Snowskin Durian Ball is quite similar to durian mooncake both in taste and texture. Definitely a dessert durian lover will ask for more.

All these while I thought Mouth Restaurant serves old school Chinese food but I was totally wrong. The food itself has done its talking and convinced me to return again.


Mouth Restaurant (地茂馆)
China Square Central
South Bridge Court Shop House
22 Cross Street
#01-61
Singapore 048421
Tel: +65 64385798
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mouth-Restaurant-%E5%9C%B0%E8%8C%82%E9%A6%86/213508241996944
Website: http://www.mouth.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Chinatown (NE Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Weekday: 1130am -3pm, 6pm - 10pm
Weekend & PH: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit E. Cut throught Chinatown Point and Hong Lim Complex. Cross South Bridge Road. Walk towards the stretch of shop houses along South Bridge Road. Journey time about 8 minutes.

2 comments:

  1. They have very interesting dishes! Have never tried such squid ink dishes before. They did very well with the presentation of food too. Looks so yummy!

    ReplyDelete