Labour Day Dim Sum Brunch @ Jade

1st of May 2010, Labour Day. Written by Xin Li

Fullerton Building and Fullerton Square are located on what was Fort Fullerton which defended the mouth of the Singapore River. The fort was demolished by 11th June 1873. An Exchange Building was opened in 1879 and subsequently demolished around 1923 to 1924 to make way for the current Fullerton Building which opened in 1928 after about 4 years of construction. The General Post Office was its anchor tenant along with other organizations such as the Singapore Club and the Singapore Chamber of Commerce.

The building was even used as a hospital with makeshift operation rooms for wounded soldiers by the British during World War II and the Headquarters of the Japanese Military Administration during the Syonan-to days.

After the war, the building became a Government office with the General Post Office still functioning and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong used to work there when he was in the Economic Planning Unit.

By 1996, all the tenants had moved out and it became Fullerton Hotel on May 2000 with an official launch on the 1st of January 2001.

- Reference : http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_523_2005-01-19.html

Today, my family had the chance to visit this historic building that had been part of the Singapore skyline since the colonial era. The interior was indeed astonishing. It was very beautiful and grand. I like how natural light illuminates the hotel lobby.

After reading Camemberu’s review on the Dim Sum Brunch by Jade Restaurant, I recommended having a family brunch there since $28++ per person was pretty good-for-value with a menu of 50 items. We also made use of the opportunity to celebrate the birthday of my niece (Labour Day Baby), my Dad’s a week ago and the coming Mothers’ Day.

The Jade Restaurant looks more like a posh Western restaurant than a Chinese restaurant but I am fine with that. I like high ceilings that give an illusion of space and the tall windows that allows natural light to brighten up the place not to mention that it also allows glimpse of the scenery outside Fullerton Hotel, facing Clifford Pier.

What was obvious when since we get to our seats was the impression that the restaurant was short-handed, the waiters and waitresses looked extremely busy and stressed up as they manoeuvre around the restaurant with trays of food and sometimes a handful of dishes. However, the dishes were being served promptly after a rough start when we weren’t able to get the attention of the waitresses to take our orders. The service got better towards the end of the meal and they were quite friendly despite the pressure.

The ala buffet menu is decent with fifty items to pick and as mentioned in Camemberu’s review, some even seemed unique "with a touch of luxury". Shark Fin soup was even listed as one of the items but soups were only limited to one serving per person.

The first item we had was the Pan-fried minced pork and chives “guo tie dumpling”. It was average, my brother prefers Lao Beijing’s Guo Tie and he commented that it wasn’t warm enough. It looked fanciful with the crispy ‘sails’.

My dad and mum got the Double-boiled Winter Melon with Bamboo Mushrooms. Nothing out of the ordinary but I find it decent. A clean and simple soup compared to the others on the menu (save for the Soup of the Day).

The Crispy Vegetables Spring Roll did not impress us either. It was ordinary. The skin was rather hard though crispy. A bonus was that it wasn’t oily.

Steamed Crystal Shrimp Dumpling was nicely done. The skin might be a little thick but I enjoyed this simple dim sum.

The Pan-Fried Radish Cake was good and well-received by my family members. Not recommended for multiple servings though, as it makes you very full within a short time. It was flavourful and nicely fried.

Steamed Xiao Long Pau with foie gras. The foie gras taste wasn’t very obvious but you could probably feel that soft texture inside. The skin was very delicate as it broke very easily, spilling the precious soup. Otherwise, it was very tasty and one of the items that we ordered again.

These Egg Tarts were not what I expected. It turned out to be much better. I am glad that we ordered these egg tarts because it was one of the better items we had today and had seconds. The egg custard was soft with a caramel flan kind of texture. It was indeed delicious and the crust were nicely baked, not the usual hard kinds, almost like a Cheesecake Biscuit crust.

The Crispy Honey Vinaigrette Sliced Sea Bass was well-liked by sister who had seconds. Not very well-received by my parents though. I felt it wasn’t great. Good for a savoury snack but a waste of sea bass.

The Baked Barbecue Pork Pie or Char Siew Su was yummy with a fragrant and soft pastry encasing a juicy treasure trove of Char Siew Meat which was tender and sweet.

The Steamed Char Siew Pau was ordered for the second time. That probably gives you a hint how we thought of this dim sum. Good.

The Steamed Custard Bun was a bit too sweet like white chocolate, but decent for a person who has a sweet tooth. My dad described it as a combination of salted egg yolk with milk chocolate. I must point out it was quite different from the usual custard buns I had though.

Sweet and Sour Chicken was good.

Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables was fresh and crunchy without heavy seasoning or flavouring. It is a simple and light dish.

Steamed Beef Ball with Sun-dried Orange Peel was unusual. Reminded me of the District 10’s Wagyu Meatballs.

The Steamed Abalone Siew Mai was one of weakest dishes today. The combination did not work out very well. The siew mai doesn’t look enticing too. My sister commented that the yellow colour is lacking in this dim sum.

Braised shark’s fin with crabmeat, truffle, egg white in chicken broth. It was okay with generous ingredients inside.

Congee with Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork was poorly received by my mum and brother who ordered it.

Steamed glutinous rice with chicken and mushrooms wrapped in lotus leaf was ordinary.

Braised Pork Knuckle with Red Vinasse wasn’t good. The pork was too tough and dry.

My mum had a craving for chicken feet so she had the Steamed Chicken Feet with Oyster Sauce which she felt it was only average.

Braised Rice Noodles with sliced beef in fermented black bean sauce received a thumbs up from my brother-in-law.

The Crispy bean curd with chilli fragrant salt was another simple Spartan dish. The tofu slices were nicely cooked not too tough with a crispy crust and a soft interior, nicely complemented by the chilli fragrant salt. It was nothing out of the blue, just simple comfort food.

My sister had the Braised Spinach with Crabmeat and Roe in Chicken Consomme which was good. I prefer this over the Shark Fin Soup.

A much welcomed Dessert of the Day, Mango Sago with Honey Dew and Vanilla Ice Cream gave us a break from the heavy-tasting dishes we had. I had seconds of this.

Overall, as expected in a buffet, some items were good some items were not so good. For this one, I enjoyed the Char Siew Pau, Char Siew Su, Egg Tarts and Mango Sago with Honey Dew and Vanilla Ice Cream the most. At the price of $28++ per person for a dim sum brunch on a public holiday weekend from 11.30am to 1.30pm, it was definitely worth it. However, my mum wasn’t impressed with the buffet but my sister seemed satisfied.

Together with the San Pian Tea, we spent 264.65 SGD (inclusive of GST and Service Charge) for a total of 8 Adults and 1 Child under 6 (my niece got to eat for free).

I enjoyed the buffet nonetheless for its ambience, its decent service and the opportunity to have some of the items that I really enjoyed made me a happy man today.

After the meal we walked around Fullerton Hotel a bit. There was a Grand Wine Tasting Event going on at the basement but I am more intrigued by those koi fishes in the in door pond at the basement.

Then we headed to One Fullerton opposite Fullerton Hotel where my brother-in-law and sister brought my niece to see the Merlion since she hasn’t seen it before. There are quite a few eating outlets here (Society Bar, Jing, Palm Beach and Forlino) and I can imagine the great atmosphere they provide at night when the Marina Bay Sands is completed with dazzling lights etc.

Address
1 Fullerton Square
GF Fullerton Hotel

Tel: +65 6877 8188

Opening hours
Lunch
11.30 am – 3 pm (2.30 pm last order)
Dinner
6.30 pm – 11 pm (10.30 pm last order)

Delightful Weekend Dim Sum Gourmet Brunch Buffet
Valid on Saturdays, Sundays and SELECTED Public Holidays

$28 Per Adult
$23 Per Child (6 to 10 years of age)
1st seating from 11:30am to 1:15pm

$33 Per Adult
$23 Per Child (6 to 10 years of age)
2nd seating from 1:45pm to 3:30pm

Jade Restaurant