Entering the house occupied by Yue Bai in Duxton Road, one could be forgiven for mistaking the institution as a spa. The lovely picket lattices and use of impartial colours exude a relaxing vibe to the house.
Yue Bai opened in December 2022 providing Chinese delicacies ready utilizing the ideas of conventional Chinese dietary remedy (shi liao) so one can count on various extremely nourishing dishes right here. The kitchen is helmed by Chef Lee Hongwei, who beforehand got here from Telok Ayer Arts Club.
Diners can select from quite a lot of seating choices at Yue Bai, from sales space seats close to the doorway to conventional spherical tables or perhaps a personal room for larger teams.
I had a quartet of sunshine bites for appetizers. This included the Crispy Burdock, Sesame, Spice Powder (S$14), Roselle Flower-infused Winter Melon (S$12), Australian Lamb Jelly, Black Bean, Passionfruit-infused Pumpkin (S$22) and Deep-fried Organic Purple Rice Cake, XO Sauce, Rice Puff, Spring Onion (S$16). Among these starters, I discovered the Deep-fried Organic Purple Rice Cake and Roselle Flower-infused Winter Melon to be probably the most notable, the previous possessing a glutinous texture not too dissimilar to mochi and the latter delightfully crunchy with a bitter observe.
As talked about beforehand, there is no such thing as a scarcity of nourishing dishes at Yue Bai and one spotlight is the Double-boiled Silkie Chicken Soup, Jasmine Flower, Dried Longan, Wolfberries (S$22). The hen broth notably consists of precise jasmine flower buds which supplies a perceptible floral dimension to the soup.
Departing from the sequence of wholesome and nourishing dishes, the Crisp-fried Pork Cartilage, Xin Hui Orange Sauce, Crispy Tofu Ring (S$38) comes with an virtually glutinous textured pork cartilage coupled with smaller layers of lean meat and glazed pores and skin. The tofu ring that it sits on can simply be mistaken for a yam ring, particularly as the feel is much like one reasonably than the mushy and wobbly bean curd that one would come to count on.
Nestled in a ball that I mistook for a pinata, the Braised Duck, Sea Cucumber, Hawthorn, Korean Snow Pear (S$58) can simply be mistaken for braised pork as soon as it enters the mouth. One can count on all the good things right here, together with spiky sea cucumber that’s been ready for 3 days in addition to Korean snow pear.
My favourite dish at Yue Bai has obtained to be the Deep-fried Granola Prawn, Beetroot (S$36). Instead of the same old cereal, the plump ball-shaped prawns had been coated in granola consisting of rolled oats, pecans and wolfberries. The consequence was one thing extremely crunchy and extra reminiscent of an entire grain style, reminding one in all precise breakfast fare as in comparison with the standard cereal within the prawn.
The Herbal Poached Rice, Atlantic Cod, Black Fungus (S$38) is Yue Bai’s tackle the poached rice craze sans the ever-present rice crisps. The soup right here is extra natural than elsewhere that serve poached rice, as components comparable to dang shen, angelica sinensis root and wolfberry are thrown into the combination. The spotlight for me was the comparatively massive portion of slippery and clean cod, a departure from the same old thinly sliced fish that comes with the poached rice.
For desserts, we had the House-made Beancurd with Hashima (S$38) and Crispy Black Sesame Mochi (S$12). While the previous was notable for utilizing diluted “pi pa gao” syrup (sure, the sort used for coughs), I assumed S$38 for a person beancurd dish was extraordinarily steep. In distinction, I discovered the Crispy Black extra to my liking (though nonetheless fairly expensive for a small piece) with its chewy texture. It is served with osmanthus syrup on the facet.
With the exception of the pork cartilage and maybe the granola prawns, most dishes I had at Yue Bai had been of a lighter profile. Price-wise, it’s near what Chinese eating places in accommodations are charging however what I like about Yue Bai is that they’re doling out Chinese meals with a more healthy slant whereas nonetheless being tasty.
Yue Bai
33 Duxton Road
Singapore 089497
Tel: +65 9721 8055
Opening Hours
Tuesdays to Sundays
Lunch: 11.45am to three.00pm (final order 2.15pm)
Dinner: 5.45pm to 10.00pm (final order 9.15pm)
