The Tanjong Pagar and Duxton space is a part of Singapore that’s completely teeming with the perfect eating places, bars and cafes, and the Chinese language eatery, Ju Hua Tai, is certainly one of them.

Positioned at 9 Duxton Hill, Ju Hua Tai boasts a quite low-key storefront, with a easy neon mild signal calling out to prospects.

Upon moving into the house, we have been greeted by a dimly-lit house with stunning neon accents adorning the room. The restaurant-bar specialises in Chinese language delicacies, and even has an assortment of artistic flower-infused cocktails and alcoholic drinks to go together with your meal.

What I attempted at Ju Hua Tai

The dishes that enticed me to pay a go to to Ju Hua Tai have been their multi-coloured stuffed baos. Obtainable in six totally different flavours, every bao value S$8.80 to S$10.80 per piece. The baos have been additionally obtainable as a Bao Platter of 6 for S$50 for purchasers to strive all six flavours at a less expensive worth.

Beginning off with the steamed baos, we had the Crispy Hen Bao (S$8.80), stuffed with fried rooster and lao gan ma mayo. The rooster meat was thick and juicy, albeit a little bit on the harder facet. The beneficiant lao gan ma mayo was successful, because it was mildly spicy and creamy, offering the bao with a number of savoury flavour.

The Comfortable Shell Crab Bao (S$9.80) contained fried smooth shell crab, radish and candy curry sauce. My eating companion and I each discovered the batter of the fried crab to be too powerful, however I favored the combo of the creamy curry sauce with the crunchy fried crab. The radish was crunchy and candy.

The Scallop Bao (S$9.80) was the chunkiest of the baos, with tempura scallop, Thai child asparagus, tobiko and adobo sauce. I liked the liberal quantity of tobiko within the bao and loved how every tobiko ball burst in my mouth, however the scallop was a let down because the batter was extremely arduous and difficult. Whereas the scallop meat itself was smooth and properly cooked, the batter was far too thick and tough to chew into.

Regardless of the off-putting texture, the flavours of the Scallop Bao have been nonetheless unbelievable.

Shifting on to the fried buns, the Pork Stomach Bao (S$8.80), stuffed with stewed pork stomach and lao gan ma mayo, was my favorite of all of the baos. The fried bun was mild and barely crisp whereas the pork stomach was tender and simple to chew. Just like the Crispy Hen Bao, the lao gan ma mayo was savoury and attractive.

I used to be stunned on the fragrant flavours of the Beef Rendang Bao (S$8.80), which contained slow-cooked shredded beef and pickled cabbage. The meat was tender and had a pleasant coconut-like aroma. I used to be happy at how the rendang style was not absent. The pickled cabbages added a pleasant crunch too.

Lastly, we had the Grilled Eel Bao (S$10.80), stuffed with eel and salted egg yolk sauce. The salted egg yolk flavour was a bit on the milder facet in order to not drown out the eel, however was nonetheless evident sufficient to be tasted. The eel meat was extremely smooth and tender, with a melt-in-the-mouth texture.

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Except for the powerful batter of a number of the fried proteins, I used to be impressed with Ju Hua Tai’s baos and I’m glad to say that they do style nearly as good as they seemed!

Subsequent, Ju Hua Tai’s Octopus Leg with Thai Vignette (S$32) was a sight to behold with its attractive garnishing, selfmade Thai vignette sauce and a facet hummus.

The octopus was very well-seasoned and stuffed with flavour. As somebody who usually dislikes octopus, I fairly favored the smokey and salty style of the grilled octopus leg. It was a bit chewy in texture, however the garnish, which consisted of components like romaine tomatoes and apples, was extremely refreshing.

Ju Hua Tai’s Mala Hen Popcorn (S$15) made for beautiful snack, as every bite-sized fried morsel was crunchy and properly seasoned. The feel of the rooster meat was on the chewier facet, and I discovered that the mala factor wasn’t very sturdy. Typically, I assumed that the Mala Hen Popcorn was extra appropriate for these with decrease spice tolerances.

The Ma La Mushroom (S$10), made with king oyster mushroom and spicy selfmade sauce, was a scrumptious facet dish because the mushrooms have been coated properly within the umami, barely spicy sauce, appearing as an incredible palate opener.

The Szechuan Cucumber (S$10) dish was refreshing with recent items of chopped Japanese cucumbers combined with Szechuan sauce, garlic, sesame and soya beans. I did discover it to be too salty after some time, so I believe the Szechuan Cucumber can be finest eaten in between bites of the opposite dishes.

The Szechuan Spicy Dumpling “Chao Shou” (S$13 for five items) was served in selfmade chilli oil and chopped peanuts.

The dumpling pores and skin was smooth and silky, whereas the meat fillings have been tender. I particularly loved the chilli oil, which was aromatic and flavourful.

Lastly, we loved Ju Hua Tai’s signature cocktail, Chrysanthemum’s Secret (S$23), made with chrysanthemum-infused gin, lychee, raspberry and elderflower liqueur. Served in an oriental teacup with a chrysanthemum flower-shaped jelly inside, we liked the presentation of this cocktail.

Chrysanthemum’s Secret was candy with a robust floral aroma, and I discovered it extremely refreshing. The alcohol style was minimal, which made it even simpler to down in a single go!

Closing ideas

Ju Hua Tai serves delectable Chinese language meals with fusion twists. Whereas I had initially solely been within the bao platter, their different dishes impressed me too. The beautiful presentation of every dish, mixed with the nippiness ambiance and romantic lighting, makes Ju Hua Tai an ideal spot for a scrumptious dinner or a late-night drink.

Anticipated injury: S$10 – S$40 per pax

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