My Filipino friend finds steamboat very fascinating because they don’t have it in Philippines. He said the first time he ate it, “Wow, so hungry already still must cook the food yourself!” And then he kept hinting and hinting about bringing him to a steamboat. So I thought I should bring him to the best economical steamboat in Singapore: Crystal Jade South-Northern Steamboat (What the hell does “south-northern means??) at Holland Village. (I wrote a review on HGW before.) See the photo on the left, how he holds his chopsticks so well and properly, I hold mine like I’m holding a pen.)
There are three seatings daily:
5pm – 7.30pm
(Weekday: $22.80 for adults, $16.80 for children; Weekends/PH: $24.80 (adults), $18.80 (children)
7.45 – 10pm
(Weekday: $19.80 for adults, $13.80 for children; Weekends/PH: $21.80 (adults), $15.80 (children)
10.15-12.30 pm
(Weekday: $16.80 for adults, $10.80 for children; Weekends/PH: $24.80 (adults), $12.80 (children)
Making a reservation is IMPOSSIBLE. I called on Monday and they said that the seating from 7.30pm onwards is booked until SUNDAY. So we had to go for the 5pm seating. But the pricing is so strange. Shouldn’t the 7.30pm seating be the most expensive since it is most popular and since it is during dinner?
How come the restaurant become so popular? Must be because of my review.
Upon revisiting it, I reserve the right to change my mind. The soup was still the BEST I have. This time, I kept the pork soup but changed the dan-dan soup (peanut based) to sichuan (super spicy). I quite regret the Sichuan one because Filipinos don’t really eat spicy food and I can’t too.
However good the soup was, on a careful study of the buffet ingredients, they were inexpensive items. They only gave 3 prawns per person. (I don’t eat prawns so it’s fine.) But there was no fish on the menu. The most expensive item was sliced beef, and even then, it wasn’t quality beef. There is chicken (not sliced chicken, but just chopped up wings, etc), different kinds of balls (sotong, crab, fish, etc), which I don’t eat..(I mean I like BALLS, but not balls, you know what I mean?) and different kinds of mushrooms, and that’s about it. Thinking back, the buffet isn’t really value for money. But the soup was damn damn damn nice. And the free flow of xiao long bao (shanghaise soup dumplings) are very good.
After tax, it’s $55 for 2 persons.
Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
241 Holland Ave
tel: 6463 0968
Rating: 3.75 stars.
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