Taking over Spice World Hot Pot at Clarke Quay (the hotpot restaurant with the infamous Barbie doll in wagyu meat dress), Yum Sing! is a multi-concept dining and entertainment venue by the Putien Group including

-a modern casual dining concept that focuses on Singapore’s culinary heritage,

-a platform where local chefs and creatives can collaborate,

-a retail boutique that showcases local food brands,

-an entertainment centre with local acts such as getai and stand-up comedy.

The food menu at Yum Sing! is mainly divided into sharing or single portions. For sharing, there is a variety of local fare commonly found in cze char places.

The crunchy salted egg fish skin ($8) is freshly prepared daily and only gets bathed in the creamy, savoury salted egg yolk sauce a la minute. Addictive!

The coffee pork ribs ($10) are one of the better ones I have tasted. The tender ribs are evenly coated with the sticky coffee sauce and have a glistening caramelised texture. The bitterness of the coffee complements with the sweet sticky sauce and cuts through the strong meaty flavour of the pork.

The oyster omelette ($12) comes with plump oysters but it would have been better if the tapioca batter is crispier.

The crunchy salted egg prawns ($12) are evenly coated with the umami salted egg sauce so no complaints.

The sauce that comes with the sambal sotong ($12) reminds me of the chilli crab sauce,slightly spicy and sweet. It goes well with rice but sambal shouldn’t taste like chilli crab sauce.

For individual portions, they present several local favourites such as Hainanese chicken rice, nasi lemak and prawn noodle soup (each priced at $10++).

The chickens used in Hainanese chicken rice are free from antibiotic residue and chemical growth promoters. They are free-range and come from France. Good for health, perhaps, but not environmentally friendly. The meat is soft and tender but the rice is too soft and salty.

The nasi lemak comes with a sunny side up with a gorgeous yolk, fried ikan bilis, sambal (not spicy), and fried chicken. Thankfully, the rice is coconutty and has a nice texture.

For a small bowl, the prawn noodle soup has quite a lot of liao. The crunchy lard bits, fatty pork belly slices, fresh prawns, fish cake; all lovingly intertwined with perfectly cooked yellow and rice noodles.

There are few pieces of beef in the moonlight fried beef hor fun but the fried rice noodles are springy with wok hei. I recommend getting the prawn noodle soup and moonlight dried beef hor fun. 

Another dish I recommend is the salted egg crab. The contrast of the savoury and spicy salted egg sauce complements the firm and sweet-tasting crab meat.

The desserts, chendol ($6) and cheng tng (hot/cold, $6), are decent but nothing memorable. For the chendol, the gula melaka is not fragrant enough and the coconut milk isn’t thick enough.

For cocktails, the Yum sling ($18++) consists gin, fresh coconut, pineapple and orange juice, orange peel and old ginger. At first sip, it packs a punch and I find it to be an improved version of the famous one at Long Bar. The Kopi-O Gao ($20++), which is made from Kopi-O liqueur, has an intense coffee aroma.

The food at Yum Sing! is above average and worth of a visit with its Instagrammable whimsical decor.

Food: 6.5/10
Decor/ambience: 7/10
Price/value: 6/10

You may be interested in…
–George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer, Boat Quay: Affordable Tze Char and Rojak Gin with a Spectacular View
–Tian Tian Fisherman’s Pier Seafood, Boat Quay: $29.80++ Steam Pot Includes US Live Oysters, Scallop, Clams, and More
–Coyote Ugly, Clarke Quay: Claims to be “the Most Famous Bar On The Planet”
–Lemak Boys by Les Amis, Lido: It is Delicious. We Won’t Be Back.

This is an invitation. Written by Vanessa Khong. Vanessa is someone who enjoys checking out the local food scene. She believes the way to her heart is through her stomach.