#95 Paradise Dynasty (樂天皇朝) @ Ion, Singapore

Ever since I saw one of my friend’s picture of colorful dumplings in facebook, I immediately noted it. When I arrived in Singapore, I have been asking friends which restaurants serve these adorable little dumplings. My TP mates told me  that it is the signature dumplings of Paradise Dynasty. However, they advised me not to head there as the quality of the food is not good as good as Imperial Treasure. Despite their advices, I still wanted to try the food there. So, I went there with the KCians.

Paradise Dynasty 樂天皇朝
#04-12, 2 Orchard Turn
Ion Orchard, Singapore 238801
6509 9118

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Paradise Dynasty does not accept reservations so Crystal, Vivian, Alicia and I had to wait for half an hour before we were seated. A lot of people were also waiting in the line. It was insane ! A lot of the servers are from China and could not speak English. Some served us really politely by refilling our cup with tea every 10 minutes. Some didn’t even acknowledge us when we called them. Paradise Dynasty is really exquisite, with it’s grand and ancient decorations.

1st picture – The ginger that I did not even use.

2nd picture – We had the pork dumping with chilli (红油抄手), which costs SGD$4.80. What can I say ? This dumpling is way better than their signature and colorful dumplings. There is a generous amount of pork and the garnishing of parsley and garlic make the dumpling so fragrant. The spicy, chilli oil enhances the taste of the dumpling.

ratings: 4.5/5★

3rd picture – The egg fried rice (蛋抄饭) that is SGD$6.80 is very bland. Firstly, it is pretty dry. Secondly, it is not ” eggy ” like the title describes. Basically, it is very plain – but a good complement to the flavoured side dishes.

ratings: 2.5/5★

4th picture – We also shared the sautéed diced chicken with cashew nuts and dried chilli (官保腰果鸡丁), which is SGD$10. This dish was the spiciest of the lot that I had to eat lots of rice with it. The chicken was fine though – very tender. There are a lot more onions than food though. What’s new ?

ratings: 3.5/5★

5th picture – We decided that we need vegetables to be included in our meals to have a balance diet so we had the sautéed spinach with minced garlic (清抄菠菜). The dish is really mouthwatering – lots of sauce, garnishes and flavouring.

ratings: 3/5★

1st picture - Signature Dynasty Xiao Long Bao (樂天皇朝的八面小籠包) – Isn’t this the reason we came here for?

One set of the signature xiao long bao consists of 8 different flavoured xiao long bao. We ordered 2 sets and each set cost us SGD$13.80. The xiao long baos are so adorable that I wanted to eat all of them almost immediately. However, I always save the best for last and fill my tummy with everything else before the appetizing ones. Boy, was I wrong – their signature xiao long baos are WORST than their normal dishes. It is so OVERRATED ! That’s why ”Never judge a book by it’s cover”

2nd picture – The Cheesy Xiao Long Bao (芝士小籠包) is basically steamed Shanghai cheesy pork dumpling. It is too dry and the spread of cheese was not generous enough.

ratings: 2/5★

3rd picture – The Foie Gras Xiao Long Bao (鵝肝小籠包) is pork dumpling with foie gras in it. I could not even taste any flavour of foie gras – REALLY DISAPPOINTED.

ratings: 2/5★

4th picture  - The Garlic Xiao Long Bao (蒜香小籠包) is decent but no biggie, really.

ratings: 2.5/5★

5th picture – The Szechuan Xiao Long Bao (麻辣小籠包) is one of the better dumplings from the rest. I did not even know the pink dumpling represented the szechuan dumpling so I just ate it like a regular dumpling. Never did I expect the spicy sauce of the dumpling oozing in my mouth. I can take spice but I was not prepared.

ratings: 2.8/5★

6th picture – The ordinary Xiao Long Bao (小籠包) tastes the best of the lot but still not as juicy as other xiao long baos I have tried.

ratings: 3.2/5★

The total bill came up to a total of SGD$75.35, which is about SGD$18.84 per person. The bill includes 7% GST & 10% service charge.

CASH/DEBIT/CREDIT CARD !
AIR-CONDITIONAL RESTARANT
Mon–Fri: 11am – 10pm
Sat–Sun & PH: 10.30am – 10pm
NEAREST MRT STATION: ORCHARD

Ambiance: 9.5/10
Service: 7/10
Food (taste & appearance): 5.78/10
Value: 6/10

Total: 7.07/10★

In conclusion, I totally agree with my TP mates. Paradise Dynasty’s signature xiao long bao is really overrated. Imperial Treasure fares much better.

swisscheese*

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