Huang Jia Restaurant

Huang Jia, located at the newly refurbished suburban mall Leisure Park Kallang, may be a little inaccessible for those who don’t drive or live nearby (only bus number 16 goes there for now), but is worth visiting if you want to enjoy premium Chinese delicacies set amid a luxurious setting. The ambience is superior for a Chinese restaurant—private dining booths, crystal chandeliers, oversized chairs and sexy velvet hues. And the food’s not too bad too. The signature Imperial special roasted crispy chicken ($19 for half) is a must-try. The skin is absolutely fabulous, although the meat, which was pinkish, could have been roasted for a tad longer. Our soup of the day—double-boiled pork ribs with corn and carrots ($8)—was also top-notch and flavorful. But our stir-fried spinach ($18) and braised ee-fu noodles with mushroom, chives and crab meat ($18) were really rather ordinary. Ditto our dessert—sago with honey dew and mango ($8). We’ll probably return to try the restaurant’s more premium dishes like braised superior shark’s fin and crab claw—and stick to ordering those.