The newly-opened Jade Garden Restaurant at The Chevrons Club makes good its no pork and lard policy with creative substitutes.
Contributed By Yong Yung Shin
Oven-baked Teriyaki Cod Fish. PHOTO COURTESY OF JADE GARDEN RESTAURANT
Given the prevalence of pork in Chinese cuisine, curiosity is generated when a restaurant claims to be entirely pork-free, but we were pleasantly surprised by the meal at the newly opened Jade Garden Restaurant at The Chevrons Club.
Opened by the sister-and-brother team of Jenny and Chris Eng, the cuisine is traditionally Cantonese with a modern flair, offering the delectable chicken-stuffed Steamed Crystal Har Gau (S$4.20 for 4 pieces) and Siew Mai with Caviar (S$4.20 for 4 pieces).
Dried scallop is used to substitute pork and lard, to good effect—such as the house speciality, the Braised Sliced Abalone, Dried Scallop and Vegetables in “Tan Jia” Sauce (S$18). There’s also a smattering of Japanese influences, as seen in the yuzu-laced Oven-baked Teriyaki Cod Fish (S$16) and the mirin-and-cream-based crab meat salad from the Chef Special Combination Platter (S$12).
A personal favorite is the Seafood Fried Rice with Salted Egg Yolk and Minced Ginger (from S$16 onwards), which was well-flavored and had sufficient kick, with generous golden chunks of egg yolk. The Combination Dessert Platter (S$12), comprising assorted shots of icy treats like mango pomelo sago, passionfruit sorbet, cold lemongrass jelly with lime sorbet and durian ice-cream is terrific—going from subtle to sweet to tangy, before coming to a robust end.
Targeted at residents in the West and the business hubs in Jurong and Jurong Island, Jade Garden nevertheless beckons those who want to try something different.
Set lunches are available from S$38 per pax for six courses, and the executive set lunch for four pax is available at S$88 for six courses.
Jade Garden Restaurant
48 Boon Lay Way, #03-06
The Chevrons Club
Singapore 609961
+65 6862 4931
