Xi Yan

Xi Yan
~~38A Craig Road~~

1 Scotts Road
#03-12 Shaw Centre

112 East Coast Road
#02-06 I12 Katong

https://www.xiyan.com.sg/

Meal Flat Lay

Modern Chinese Dishes & Culinary Art

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $34 per person.

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Established in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, in February 2000 by Choong Yin Lee and celebrity chef Jacky Yu, Xi Yan made waves in Singapore for their contemporary Chinese, curated private dining concept, when it opened in September 2005. They were so popular, their reservations waiting list was months long. In October 2014, Xi Yan branched out into a casual dining concept, and they ceased their private dining concept in February 2019.

Ambience at Xi Yan is modern casual. Sturdy, wide wooden tables are flanked by red and black wooden chairs. Low spot lights cast a diffused glow over the shiny mosaic tiles, with wall colours of red, black, and wood. Contemporary artwork adorns the walls, doubling up as an art gallery, with most of the pieces for sale. In some of the more enclosed areas, ambient noise levels can be fairly loud and disruptive.

Service at Xi Yan is efficient and friendly. Staff offer greetings to guests, seating them quickly. I note they fulfill orders relatively fast, proactively clear away finished plates, and clean tables efficiently. The senior staff are more likely to engage with guests, and display good product knowledge. Some of the younger staff appear rather timid though. Advance reservations during peak meal periods are a must.

Food at Xi Yan is Modern Chinese cuisine. Dishes feature contemporary presentations but familiar flavours, either combined in novel ways or with touches of exotic ingredients. That said, there seems to be an emphasis on freshness, and generally, there are more hits than misses here. Portions are sized for communal group dining. Prices are mid-range for a restaurant, budget about SGD $34 per person for a meal here.

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Xi Yan Exterior

Xi Yan Interior

Table Setting

The Xi Yan Salmon Prosperity Yu Sheng (SGD $48) vastly differs from any other yu sheng I've had. For a start, this is comprised solely of fresh vegetables, and no processed seasonings or sauces are used. The medium thick salmon fish fillets are fresh and tender, with a delicate sweet savoury bite. This also contains vegetable ingredients not found in any other version, like black fungus / cloud ear fungus, arugula / wild rocket leaves, and bell peppers / capsicum. Besides being more healthy, there is a lovely juicy crunch to texture, and the vegetal earthy sweet flavours are strong in this. Although the large leafy pieces make this slightly harder to toss, overall, it's still a tasty, proper salad to start.

Xi Yan Salmon Prosperity Yu Sheng (SGD $48)

Xi Yan Salmon Prosperity Yu Sheng

Xi Yan Salmon Prosperity Yu Sheng

Xi Yan Salmon Prosperity Yu Sheng

The Arrowroot Chips & Lemongrass Chicken Wings (SGD $13.20) resemble cereal / oat chicken winglets. The crumbled arrowroot chips forms a crisp, crunchy crust around the moist and tender chicken meat. Pulling easily off the bone, each bite gets you an enticing savoury salty grainy flavour, with a hint of herbal aroma. Very little fat on this, and it's not oily. Delicious, we wanted more.

Arrowroot Chips & Lemongrass Chicken Wings (SGD $13.20)

Arrowroot Chips & Lemongrass Chicken Wings

Arrowroot Chips & Lemongrass Chicken Wings

The Fermented Beancurd & Shrimp Paste Chicken Chop (SGD $12.80) was the weakest dish we had. It's just below decent in standards, with the firm chicken meat bordering moist and dry. But the disappointment was in the lack of overall flavour; we couldn't taste the fermented beancurd nor the shrimp paste.

Fermented Beancurd & Shrimp Paste Chicken Chop (SGD $12.80)

The Lemongrass Shrimp Paste Chicken (SGD $32 Half) fared well, as the chicken meat was properly juicy and tender. The flavour is acquired, with the lemongrass and shrimp paste infused into the chicken, giving it a roasted pungent savoury salty earthy herbal flavour. Best described as 'looks like chicken, tastes like dried shrimp'. Tasty, but unusually complex, you either like it, or you don't. Served with a meaty savoury salty brown gravy, which pairs well.

Lemongrass Shrimp Paste Chicken (SGD $32 Half)

Lemongrass Shrimp Paste Chicken

Lemongrass Shrimp Paste Chicken

Another dish that is an acquired taste, the Okinawa Black Sugar & Zhengjiang Vinegar Pork Spare Ribs (SGD $20) has a sticky tender chewy texture to the pork ribs meat, with a bold roasted sweet sour flavour, and a hint of bitter taste on the finish. You get the sticky floral sweet notes of the Okinawa black sugar first, then you taste the sharpness of the Zhengjiang black vinegar, then the savoury salty meaty flavour of the pork, the crunch of the white sesame seeds, followed by a quick bitter aftertaste touch. Best paired with white rice.

Okinawa Black Sugar & Zhengjiang Vinegar Pork Spare Ribs (SGD $20)

Okinawa Black Sugar & Zhengjiang Vinegar Pork Spare Ribs

Okinawa Black Sugar & Zhengjiang Vinegar Pork Spare Ribs

The Sake Dong Po Pork Belly With Mei Cai Preserved Vegetables (SGD $13.80) has nicely tender juicy slabs of braised pork belly, with good salty savoury flavour. The light crunch and salty savoury flavour of the mei cai preserved mustard greens complement the pork belly well. I like that it's balanced, not overly oily or salty, pleasant enough to eat. Best paired with white rice or fried rice.

Sake Dong Po Pork Belly With Mei Cai Preserved Vegetables (SGD $13.80)

Sake Dong Po Pork Belly With Mei Cai Preserved Vegetables

Sake Dong Po Pork Belly With Mei Cai Preserved Vegetables

Loved the Bitter Gourd With Crispy Olive Leaves & Minced Pork (SGD $12.80), with its thin strips of tender bitter gourd that still has a light crunch. Good bitter savoury earthy flavour when combined with the crisp olive leaves and bouncy minced pork meat. The ginger and pork gravy is beautifully savoury, making this go well with white rice.

Bitter Gourd With Crispy Olive Leaves & Minced Pork (SGD $12.80)

Bitter Gourd With Crispy Olive Leaves & Minced Pork

Bitter Gourd With Crispy Olive Leaves & Minced Pork

Loved the Golden Egg Tofu With Fried Olive Leaves In Mapo Sauce (SGD $16.20), whose flavour profile combines Chinese Sichuan and Chinese Teochew influences. The wobbly soft egg tofu beancurd is generously coated in a rich, savoury spicy gravy spiked with fiery mala peppercorn. Garnished with tender salty minced pork and crisp earthy fried olive leaves, which lend a soft crunch and light chew. Satisfying and delicious comfort dish.

Golden Egg Tofu With Fried Olive Leaves In Mapo Sauce (SGD $16.20)

Golden Egg Tofu With Fried Olive Leaves In Mapo Sauce

Golden Egg Tofu With Fried Olive Leaves In Mapo Sauce

The Hakka Tea Marinated Duck With Sweet Sauce (SGD $15.80) is an uncommon dish. The braised duck is infused with the earthy flavours of black tea leaves, complementing the savoury meaty notes of the duck. Has a texture that borders firm and tender though. The rich dark braising gravy, which is infused with ginger and black vinegar, has a pronounced sweet sour flavour to it, that makes this dish an acquired taste.

Hakka Tea Marinated Duck With Sweet Sauce (SGD $15.80)

Hakka Tea Marinated Duck With Sweet Sauce

Hakka Tea Marinated Duck With Sweet Sauce

Most of us agreed that while the Hakka Abacus Seeds With Mushroom, Dried Shrimp, Minced Pork (SGD $14.50) was decent, it could have been better. The abacus seeds were a little too soft, when it should have had a chewy texture. While the tender salty minced pork, tender earthy shiitake mushrooms, and crunchy earthy black fungus / cloud ear fungus are nicely executed, the fried shallots weren't as crisp, or as fragrant as we'd hoped. This will appeal to those unfamiliar with this dish, as it's a decent introduction.

Hakka Abacus Seeds With Mushroom, Dried Shrimp, Minced Pork (SGD $14.50)

Hakka Abacus Seeds With Mushroom, Dried Shrimp, Minced Pork

Hakka Abacus Seeds With Mushroom, Dried Shrimp, Minced Pork

Our unanimous favourite dish here is the Fried Lo Shi Fan With Xi Yan XO Sauce (SGD $13.50). The chewy bee tai mak / silver needle noodles are tossed with eggs, bean sprouts, dried shrimp, and scallions, giving it a lovely savoury eggy sweet salty flavour that is so appetizing. And the chef has infused the smoky aroma of wok hei / breath of the wok into this dish. Very good.

Fried Lo Shi Fan With Xi Yan XO Sauce (SGD $13.50)

Fried Lo Shi Fan With Xi Yan XO Sauce

Fried Lo Shi Fan With Xi Yan XO Sauce

Frankly, the Black Truffle Yunnan Ham Fried Rice (SGD $14.50) is only delicious because of the generous portion of savoury salty Yunnan dry-cured ham strips, which lend bold flavour to this otherwise plain dish. If you eat the fried rice with eggs, but without the ham, you'll find it rather flat in taste, lacking the key smoky aroma that defines fried rice. When served, the fragrant earthy aroma of black truffle perfumes the table, but oddly, it's almost non-descript on the palate. Only the ham managed to save this dish.

Black Truffle Yunnan Ham Fried Rice (SGD $14.50)

Black Truffle Yunnan Ham Fried Rice

Black Truffle Yunnan Ham Fried Rice

The Yuan Yang Tang Yuan Dumplings With Sweet Potato In Ginger Soup (SGD $4.80) is a novel dessert. The warm ginger soup has sharp sweet spice flavour, and the tender chunk of sweet potato is lovely with earthy sweet notes. The sticky glutinous rice dumpling is filled with a sweet milky crunchy custard and peanut filling, while the sticky green tea glutinous rice dumpling has an earthy grassy flavour and is filled with a luscious sweet nutty sticky black sesame paste. Good!