Spring Court Restaurant

Spring Court Restaurant
56 Upper Cross Street

https://www.springcourt.com.sg/

Lamb Brisket In Claypot (SGD $24)

Refined Chinese Dining At This Family-Run Restaurant

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $55 per person.


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Spring Court Restaurant is an institution of Chinese Hokkien and Cantonese cuisine. As the oldest family-owned restaurant in Singapore, having been establised by Ho Loke Yee in 1929 as 'Wing Choon Yuen', Spring Court Restaurant is now run by the 3rd generation of owners from the family. Located in a 4-story shophouse along Chinatown, Spring Court Restaurant offers traditional dishes which are nearly impossible to find elsewhere, consistently executing them to delicious standards.

Ambience at Spring Court Restaurant exudes a refined elegance. The brightly lit place is flanked by stone walls decorated with old photographs and touches of Oriental decor, offset by clean white tablecloths and modern quirky light fixtures. Furnishings are neatly spaced to accomodate COVID-19 safe distancing measures, and are decently comfortable. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow ample natural light during the day, and there is a quiet but refined vibe of luxury in the tableware.

Service at Spring Court Restaurant is old-school charm and efficiency. With mostly older staff who have been serving for years, the place runs like clockwork; from the time you're greeted upon entry, to the quick seating as you're ushered in. They display good product knowledge of dishes, being able to describe them and offer recommendations, and accord each table personalised attention. Staff proactively offer to clear finished dishes throughout, and orders are fulfilled precisely with good speed.

Food at Spring Court Restaurant revolves around traditional Chinese cuisine, with a particular focus on Cantonese and Hokkien dishes, most of which you can't find elsewhere. Old-school treats, handmade with fresh ingredients, hailing from recipes handed down from the 1930s. There's a consistently high quality in each dish, and most are delicious. Portions are sized for communal group dining, and prices are reflective of most good restaurants. Budget about SGD $55 per person for a meal here.


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Dragon Girl Wall Mural

Spring Court Restaurant Signage

Spring Court Restaurant Exterior

Spring Court Restaurant Interior

Seating

Private Room

Popiah Assembly Counter

The Tea Chrysanthemum Pu Erh (SGD $3.10 per person) has a blend of light floral sweet notes from the chrysanthemum tea, coupled with the earthy sweet flavour from the pu erh tea. Calm and settling feel.

Tea Chrysanthemum Pu Erh (SGD $3.10 per person)

Loved the Pickled Daikon Radish & Red Chili (SGD $2), which has crunchy pickled daikon radish slices and red chili in white vinegar. Each bite is a burst of bright sour vegetal sweet flavour, helping to open the palate and appetite. Good!

Pickled Daikon Radish & Red Chili (SGD $2)

A bowl of White Rice (SGD $1), with fluffy sticky soft texture and light grainy sweet flavour. The white rice pairs well with dishes that feature gravy, which is prevalent in Chinese Cantonese cuisine.

White Rice (SGD $1)

The signature Spring Court Traditional Popiah (SGD $8.20) is done Chinese Fujian style, and is large enough to rival a burrito in size. The medium thick dough wrapper of the popiah is generously filled with fresh ingredients, including lettuce, jicama / turnip braised in seafood stock, deshelled prawns / shrimp, egg, string beans, dried tofu beancurd strips, and flaked wolf-herring fish. Has a light crunchy chewy texture, with lovely fresh vegetal sweet savoury flavour. Probably the priciest, but also the most hefty, filling, and extravagant popiah version in Singapore. Well worth it. Highly recommended!

Spring Court Traditional Popiah (SGD $8.20)

Spring Court Traditional Popiah

Spring Court Traditional Popiah

Spring Court Traditional Popiah

The Barbecue Char Siew Pork Buns (SGD $4.50) have soft white buns that are fluffy and tear open easily, revealing the steamy filling of juicy char siew / marinated roast pork loin within. With bold sweet savoury flavour, these baos / buns are warm and satisfying. Good!

Barbecue Char Siew Pork Buns (SGD $4.50)

Barbecue Char Siew Pork Buns

Barbecue Char Siew Pork Buns

The Har Gow / Prawn Dumplings (SGD $5.80) have a medium thin dumpling skin, whose sticky folds yield easily to a bite, releasing the moist and juicy filling of deshelled prawns / shrimp. With bright sweet savoury flavour, these har gow / har kao / steamed prawn dumplings are simple and so yummy. Pair with the spicy chili dipping sauce for added kick. Good!

Har Gow / Prawn Dumplings (SGD $5.80)

Har Gow / Prawn Dumplings

Har Gow / Prawn Dumplings

The Siew Mai / Pork & Shrimp Dumplings (SGD $5.80) are bouncy and juicy and tender, with a bold meaty savoury sweet salty flavour from the minced pork and deshelled prawns / shrimp. These tightly packed siew mai / pork and shrimp dumplings have an old-school, traditional taste; not spectacular but still tasty. Good!

Siew Mai / Pork & Shrimp Dumplings (SGD $5.80)

Siew Mai / Pork & Shrimp Dumplings

Siew Mai / Pork & Shrimp Dumplings

The Deep-Fried Beancurd Skin Roll (SGD $4.80) is decent enough. These beancurd skin rolls have a crisp crunchy exterior, with a soft bouncy moist interior of fish cake. Wrapped with a piece of dried seaweed, these have delicate sweet savoury salty flavour. Unremarkable though. Could be improved.

Deep-Fried Beancurd Skin Roll (SGD $4.80)

Deep-Fried Beancurd Skin Roll

The Stir-Fried Carrot Cake With XO Sauce (SGD $5.80) is great. While the cubes of daikon radish are large, they're soft and wobbly moist. Tossed with crunchy bean sprouts, wispy egg, light soy sauce, and a special XO sauce that tastes of shrimp, the result is a wonderfully fragrant dish with bold earthy salty sweet savoury eggy flavour. I especially like this with some chili. Highly recommended!

Stir-Fried Carrot Cake With XO Sauce (SGD $5.80)

Stir-Fried Carrot Cake With XO Sauce

Stir-Fried Carrot Cake With XO Sauce

The Chee Cheong Fun Rice Flour Roll With Crispy Wafer & Shrimp (SGD $6.20) has slippery smooth thin rice flour rolls, wrapped around crispy fried wafers, stuffed with bouncy deshelled prawns / shrimp. Completed with a dark soy sauce, this has a beautiful and novel contrast of textures, with mild grainy salty sweet flavour. Worth ordering!

Rice Flour Roll With Crispy Wafer & Shrimp (SGD $6.20)

Soy Sauce

Rice Flour Roll With Crispy Wafer & Shrimp

Rice Flour Roll With Crispy Wafer & Shrimp

The Crab Meat Roll With Chicken Liver & Salted Egg (SGD $13.80) is handmade, and is one of those rare dishes you won't find elsewhere. It has shredded crab meat tightly packed with minced chicken liver and a salted egg, deep-fried to hold it together, then sliced into wedges. You get a complex but enticing medley of flavours; savoury salty sweet mineral earthy in taste. Best eaten quickly while still warm. Highly recommended!

Crab Meat Roll With Chicken Liver & Salted Egg (SGD $13.80)

Crab Meat Roll With Chicken Liver & Salted Egg

Crab Meat Roll With Chicken Liver & Salted Egg

Wawa Cai!! The Napa Cabbage With Dried Scallops (SGD $28) was lovely. Coated in a thick, generous vegetable stewing gravy, the braised napa cabbage peels off in large soft leaves, with delicate vegetal earthy sweet flavour. The chewy dried scallops are also generous in portion, and lend a complementary savoury sweet meaty flavour. Goes great with white rice. Good!

Napa Cabbage With Dried Scallops (SGD $28)

Napa Cabbage With Dried Scallops

Napa Cabbage With Dried Scallops

The Yam Ring With Mixed Vegetables & Prawns (SGD $38) is a house signature. The yam ring itself is large and crisp on the exterior, soft and tender on the interior, with a mild grainy earthy sweet savoury flavour to the yam / taro. It's stacked high with a medley of fillings, including bouncy button mushrooms, tender carrots, crunchy celery, crisp bell peppers / capsicum, firm cashew nuts, soft white onions, and juicy deshelled prawns / shrimp. With a pleasing vegetal sweet savoury salty earthy nutty combination of flavours, this was so delightful and satisfying. Loved adding a little bit of chili with each mouthful, for added spicy kick. Highly recommended!

Yam Ring With Mixed Vegetables & Prawns (SGD $38)

Yam Ring With Mixed Vegetables & Prawns

Yam Ring With Mixed Vegetables & Prawns

Another rare dish that's not available in most other places, the Lamb Brisket In Claypot (SGD $24) is a hearty, satisfying stew. The slices of lamb brisket and lamb tendon have been stewed with ginger and tofu skin till everything is soft and tender, while the accompanying water chestnuts remain firm and crunchy. Has robust meaty earthy savoury salty flavour. Traditionally paired with a mysterious green sauce, which is only served upon request. Highly recommended!

Lamb Brisket In Claypot (SGD $24)

Lamb Brisket In Claypot

Seafood here is rather expensive. The Deep-Fried Soon Hock Fish (SGD $8.80 per 100g, $74.80 for 850g) features a medium sized marble goby fish, flash fried till the entire fish is crispy and edible, bones and all. Served in the traditional Hong Kong style gravy, the tender and crisp fish picks up the salty savoury gravy well, complementing the mild sweet savoury notes it has. Well-executed, and good value if you decide to spend. Good!

Deep-Fried Soon Hock Fish (SGD $8.80 per 100g, $74.80 for 850g)

Deep-Fried Soon Hock Fish

Deep-Fried Soon Hock Fish

Deep-Fried Soon Hock Fish

The Stir-Fried Mee Sua Noodles With Seafood (SGD $21) arrives in a generous portion. It features slippery thin mee sua / wheat flour vermicelli noodles, tossed with bell peppers / capsicum, bean sprouts, egg, white onions, shiitake mushrooms, sliced Spanish mackeral fish, and deshelled prawns / shrimp. With alternating textures of soft crunchy tender chewy smooth, and robust vegetal earthy sweet savoury salty flavour, this was completely satisfying. Good!

Stir-Fried Mee Sua Noodles With Seafood (SGD $21)

Stir-Fried Mee Sua Noodles With Seafood

Stir-Fried Mee Sua Noodles With Seafood

The Claypot XO Crab Bee Hoon (SGD $126 for 1.2kg) is a premium, off-menu special. This luxurious dish features a large, meaty crab, filled with fresh roe and juicy succulent crab meat. With delicate clean-tasting sweet savoury flavour, the crab has been stewed over the thin silky bee hoon / rice vermicelli noodles, imparting it with rich flavour. The result is an incredible crab bee hoon dish unlike other versions elsewhere, with the key difference being the crab roe which infuses the noodles. Luxurious and delicious, though expensive. Highly recommended!

Claypot XO Crab Bee Hoon (SGD $126 for 1.2kg)

Claypot XO Crab Bee Hoon

Claypot XO Crab Bee Hoon

Claypot XO Crab Bee Hoon

The Yam Taro Paste With Gingko Nuts & Pumpkin (SGD $5.80), or Yam Taro Paste / Orh Nee, is a Chinese Teochew dessert, but they do a decent rendition here, though purists may disagree. The mashed yam / taro paste is thick and gloopy, with mild earthy sweet flavour. Garnished with crunchy gingko nuts which lend a nutty note, and tender pumpkin which lends a vegetal earthy sweet flavour. Drizzle some of the coconut milk over to impart floral earthy milky flavour, and enjoy. Quite filling even for a small portion. Good!

Yam Taro Paste With Gingko Nuts & Pumpkin (SGD $5.80)

Yam Taro Paste With Gingko Nuts & Pumpkin

Yam Taro Paste With Gingko Nuts & Pumpkin

Yam Taro Paste With Gingko Nuts & Pumpkin

The small version of the Chilled Rock Melon Sago (SGD $4.50) is suitable for sharing. Over a broth of crushed ice and coconut milk, there's juicy rock melon cubes, chewy tapioca sago balls, and bouncy gelatinous tadpole jelly. This has rich earthy fruity sweet milky flavour, and is refreshing and pleasing. Good!

Chilled Rock Melon Sago (SGD $4.50)

Chilled Rock Melon Sago

Chilled Rock Melon Sago

The Fresh Almond Paste In Whole Coconut (SGD $8.80) is presented in a whole young Thai coconut. The hand made fresh almond paste is thick and rich with nutty sweet flavour, and the young coconut flesh is juicy sweet earthy in taste. Best shared, as this dessert is very filling. Worth ordering!

Fresh Almond Paste In Whole Coconut (SGD $8.80)

Fresh Almond Paste In Whole Coconut

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