Joyfulness Dining
11 Tamjong Katong Road
#02-38 KINEX
https://yuancuisine.com/
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| Coconut Jelly Rabbit (SGD $Complimentary) |
Homely Dishes, Restaurant Standards
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 6
Spent about SGD $34 per person.
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Opened in November 2021, Joyfulness Dining is a banquet hall for sit-down Modern Chinese dining, operated by the Yuan Cuisine Group, and headed by Executive Chef Timothy Goh. The philosophy at Joyfulness Dining is to offer homely comforting flavours, through dishes prepared and presented with restaurant standards.
Ambience at Joyfulness Dining eschews the typical restaurant setting, instead opting for a banquet hall dining experience, complete with central stage, multi-coloured controlled lights, and professional sound system. That said, their regular setting of elegantly-clothed comfortable furnishings and warm lights in the spacious dining hall is well suited for everyday dining.
Service at Joyfulness Dining resembles the quality you'll receive at a banquet hall too. Some staff are only able to serve and plate, but can't take orders or advise on dishes. While the menu is fairly extensive, the 'ordering' staff also typically try to upsell their seafood dishes, which command a premium. That said, staff are sufficiently friendly and polite, though there seems to be a lack of service recovery process at present.
Food at Joyfulness Dining is Modern Chinese cuisine, though they primarily carry Chinese Cantonese influence. In particular, they specialise in dim sum (which is only available during lunch), and luxury seafood. Portions are sized for communal group dining, meant to be shared. Prices are similar to other Chinese restaurants, budget about SGD $34 per person. That said, I'll probably dine elsewhere next time.
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| Joyfulness Dining Exterior |
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| Joyfulness Dining Interior |
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| Seating & Decor |
The Pickled Daikon Radish & Carrot (SGD $1) are served as palate cleansers. The thinly sliced pieces of pickled daikon radish and carrots are crunchy with sharp vegetal sour flavour from the vinegar brine, nicely refreshing. Good!
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| Pickled Daikon Radish & Carrot (SGD $1) |
A standard bowl of White Rice (SGD $1.80), with fluffy moist soft texture and mild grainy sweet flavour. However, it's also expensive for just plain white rice.
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| White Rice (SGD $1.80) |
The Stir-Fried Carrot Cake With Bean Sprouts In XO Sauce (SGD $9.80) was delicious, although we felt the large cubes of daikon radish cake could be diced smaller. But they have the requisite soft and moist texture, tossed with a generous portion of crisp bean sprouts, wispy egg, crunchy preserved radish, fish sauce, and dried shrimp XO sauce with chili. This has robust eggy sweet savoury salty vegetal shrimpy flavour, pleasant and enticing. Highly recommended!
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| Stir-Fried Carrot Cake With Bean Sprouts In XO Sauce (SGD $9.80) |
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| Stir-Fried Carrot Cake With Bean Sprouts In XO Sauce |
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| Stir-Fried Carrot Cake With Bean Sprouts In XO Sauce |
While the Deep-Fried Fish Skin With Salted Egg Sauce (SGD $10) has decently crisp crunchy grey mullet fish skin that cracks beautifully, the highlight was the righteous salted egg gravy. Chef's skill is evident here, as you distinctly taste the layered notes of curry leaves, chili, and salted egg yolk in the gravy. A rich and thick paste with bold salty savoury sweet spice flavour, holding well to each piece of fish skin. Highly recommended!
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| Deep-Fried Fish Skin With Salted Egg Sauce (SGD $10) |
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| Deep-Fried Fish Skin With Salted Egg Sauce |
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| Deep-Fried Fish Skin With Salted Egg Sauce |
The Double Combination Roast Meat Platter (SGD $28.80) was supposed to be a star, but turned out to be just decent, which I guess is disappointing for a Chinese Cantonese place. Crucially, the Barbecued Honey Pork Loin, while tender and juicy, lacked the smoky char and aroma, and the honey barbecue glaze was flat in taste. Could be improved. The Crackling Roast Pork Belly was above average, with each juicy tender cube having a crispy skin that crunches loudly, and nice meaty savoury salty flavour. Worth ordering!
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| Double Combination Roast Meat Platter (SGD $28.80) |
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| Barbecued Honey Pork Loin |
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| Crackling Roast Pork Belly |
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| Double Combination Roast Meat Platter |
Loved the Broccoli With Crab Meat (SGD $20). The fresh crunchy florets of broccoli have lovely vegetal sweet flavour, and the generous gravy with deshelled chunks of tender juicy crab meat lends bright meaty sweet flavour. Feels so luxurious, yet so wallet-friendly. Highly recommended!
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| Broccoli With Crab Meat (SGD $20) |
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| Broccoli With Crab Meat |
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| Broccoli With Crab Meat |
We didn't finish the Braised Chicken With Mushrooms In Claypot (SGD $30) because it was disappointing. The highlight here was the braised shiitake mushrooms, juicy and bouncy with succulent vegetal earthy savoury salty flavour. The sesame oil gravy was fragrant with nutty savoury salty spice notes, bold and pleasing in taste. But the half-chicken was a let-down, tough and dry in texture, seemingly overcooked. We shared this with 2 different serving staff, and they said they would convey the feedback, but there was no apology or service recovery. Quite sad.
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| Braised Chicken With Mushrooms In Claypot (SGD $30) |
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| Braised Chicken With Mushrooms In Claypot |
Loved the Coconut Jelly Rabbit (SGD $Complimentary), firstly because it looks so cute, secondly because it's tasty! The wobbly soft jiggly rabbit-shaped coconut jelly pudding dessert has bright floral earthy sweet flavour, very refreshing. The crisp lettuce on the side resembles a grazing grass patch for the cute rabbit. Good!
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| Coconut Jelly Rabbit (SGD $Complimentary) |
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| Coconut Jelly Rabbit |
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| Coconut Jelly Rabbit |
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CONVERSATION