The dessert maestro shines with creativity even when it comes to savoury dishes
Photos: Janice Wong Singapore
Stepping into a Janice Wong restaurant can sometimes feel like a wondrous trip down the rabbit hole, filled with sweet treats that burst with unusual flavours and dishes that blur the line between art and food.
Yet in every sense, a memorable culinary journey.
The dim sum dishes are based on her book “Dim Sum: A Flour-Forward Approach To Traditional Favourites And Contemporary Creations”.
A savoury venture
The dessert maestro’s latest venture is no different. Her flagship restaurant Janice Wong Singapore, situated at National Museum of Singapore, is a 1500 sq ft candy wonderland.
Walls are graced with humongous paintings created with the likes of marshmallow, gummies and her signature chocolate paint. What looks like paint dripping in rainbow hues, is merely edible chocolate.
Diners will soon be able to create their own masterpieces with colourful chocolate paint.
We hear that diners will soon be able to create their own masterpieces with these bottles of colourful chocolate paint.
Till then, appetites will be satiated by her Mod-Chinese savoury creations, crafted in collaboration with Chef Ma Jian Jun, co-author of the book “Dim Sum: A Flour-Forward Approach To Traditional Favourites And Contemporary Creations”.
The Crispy Charcoal Nest was perhaps the most memorable dish we had.
Dim sum and umami-rich broths
We recommend starting with the Hot Explosion XLB in Truffle Cheese Chicken ($15). Each morsel of jet-black dumpling is packed with tasty broth seeped with the fragrance of truffle, and minced chicken entwined with melted cheese.
Once your appetite is whet, go for the Crispy Charcoal Nest ($22). The curious sounding dish is basically a bowl of freeze-dried charcoal noodles, pork belly and a sheet of thin mushroom paper printed with a poem.
As whimsical as it seems, the magic happens once piping hot collagen broth is poured into the bowl. Leave the various components to soak in the goodness of the broth for half a minute or so, then dig in.
The result? Rich umami flavours well retained by the silky noodles and the tender slices of pork belly. It was perhaps the most memorable dish we had.
You’ll also find the Signature 5 Dumplings ($15) on the menu — a recommendation of five dim sum items, each bearing a different texture, from elastic to crispy.
While the presentation was eye-catching, the flavours were a mix of hits and misses. For instance, the Scallop Prawn and Mushroom Dumpling tasted a little bland.
The Chocolate Pop Rocks teased our taste buds and left us wanting more.
Kids in a candy shop
To round off the meal, we spent some time gazing at the dessert counter that was full of colourful praline, mochi and ice cream. Like kids in a candy shop, we eventually settled for scoops of ice cream ($15 for three flavours) and a couple of praline and mochi.
The Smoked ice cream was a winner with its distinctively smoky flavour that lingered once the sweet cream had disappeared down our throats.
As for the praline, the Chocolate Pop Rocks teased our taste buds and left us wanting more.
Janice Wong Singapore, 93 Stamford road, National Museum Singapore, 01-06, Singapore 178897
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