Name Me Another $6.99++ Fine Chinese Hi-Tea Buffet
An appetizer I simply had to order : Winter Melon Marinated in Orange Juice
It is the start of the new year and while birds are aplenty and flowers are starting to bloom, I received a promotional email from Duo Le highlighting their start for a weekday buffet (Mon-Wed @$19.99++) and Daily High Tea promotion (3pm – 5pm).
Delving more into the details, their Daily High Tea Buffet promotion is going for a hard to believe $6.99++. Naturally, what better than to find cheap eats and yet in the Orchard district area.
There are 15 items on the buffet menu, something I expected from the very low price. But from my past experience at Duo Le, most of their dishes have been fine and exquisite. Staying true to the note on the fine art of balancing tastes and neutrality in Shanxi cuisine.
The Special Shanxi Marinated Meat in Baked Pancake surprised me upon first bite. While the pancake bun is a little dry, its lack of moist enhances the juiciness of the meat stuffing. A little salty and savoury, but delectably wholesome.
Left : Shanxi Small Steamed Dumpling (vegetable/meat) Right : Shanxi Small Steamed Pao
Dumplings and paos were rather ordinary with the pao lacking in a good need of juiciness and more stuffing. Yet, dip the dumplings and pao in the chilli vinegar dip for that extra kick.
Now these I truly enjoyed. Duo Le Signature Hand Made Shanxi Spring Roll, is unlike the spring rolls Singaporeans are accustomed to. Wrapped in a layer of fried pancake, the stuffing is a mixture of shredded potatoes and vegetables. Firm bites, crisp textures, relying strongly on the natural tastes of each ingredient. Excellent!
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For the noodle glutton, there are 3 items on the menu. The Handmade noodles with special homemade tomato fried with egg (left) is unfortunately almost akin to some random mix and match of ingredients to come up with a dish. I didn’t really take to it.
The Homemade Shanxi Cold Noodle with Spicy Sauce is a mix of flat noodles with a tangy spicy chilli oil sauce. A little dry in texture, the noodles were firm and munchy munchy. From the three noodles, I enjoyed the Handmade Shanxi Cold Noodle with Spicy Sauce. The noodles were thinner and rounder from the previous dish, and it slippery texture made the dish even more heartwarming.
The Special Homemade Deep Fried Dumpling is another creation which is both bursting with juices inside and crisp and firm on the outside. I think restaurant owners are going to find it very easy to capture my heart with this winning combination =)
The Duo Le Signature Handmade Dumpling is just as nice from before, except for roughly pressed dumplings, lack of vinegar and ginger dip.
For desserts, there is a choice of Steamed Pear with White Fungus and Black Sesame Tangyuan, or you could just go for both.
We were already stuffed from the buffet, but Dad wanted to explore beyond the buffet. So he ordered the Stewed Black Chicken Soup with Almonds ($10.80). Not too strongly herbal in nature, the broth was rich in a coating of almond oils and fragrance.
As a little snack, we ordered the Winter Melon marinated in Orange Juice ($8.80). Surprisingly, the winter melon is served raw but the texture presented was soft, juicy yet crunchy. Somehow, the marinade of orange juice softened the hardy melon overnight into this fine dish of chilling, sweet and sour appetizer.
Secret Recipe Pig’s Knuckle ($12.80) is a dish with neutral tastes and none of the overtly savouriness of pork. Pair it with chilli vinegar dip for the robust flavours and hint of meaty textures.
As a final dessert, we had the Kiwi Fruit, Apple and Pear Pickled with Red Dates ($8.80). Dried Shanxi red dates were used in the process of pickling and with the juices of the kiwi, apple and pear, each piece of dried fruit swelled into juicy and creamy textures. The natural fermentation process toned downed the overall sweetness of the dates yet added a hint of sour to the dish.
As an overall feel, Duo Le has certainly remarketed itself with the introduction of buffets to their traditional A La Carte menu. Now, the delights of Shanxi cuisine is brought even closer to the people and for all you know, you might just enjoy the balance of tastes and neutrality in each dish. $6.99 for a fifteen dish buffet? That’s a steal.
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Duo Le Orchard Central 181 Orchard Road #08-09/10 Tel : 6509 8616 Website : www.duole.com.sg Bringing the finesse of Shanxi cuisine to Singapore |
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woah that IS cheap indeed!
wow…im tempted already! is it on during wkends? their website doesnt say much.
yes its on during weekends and weekdays!
Interesting that Singapore has such varied variety now. Shaanxi and Shanxi are not known for their cuisine. Presentation is pleasing to the eye. However one’ll never know if these are genuine and authentic, and not adapted for local taste.
I remember there was one popular Hunan restaurant @Novotel Bukit Timah. But little did I realize that real Hunan food were not prepared that way in China nor by a mainland Hunan restaurant/cook @Alvin Garden:
http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/photo_list/1431238?photo_id=164444
Similarly with Szechuan cuisine @Equatorial, they didn’t use fresh chilipadi – see pictures of dishes prepared by a mainland Szechuan restaurant/owner @Hotluck :
http://hotluck.ca/Menu.aspx
hey the web doesnt say theres hi tea.
There is. I am not sure why it’s not stayed in their website though.
Hey, what is served for the lunch buffet? THe website doesn’t state much…
Lemme get back home from camp first and then I see if I can put the menu for the lunch buffet up. Got to find it first though.
Okie, here is the menu for the buffet lunch & dinner.
Mon – Wed
Lunch 11.30am – 2.30pm Dinner 6pm-9.30pm
Dishes that can only be ordered once :
- Cashew nuts stir fried with mushrooms
- Stewed pig’s knuckle with homemade sauce
- Duo Le Homemade steamed pork belly with preserved greens
- Stewed chicken soup with Chinese herbs
- Stewed Black Chicken soup with almonds
- Green vegetables with almond soup
- Black sesame tangyuan
- Steam pear with white fungus
- Kiwi fruit, apple and pear pickled with red dates
- Tea tree mushrooms and bamboo shoots in abalone stock
- Baby green amaranth (Chinese spinach) stewed with yam
Stuff you can keep ordering :
- Boiled sliced chicken and cucumber with homemade chilli oil
- Fresh celery with homemade seasoning
- Peanuts and flat beans with homemade seasoning
- Handmade Shaanxi Cold noodle with homemade spicy sauce
- Spicy tenderloin, served with pancakes
- Shaanxi small steamed pun in basket
- Shaanxi handmade dumpling with chilli oil and sour sauce
- Special Homemade deep fried dumpling
- Special Shaanxi marinated meat in baked pancake
- Duo Le signature handmade Shaanxi spring roll
- Handmade noodles
- Special homemade Tomato fried with egg
- Family recipe soybean paste sauce
- Duo Le Signature Handmade dumpling (vegetable/meat) (carrot/chinese spinach)
Price : $19.99++
2 persons minimum.
Not valid with other promotions and promotional gift vouchers.
Not available on public holidays.
Reservations not accepted.
**That was tiring to type =)
J2K3, their website describes them as restaurateurs from China’s shAAnxi province (not shAnxi). From Wikipedia, GDP of shAAnxi: USD2,672 per capita, shAnxi: USD2,973 vs Shanghai: USD12,592 – US$21,795. Positive reviews and comments are the norm of the day. Carbos are overpriced. Thanks for the writeup, I enjoyed it very much
Oops my bad.
What time does the hi-tea buffet starts?Its 6.99++ for both weekdays and weekends??
Yes the high tea buffet is everyday from three to five pm.
Is this restaurant still in business now. as i went recently not able to locate this restaurant
unfortunately, this restaurant is not in business anymore. i also just realised after walking past there the week before.