JuJu: Steamboats at Your Best Comfort

Having tried the 6-course set lunch at Tao's a year+ ago, we're now hopping over to its next-door neighbour, JuJu, for their 6-course hot pot lunch. Both restaurants are managed under the same company, and located at the same mall - PoMo Centre, formerly known as Paradiz Centre. The new name sounds kinda funny though.

1st Course: Starters

Semi-Boiled Golden Egg with House Starters,   

The elongated plate came with some beef and shellfish which I can't really remember, but the main spotlight was the Golden Egg. Semi-boiled to 70% and when mixed with their own special sweet sauce, it was HEAVENLY I tell you! Never in my life I knew something so common (eggs) could taste so uncommon.

2nd Course: Side Dishes

Vermicelli,   

The Vermicelli was the usual kind, and it was there just to fill you up. Other side dish choices include White Rice, Rice Stick, and Soba.

Soba,   

Their Soba was a bit below standard - more on the hard side.

Looking at the menu now, the lunch set actually includes a Dumpling Platter but I realised I don't have any pictures. Either we forgot (to take photos), or the restaurant forgot (to serve), or the dumplings tasted so mediocre that we had forgotten (whether even we ate them in the first place). Okay I just saw the dumplings hiding in the main platter itself, and they must have really tasted mediocre because I don't recall their existence at all!

3rd Course: Mains

Fresh Pacific Ocean Platter,   

The Fresh Pacific Ocean Platter seemed the most intriguing and worthy set, with different types of seafood sitting in a large wooden boat. The seafood are basically some prawns, mussels, fish slices, crab sticks, a whole crab etc; and the crux to great seafood lies in their freshness, and JuJu did it.

Chicken and Pork Combo,   

Chicken and Pork Combo was nothing unusual with brinjals, yam, lotus roots, carrots, plus other vegetables. Meat were also fresh and thinly sliced (perfect for steamboats), but personally, we prefer the pork to chicken.

4th Course: Soups

Hot and Spicy Soup,   

The restaurant offers individual hot pots, and also individual soup bases - JuJu’s Hokkaido "Kun Bo" Clear Soup, Hot and Spicy Soup, and Creamy "Kun Bo" Soup.

We chose the first two, and both of us find the Hot and Spicy Soup too overpowering that it masked out the natural taste of all the steamboat ingredients. The attentive waitress noticed the changes in our faces and offered to pour in some "Kun Bo" Clear Soup to neutralise the spicyness, and it did help a little.

5th Course: Beverages

Ice Plum Vinegar,   

According to the waitress, these Ice Plum Vinegar were supposed to aid in digestion, and indeed, it felt really soothing after a heavy meal.

6th Course: Desserts

Pearl Harbor,   

There wasn't much variety in the desserts, so we left our decisions to the friendly service crew. Pearl Habor was similar to what we know of, the Honeydew Sago. Not bad, pretty refreshing.

Glutinous Purple Rice Topped with Sweeten Yam,   

This was similar to our usual Hei Nuo Mi (Black Glutinous Rice Dessert) but I don't like the Glutinous Rice desserts, so nope, this wasn't for me.

VERDICT
We were initially attracted to the idea of having individual hot pots, and little did we know, steamboats can be comfortable too. However, the price jump from lunch to dinner didn't seemed quite worthwhile because the difference only lies in the kinds of dumplings being served. And as expected, JuJu's service was a big plus!

JuJu Hokkaido Hot Pot
#B1-18, PoMo Centre
1 Seleie Road, S(188306)
(+65) 6336 6689
Mon - Sun: 11.30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
http://www.juju-restaurant.com

6-Course Set Lunch:	S$19.80++
7-Course Set Dinner:	S$29.80++

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Din Tai Fung: Same but Safest Dishes

The weekend lunch crowd for Din Tai Fung was terrible, but nevertheless, we joined in the waiting list. Service was fast though. 15 minutes and we managed to enter the restaurant despite holding a large queue number.

Steamed Chicken Soup,   S$8.80++,   

Just when I had cravings for soups, this came as a disappointment. The chicken meat was tasteless, the soup was bland and oily, and it was rather expensive for a small portion like this.

Steamed Pork Dumplings (10 pieces),   S$9++,   

Their specialty Xiao Long Baos were the only thing I tried when I first visited Din Tai Fung, and since then, I've been ordering them every time I revisit.


A distinctive characteristic about Din Tai Fung's dumplings is the 18 folds on top of every single one. Though the skin was thin and translucent, the dumpling did not burst when being picked up. Instead, it stretched and rested nicely on my porcelain spoon.

One bite and I knew it was the same goodness which I first fell in love with. The minced pork was savoury, and the stock where the whole dumpling got flooded in was also very tasty. Naturally, nothing could match the Xiao Long Baos better than the vinegar and ginger dipping sauce.

Fried Rice with Shredded Pork and Eggs,   S$8.50++,   

This was another usual dish I would order. Simple, but it can never go wrong. The soft Shredded Pork was an ideal companion with the savoury and fragrant Fried Rice.

Special Braised Beef Noodle Soup with Beef and Tendon,
S$10++,   

We had little expectations of this bowl of Braised Beef Noodle Soup but it proved us wrong! The soup was strong but didn't had the foul beefy odour, while the noodles, beef and tendon were all soft and well fused with one another.

VERDICT
Delectable dishes with affordable prices, it's never too much to make more return trips. However, it's impossible to stay in Din Tai Fung for long during peak hours, because the pressure from the fast service and queue outside will make you leave almost immediately after completing your meal.

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰丰 - Wisma Atria
#02-48/53, Wisma Atria
435 Orchard Road, S(238877)
(+65) 6732 1383
Mon - Fri: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sat - Sun: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
http://www.dintaifung.com.tw

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Victor's Kitchen: Authentic Dim Sum at a Steal

Ever since business bloomed due to the word of mouth, this humble looking eatery had expanded from one stall to three scattered stalls around the ground level of Sunshine Plaza.

To be honest, Victor's Kitchen looked rather "lok kok" with minimal attention paid to its renovation. But we don't really care because if they're scrimping on that to deliver us quality food at low prices, why not? I'll just grab a shaky wooden stool, sit down, and eat my hearts out.

Victor's King Prawn Dumpling,   S$3.80++,   

The freshness of the prawns play a major role when it comes to eating Har Gaus, and this one here didn't disappoint us. Prawns were tender and bouncy, and the transluent skin clinging around were thin and soft, yet firm enough to hold the entire dumpling together without falling apart.

Tasty Queen Size Siew Mai,   S$3++,   

I don't know why Har Gau Siew Mai must go together when people speak of dim sum, but we're not missing this out. The Siew Mais didn't appear 'queen size' as stated in the menu, but they were still quite tasty alright. It wasn't soggy, and most importantly, it didn't reeked of the foul pork smell which we both hate.

Scallop, Sausage Carrot Cake with XO Sauce,   S$3.80++,   

This Carrot Cake was apart from the fried ones we usually eat, and it was quite fascinating to see the whole steamed carrot cake literally soaked in XO Sauce. Taste wise, though somewhat bland with zilch hint of any Scallops nor Sausages, it went really smooth and well with the heavy XO Sauce.

Steam Chicken with Chinese Wine,   S$2.50++,   

Not just one, but all of the chicken parts were composed of bones, and very fatty meat. Yuck.

Oyster Sauce Char Siew Bun,   S$2.80++,   

We are big fans of Char Siew Baos, and the ones served here are definitely in our top ten list! The buns were made of soft cottony goodness loaded with juicy chunks of Char Siew - two is never too full!

Milky Custard Bun,   S$2.80++,   

The first Custard Bun we've tried was right here at Victor's Kitchen, and following our first unforgettable experience, we went around trying Custard Buns from other places but none could become a match for this. We simply love how the rich creamy egg custard blended perfectly with the salted egg yolk - sweet with a slight tinge of saltiness.

King Prawn Cheong Fun,   S$3.50++,   

You can really skip the Char Siew Cheong Fun here, because it was so-so and you could find much heavenly ones at House of Rice Roll and Porridge @ Killiney. Go for the King Prawn Cheong Fun instead which the Killiney eatery loses out at.


The prawns, like those in the Har Gaus, were so fresh you could hear them crunch!

Youtiao Cheong Fun,   S$3++,   

Initally when we saw this in the menu, we were like, "who the heck would put a Youtiao into Chee Cheong Fun?" Nevertheless, being curious, we ordered the dish anyway and it turned out to be an absolute no regret! A very unique dish to speak of - with the crispyness of the fried dough sticks in contrast to the silky rice rolls, and together with the sweet black sauce, the combination was simply out of this world!

Crispy Golden Shrimp Rolls,   S$3.50++,   

None of the online reviews we've seen had mentioned about this dish, but it was admittedly great in our modest opinions. The beancurd skin was light and crispy; the hot shrimp fillings were juicy and delicious; and the vinegar added more even more punch to everything.

Passion Mango Pomelo Sago,   S$4++,   

Don't forget to order this soothing Passion Mango Pomelo Sago as dessert to end off a gratifying dim sum meal.

VERDICT
Overall, we are very satisfied with Victor's Kitchen and the affordable prices that go along with it. Though menu items were pretty limited, they were enough to tell us what good authentic dim sum is. (We heard that the owner's actually from Hong Kong!)

Victor's Kitchen
#01-21/27/48, Sunshine Plaza
91 Bencoolen Street, S(189652)
(+65) 9838 2851
Tue - Sun: 10.30 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Mon: Closed

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