Peony Jade Promises A Healthy Chinese New Year with their 8 Rhapsodies of Spring Menu

About Peony Jade

How often do you find food outside of your home that doesn’t use a single drop of MSG? Peony Jade prides itself on dishing up healthy Cantonese-style food that caters to increasingly health-conscious mortals like you and I – that means no MSG in any of its food. 

Known for transforming classic Cantonese cuisines into delicate pieces of art, we were psyched to pay the Keppel Club branch a visit to preview their new creations for the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities. Yes, it is finally that time of the year to collect those precious ang baos and stuff yourself with tons of glorious food.

Prosper with the 8 Rhapsodies of Spring

1. Bonsai-Shaped Yu Sheng

Peony Jade’s rendition of this traditional Chinese New Year dish is likely one of the most indulgent plates of Yu Sheng you’ll encounter. Sashimi lovers will have a blast polishing off premium slices of fresh lobster, tuna belly and Atlantic salmon coupled with Alaskan crab claws, decadent roe and dollops of sea urchin. 

Given how much I adore everything with truffle, I couldn’t be more excited when the smell of truffle wafted through the air while the waiting staff prepared to serve the dish. Peony Jade’s chefs ensured that the truffle oil infused nicely into this refreshing dish without being overpowering. This bold tweak lifted the taste of traditional Yu Sheng and I reckon this would appeal more to the younger crowd.  

Priced at S$198.88, this “Instant Enormous Windfall, Good Health and Longevity” Yu Sheng serves up to 15 guests, and is available for dine-in at Keppel Club only. 1-day advance order is required.

2. Deep-fried Hum-Soi-Kuok, glutinous rice stuffed with minced pork and mushroom

These intricate goat-shaped dim sum delights were fried to perfection without a hint of greasiness. Thank God for the experienced chefs because nothing is more off-putting than sinking your teeth into something that has soaked up all the oil.  

The savoury minced pork and mushroom filling was flavourful without being overly salty, complementing the otherwise bland glutinous rice pleasantly. My only complaint would be that the mochi-like layer wrapping the tasty centre was too thick. 

Priced at S$9.88 per order of 3 pieces, this “Prosperity & Smooth Sailing” hand-crafted goat-shaped platter is for dine-in only. 1-day advance order is required.

3. Steamed Black-eyed Pea Cake with golden pumpkin

Because being hipster is in and regular steamed yam cakes are too mainstream, so Peony Jade upped their game by concocting a variation using black-eyed peas, golden pumpkin, jinhua ham, and mushrooms. It looks a little strange and intimidating but it surprised my taste buds with its nuttiness and juxtaposition of textures.   

Priced at S$38.88 this “Flourishing Fortune” serves up to 15 guests, being ~1 kg in weight.

4. Australian Premium Whole Abalone Poon Choi

Layered with 18 wholesome ingredients instead of the usual 12 or 13 in other restaurants, this melting pot of “Reaping Abundance Wealth” goodness is one that you have to try. Bring on those whole Australian abalones, golden oysters, African spikes sea cucumber, fresh scallops, shiitake mushrooms, fish maw, fatt choi, pork knuckle, broccoli, and crispy roast pork just to name a few! 

This is easily my favourite dish of all that we tried. It was robust, full-bodied, crunchy and bouncy like how they should be. The scallops were nicely done – springy, soft without any hint of fishiness. You might have to skip the prawns because mine were dry and tough.     

Served with a separate sauce, those who like their food saltier will be glad you can customize it to your liking. I didn’t need the extra flavour enhancer at all. 

This takeaway poon choi pot is priced at S$468.88 for the Mini Premium Pot Package (serves 6 guests), and S$598.88 for the Premium Pot Package (serves 8-10 guests). 1-day advance order is required.

Note: Each poon choi package comes with 3 complimentary festive creations. 

5. Hong Kong Roast USA Goose sealed with Chef’s Special ‘Fa Cai” Broth

Though this grain-fed goose has travelled thousands of miles from the U.S.A, to be roasted and dunked in Peony Jade’s fatt choi broth that’s made with a myriad of herbs and spices, it was nothing to shout about. The skin wasn’t as crisp as I would have liked and the meat leaned on the tough, dry side. 

Don’t get me wrong, the superior fatt choi broth was rich and amazing. You’re good to go even if you just drizzle (or pour) it over plain rice or porridge, without any accompanying dishes. 

Priced at S$188.88, this “Wealth of Prosperity and Longevity” serves up to 12 guests. 1-day advance order is required.

6. Slow-Fire Stewed Lamb with Bamboo Shoots and Chestnuts

Being one who hardly eats lamb, my experience may be biased. Lamb lovers might love this extremely gamey and tender grass-fed lamb stew better than me – it was lovingly wok-braised by the masters in the kitchen for 90 minutes.

The chef was heavy handed with the salt but one of my dining companions who happened to love the taste of gamey lamb remarked that this dish was spectacular. So I guess it’s really down to preference – either you like it or you don’t.

Priced at S$78.88, this “Abundance Fortune” serves up to 6 to 8 guests. 1-day advance order is required. 

7. Reunion Steamed Claypot Jasmine Rice with Chinese Sausages and Air Dry Duck Drumstick

In terms of ranking, this comes close to the sumptuous poon choi dish I declared champion. I was stuffed by now but I couldn’t throw in the towel just yet – the grains of rice perfumed with the right amount of smokiness and crusty burnt bits were too tempting. 

This signature dish is a crowd pleaser simply because it is that good. As usual, I enjoyed pairing the crusty rice with the juicy Chinese sausages most. The duck meat leaned to the saltier side which I’m not a fan of. 

To my pleasant surprise, the densely packed liver sausages were sweet without any hint of gaminess.   

Priced at S$68.88 for up to 6 guests and S$88.88 for up to 10 guests, available for dine-in and takeaway. 1-day advance order is required for this “Abundance Wealth”.

8. “Overflowing Wealth” Glazed Kum-Quat with “Fa-Cai”Vanilla Beans

These glazed orange blobs make for a refreshing change from the au naturel ones most of us are familiar with. The elaborate process  employed by Peony Jade requires these kumquats to be boiled for 45 minutes before glazing them in sugar syrup for an entire week! That explains the sugary high you get from eating it. 

I appreciate the use of vanilla pods to enhance this unique creation, but the vanilla flavour was so subtle it was hardly noticeable. 

Although the thought of eating kumquat skin took a while to sink into my head, I liked how the bitterness of the skin balanced out the sweetness and tanginess of the glazed kumquats, lending every bite a pleasing experience. 

Priced at S$18.88 per jar, 1-day advance order is required. 

Peony Jade’s “HUAT AH!”  Prosperity Goats Gift Set

These handcrafted darlings are akin to snowskin mooncakes, except that it doesn’t quite look like it and the filling’s made of salty egg custard instead of regular lotus paste. Be warned though, these are very sweet, so those on a diet may want to steer clear of them. 

This limited edition gift set of 8 “goats” is priced at S$88.88 per set, while stocks last! 1-day advance order is required.

“Triumphant Harvest and Joyous Contentment” Gift Set

If you can’t say no to sweet treats but don’t like them too cloying, give these peony shaped pastries filled with low-sugar white lotus paste, salted egg yolk and macadamia nuts a shot. 

I find them more palatable than the snowskin goats as these are milder and I like the contrasting textures between the dense centre and crunchy, flaky Teochew-style pastry. Extra brownie points for they weren’t a single bit oily to taste.  

This gift set is priced at S$78.88 for a box of 8 pieces.

Verdict

As with most restaurants, there were hits and misses with Peony Jade’s festive dishes. Apart from the roasted goose and stewed lamb, the other dishes were slightly above average. The chefs did a fantastic job with their claypot rice and poon choi. Those two dishes stood out most for me and I’d love to eat them again if I could.  

Additionally, the waiting staff at Peony Jade are polite and attentive, adding a nice touch to your experience there. 

Getting to Peony Jade @ Keppel Club

As Keppel Club is located pretty far in along Bukit Chermin Road, it would be good if you drive or cab in. Parking lots are available. 

Alternatively, you can take a bus from VivoCity (bus stop no. 14141), alight 3 stops after (bus stop no. 14151), turn left and follow the meandering road. It might be sunny, so I suggest you slap on some sunscreen or take an umbrella with you. 

Address: Bukit Chermin Road, Keppel Club, Singapore 109918
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 11am – 230pm & 6pm – 1030pm | Saturday – Sunday 1030am – 230pm & 6pm – 11pm
Telephone: 62769138 (for reservations) 

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This post was brought to you by Peony Jade.