Imperial Treasure NanBei Restaurant

Was out for a birthday celebration for Andrew when he suggested having some dim sum which he had much positive feedback about. The idea was to find something affordable and tasty and he brought me and our mutual friend Mandy to Imperial in Takashimaya for the meal. According to him, its always packed, has great food and are at loggerheads with rival restaurant chain Crystal Jade. All the above is speculation by the way, nothing to back it up whatsoever.

Location: 191 Orchard Road #05-12/13

Contact: 67381238

Price Range: $30 - 40 per head

The Imperial Treasure Restaurant

Interior

Menu

In terms of the decor, the place is decked in slick, dark and contrasting colors to provide a high end feel to the place. The seats are available in 2 varieties, a pseudo al fresco open dining concept and a compartmentalized seating to maximize space. Both were thankfully spacious and accessible.
Service wise, the place was decent. Attendants are attentive when there's less people, but as the crowd grows, so does their attention span. So be warned. Also, as the crowd increases, you get the feeling that they're trying to shoo you out once you've finished. Minor gripes but worth noting still.

Yam Puff ($3.30)

The yam puff is aesthetically pleasing but ultimately lacks bite. In fact, the consensus is that it sadly lacks taste. To be blunt and to the point, not recommended to try.

Deep Fried Beancurd Skin ($4.20)

Their rendition was pretty decent, full of shrimp, fish paste and chopped carrots deep fried to a nice crispy golden brown before being served. Whats not to like about it?

Siew Mai ($4)

Their siew mai came in generous portions and are bigger then usual. However, it also comes with a pretty strong meat and pork taste which may not be appealing to everyone. For example, i for one didn't like it too much.

Carrot Cake ($3.30)

The carrot cake is nicely done in my opinion, hot and fresh with little bits of lap cheong embedded in with bits of mushrooms. The result is a surpringly fragrant and sweet carrot cake reminiscent of Crystal Jade's rendition. Still, it is on the oily side as usual.

Pork Rib ($3.50)

Didn't have any of this at all. The impression from my friend was that it was ok though.

Stir Fried Mixed Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce ($14 for 2 plates)

Andrew's utmost recommendation is also one of the more expensive items. The stir fried mushrooms are a rather simple dish really. Majority of the taste came from the oyster sauce instead of the mushrooms but there's just enough sweetness to make it good. Filled with hoshimeiji, golden mushroom and enoki mushrooms, its an ideal treat for mushroom lovers. Look out for the price tag though.

Xiao Long Bao ($3.60)

Their rendition of Xiao Long Bao was passable but only just. The pork taste was too much and the soup wasn't really tasty as well. Not to mention the rather fragile skin which broke easily. More work needed here for sure.

Steamed Shrimp Rice Roll ($5.20)

Their steamed rice roll was a little too thick for my liking. Otherwise, the shrimp were crunchy, sweet and fresh while the soy sauce was adequate without being overwhelming.

Prawn Dumpling With Salad Dip ($8.40 for 2)

I'd say this was the star of the day actually. Sweet, juicy and bursting with flavor. The hot dish had the 3 of us going for seconds and still feeling there can be more. To be picky, it is still an oily dish but hey, i'd gladly have another. Do note, its only average but its good enough to recommend to eat when you're here.

Roasted Pork ($8)

Another recommended dish by Andrew, the pork here pales in comparison to Royal China, but of course, the price is different as well. The sad part is that the skin isn't as crispy as it should be and the meat lacked bite. The rest was salvaged by the mustard sauce which covered everything else up so that it was actually pretty good in the end.

BBQ Pork Pastry ($3.30)

Like the buns, the pastry was average at best. The bbq pork was sweet and filling but the pastry and bun were too thick. The pastry was also not fragrant enough, probably due to the lack of butter.

Custurd Bun ($3.60)

Another Look

I love custard buns actually so i'm rather biased on this. This bun however, needs improvement as well. The bun itself is alright, fluffy and light but the custard inside is of the watery variety and was overly sweet. It was sweet to the point it felt like eating sugar syrup. Even my friends couldn't find it in them to like it and this was actually my order.

Egg Tarts ($3)

Well, these egg tarts weren't anything to shout about. Dry and practically tasteless. I'd say they need to really work on the recipe for the pastry and the filling.

Bill

The final bill for 3 people at a semi decent dim sum session accrued to $92.39. About $31 each. Reasonable bill but the quality can definately improve.

Overall Score: 6/10

Last Word:
Its not that the food is bad here. In fact, it was decent. Service was prompt. Selection was plentiful. Ambiance was acceptable. The problem is the quality of the food and the fact that with the same amount, we could have eaten in Royal China or even Yan Ting. (Yan Ting no longer has ala carte as of this post. They have a buffet selection at $68 ++ per head now) Still, i think the company made the meal most enjoyable and there's nothing like a good get together of friends to catch up on their lives. And that is what's really important.