Paradise Dynasty

Hello everyone! (:

It's almost the end of the week and I honestly can't wait for the weekend to arrive! It'll probably be packed with last minute CNY shopping and some spring cleaning but since it's a once a year affair, might as well get into the spirit of things!

Truth be told, I like Chinese New Year (CNY) because of the goodies and angbaos! =) My favourite CNY goodie has got to be YUMMY pineapple tarts! My mum makes it a point to order many boxes of pineapple tarts from her usual source because she knows that we love them! My favourite 'savoury' CNY dish is yusheng! I can't wait to eat it next Monday and Tuesday!

Since we're all getting ready to celebrate CNY, I'll do a post on a Chinese restaurant that Jeffrey and I visited recently! This restaurant has become extremely popular amongst diners and it's especially crowded on weekends!

Jeffrey and I took our chances one Sunday afternoon and headed to Ion to visit Paradise Dynasty. I guess people tend to eat brunch/ lunch slightly earlier on Sunday so we didn't see the infamous long queue when we arrived slightly before 2pm. After waiting for about 10minutes, we were ushered to our table in the fully-packed restaurant!

Actually, I dined at Paradise Dynasty with a good friend just a week before Jeffrey and I visited this place together. Because my first dining experience was unexpectedly pleasant, I told Jeffrey that we had to visit this place together so that he could indulge in some gourmet Chinese dishes!

One side dish that I would highly recommend is the radish pastry ($3.60). The pastry is crispy and light and the radish inside the pastry-shell is aromatic and flavourful! Even Jeffrey who usually doesn't eat this kind of radish pastry commented that it was very nice! =) I'll definitely order this again when I return in future.

Vegetable lovers will be pleased to know that the sauteed spinach ($10) is extremely tasty! The spinach is soft but not soggy and the dish is neither too salty nor too oily. It's a perfect complement to the other dishes as well as a great source of fibre!

Since we don't foresee ourselves coming back very regularly because we have neither the patience nor the time to queue, we decided that it would be wise to order the dish that Paradise Dynasty is most famous for - the mixed xiaolongbaos ($13.80). For those who don't already know, the xiaolongbaos are not colour-coded for mere aesthetic appreciation. Each colour actually indicates a different type of skin so all the xiaolongbaos here tasted slightly different from each other. They look so pretty that I couldn't help eating a few (sans the meat inside) and I honestly think that the soup inside the xiaolongbaos is one of the better soups that I've tasted! Everyone should make an effort to try this dish when visiting Paradise Dynasty!

Last but not least, we also ordered la mian with braised pork loin ($10.80) and it was pretty good too! Jeffrey said that the pork slices were tender and delectable! I'm glad he liked it so much (: The soup broth is also thick and tasty so I drank quite a bit of it!

In all, our trip to Paradise Dynasty was fulfilling and enjoyable (: I would certainly love to go back to dine more often if possible because I feel that the standard of the dishes there is much higher than other popular chain Chinese restaurants like Ding Tai Feng for instance. Having said that, I know that tastes and preferences are subjective so you may not love the food at Paradise Dynasty but it's definitely worth a try!

Okay that's all for today! Have a great rest of the week! =)