Peach Garden

Hello! Happy Chinese New Year! (:

Like in previous years, my family went to Thomson Plaza again for lunch on the first day of the lunar new year this year because it is en route to my grandparents' place. We usually end up at Sushi Tei or Peach Garden for lunch and since Sushi Tei was closed today, we ended up at Peach Garden.

Surprisingly, we didn't have to wait long for a table, unlike in previous years. We also noticed that the restaurant was less packed than usual and my father attributed that to the relatively bad economy. Well we weren't complaining because my sisters were starving by the time we reached Peach Garden and fewer occupied tables means that we can possibly get our food more quickly! (:

I find it interesting that they served us four mandarin oranges, two on each plate. My sisters actually took the mandarin oranges home because they intend to use them for visiting tomorrow. What I did not expect was that the 2 plates of tidbits actually come at a price of $5/ plate! That is daylight robbery for such traditional sweet biscuits that we barely touched! =( I think one of my sisters just took ONE of the many pieces and they charged us $10 for two plates of virtually untouched tidbits. Pffft. I hope that they'll serve the usual peanuts or something in future so that I won't feel so indignant for paying for something that I don't like and won't eat.

Okay this is where the mayhem begins. There's this magic trolley with all the fried dimsums were placed in and we had quite a roll trying to get that particular dimsum lady to our table so that we could get food immediately! The job was given to one of my sisters who was seated nearest the lady with the fried dimsum trolley. So when the trolley came, they happily ordered three dishes unfortunately, I did not catch a single word of what the dimsum lady said and that means that I've no idea what they ordered! Erps. Well I consulted my sister who was part of the ordering duo and she said that all three fried dishes are prawn dishes, in varying forms so I am guessing this photo shows fried prawn balls ($4.80). As with all fried food, it is hard to go wrong and all three dishes were pretty alright (:

Fried Mango Prawns ($4.80). I actually quite like this dish and I remember us ordering this on previous visits as well.

My sister says that this is "some fried prawn roll with meat and seaweed" ($4.50). Haha! And her subsequent descriptions don't seem to help so I'm going to leave it at that!

Oh I managed to order my dimsum staple - salted yolk custard bun ($1.40 each). I think it is crucial to eat this bun when it's warm else it won't taste as good.

Xiao long baos ($1.50 each). These were so-so. We ordered six and my sisters had two each! (: 

Steamed prawn rice roll ($5.10 per plate of 3 rolls). I thought that the chee chong fun skin was a bit on the thick side but I still liked it nevertheless! (: I didn't know that each plate came with 3 rolls and accidentally ordered two plates =S I must remember to check in future.

My favourite vegetable dish: Broccoli and scallops ($57). I had no idea that this dish costs so much =( I had always known that it was expensive but $57 is a bit too much, no? I need to learn to cook this dish in future so that I can have it at home for less than $57! But we thoroughly enjoyed this dish so it was worth it!

Sweet & sour fish slices ($36). I loved how these thin slices of fish were so fresh and well-cooked! Definitely one of the better sweet & sour fish dishes I've had so far (: 

Homemade beancurd with crab sauce ($7/ piece). I love tofu and I usually order one tofu dish when we have Chinese food. I am glad we choose this tofu dish because it was something new. The crab sauce wasn't overpowering and it actually went quite well with the veggies! Definitely worth having again.

Seafood fried rice ($33). This dish will come a close second to the horrendously expensive tidbits in terms of satisfaction and quality. The fried rice was pretty bland and it didn't have any special flavour or kick. Oh well. At least we know not to order this in future!

All in all, it was a satisfying meal and I am glad that I finally got to eat one proper Chinese meal this lunar new year! (: I am looking forward to more yummy food in the next few days! (:

Alright that is all. Have a great week ahead and happy lunar new year once again! (: