A Boutique Chinese Restaurant
What attracted me to Yuè Bái, was the fact that it is a boutique Chinese restaurant that is helmed by a Chef who also owns the place. While most Chinese restaurants are designed to host banquets, Yue Bai’s intimate setting is more like a Japanese omakase restaurant where you feel a real connection to the Chef and his craft.
Dietary Therapy (食疗)
Helmed by local-born Lee Hong Wei, diners can expect to embark on a culinary journey celebrating Chinese heritage through a modern interpretation of traditional dishes rooted in 食疗 (shí liáo) ie Dietary Therapy. This ancient practice utilizes food’s natural healing properties to enhance well-being. Chef Hong Wei is currently showcasing his Summer menu which is inspired by Southern Chinese cuisine, offering familiar flavors presented through a contemporary lens specially designed to dispel the heat of summer. After a recent trip to his ancestral land of Fujian, Chef has also weaved many Hokkien elements into his current menu.
Review of Dishes
Our meal commenced with an enticing array of starters, such as the Roselle-infused mountain yam, whose mild tanginess was perfect for whetting the appetite. I also enjoyed the crisp fried burdock root, though I would have mistaken it for another root vegetable if the menu didn’t specifically list it as such. Chef Lee specifically selected burdock root in line with his 食疗 (shí liáo) philosophy, valuing its cooling properties and ability to dissipate heat.
For the soup, we were presented with a broth made from duck breast that was double-boiled with 霸王花 ie night-blooming cereus, and dried figs. The night-blooming cereus, epiphyllum oxypetalum or “Queen of the Night,” is a cactus species renowned for its spectacular flowers that bloom only at night and wilt by dawn. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it is believed to possess cooling properties and is commonly used to address conditions related to heat and dryness in the body. It is often included in herbal formulations aimed at alleviating respiratory ailments such as dry coughs and bronchitis. The soup was very pleasant and tasted subtly sweet without any gaminess or strong herbal notes typical of Chinese medicinal herbs. 4/5
Tong Ann Braised Pork Belly, also known as “Tong An Fen Rou” (同安封肉), is a traditional Chinese delicacy from Tong’an District in Xiamen, Fujian Province. Chef added this dish to the menu after a recent visit to his ancestral village. Celebrated for its rich flavors and tender texture, this dish stands out due to the inclusion of dried seafood such as dried oysters and shrimp, in addition to the usual blend of soy sauce, sugar, and aromatic spices. Chef slow-braises the pork belly in a cloth bag for hours until it becomes incredibly tender and deeply infused with flavor. The addition of dried seafood imparts a taste reminiscent of Hokkien Bak Zhang. Chef uses German pork belly, which has a generous layer of fat that cooks until it is jiggly yet maintains enough integrity to fall apart with the gentle pressure of chopsticks. 4.25/5
If you were dining at a fine restaurant, this next dish might be named “Textures of Mustard Green.” This means taking a single ingredient and presenting it in various forms. In this case, pickled mustard greens are stir-fried with minced pork and served alongside fresh mustard greens. It was a pleasant dish, though I felt the flavor of the pickled mustard greens was somewhat lacking. 3.5/5
I’ve always loved yam, but it usually plays a supporting role in savory dishes like braised pork belly with yam or fish head steamboats. Yam has a distinct flavor, so it’s great to see Chef make it the star of this braised yam dish. The yam is braised in a savory-sweet sauce made from black bean paste and served with alkaline rice cakes shaped like mahjong tiles. I appreciate that you can truly savor the flavor of the yam! 4.25/5
We typically associate lor mee with yellow noodles and a dark sauce, but “lor” simply means “braised,” and the sauce can be light, like the chicken collagen soup Chef used to braise the noodles. The soup is nice, velvety smooth, and quite delicate, offering a different experience from the robust lor mee we are used to.4/5
Stir-fried sweet potato cakes are another dish Chef grew up with. The transparent sweet potato “kway” is wonderfully chewy, offering a delightful texture. However, we felt the XO sauce could have been more punchy. 4/5
For dessert, we were served a delicate milk pudding scented with jasmine petals. I expected it to be sweet, but it was very mild. Like the rest of the dishes, Chef Lee’s palate leans more toward savory than sweet flavors. I felt it could do with a little honey or pandan-infused syrup but I like that you can taste the flavour of the milk and the subtle sweetness of the lactose. 4/5
Chinese Culture and Caligraphy
In a setting inspired by Chinese culture and elegance, Chef Lee’s passion for Chinese literature and art is evident through his calligraphy and paintings adorning the restaurant walls. If you are interested in trying your hand at Chinese calligraphy, you can also arrange for a calligraphy session before proceeding with dinner!
Conclusion
Yue Bai distinguishes itself as a boutique, intimate Chinese restaurant helmed by a chef-owner passionate about showcasing Chinese culture, calligraphy, and the traditional Chinese Medicine approach to food as medicine (食疗, shí liáo). The food is beautifully presented, and the inclusion of ingredients to dispel the heat of summer adds another dimension to the dining experience.
Disclosure
This was a media tasting. That means the meal was hosted but we are free to express our own opinions.
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