Spring Court @ Chinatown

The eighty three cent peking duck is back to tempt – this recurring annual promotion is perhaps a good indication how successful it has been. Spend $83 and get the duck at that special price. This has been ongoing for at least 10 years! Armed with an entourage with a keen appetite for old school Chinese food, Spring Court was fully booked on Saturday and almost full on Friday. Someone educate me on this?



Pickled vegetables to start the meal.



Xiamen Popiah ($6.80 each)

The companion regarded this as outstanding but what arrived fell so short of expectations. Way too soggy and the flavours presented were weird - sweet and spicy. I prefer our local popiah though.

Peking Duck ($0.83)

This is what we came for and it came looking quite a sight skinless – not an appetizing sight for me. The skin was proportioned in squares supposedly for easy wrapping in their egg crepe – sized so small, I wonder how can anyone do a decent peking duck roll with it. For a start, the skin was hardly crispy but over the top oily and fatty.



The option of chopping up the duck came at a princely $5 when it’s usually does not come with extra surcharge while stir frying it would be at a lovely 12 buckeroos.

Crispy Chicken with Prawn Paste ($22)

As much of a signature this just did not work for me. Nothing too out of the world with fish cake in between the chicken skin and meat.

Claypot Beancurd ($18)

The beancurd strips had a certain taste – cannot put a finger to what but there was some staleness going on.

Salty Egg Yolk Prawns ($32.80)

For the first time, this dish is served prawns and their shells fully intact. Annoying infact to deshell them so we ended up devouring them, shell included. The salted egg yolk could have been stronger in taste. Quite a letdown here.

Pork Ribs ($26)

Gamey taste here, ack! I usually take to meat gameyness quite well but this was overboard bad.

Stir fried Mee Sua ($20)

This was pretty much like rice vermicelli and needed some seasoning with soya sauce.

Overall the meal left me full yet dissatisfied. Desserts sitting in the chiller barely appealed either. One of those places I would not attempt to return unless the menu changes or the chef leaves. Or when I next feel like connecting with the past with expectations lowered.

Spring Court
Chinatown