Mouth Restaurant @ China Square Central

Special thanks to Daniel and Mouth Restaurant for the invite!

Word as it that in the former village party celebrations, ordinary people are poon choi, whilst wealthy families partook of  because the food feasts total of nine courses - 九大簋盆菜. 



The condiments on the table deserve some mention, as they were instrumental throughout my meal. One of them is their homemade pickled vegetables that kick an addictive punch. 



上海清蒸大闸蟹 Steamed Shanghai Hairy Crab  



Tis the season for hairy crabs, I have had a number of encounters with this delicacy on and off through the years and they have seemingly rubbed off the palette of the locals with more and more restaurants celebrating the harvest season of this puny hairy crab.



The essence has always been in the roe. Mouth restaurant thoughtfully provided gloves for the easy consumption of this crustacean. While hairy crabs are not known for their meat, this may be an arduous task for those who adore the pincers.



街头碗仔翅 Early days sharks fin soup

Otherwise known as a poor man's shark's fin, this also had shark's fin, chicken and the lovelies in a seafood broth.



Served with a side of fried popiah skin.



I found this a perfect match in terms of texture.

怀旧窝貼虾 Nostalgia whole prawn

Crispy prawn toast that is best consumed with a dollop of fruit mayo. Double the crisp and satisfaction. The bosses were quick to share that these prawns were cultivated in the desert and more sustainable than the usual market sources.

月滿抱琵琶 Traditional Braised 'Pi pa' tofu

I found this on the soft side though despite looking so pretty - just like a tulip don't you think?

三杯酒班球 Sautéed basil grouper fish meat in 3 cup sauce

Presentation was so impressive, it was an entire dragon garoupa fried to such crispness, it was a visual treat to watch it sizzle in the hot pot. This was a smoking fish version of the 3 cup chicken that most restaurants serve.

Savoury and sticky, the dish was very well done with the flesh still bouncy to taste, it takes more than just skill in my opinion to pull off a brilliant one. 

鮑汁三海味(海参,冬菇,魚鰾) Braised trio sea treasure in abalone sauce

Looking just like CNY with a dish of sea treasures; sea cucumber, fish maw and mushrooms with a bed of greens. The essence of a good sea cucumber is in its glutinous texture. 

 

黑松露野菌露荀 Sautéed asparagus w wild mushroom in truffle

A modern take with a truffle infushed dish in a chinese meal. I welcome this as much as I do for truffle fries, even if it is already passe and just dashes of oil. 

香港庙街砂煲饭 HK Temple street claypot rice

The portions of this claypot rice made jaws drop, it could probably feed a village. 10 pax will be good if this were the only dish eaten for the night. The star of this dish is none of the claypot rice but a humble saucer of vinegar, ginger and chilli padi that made this orgasmically mindblowing. While I lost my lips and tongue to the fieriness of such a combination, it was all too good. Rice and sauce never quite did taste so good. 

双煮姜茶汤圆 Double Boiled Ginger Tea with Glutinous Rice Balls

We were almost begging for the meal to end, with the portions that were dished out. I was glad to have a tum warming ginger tea and sesame rice ball to end off the gluttony.

Until now, it was truly a gastronomical journey with value for money shrieking at the back of my mind. Portions are more than enough to feed 10 and certainly with the quality of food served, it is worth a visit. I never thought of Mouth Restaurant as more than a restaurant of nostalgia, and it proved me so wrong. 

The following dimsum items were extras, on top of the 9 course menu we already had. 

Legendary Salted Egg Custard Bun

So many have come to try this and attested to its goodness except me, and seriously shame on me. The crispy bun is similar to Tim Ho Wan's famous char siew buns. The molten salted egg custard flows so readily, the bosses were quick to share that the rightful way of eating one is to keep any of it from flowing out. I suppose my pauper status was reinstated once again, with every flowy custard bun that I tear and drip all over for the love of the blog.

Gritty, savoury and crispy were the well defined flavour and texture in every bite. Mouth prides itself for using butter whilst most use oil or alternative substitutes. Very gratifying and truly, Singapore's best.

Squid Ink Char Siew Bao

Riding on the high of creativity, there is squid ink bun with a sticky char siew filling. Apart from its fluffiness, I actually thought this was more novel than naught. There are other squid ink variants available for dimsum too!

1) For 10 pax and above, the offer price is $29.8++ per person.

2) For 6 pax to 9 pax,  the offer price is $31.80++ per person

Otherwise, there is a promotion going on with Qoo10, for a $19.90++ menu for 10 pax with Baked Suckling Pig and Legendary Baked Salted Egg Yolk Bun instead of Hairy Crab and Ginger Tea.

The terms and conditions are as follows:

1) Valid daily except for Sunday lunch (11.30am till 3.30pm), PH lunch (11.30am till 3.30pm) and Saturday Dinner (5.30pm till 8.30pm)

2) One day advance phone reservation for booking of Mouth’s Treasure Pot Feast – Plaza Sing (63377446) and China Square Central (64385798)

3) Valid for dine in and takeaway.  $15 surcharge for packaging for every 6 to 9 pax. $20 surcharge for packaging for every 10pax.

4) Valid from till end of 15th Dec 2014.

5) Maximum 2-hour dining time

6) Not valid for VIP room.

7) Strictly no outside food to be dine in the restaurant

Mouth Restaurant
China Square Central