There are more and more young restaurant owners in Singapore. Some of them have totally no idea on how to run a restaurant but took the plunge. I really admire their courage because restaurants are a very high-risk business. If a restaurant doesn’t survive within its first year, they usually just shut down.

But often, the stories from these restaurant owners are the most inspiring one and demonstrate that anyone can open a restaurant if they put their mind to it, have a good plan and are persistent enough to overcome the challenges they will face along the way.

For Tien Garden, it is founded by Gen Y entrepreneur, Sharon Tan, with a die hard passion for food. Guess what’s her previous job? She works in the finance industry! Fortunately, her parents used to be doing F&B in food court, so she kinda have the F&B business sense. And Sharon definitely knows what attract customers is the quality of food. Hence, she invited ex Red House chef to join the team and created a range of delicious Chinese favourites.

We don’t eat ribs with coffee, but when the two ingredients come together, the sparks they create is amazing. The ribs are marined with coffee, honey and other secret ingredients and when stir fried, it retains an attractive reddish brown colour. Tien’s Almond Coffe Rib (small $12, medium $18, large $24) has a good bite. The meat holds gently to the bone but is tender enough.

Sauteed Prawns with Pumpkin Sauce (small $20, medium $30, large $40) may not be the best I have eaten, but it tastes pretty good. The thick pumpkin sauce is well coated around the prawns. It’s a pity there wasn’t any deep fried curry leaves or chilli in it, it would have provided a punch if any of those were added.

Even though Tien does not make their own tofu, but the texture in every mouthful of Braised Beancurd with Minced Pork (small $12, medium $18, large $24) make this a great dish to order. Their tofu is expertly fried and smothered with stir-fried minced pork sauce. Yes their tofu is not super smooth, but their tasty sauce makes up for everything.

When it comes to salted egg crabs, I prefer the wet version where I can actually spoon up the sauce. So when Tien Garden Special Salted Egg Crab (market price) came, I was slightly disappointed. But when I had a bite of it, I couldn’t stop. Big chunks of meaty crabs fried with salted egg. The addition of crispy eggs over the dish gives it interesting texture.

Vegetables with Preserved Egg (small $10, medium $15, large $20) has Chinese spinach cooked with century egg, egg and salted egg. Together with the three very different eggs, the flavour of the spinach is brought to a whole new level, enhancing it amidst the saltiness and creaminess of the eggs.

Yam paste with gingko nut ($4/pax) is smooth, soft yet sticky. You can enjoy free dessert when you dine at Tien Garden.

Thank you Sharon and boyfriend for hosting us. There is free wifi in the restaurant and customers can purchase their VIP card at $32 and get a $50 voucher with no minimum spending. The VIP card entitles you to 10% discount.

Sharon and team’s dedication is unwavering. And I must say I really enjoy the food here. Great for family gatherings, I will be back! 🙂

Tien Garden
Address：351 Changi Road, Lor Marzuki, Singapore
Tel: 6746 5088
Opening hours: Tues to Sun 11 am – 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

If you would like to try the dishes at Tien Garden, here’s your chance! Thanks to Tien Garden, THREE lucky readers will walk away with a $30 dining voucher each. No minimum spending required. All you have to to is answer this simple question:

Question: Where is Tien Garden located?

Giveaway ends on 24 May 2013 (Friday), 23:59. A random generator will be used, everyone has an equal chance of winning. Winners will be notified by email.