UE Square – Upmarket Restaurants With International Cuisines

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UE Square Shopping Mall is a destination mall that brings together retail, entertainment and lifestyle elements in an integrated stop for everyone. Do you know, they have a range of upmarket restaurants serving a variety of international cuisine e.g. Shin Minori, Moc Quan, Xin Yue Modern Chinese Restaurant. Here are 3 restaurants which I have tried.

Shin Minori is all about value in Japanese dining. Offering all sorts of cravings from sushi to tempura, this is your one stop shop for Japanese feasting without the splurge. If you wish to get your cravings satisfied, the best way is to go for Japanese ala-carte buffet at Shin Minori!

JAPANESE BUFFET LEH! It is so rare to find good Japanese buffet in Singapore. At affordable prices, Shin Minori sources for the freshest food to recreate the flavors of Japan.

Its a la carte buffet offers tempting slices of sashimi like salmon, tuna, yellow tail, snapper, octopus etc. We went for the Sashimi Moraiwase with a assorted platter of raw seafood. There is a pretty parade of hand rolls, or temaki. The Spider Temaki filled crispy soft shell crab often gets multiple orders.

The maki rolls are a rainbow of creative combinations including the Harvest Maki Roll with tempura shrimp and avocado, almond and coconut flakes, and a sweet and tangy mango eel sauce. If you are a safe eater, share a platter of California Maki featuring crab meat stick, avocado and cucumber.

Supplement your picks with grilled yakimono, airy tempura and more for a complete Japanese smorgasbord that doesn’t break the bank. Lunch buffet is priced at $37.90++ (adult); $27.90++ (child). Dinner buffet is priced at at $39.90++ (adult); $29.90++ (child), except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year Eve, New Year Day, CNY Eve & special occasions.

Shin Minori also offers set lunches for the busy working executives who need to get a quick but good lunch at reasonable pricing. An extensive selection of sake and shochu is one of the highlights of Shin Minori Japanese Restaurant. Sake lover will be pampered by Shin Minori’s wide selection of sake and competetive pricing.

Located along the stretch of Mohammed Sultan Road, Xin Yue woos the discerning gourmands with an elaborate menu of classic and creative interpretation of heritage Cantonese recipes. The menu at Xin Yue offers a line-up of delectable dim sum, sumptuous roasted fares and well-loved celebrated Cantonese dishes.

With the focus on seasonal menu that uses the freshest catch and ingredients, they are currently having Boston Lobster Set Meal at $48.80++ per pax. The meal starts with a thick and rich sea treasure broth. The stock is tasty with generous amount of lobster meat.

Following that, here comes the star – Braised Boston Lobster in Superior Broth. This luxurious dish highlights the seasonal ingredient, Boston Lobster, at its peak where meat is the most tender, sweetest and freshest. Expertly prepared using traditional Cantonese cooking techniques, it is tasty and beautiful.

The set meal also includes pan-fried premium fish fillet in teriyaki sauce, angel hair with truffle oil and chilled aloe vera and lemongrass jelly. It is interesting to slurp angel hair with truffle oil in a Chinese restaurant. But I am happy that the chef has created dishes which is different from the norm and it complemented well with the lobsters.

Dim Sum lunch is always a pleasure at Xin Yue. Delightful and exquisite treats made with the best ingredients. Baked BBQ Honey Pork Pastry is a firm favorite, along with Steamed Radish Cake with XO Sauce and many others. Looks like I must come back to try their dim sum soon. Valet parking available from Xin Yue.

I have grown fond of Vietnamese cuisine — grilled meats, startling herbs, crunchy vegetables — and particularly of pho, the aromatic beef noodle soup that is Vietnam’s national dish. Visiting Moc Quan reminds me of the marvellous times I had in Danang and Hoi An, enjoying Vietnamese food by the streets. For the past few years, the restaurant has been meeting these street chefs and learning from them their secret recipes. All the ingredients are brought over from Vietnam weekly where they fly over personally to hand carry back. This is truly dedication.

I was pleasantly surprised that Moc Quan serves decent Banh Mi Thit ($7.90). What already impresses is, the owners bake their fresh baguette daily using a special oven which the owners brought back from Vietnam. So each piece of baguette is crispy on the outside with a fluffy interior. All the Banh Mi is served with cucumber, parsley, butter, pickled vegetables and Vietnamese chilli. My Banh Mi Thit comes with Vietnamese sausage, ham, homemade pork pate. The only complaint is, not enough sausage and pork pate. I want more!

Sometimes, street food does not need to be elevated to be great. Moc Quan’s Banh Xeo ($11.50), a rice-flour crepe gilded with turmeric, studded with shrimp, mushrooms, sliced pork and mung beans is seared in a wok until it is crispy on the bottom but still airy on top. The addition of mung beans did give it a good crunch.

What is Vietnam without Pho? Moc Quan offers 4 different beef choices ranging from Sliced beef ($11.50), Brisket ($12.50), Beef meat balls ($13.50) and a mixed variant ($14.90). Slurp the fresh vietnamese rice noodles along with some fragrant beef broth, it is super satisfying! We also ordered their Com Tam ($11.90) that is served with BBQ marinated pork chop, steamed egg and homemade fish sauce.