{review} Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House

I think I need help. I have an addiction.

For consecutively three weeks - about six times no less - I've succumbed to my noodle cravings. BUT NOT JUST ANY ORDINARY NOODLES!!! Only the noodles from Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House... 

I'm helplessly and hopelessly in love with their noodles. No other wanton mee can satisfy me anymore. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Plain noodles with seasonal veg // 干捞面

Its unassuming appearance may not turn heads but do not belittle it. Toss the noodles to coat it with the sauce! Not overtly salty, it has an intense prawny flavour that packs a punch and delivers a burst of flavour with every bite. It it followed by a pleasant, slightly sweet aftertaste.

Close up

The thin noodles are never soggy and always cooked to perfection. My teeth chomp with vigour in response to the springiness of the noodles. I like my plain noodles dry, but they do offer a soup option too! It is BY FAR, the best noodles I've had in Singapore - closest to what you'll get in Hong Kong. The noodles are in a league of its own.

A selection of three roasted meats // Char siew, roast duck and roast pork

My favourite is the roast pork! The skin was insanely crunchy but not too salty and the meat had the right amount of fat. On par with the roast pork was the char siew! Honey glazed, with the right balance of sweet and salty. The char siew was tender and moist and sliced at a perfect thickness. 

I'm not a fan of duck as I find it too oily most of the times. True enough, it was. Even though the skin was crispy, I felt that it was a little bland. Perhaps the strong flavours of the other meats overshadowed the flavour of the duck.

HK style steamed rice rolls

HK style usually refers to plain rice rolls - no fillings - doused in generous lashings of peanut and sweet sauce. It was served with a spicy and tangy sauce which I had no idea what it was! If you know, please enlighten me!

The rice rolls were not too thick nor mushy. It had a nice, soft but chewy texture. They don't taste much on their own so coat them with the fragrant peanut sauce before delivering it into your mouth :D

Deep fried prawn paste chicken

Crispy. Juicy. Flavourful. Piping hot. OMG. I'd describe it as a golden-brown perfection.

Even better than my grandma's recipe. HAHAHA. What surprised me was that... Despite the crunchiness and crispiness of the batter, the meat was sooo juicy and tender! Just the right amount of funk and saltiness from the prawn paste. You can actually see the marinade penetrate the meat when you bite into it... It was heavenly. I will definitely order this again.

Red bean paste pancake

Um, hello. I love red bean paste pancake. It's a must-order for me when I see it on restaurant menus. Trying to contain my excitement here with full stops.

Crispy, sweet, chewy but not too oily. However, I would like to complain about its size and price. $8 for a Samsung Note 3-sized pancake... Uh, HOW BOUT NO! Although it's nice and I do like it, its size doesn't justify the price. Skip this and have the mango pudding (no pics, sorry) instead at $5 if you must have dessert. 

If noodles and congee ain't your thing, they serve pretty good dim sum during lunch! I had 烧卖, 水煎包 and 明虾饺 the other time and everything was super fresh and served piping hot. Food is affordable, service is prompt but be prepared to queue!

As you can already tell, the food here kinda lean towards the salty side - well, its HK cuisine after all!
So... if you're monitoring your sodium intake you might want to eat somewhere else! Or you could just #YOLO and eat it. Your taste buds will thank you.

Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House

ION Orchard

B3-17