The Dragon Chamber, Boat Quay
A secret dining venue hiding in plain sight, The Dragon Chamber is a modern Chinese restaurant hidden behind a beer vending machine in a kopitiam front.
Stepping through the secret entrance and down a neon-lit alleyway, i felt like i was starring in a Hong Kong triad movie. At the end of the dark path, a door opens into a chic dining space that is a cross between a mahjong club and a Shanghainese bar.
Cocktails are served alongside modern Chinese dishes. I had the Sake Mojito ($19), a minty infusion of longan with sake, elderflower and lime juice to start.
The drink was helpful in alleviating the spice in the Firecracker Chicken and Maple Fritters ($16/$30). This is the perfect bar snack with the spicy and savory crunch of fried chicken cubes and cashew nuts. While i first proclaimed that the spice level was just right, i realised that it kicks in slowly. If you're wondering why maple fritters (you tiao), this dish is a twist on Chicken & Waffles.
Typical Chinese dishes are served too, like the comforting Double Boiled Almond Mushroom, Sea Whelk & Conpoy Soup ($16). The soup is made by boiling chicken and pork for four hours before double-boiling for another two hours with ingredients such as mushrooms and conpoy.
I really enjoyed the Tofu Duo in Pumpkin Gravy ($24), which is a vegetarian interpretation of huangmenji — a wine-and-soy braised dish with mushrooms and bell peppers, traditionally made with chicken. 2 types of silky tofu- egg spinach tofu and charcoal-infused tofu are served with roasted pumpkin and pumpkin gravy.
The Golden Cloud Dragon Mountain ($88/$138) is as luxurious as it sounds. A fried whole lobster is tossed with a sweet and savoury golden egg floss. The meat was perfectly cooked, tender and not too chewy. There wasn't too much seasoning and you'd get to enjoy the natural flavors of the crustacean with the light buttery batter.
Instead of the usual steamed fish with "Hong Kong" style soy sauce, Dragon Chamber served us a super crispy Kinmedai Fish with Crispy Scales ($88). The wild-caught Kinmedai fish was gorgeous with a cracker-like skin and we also couldn't stop dipping other food items into the soy.
Onto beefier pastures, you could either go for the Assorted Beef Claypot ($40), which is perfect with rice, or the signature Wagyu Truffle Beef Hor Fun ($32/$58). The former is a well-braised assortment of beef tendon, oxtail, tongue and cheek, cooked in a house special fermented beancurd and oyster sauce and served in a sizzling claypot. I've not had such a thick cut of tongue before but was surprised at its tenderness.
The Hor Fun is a giant bowl of umami with lots of wok flavor. I loved the thin chewy rice noodles more than i did the deep-fried strips of it (who complains about fried food but me?) as i thought that was too much crunch in each bite. The Hor Fun was served with US wagyu short rib, poached egg and finished with a rich truffle gravy. This rich dish is definitely meant for sharing and would nicely conclude a Chinese dinner #iykyk
The Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Fries ($12) is not something you'd expect to find in any Chinese restaurant. From the sound of it, I thought that it could be my typical Macs fries and ice cream cone combination. Instead, we were presented with thick cut battered fries which were deceptively airy (love it), with a salty-sweet caramel ice cream drizzled in a house special szechuan sauce for a special twist. This is definitely an upgraded version from Macs which i'd order again.
I must admit that i didn't have high hopes of a Chinese restaurant (or most restaurants) in the Boat Quay area but i was pleasantly surprised by the dishes at Dragon Chamber. Worth a visit if you're in the area!
2 Circular Road, Singapore 049358
Tel: +65 6805 8181
Tue - Sun: 11am - 3pm, 5 - 10.30pm
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