Tao’s Restaurant

It isn’t everyday that Rachel and I eat at restaurants, so when we do, it had better be damn good or inexpensive. Tao’s Restaurant happens to fulfill both criteria, and has an added bonus oft neglected by Chinese restaurants: creative presentation.

However, let the bright red menu not fool you into thinking that they serve common Chinese fare. It’s actually “modern pacific cuisine”, as stipulated by their tagline.

There is no a-la-carte menu. Each person pays $19.80++ (for a six-course lunch) or $28.80++ (for a seven-course dinner). Diners can customise their meal by choosing the dishes for most of the courses. You can view their menu here on their official website.

We started off with bacon and mushroom gratin, which was served with thick slices of toasted white bread. Technically speaking, the first thing we tasted in Tao’s was a refreshing floral tea (not photographed) that was served free-flow. It was the forerunner of better things to come:

Pumpkin soup – thick, savoury, lightly flavoured with scallops.

Sharkfin melon herbal soup – the melon is called “sharkfin melon” because its flesh peels off in strands.

This is huai san (Japanese yam) salad, served on blades on pandan leaves and accompanied by wasabi and Japanese soy sauce.

Farm Boy Splendour may appear to be normal roast chicken salad, but the meat was so tender and expertly marinated that it was piquant, sweet and tart at the same time.

Baked Atlantic flounder with cheese – the flavour of the fish was thankfully not usurped by the cheese.

Oven roasted steak. Exactly like what Violet Beauregarde described when she was chewing on Mr Willy Wonka’s fantastic four-course gum (the one that went wrong during blueberry pie). Served with mashed sweet potatoes and a single yam chip.

A small pot of ice rose apple tea on the left and ice tropical grapefruit tea on the right.

Refreshing! It helps to clear our palates from the heavy taste of the main entrees, so we can properly indulge in the desserts.

Green tea ice cream served with shredded sweet potato chips and some baby powder looking topping which I can’t figure what it is.

Yangsheng (养生) poached pear. I was having a slight cough that day and Rachel suggested the pear may be good for my throat. 🙂

Here’s the venue for Tao’s Restaurant if you are interested to visit:

1 selegie road
b1-19 paradiz centre
singapore 188306

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