Joyden Treasures – A Taste of Nostalgia with Cultural Classics

What sets Joyden Treasures apart from industry stalwarts, is that they piece anecdotal accounts of traditional dishes and interpret these supposedly long-lost recipes with their own method. In other words, the taste of their food would probably take you down the memory lane and reignite buried remembrance of the time when you were 10 and attended a boisterous wedding dinner in a Chinese jiu lou with your parents.

To start off the memory journey, a soup is first served. Presented in a softened and hollowed old cucumber, the clear homemade broth made of mushrooms, dried scallops and fish maw lets you get spoonfuls of redolent flavors. Dig deeper into the Double-Boiled Seafood Soup in Old Cucumber and you’ll find bits of ingredients and a meaty pork wonton.

The Phoenix Beancurd Skin Prawn Roll showed unexpected flashes of expertise. Crisply fried shards of beancurd skin wrapping fresh juicy prawns, salted eggs, century eggs and cilantro, then dipped in homemade sweet and sour sauce make each bite fragrant, tasty and addictively good.

A certain kind of magic happens when the unexpected comes together – fish with soy bean. Served on a stainless steel and a low fire underneath it, Original Steamed Red Grouper in Homemade Soy Bean Broth is a perfectly steamed fish drenched in a seasoned homemade soy bean broth and is fine and smooth with every bite. We recommend not missing a single drop of the soy bean goodness when you’re having this.

We’re assuming the Crispy Fragrant Duck with Lotus-Shaped Buns would be a hot new favorite. The fantastically crisp-skinned duck is a result of an hour of simmering in herbs and spices before deep frying quickly to preserve the taste. Once it’s ready, it is well-cooked and the meat pulls apart easily. And also the buns, that are good even on its own, feel light and airy thanks to the chef’s mastery. Pair shreds of nice meaty duck meat in the buns with homemade sambal chilli paste and special sauce, and you’d just want them to keep on coming without any desire to stop.

Firm and juicy jumbo prawns are sautéed in a dark sweet sauce. What’s great about Jumbo Prawns in Traditional Dark Sauce is the saporous sauce is punched up with a nagging nostalgia and does not overpower the sweetness of the seafood. It goes extremely well with a serving of white rice, provided that your stomach space won’t be compromised.

If your seafood is fresh, it usually requires nothing more than simple seasoning such as salt and pepper. To heighten the palatableness of the Sri Lankan crab, the chefs gave Traditional Salt Baked Crab a quick wok-fry then baked for about half an hour at a low temperature before all the salt is removed. Dip the flesh in vinegar and soy sauce, and you’d taste a perfect balance of fragrance and spices and everything good in a seafood.

Sink your teeth into the pillowy softness of Brown Sugar Ma-la-gao. Joyden Treasures makes a mean old-school favorite that is traditionally eaten with coconut and sugar, but the restaurant’s version is fragrant with molasses and is perfect on its own.

Other than Ma-la-gao, also on the dessert menu is Traditional Yam Puree with Pumpkin and Gingko: light homemade yam puree topped with chopped water chestnuts, steamed pumpkin slices and gingko nuts. To complete the dish, spring onions, lard oil and sugary syrup are lightly drizzled over the puree, making the dish sapid with a smooth creamy texture which is not too annoyingly sweet.

The largest Joyden Concepts outlet to date, the restaurant boosts seating up to 210, with additional 6 VIP rooms that accommodates 10 guests each. Understated and quiet with natural lighting from the large picture windows and round tables spaced appropriately apart, they deliver a value-for-money menu complemented by a comfortable and family-friendly vibe. Also, great if you’re craving for an authentic fix of dim sum, because they offer an inviting menu of dim sum from 11:30am to 3pm daily.

Joyden Treasures
5 Stadium Walk
#02-42, Leisure Park Kallang
Singapore 397693
Tel: 6446 8488

Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri: 11:30am – 3pm, 5:30pm – 10pm
Sat, Sun & PH: 10:30am – 3pm, 5:30pm – 10pm
Dim sum: 11:30am – 3pm daily