The first birthday dinner was one eaten two days ahead of my actual birthday at Zhou’s Kitchen in Square 2 (next to Novena Square). The Cantonese restaurant is a Chinese casual dining outlet under the Tung Lok group.


For drinks, I chose to have the 凉茶 (‘cooling’ tea) which was chrysanthemum tea with ginseng. I liked it as I could taste the ginseng but it was a little too sweet for me and my relatives so we had to ask for water to dilute it.


Roast Peking duck served with pancake 北京片皮鸭
The Peking duck was pretty good but they didn’t give us enough pancakes, hence the left over pieces of duck skin placed on top of the ones wrapped up. Minus points for this.


Double-boiled spring chicken soup with cabbage and eight treasures 冰山雪莲炖八宝童鸡
I couldn’t spot the eight treasures; I could count only five – red dates, wolfberries, snow fungus, and barley. The soup was tasty or as we call it in Cantonese 甜 (“tim” as pronounced in Cantonese), which literally translated means ‘sweet’, but Cantonese don’t mean sugary sweet when we say that. It just means that the soup is very robust in flavour and has lots of body. But I think they had put a bit of ready-made chicken stock inside. I may be wrong, but it tasted somewhat like the soup contained it.


The spring chicken that was used in the boiling of the soup was served to us. Surprisingly it was still tasty and tender.


Steamed sea bass with chef’s special spicy sauce 酱蒸金目鲈
The steamed sea bass was a little too sweet and salty for me. I’m not a big fan of these so-called special sauces. This one tasted like the Thai sweet chilli sauce, which was pretty tasty. But I would have preferred my fish simply served the normal soy sauce with some sesame oil. Sometimes simple is better.


Poached young cabbage with bamboo fungus 杞子竹笙浸白菜苗
Having something light for a change was nice. I enjoyed the soup the vegetable was served in and I like the use of wolfberries and bamboo fungus to add flavour and texture respectively.


Steamed prawns and vermicelli with garlic sauce 蒜茸粉丝蒸生虾
Notwithstanding the fact that the prawns were a little small, this dish was pretty good. There was good flavour in the prawns with the minced garlic stuffed in it and left to steam. I’m also a big fan of vermicelli so no complaints there!


Coffee spare ribs with almond flakes 杏片咖啡骨
My sister and relatives felt that this was too sweet and the coffee flavour too intense for their liking. I, on the other hand, enjoyed it as I like the sweet taste and the roasted coffee taste. The roasted flak almonds added extra crunch and texture. The spare ribs were tender and had the right amount of fat and lean meat.


Fried crispy noodles with shredded duck meat and pickled vegetables 雪菜鸭丝炒生面
The last main dish was made with the meat of the Peking duck that came as the first course. I’m generally not a big fan of crispy noodles as I often find it too dry. The duck wasn’t exactly fantastic as well, so this dish was just so-so for me. I could have gone without it.


Red bean pancake 豆沙窝饼
The pastry was crispy but yet melted in your mouth. It tasted alright but was a rather boring dessert.


Mango soft roll 香芒软糍
The last item on the set menu wasn’t exactly mind-blowing with its glutinous rice flour skin coated with coconut shaivings. It was passable but it just lacked creativity and imagination.


The interiors were of muted creamy tones which were nice and pleasant. Service was generally good and efficient. For a meal with these number of dishes and including drinks and taxes, budget for about $40 per person. You can definitely fill your stomach on less though. Overall, I wouldn’t mind going back for a casual dinner with family and friends.
10 Sinaran Drive
#01-73 Square 2
Singapore 307506
(Next to Velocity@Novena Square,
above Novena MRT)
Tel : +65 6893 1123