EMPRESS Review – Contemporary Chinese Dining At Asian Civilisations Museum -

I celebrated my birthday last month at EMPRESS and am very glad that to dine at this restaurant for my dinner celebration. Besides the really awesome location overlooking the Singapore river, their service is really commendable and attentive to our needs. Match that with a beautifully presented and spread of delicious Chinese dishes, it’s an ideal spot to celebrate a special occasion.

Located in the iconic Asian Civilisations Museum, EMPRESS features an outdoor alfresco dining area that overlooks the Singapore river. We arrived just in time to enjoy the happy hour drinks (5pm to 8pm) while enjoying the panoramic view of the river. Such a great way to spend some quality time together!

If you’re heading there for dinner, the best time to arrive would be about 5:45pm, just when the sun is starting to set and the weather is still cooling. We sat in the outdoor alfresco area to enjoy some drinks first before moving into the indoor area. The indoor area offers a really cosy atmosphere, furnished with a modern design and traditional Chinese elements. It has a great balance of contemporary yet traditional setting to fit into the historic vicinity of the Asian Civilisations Museum.

Indoor area

Dim Sum Platter ($9.80)

We ordered their Empress Dim Sum Platter ($9.80) to start, which features five delectable mainstay treats – Har Gau, Siew Mai, Seafood & Spinach Dumpling, Steamed Shanghai Soup Dumpling, Mushroom & Corn Dumpling. Our favourite from this basket was surprisingly the Seafood & Spinach Dumpling – mainly because it’s a unique item compared to other places, and also because of its fresh ingredients that are encased in a soft, spinach-infused skin.

King Prawns ($30)

The next item we ordered is one of their seafood dishes – King Prawns ($30). This dish features prawns prepared in two methods: one of them is the classic Salted Egg Yolk coating and another is the Crispy Prawn Roll with Yuzu-Ginger Flower Dressing which is basically Ngoh Hiang (Chinese Five-Spice Pork Roll). Albeit the price tag, this is really worth it and so good – the Yuzu-Ginger flower dressing is an innovative pairing on the prawn roll, giving it a tangy and refreshing sensation.

Seafood Spinach Tofu Housemade Deep-Fried Tofu, Prawns, Fish, Scallops ($22)

On first look – this dish may look deceivingly simple. But in reality, it’s so good! Imagine a marinated deep-fried tofu with spinach squares freshly made, then drenched in a savoury gravy filled with an abundance of cod, scallop and prawns. Loaded with nutrients and just happens to taste great too.

Stir-fried King Prawn Hor Fun Scallions, Egg Drop Gravy ($24)

Just looking at this dish makes us so hungry! This is so addictive and unlike any other hor fun we’ve ever tasted. The combination of wok hei, fragrance and thick savoury sauce on a bed of perfectly cooked noodles and giant-sized king prawns is just the icing on the cake. We’ve concluded that this dish is our favourite from the lot, and probably one of the main reasons why we will definitely return to EMPRESS! They also offer a vegan option – Vegetarian Prawns & Beancurd Gravy ($20).

We had a really wholesome ending to our dinner celebration, with a surprise cake and card from the EMPERSS team! It was really unexpected and so sweet of them 🙂

EMPRESS
Address: 1 Empress Pl, #01-03 Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore 179555 (Map)
Opening hours: Mon-Fri (11:30am – 3pm, 6 – 10:30pm), Sat & Sun (11am – 4pm, 6 – 10:30pm)
Contact: +65 6776 0777
Website: empress.com.sg
Instagram: @empress_acm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empresssg/

With lots of love,
Xue Wei

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