Traditional Chinese dialect restaurants in Singapore

Min Jiang has long been a household name. The beloved establishment has been serving up refined Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine since 1982; it's quality unfailing over the years. But now, after 38 years, it’s finally time for some change. It begins with the aged interior. After undergoing refurbishments, the new Min Jiang boasts a sleeker, brighter environment. The food has similarly been updated to celebrate the restaurant’s new chapter. Sample newly created dim sum, which includes the steamed pumpkin ball ($6.20 for three) and homemade squid tofu with XO sauce ($7.80 for three), or try the latest offerings of deep-fried stuffed dough sticks with shredded abalone and enoki mushroom ($36) and roasted chicken skin with prawn paste in sesame pockets ($36). In keeping with traditions, Min Jiang continues to offer the dim sum pushcart service during lunchtimes – a rare sight in Chinese eateries these days. 

Helmed by chef Cheung Siu Kong, Summer Pavilion is a one-Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant. The Cantonese joint offers lunch and dinner sets (from $78), which feature dishes made with lavish ingredients of pan-fried sea perch, poached rice with lobster, double-boiled chicken soup with sea whelk, and more. 

Singaporean chef Jeremy Leung might have left our shores some 16 years ago, but he has set up multiple successful restaurants and even appeared as a judge in MasterChef China. Now, he’s back on home grounds with a Chinese restaurant at the Raffles Hotel. Art and excellence come through in the space – and the food. A thousand individually strung floral strands greet you as you enter. Each dish that’s served is just as elegant, from the Hundred-ring Cucumber and Poached Sea Whelk ($26) to the Golden Roasted Duck ($48/$88) dusted in gold powder and served with rainbow pancakes.

Taste the flavours of Southwestern China at the largest Yunnan food and beverage chain in the world. Yun Nans has over 150 outlets in China and is making Singapore, and Jewel Changi Airport, its first international outpost. The restaurant brings most of its ingredients in fresh from the province to make its signature dishes like the Steamed Pot Chicken Soup ($23.90), which uses steam and condensation to create a heady chicken broth best eaten with a plate of cold rice noodles, chicken, vegetables and egg tossed in a vinegary sauce. If you're up for a spicy challenge, get the beef stew in copper pot ($24.90), an intense beef broth filled with beef shin, tendon and offal peppered with a generous amount of chilli.    

Most might know Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant at UOB Plaza, where spicy Sichuan dishes are served alongside panoramic views of the city. But away from the hustle of the CBD lies another of its outlet, hidden from plain sight on the third level of PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road. And its latest makeover provides new reasons to seek out the restaurant. Beyond its signature mainstays of diced chicken with dried chilli (from $22) and twice-cooked pork slices (from $22), there are new creations on the menu worth trying, too. A must-order: the Exotic Garden With Black Truffle In Osmanthus Sauce (from $98).

Old-school Chinese restaurant Kia Hiang at International Plaza has been a long-time favourite among those working in Tanjong Pagar. Its sister restaurant, Myo Restobar is looking to make a similar impression at Oxley Tower downtown. Serving dim sum and other home-style Cantonese dishes, Myo does comfort food right. Don't miss the signature Kia Hiang Claypot Spring Chicken ($20) that's made using a recipe that's been passed on for generation. The chicken is wrapped in a layer of Chinese cabbage and stewed for hours in a herbal gravy resulting in meat that simply falls off the bone, best eaten with a plain bowl of rice.  

Located at the top of National Gallery, Yan serves up comforting Cantonese cuisine by head chef Ng Sen Tio. His love for seafood is evident in the menu – must-tries include the fried minced duck meat and cuttlefish paste in egg pancake ($14), a rare heritage dish that can hardly be found anywhere else. And as you move on to the mains, the seafood takes centre stage – or pot. Lobster and clams are used to flavour the porridge ($18/100g) in this signature dish that’s equal parts nourishing and decadent.

Housed in The NCO Club, Madame Fan is a sexy Chinese restaurant by Alan Yau, the restaurateur behind the Wagamama brand in the UK. The menu features progressive dishes including its five house specialities: double boiled four treasure soup, drunken crab rice noodle, steamed soon hock, hand-cut Taiwan noodles and lobster wonton noodles. Also popular is its boozy cocktail dim sum brunch. 

Dining at Mott 32 is a sexy, luxurious affair. The experience kicks off even before you step into the space – just its name alone inspires confidence. After all, the restaurant has outposts in Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Seoul, and Vancouver, and is renowned for its progressive Chinese cuisine. The usual Chinese staples are executed with premium ingredients, Mott 32's modus operandi. Signatures include parcels of plump siew mai ($9 for two) stuffed with Iberico pork and soft-boiled quail egg, and a Singapore-exclusive sugar-coated Peking duck bun ($10 for three). But the bird shines best in Mott 32’s iconic applewood roasted duck ($108). Preparing it is a laborious process: it's cured and marinated for over 48 hours before it's placed in the oven for an hour to earn its glistening brown skin.

Since it opened in 1988 this fine-dining restaurant's focus on Cantonese dishes has garnered acclaim, with its dim sum deserving special mention. The contemporary restaurant is designed with the welcoming nature of a Chinese courtyard in mind, with the circular dining room providing a glimpse of the lush greenery beyond its windows. Come during lunch for a spread of bolo bao, chee cheong fun, fried carrot cake, har gao and more. Dinner is a more extravagant affair with dishes like Sri Lankan mud crabs steamed with egg whites, lobster mee sua and Peking duck.