Like thousands of Singapore residents, we find ourselves in Vivo City more times than we care to admit. Parking is a nightmare, the directions and signboards hopelessly confusing and the crowds are particularly irksome. But we are not deterred. Because the eating here's good, and one particularly good example is Bosses Restaurant.
We noticed the name first- in Cantonese it reads as the more attention-grabbing 'hak se wui' which means the secret society, not a typical Chinese restaurant name obviously. Intrigued, we wandered over to have a gawp at the contemporary black-themed decor and couldn't see much beyond a lounge area with black patent-finish couches and a bar. Susan Hui, the manager, enthusiatically invited us to view the dining area and peruse the menu, never mind the fact that we've just had lunch. The dining room is very elegant, the black theme striking against the view of the water and Sentosa beyond. The menu looked promising, with dim sum, handmade noodles, uniquely HK style dishes, and reasonable prices to boot.
I was curious to try out the place and decided to organise a dinner with friends. emails were exchanged, Susan was extremely accommodating to our requests, and finally we were gathered, in our mostly black outfits, at one of their two private rooms. There was a universal rumbling of discontent when we realised that they do not serve complimentary water and grudgingly ordered mini-bottles of Ice Mountain ($2) to drink with our wines. We were only mollified when the first course of a duo of dim-sum was served.
Susan explained that they do not routinely serve dim-sum for dinner but she wanted us to try some of their special items. The har-kow was exemplary, dainty in appearance, bursting with fresh prawns from its smoothly resilient skin. But it was the nondescript looking prawn ball that surprised us, within the prawn paste was embedded a nugget of what we thought were rather delicious minced fatty pork but which Susan revealed later was foie gras. Nice, understated but nice.
There followed a succession of dishes that impressed us further with their excellent cooking and judgement of flavours. A Fruit Salad with Crispy Aromatic Duck and slightly spicy XO-style dressing served its appetiser function well, our palates were more than gratified with the subsequent Pig Stomach Soup with dried beancurd skin, gingko and barley. Not too peppery, the meaty soup was rendered smoother and more silky with the addition of the barley and beancurd skin; this was husband's favourite dish.
"Yau Cham Soon Hock" was not as disgusting as its name may suggest, the soon hock was very fresh and meaty and drowned not in oil but a classic fragrant soy sauce. "Fong Sa" or Wind and Sand Chicken sounded more romantic than what it actually was, fried chicken with deep fried garlic bits; personally I felt that this was a bit weak, the chicken bland and not absorbed well of its marinade. Top shell with Braised Sea Cucumber was likewise decent but not memorable.
Iced Kai Lan was simply that, stalks of quick-boiled kai lan in a bowl of shaved ice, to be eaten with good soy sauce and wasabi, a vegetarian sashimi of sorts. Simple and a refreshing change from the usual stirfried version, and a cinch to duplicate for home dining too. Then a whole Crispy Aromatic Duck was served with a simple hoisin dip instead of crepes or scallions a la UK-Chinese restaurant; the duck was crispy and still moist in parts, and did well to accompany the wines we brought along.
The best was yet to come though. La Mian with Seafood, one of their signature dish, appeared ordinary but was my favourite dish. The la-mian had a freshly pulled texture, light and springy, and porous enough to absorb well the fantastic brown sauce, rendering the seafood component rather superfluous. I could have slurped up another three of four bowlfuls.
There were two desserts: one of boring Mango Sago with Fresh Pomelo, and another of Creamy and Flowy Custard Bun. The bun looks like normal fluffy dessert buns, pretty and cute, albeit with yellower complexion than its paler cousins.
The paper cases tear away with much difficulty, and we had to be careful to turn the bun upside down because its inside was a liquid version of the usual custard bun filling, the molten custard buttery sweet and tempered with just the right touch of salted egg yolks. Two bites and it was gone, a final indulgent taste to mark the end of a great meal.
Bosses Restaurant
1 Harbourfront Walk
02-156 Vivo City
T: 63769740
