On the second floor of Capitol Piazza is @famoustreasure, a Chinese restaurant that describes what they serve as Nanyang cuisine, running the gamut of Cantonese, Teochew and Hokkien dishes. Regardless of which dialect group’s you order, what you can be certain of is that the item would be really tasty. That’s my experience so far from the visits I’ve paid.
When T.H. and I took my parents on Thursday this week, we ordered six dishes to share amongst the four of us. Nibbled on their complimentary appetite-whetting juicy tomatoes marinated in sour plum juice before the first one arrived. It was Poached Pork Belly with Garlic ($18++). I liked it that the thinly- sliced meat had a clean taste and was paired with an ideal amount of golden garlic.
I have always enjoyed the Chinchalok Squid with Lady’s Finger ($20++), so it’s a must-order whenever I’m at Famous Treasure. Stirfried in a fragrant savoury sambal, the squid is springy but not rubbery, and the vegetable retains a bit of crunch.
Another dish that I never miss is the simple but delicious meat-stuffed Hakka Beancurd presented with lady’s fingers in a claypot with lipsmacking sauce ($16++).
The “Soon Hock” (Marble Goby) with Preserved Vegetables (market price: $11 for 100gms, and ours cost $88++) was finished with black vinegar, crunchy peanuts and sliced chilli padi upon serving. I have always found the gravy the fish comes in to be so flavourful, I actually drown my bowl of plain rice in it. A dollop of raw minced garlic and extra chilli padi are imperative as final touches.
“Har Jeong Gai” or Deepfried Chicken Wings with Shrimp Paste ($18++) is my forever kryptonite and I was not disappointed at all by my first taste of @famoustreasure’s version. The crunchiness level was commendable.
The same applied for the Braised Pork Rib with Lemongrass which my mum had requested for, after spotting it in the menu. Each long piece of the spare rib’s wonderfully tender meat was saturated in an appetising tangy-sweet glaze. How thoughtful of the kitchen team to wrap the tip of the bone in silver foil so we could easily hold the rib to eat.
In case you are curious, our bill, inclusive of a couple of mugs of beer, came to just over $300.