TCC Orchard Shopping Centre Now Serves Modern Chinese Dishes Prepared By An Ex-Hotel Chef

Even so, my recent visit to TCC Orchard Shopping Centre dispelled that notion completely. A standalone concept by TCC, this restaurant is shaking up its menu, created by Chef Wong Hong Loong.

Working alongside Chef Chan since the ‘90s at Pan Pacific’s Hai Tien Lo, Chef Wong has over 20 years of experience, including whipping up a storm for ministers and foreign dignitaries. The soft yet company texture of the eel soaked up the savoury Asian-style sauce well, and made for a light appetiser. A winner at the dinner table was the Spicy Deep-fried Lava Prawn Roll ($11.80++ for four pieces) .

Featuring house-made prawn paste encased in a crispy breaded crust, this deep-fried orb contains a spicy chilli blend in the centre that had me tearing. The spicy chilli reminded me of sambal hijau, with its underlying tanginess that made it even more appetising.

Don’t be fooled by the Crispy Suckling Pig with Prawn Paste ($28++ for six pieces) — it is not sio bak. Instead, scrummy prawn paste acts as the meat, and is topped with a shatteringly crispy layer of suckling pig skin. Maybe it is because of the presentation, but I would have preferred if this dish had a meatier taste and a firmer texture than the soft prawn paste.

While the Wok-baked Sri Lankan Crab with Fragrant Salt (from $50++ for 600g) may look plain and boring, its taste is anything but. Vigorously stir-fried to ensure the simple salt and pepper concoction seeps through the shell and into its plump meat, the crab was finger-lickin’ delicious.

You are able to taste the sweetness of the crab, bolstered by a slight piquancy creeping from the peppery seasoning. This is unlike black pepper crab where the pepper tends to overpower the fresh taste of crab.

There’s also a Wok-fried Sri Lankan Crab with Special Chili Sauce (from $50++ for 600g) for chilli crab lovers. Just to give you a benchmark in taste, this was world’s apart from the chilli crab I of late had at East Coast Seafood Centre, which was more sweet and tangy with zero spicy notes.

The sauce was bold and punchy; a marriage of sweet, savoury, zesty, and spicy flavours. The only downside of this dish was that there wasn’t more sauce to mop up my mantou with! TCC Orchard Shopping Centre’s new menu is worth a try Don’t confuse TCC Orchard Shopping Centre with tcc – The Connoisseur Concerto .

This special outlet has been serving Chinese fare for a while now, and the new menu is exclusive to this outlet. This post is brought to you by TCC Orchard Shopping Centre.