Made In Good Taste (in Haw Par Villa)

Nestled in the middle of Haw Par Villa's Hua Song Museum, to say Made in China is a trifle out of the way is an understatement. However, an occasional trip to this Chinese restaurant might well be worth it; the current head chef is purportedly poached from a Tung Lok restaurant, and his dishes are true Chinese fare at its finest.

I first visited Made In China to celebrate my mum's birthday. We received fantastic service from the smiling waitresses who kept our teacups filled and swiftly removed used plates. The manager himself stopped by our table, and made excellent suggestions for dinner.

The cold plate appetiser was a sumptuous affair, including crab salad, fresh oysters and the most tender sashimi ever (which didn't require any soy sauce or wasabi to enjoy).  The selection of double-boiled soups, another recommendation from the manager, were warm, comforting and full of the goodness from Grandma's kitchen.

Next up we had Peking duck skin, fried to the finest crisp and served with sweet sauce; the duck meat was chopped up and fried with lettuce which served as a good foil to the oil. Also worthy of praise was the Noodles Marinated in Sharksfin Soup, served with tiger prawns. An interesting dish with great fragrance (from the seafood) and texture (not too soggy), and just as gratifying to the tastebuds.

For dessert we shared a Harsma (frog lung, which supposedly similar to bird's nest, does wonders for the skin) in Young Coconut, served with dry ice that served both to keep the dish cool and decorate it with an ethereal mist (it's really the small details that transform one's eating experience from the mundane to something out of this world.)

The damage came up to about $80/pax. Pricey fare, but definitely somewhere to bring your snooty mother-in-law.