CZ’ZAR 新品味小厨 @ Great World City

It was for unknown reasons that we have never stepped into this restaurant in Great World City although we frequent this mall so often. It is probably fate that brought us into this restaurant tonight as the lift door opened right behind  it.

The entrance of the restaurant.  The name seems to imply Zhichar in a creative manner.  This place serves Singapore Inspired Cuisine.

We were given a seat within 15 minutes of putting our name down but I was not too happy that we were seated in what looked like make shift tables in the middle of the restaurant surrounded by big round tables. It was just inches beside a counter where the waiters and waitresses access for water refills, menu, wet towels, etc. It was really uncomfortable and I requested the waitress who was serving us for a change of table. She went searching for one but came back after walking one round that there are no other seats available. I tried making myself comfortable but it was kind of difficult as my bags were pushed out of my sight/reach and I had to get use to people coming by me every now and then. I told PB that this is worst than a hawker center where I can choose where I want to sit and pay less for food!

Looking around, the interior of the restaurant is really quite nicely done up. Names of the dishes are nicely integrated into the decor. I decided to place our orders and try my luck at getting the table changed while waiting for the food.  If nothing is done, I told PB I will definitely boycott this place.

We were served pipping hot Braised Peanuts,  $2, while waiting for our food. It was nice and yummy and definitely a great appetiser! 🙂

PB’s order of  Chrysanthemum and Wolfberry with Honey枸杞蜜糖菊花茶, $2 . It is said to clear the liver and improves vision. Just what he needed! LOL.. Lovely and refreshing drink with bits of wolfberry for you to chew on.

My Hot Ginseng Tea with Red Dates泡参红枣茶, $2.50.  It is said to refresh the spirit and improves complexion. Just what I needed! LOL.. The drink tasted like red dates tea with a hint of ginseng. Not too bad.

The top view of the 2 red dates floating in the tea 😛

While waiting, I was really glad when the second waitress whom I complained to came back and told me that they found another table for us!  Definitely a thumbs-up to their service as they listened to their customers!!  That is the view of the interior from our new table.

It took quite some time for the food to be served. As with all Chinese Cuisine, it takes time to cook each dish and with the capacity that the restaurant is running at, I am glad it did not take longer for we were starving by then. Our bowl of  Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Conpoy and Crab Roe 干贝蟹黄鱼翅( $10.80 for 1 Pax) came first. It has been ages since I had shark’s fin soup. With the awareness of the cruelty to animals, more and more people are boycotting shark’s fin soup in the hope of reducing the hunt of sharks for their fins. For me, I do not go to either extreme. If it is available, I may order it (depending on my mood), if not, I will not die without it too.  It is not a must have nor a cannot have.

Close up of the shark’s fin in the soup.  The colour of the soup looked more orangey than the brown that we are used to.  It is  probably due to the crab roe in it.  There were a lot of crab meat in the soup as well. Delicious soup but the saltiness can definitely be reduced.

Sauteed String Bean with Minced Chicken and Olive Chive名厨干煸四季豆($9.80 for 2-3 pax) that PB has been eyeing since we sat down. He has been looking for authentic versions of this dish everywhere we go but he has to be disappointed again. I guess it is too much work for the string beans to be air dried before cooking and not many places  do that nowadays.  Having said that, this is still a very wok-hei and tasty dish with the minced chicken, olive chive, Chinese mushrooms and string beans stir-fried in a hot wok. Nice!

A fragrant bowl of rice , $1, that we ordered to share.

Crispy Fried Homemade Tofu with Salted Egg 黄金琵琶豆腐 ($9.80 for 2-3 pax). Although it is stated for 2-3 pax, I think I can finish this dish on my own! Love the tear drop plate it is served in.

Close up of the homemade toufu coated with the salted eggs. Each piece is just nice for one mouthful. 😀

Cross section of the homemade toufu. The texture did not feel like toufu. It seems to have been mixed with some fish paste.

Another cross section of the toufu against the remains of the salted egg yolks.  Doesn’t it look like fish paste to you?? This is one dish that goes really well with rice and the portion makes you crave for more!

Deep Fried Cod Fish with Chrysanthemum Sauce 菊花鳕鱼,($20.80 for 2-3 pax). A pretty dish that looks exactly like the picture in the menu.

Top view of the dish with the sauce by the side.

Close up of the Chrysanthemum sauce. I was expecting a very fragrant and refreshing sauce since it was supposed to be chrysanthemum but this sauce tasted more like a citrus/plum sauce to me. It was a mixed of sweet and salty and my palate got really confused.

We decided to drizzle the sauce over one side of the fish to taste the difference.

The fish tasted quite nice with the sauce as the batter soaked up the flavour. On its own, it was quite bland and you cannot really taste the fish.  Look at the fish meat vs batter in the pic above. We felt that it was a waste to eat cod in this manner as the batter was too thick and covered the silkiness and taste of the fish.

We poured some of the sauce out as dips. I guess there really was some plum in the sauce?

80% full, we decided to have desserts here since we have ditched our plans to work. PB’s order of  Avocado Pudding牛油果布丁, $3.80. It was served with coconut sugar (aka Gula Melaka) that you can choose to add to the pudding.

Close up of the pudding after I had a taste. I do not really like avocado made in this manner but PB found it ok.

The dessert that caught my eye – Aloe Vera Jelly with Osmanthus桂花芦荟冻, $3.80. 

The jelly was hidden at the bottom. A tiny bowl of dessert but very cleansing and refreshing. There was hint of lemon grass in the jelly and the flavours do blend very well.

The cute lamp that provided great lighting at where we were seated.

The view of the mid section as we were walking out. This is really quite a big restaurant.

Overall, a nice place to introduce your overseas friends to local food with a slightly more up market pricing. Reservation is a MUST if you are coming in big groups.

CZ’ZAR Singapore Inspired Cuisine
新品味小厨
#01-37 Great World City
Tel: +65 68362520
website: www.res.com.sg
OPening Hours:
Mon-Sun: 11am – 10pm
Last order at 9.30pm

 

Photos taken with Iphone4s