Chinese dining conjures up images of noisy feasting sessions over communal round tables, where diners huddle around a lazy Susan laden with dishes.
However, things go off the beaten path at Xin Divine, a four-month old modern Chinese restaurant in Duxton Hill that showcases classic Chinese dishes and flavours with European influences. The dishes are individually plated and served in sleek tableware in an elegantly-adorned 72-seat space that occupies one-and-a-half shophouse.
The idea for this East-meets-West concept is the brainchild of Ms. Jolin Lee, who started a private dining service, Divine Palate, in 2014. Despite offering Italian and French food, she realised that diners gravitated towards the Asian cooking styles. She says: “They would ask for the pasta to be cooked longer so that it is not soal dente and the risotto would end up more like a mui fan.”
Owner of Xin Divine, Ms. Jolin Lee, with three chefs who specialise in Sichuan, Cantonese and French cuisines.
With Xin Divine, Ms. Lee, who also has a penchant for Chinese food, hopes to showcase more of the eight regional cuisines of China including Sichuan and Zhejiang cuisines.
Interestingly, three chefs, who each specialise in Sichuan, Cantonese and French cuisine, helm the kitchen. To ensure a strong mastery of flavours, the chefs take charge of their respective components in the hybrid dishes. For example, to whip up a dish of Chilean sea bass, the Sichuan chef cooks the hot and sour sauce and yu xiang eggplant, while the French chef pan-sears the fish.
“This is a kitchen that helps bridge the knowledge gap of different cuisines,” Ms. Lee says. “Chefs need to be open-minded and learn to work together.” Ms. Lee gets ideas for the dishes by observing what the chefs cook for staff meals and formulates menu ideas from there.
Xin Divine owner Ms. Jolin Lee takes the MICHELIN Guide Singapore on a tour in her new restaurant.
There is also a bar on level one that serves tipples and bar bites such as Szechuan chicken karaage ($16) that is fashioned after laziji (Sichuan fried chicken). One of the most spicy dishes on the menu, the golden fried morsels of chicken is tossed with heaps of Sichuan peppercorns, cashew nuts and garlic cloves. The result is an intoxicating aroma of Sichuan spices that imparts a tongue-numbing sensation.
The innovative menu showcases Chinese flavours from Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines in the form of Western dishes such as Szechuan-style tortellini ($18) that has juicy parcels of Kurobuta pork doused in a piquant sauce of Sichuan chilli that is spiked with Zhejiang vinegar for a tangy acidic touch. The customary layer of chilli oil has been replaced by a light and frothy chilli oil foam.
Another hybrid dish is the poulet de Bresse ($35), a roulade of French chicken thigh that is seasoned with nu er hong, or Zhejiang yellow wine, and stuffed with foie gras. The smoothness of the booze-filled bird is contrasted by the crisp layer of tempura that encircles the roulade, though we are not too keen on the odd sweet and herbal-tasting puree.
Chilean sea bass.
Giving a modern take on Sichuan hot-and-sour fish is the Chilean sea bass ($32) that is paired with another iconic dish, yu xiang eggplant, that has been deep-fried and tossed in a garlicky pickled red pepper sauce. The thick mound of fillet is juicy from being sous vide and pan-seared for a crisp brown crust. The star of the dish is a mini jar of Sichuan sour and spicy soup; it's sweet, tangy and warm all at once and can be drizzled over the fillet based on one’s tolerance for spice.
Osmanthus Sphere served with a shot of fizzy red date drink
Cool down with the Osmanthus Sphere ($12), an oversized winter melon soup jelly that is artistically studded with osmanthus, wolfberries and malva nut. The sphere makes a delightfully sweet dessert with bite. Wash it down with a shot of fizzy date juice that is good enough to drink on its own.
Xin Divine is located at 10 Duxton Hill, tel: 63100-0030, open: noon to 2:30 p.m.; 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Mondays to Saturdays), closed on Sundays.
Written by
Kenneth Goh
Kenneth Goh is the Associate Digital Editor at the MICHELIN Guide Digital. A former newspaper journalist, the food writer relishes uncovering stories in eateries and kitchens as much as hunting for new chomping grounds. With a decade of content production experiences on print, online and video platforms, he enjoys his min chiang kueh as much as moussaka. From chefs, restaurateurs to hawkers, he is intrigued by the blend of ingenuity and hard work behind their food.
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