Silkroad

Had dinner at Silkroad last night. The restaurant serves various signature dishes of several regions of China and its capital – namely, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Liaoning and Beijing. However, it is probably better known for its excellent freshly-made hand-pulled noodles (la mian). This is the place to go when a craving for top quality noodles strike.

Situated on the second level of Amara Hotel, the restaurant is outfitted in the modern zen look that was all the rage in Singapore two to three years back. It’s a designer blend of dark wood, glass, steel, granite, tall windows, subdued lighting, clean lines, functional modern furniture, and accent mood lighting from Japanese-inspired paper lamp shades juxtaposed against halogen downlights. Very modern, cosmopolitan, contemporary in appearance, and yet very oriental in its essence, and very, well… zen. Especially in the evenings, the restaurant takes on a certain air of tranquility and timelessness. There is a sense of quiet and serene refinement and elegance about it. Very befitting its name and all the graceful connotations it holds.

I have not tried very many of the restaurant’s main dishes. I’m always more attracted to its noodles. For in this they excel.

This is their Sichuan-style beef noodles (S$8.00; US$ 4.70). In one word, gorgeous! The broth is beautifully rich and flavorful, without any hint of MSG. The balance of flavors of the dish is very evidently catered to the local palate. The fiery, tongue-numbing mala (“numbing chilli heat”) of true-blue Sichuan cuisine is missing. The mala chillies and peppercorns make their presence felt, but toned down and balanced out very nicely with the flavor-intense broth. And this suits me just fine.

The beef is slow-braised and beautifully tender. But what I love the most is the noodles. Ah, the hand-pulled noodles. The synergy of softness, smoothness and springiness in these long, elegantly thin and refined strands is pretty much near-perfect. They have been expertly created and shaped by the hands of a Master, and elegantly cooked by a Chef who understands both the complexity of noodle texture and the simplicity required of a noodle dish.

I could eat the noodles alone, just served in some rich broth. Silkroad’s la mian is easily one of the best in the City. In my humble opinion that is. (There may be some who might question the sophistication of my palate, but then again, I’ve never claimed to have a sophisticated palate. I only know what I like and don’t like, what I enjoy eating and what I don’t enjoy eating. And taste is highly subjective, I feel.) And I really enjoy the la mian at Silkroad.

Their version of Beijing’s zha jiang mian (hot bean paste and minced meat noodles) (S$8.00) is slightly different from the usual versions served at other restaurants. Instead of being dried-tossed, the noodles come served in a beautifully tasty broth. Rich and flavorful, the bean paste-based stock complements the wonderful la mian perfectly. The minced meat is nicely lean, and yet tender and moist. However, having eaten half of my spicy beef noodles before stealing a taste of this dish, the intensity of flavors in the former somewhat overshadowed that of the latter. Still, it is an excellent bowl of noodles.

And oh, have I mentioned how suave, elegant, refined and delectable the la mian is?

We also ordered a few side dishes…

One of our favorites… Sichuan gan bian shi ji dou (dried-fried Four Seasons Beans) (S$12.00; US$7.00). This is one dish that is oily, salty and sinfully delicious. This version is rather different from my other favorite version of this dish, served at Minjiang Restaurant. I enjoy both equally. I love both for their differences. Silkroad’s is crisp and crunchy – the beans are very quickly flash fried in very, very hot oil. The color of the beans is fresh and vibrant. Minjiang’s version has the beans cooked until they are soft, wilted and slightly charred. And it is the last quality that makes them so irresistible.

What makes the beans so tasty is the salty and slightly spicy mix of sautéed minced meat, garlic and dried chilli flakes with which they are wok-tossed. Addictive indeed!

This is one of the restaurant’s star attraction – Shenyang snowflake dumplings (S$9.00 for 8 pieces; US$5.30). The presentation is unique and very pretty. These are panfried dumplings (guo tie) filled with prawns, pork and chives. I like how they include a big piece of prawn rather than using minced prawn meat. It gives a nice crunch and springy texture to the guo tie. The special touch comes in the crispy, translucent, gossamer thin egg white “crepe” that sits over the inverted dumplings. The guo tie are cooked the usual way, and then placed onto a very thin layer of egg white. As the egg white cooks and becomes crispy and golden brown, the dumplings adhere to the lacey “crepe”. I’m not sure how the beautiful pattern is achieved, but once inverted onto a plate, a pretty snowflake-like effect is presented. And thus the name “snowflake dumplings”. Ours last night unfortunately arrived at the table with a couple of holes in the “snowflake”, but that did not detract from the attractiveness of the dish.

We also ordered the prawn and chives steamed dumplings (S$7.00 for 6 pieces; US$4.00). Instead of the standard crescent shape, these dumplings are shaped triangularly. They are then placed on a small piece of egg crepe before being steamed. The skin is nicely thin, translucent and glossy smooth, with a nice balance between being soft and yet firm to the bite. A small downside though is that the top edges are a touch chewy. Overall, these are nicely done, above-average dumplings, but nothing to write home about.

Both dumplings are served with Silkroad’s home-made vinegar-based dipping sauce. However, I’m more of a traditionalist when it comes to dumpling dips, and prefer the usual black vinegar with juliennes of young ginger.

The meal was highly enjoyable… good food, elegant and classy ambience. And did I mention how tasty the la mian is here?

I am determined to make my next visit here a weekday or Saturday affair, so that I can finally try their “knife-shaved noodles” (dao xiao mian), which is only served from Monday through Saturday. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this noodle of theirs. And if their hand-pulled noodles are anything to go by, I think I will definitely enjoy their knife-shaved noodles too.

Silkroad
Amara Hotel Singapore, Level 2
165 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088539

Tel: 6227 3848

Opens daily.
Lunch: 11.30am to 3.00pm
Dinner: 6.00pm to 10.30pm

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
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