Restaurant Review: Paradise Dynasty at VivoCity, Singapore

I'm entirely, wholeheartedly, head over heels in love with xiao long bao.

I had my first xiao long bao in Hong Kong, in none other than the famous, Michelin-starred restaurant Din Tai Fung. The minute the broth inside that thin wrapper touched my lips, I knew I had found the one.

After reading about Paradise Dynasty's flavored xiao long bao on Pepper.ph, I got super curious. The process of creating this broth-filled dimsum is so intricate, delicate, and tedious. Now imagine doing that with 8 different flavors!

That is why the minute I found myself standing in the streets of Singapore, I immediately hunted down this restaurant.

Chopsticks and deep spoon - aka the tools to attack  xiao long bao

But before I talk about the star of this post, let me introduce you to the supporting cast. Paradise Dynasty has an extensive Shanghai-cuisine menu, so I decided to try some of their other dishes as well.

Shanghai Fried Rice - a true MSG goodness

Deep fried fish - not PD's best. Too oily and bland. Needs a flavorful dipping sauce.

Braised pork belly - Oh. My. God. OH. MY. GOD. Ohmygod.

Paradise Dynasty's braised pork belly is so unbelievably tender I swear a toothpick can cut through it. The sauce is incredibly delicious, and the meat is moist and has a beautiful layer of fat. I cannot recommend this highly and strongly enough.

The flavors are: Original (white), Ginseng (green), Foie Gras (brown), Black Truffle (black), Cheesy (yellow), Crab Roe (orange), Garlic (grey), and Szechuan (pink).

And now for the xiao long bao. First thing I noticed is that the wrapper is way too thin, and that it sticks to the cloth of the bamboo steamer. Getting a piece is difficult, as the smallest mistake can cause a tear in the wrapper, spilling the broth in the process. As you can see in the picture, when the xiao long baos were served, one of them already had a tear :(

The xiao long bao attack plan

As per the "xiao long bao attack plan", here's the order as of  how you should devour the dumplings:

1st: Original (white) - broth is tasty, meat is seasoned, although not as great as Din Tai Fung's.
2nd: Ginseng (green) - I kinda imagine this is what Groot's pee would tastes like. It tastes like "nature".
3rd: Foie Gras (brown) - DELICIOUS! It's amazing how they captured the foie gras taste successfully.
4th: Black Truffle (black) - really good flavor, but too overpowering.
5th: Cheesy (yellow) - subtle cheese taste but good
6th: Crab Roe (orange) - MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! Great crab flavor! I could eat 7 more of these.
7th: Garlic (grey) - REALLY strong garlic flavor. If it was toned down a little, it would've been lovely.
8th: Szechuan (pink) - this was supposed to be a palate cleanser. It's like the broth inside it was made from boiled down rose petals. I'm not a fan.


Pros:
Orgasm-inducing pork belly dish
The novelty of eating multi-flavored and mulit-colored xiao long baos.

Cons:
Some items in their menu are a miss
Servers are not so friendly (maybe it's a culture thing?)
Long wait for a table


Rating:

PARADISE DYNASTY : VivoCity, 1 Harbourfront Walk, #03-08A, Singapore