藝 yì by Jereme Leung @ Raffles Hotel

After the extensive renovation, the Grand Dame of the Far East opened with a host of new restaurants and one of them was by celebrity chef Jereme Leung.

Definitely one of the most beautiful restaurant in Singapore

藝 yì, which stands for art in the Chinese language, awakens your appetite and senses. Alluding to the fine art of Chinese dining, it references centuries of culinary mastery woven into the intricacies of Chinese cuisine presented in the restaurant. Celebrity MasterChef Jereme Leung, one of the most influential chefs in the modern Chinese culinary movement, returns home to Singapore with 藝 yì by Jereme Leung.

Chef Jereme Leung (middle) instructing his staff in the kitchen

It has been 17 years since Chef Leung packed his knives to leave Singapore for Shanghai; over those time, he opened nine successful Chinese restaurants across the world, starred as a judge on MasterChef China, and travelled the country in search of rare ingredients with which to put a uniquely authentic spin on his cooking.

To say we were impressed by his attention to detail is putting it mildly. That’s before we take a closer look around 藝 yì, with its ethereal entryway of 1,000 handcrafted floral strands and the elegant dining hall decked out in cream and earthy tones inspired by Chinese creation mythology. The food too, as we find out later, is equally showstopping – tasteful, refined and intricately plated on fine bone china.

The Dinner

Featuring artistic adaptations of provincial cuisine from all the different regions of China, Jereme uses single sourced and seasonal ingredients with a contemporary approach to deliver refinement and sincerity.

Appetisers

Main Course

Desserts

黑蒜香五花腩肉 Deep-Fried Marinated Pork Belly With Black Garlic

One can never go wrong to start the dinner with some crispy 五花腩肉 roasted pork belly as a starter, and definitely not when these were so perfectly made. The meat was not dried out and salty; in fact it was perfectly spiced with black garlic and the crispy skin simply crackled with each bite. And the yellow mustard was the ideal dip.

脆椒红宝石猪颈肉 Deep-Fried Crispy Spicy Pork Jowl

The first time I tried this method of cooking was in Sichuan. But instead of beef, here they used the 猪颈肉 pork jowl. The meat was deep fried and the tossed in toasted Sichuan peppercorn and chilli flakes. It looked spicy, and tasted as such too. I always have to shake off the coating to save my stomach from the intensity.

麻酱北海道玉带鲜虫草花菠菜卷 Hokkaido Scallops On Cordyceps Flower & Spinach Rolls In Spicy Sesame Sauce

The 虫草花 cordyceps flower and 菠菜 spinach were prepared in oshitashi-style. Also the technique was Japanese, the taste was distinctly Chinese with 麻酱 spicy sesame sauce. Each heap of vegetable was topped with a raw Hokkaido hotate and a single pearl of ikura. Delicious and good use of all the ingredients harmoniously together.

蓑衣黄瓜伴爽脆螺片 Hundred-Ring Cucumber & Poached Sea Whelk With Soy Sauce Vinaigrette

蓑衣 (suo3 yi1) is a traditional Chinese raincoat woven from straw. It is used to describe the knife work on the 黄瓜 cucumber and the resulting shape in this Northern China classic appetiser.

After cutting down the cucumber into chewable size, the soy sauce vinaigrette was added and the salad was tossed together with crispy sakura shrimps and sliced 螺片 sea whelk. I find the taste quite ordinary, the selling point of this dish was the knife work.

老菜脯百花翡翠云耳蒸鲳鱼 Steamed Pomfret With Sun-Dried Turnip & Dried Shrimp Sauce Served With Luffa Melon Stuffed With Minced Shrimp & Black Fungus

鲳鱼 Pomfret is a Teochew’s favourite fish. It is eaten during Chinese New Year for good luck and if it’s fresh, it would simply be steamed Teochew-style. This is not a Teochew-style treatment of the fish, and I had to say it was not fresh. The copious amount of 菜脯 sun-dried turnip (another Teochew favourite condiment) was used and it managed to cover the fishiness. However the sideline stole the show in this dish; the steamed luffa with minced shrimp was absolutely delicious and full of umami.

胡椒鱼鰾浓汤肚丝胜瓜 Luffa Melon, Pig’s Stomach & Fish Maw In Peppercorn Broth

胡椒猪肚汤 pig’s stomach and peppercorn soup is a Teochew classic, and here they have upgraded the traditional street food with 鱼鰾 fish maw and 胜瓜 luffa. The end result did not deviate from my childhood memories of this soup, and the additional ingredients were appreciated.

亚麻籽脆皮鸡 Roasted Cripsy Chicken With Linseeds, Walnuts & Lemon Juice

Also known as flaxseed, 亚麻籽 linseed are small sesame-like seeds that can be eaten whole, ground or pressed to make oil. Here, the chef used the same technique for making roasted sesame chicken, but replaced sesame with linseed. It definitely tasted better with sesame, but the chicken was roasted nicely – crispy skin with tender, moist meat. Served with sugared walnuts coated with sesame 😉 and lemon juice in the traditional Cantonese style.

高粱酱焖烧牛魔王 Beef Cheeks, Tendon & Oxtail With Sorghum Grains & Wine

This next dish was my favourite for the evening, not only because I love oxtail and tendon, but the stew was absolutely delicious. The beef cheeks were fork tender yet juicy, the meat fell off the oxtail without any effort and the tendon was soft and succulent. All I need was a plate of egg noodles and it would be the best 牛腩面 ever.

香辣一品海鲜煲 Spicy Assorted Seafood Pot With Prawns, Hokkaido Scallops, Sea Cucumber, Cod Fish. Bean Sprout & Beancurd Skin

Modelled after the Sichuan classic of 水煮鱼 spicy boiled fish, this luxurious version came with prawns, scallops, sea cucumber, cod fish instead of the humble barramundi or carp. What remained the same was the bean sprout and bean curd skin. It would help there’s a warmer underneath the pot. The cold room made the dish lost its heat very quickly and the chilli oil coagulated on the surface. When it was hot, it was very tasty; even though spicy, the broth was drinkable.

樱花虾榄菜肉松豇豆苗 Stir-Fried Cowpea Shoots With Olive Leaves, Minced Meat & Sakura Shrimp

The only greens of the evening, I was expected 豆苗 pea shoots but was served long beans instead. This was a simple Sichuan home cooked favourite of 干煸四季豆 wok-fried string beans; sautéed 豇豆 cowpeas (Chinese long beans) with 榄菜 preserved black olive vines, 肉松 minced meat and upgraded with 樱花虾 sakura shrimps.

蛋衣海鲜干炒面线 Wok-Fried Mee Sua With Assorted Seafood Wrapped In Egg Skin

And for the filler, we had wok-fried mee sua. 面线 Mee sua is made from rice flour and very brittle, so it requires great skill to fry this noodles. And it was wrapped with a thin layer of egg skin which made it really appetising to see. Of course, there’s plenty of wokhei with this dish.

生磨核桃露伴核桃酥 Walnut Paste With Walnut & Lotus Paste Pastry

All my guests ordered the 生磨核桃露 walnut paste.

Here it was made like a drink which you drink off a tea cup. Creamy and nutty, very good. Accompanied with a pastry filled with lotus paste and shaped like a walnut.

红毛荔枝冰霜桃胶香茅冻 Soursop Sorbet With Peach Gum & Lemon Grass Jelly

As for me, I am a sucker for jelly. So it appealed to me to go for the lemongrass jelly. Came with lemongrass boba pearls that burst with flavours.

榴莲天鹅酥 Swan-Shaped Durian Pastries

The molten durian filling was nothing to write home about; but it was the deep-fried, lard-based pastry that came with delicate and multiplicious layers to rival the best croissant.

Afterthoughts

All things aside, the food was solidly executed and delicious, the service impeccable, and the ambience outstanding. The portion was for 3-4 persons, but the order taker will adjust the portion size according to the number of people. For me it was perfect so we can order a couple more courses; I like variety and quality instead of quantity.

If there was one complaint, it would be that the description can sometime be different from what was served, e.g. the cowpea shoot turned out to be long beans. Other than that small typo, the restaurant is highly recommended.

藝 yì by Jereme Leung
#03-02 Raffles Arcade, 328 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 188719
Tel : +65 6412 1816

Raffles Arcade

Visited Dec 2022

Michelin Singapore Guide Recommend 2020-2022

#RafflesHotelSingapore #RafflesSingapore #RafflesHotel #yibyJeremeLeung #yirestaurant @yirestaurant

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藝 yì by Jereme Leung @ Raffles Hotel