Excellent Chinese cuisine at Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy Jia Wei
Conveniently located in the historic Katong district
Floyd & Farah Cowan Photos
Floyd and Farah Cowan joined Jennifer Narcis, Director of Sales & Marketing Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy for a long lunch at Jia Wei
Hidden in plain sight is Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy Jia Wei, a restaurant of such quality, one wonders why its reputation isn’t greater. While the hotel does have a great location - just 15 minutes from Changi Airport to the east and Marina Bay Cruise Centre to the west, the Grand Mercure is in the heart of historic Katong. It is across the street from the popular Parkway Parade Shopping Centre, but views are blocked by construction that has been going on for five years as a new subway line is being constructed. “And has two more years to go,” sighs Jennifer Narcis, Director of Sales & Marketing Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy.
For months Farah and I have been waiting to join Jennifer for a meal at Jia Wei, but Covid restrictions limited dine-in to just two people. Now, on this Sunday afternoon, we gather in a dining room that manages to be both cosy and elegant. Large pictures of culinary scenes and wicker chairs create the cosy while copper colours and glittering settings provide the panache.
Jennifer is pleased as there is a steady stream of diners throughout the afternoon as we enjoy five dishes, tea and desert. Covid restrictions have reduced seating capacity to 40, five to a table, but they are continuously filled. And there is more – three private rooms where bespoke dining can be enjoyed, and a Halal-certified kitchen is available for those who need it.
Jia Wei’s Chef Victor has done an incredible job of creating dishes that are innovative or are succulent versions of traditional Asian dishes. Farah was over the moon with the Crispy Chicken stuffed with prawn meat and almond flakes on the bottom. This Crispy Chicken is Chef Victor’s Signature December Special, which puzzled Farah. “Why isn’t this always on the menu? It is so fabulous.”
We don’t eat like regular diners. As we wanted a picture of all the dishes, they were brought out all at once. We did enjoy the food just as all diners do. I was first to scoop out a Crispy Deep-Fried Prawn in creamy butternut sauce and had four of them before the others noticed. The white sprinkles are crispy rice.
I eat slowly but was still able to catch up with the Slow Cooked U.S. Beef Short Ribs in the Chef’s Special Sauce. It was as tender as the night. The meat flakes apart.
Wok Fried Australian Scallop with egg white gravy was dripping with delightful tastes and textures. And to make sure we had our greens, we dived into the Poached Baby Cabbage with Mushroom and Dried Shrimp.
For dessert Jennifer suggested the Coconut Pudding with Ice Cream. You could say it was smoking. The Aloe Vera with Lemon Grass Jelly not only had a poached pear but lime sorbet as well. Both dishes were excellent finishes for what was a terrific meal. It may sound like a great deal of food for lunch, but it wasn’t heavy.
Jia Wei has an extensive menu so everyone in your group is certain to find a favourite dish or discover a new favourite. In addition to red and white wine Jia Wei offers sake, Chinese wine and beer.
You can also enjoy dining at Wave Café, for all day dining, but breez bistro.bar is temporarily closed.
Jia Wei Select Membership
While we talked about the fabulous food the Jia Wei Select Membership is also excellent. Join for a reasonable $80 per year and enjoy exclusive benefits. When you sign up you get an $80.00 voucher and complimentary Peking Duck with your first meal. Check it out here: www.grandmercureroxy.com.sg
Opening Hours
Tuesday - Sunday
12:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Last order: 8:30 pm
Available for Dine-In takeaway and delivery
W: jiaweirestaurant.com W: grandmercureroxy.com.sg
