We were excited to learn that our favourite Teochew Beef Hotpot restaurant, Chaoniu, had recently opened a boutique Cantonese and Sichuan restaurant right next door. Having been ardent fans of Chaoniu since it first debuted along East Coast Road in 2020, we’ve developed a deep appreciation—and even admiration—for boss Ah Le’s unwavering passion for authentic Chinese cuisine.
Ah Le, a naturalized Singaporean, regularly travels to Guangdong province in search of unique dishes and ingredients. This is fueled by his commitment to sharing authentic Chinese food culture with Singapore. If his efforts with this new restaurant are anything like what he accomplished with Chaoniu, Ru Garden should turn out to be something quite special.
Ru Garden stands out for several reasons. First, its intimate size—seating only 45 guests—gives it a boutique-like charm. The head chef, Chef Ru, who lends her name to the restaurant, hails from Sichuan and is highly regarded as a private dining chef. She has earned a reputation for crafting exclusive meals, and has been known to serve private dinners costing $20,000! While they had initially planned for the restaurant to be a private dining venue, they later decided to revert to a more conventional menu. Private dining experiences are still available upon request. Adding to its culinary expertise, the sous chef comes from Guangdong, bringing his mastery of Cantonese cuisine to the team.
They have an ala carte menu featuring both Cantonese and Sichuan dishes that is well worth checking out. Their business lunches start at $18.80+ for mapo tofu set.
Ieatishootipost Menu
We’ve sampled several dishes and curated a special Ieatishootipost 8 course set menu. This will give you a taste of their offerings.
EATISHOOTIPOST SET $298+ (U.P. $341+)
8 course menu for 6 pax
Valid till: 28 Feb 2025 (except 28-30 Jan)
- Choice of Cabbage and Lean Pork Stew with Scallops Soup or Chinese Herb with Sea-snail and Pork Ribs Soup
- Shunde Style Poached Chicken
- Satay Beef Flaming Claypot
- Fried Soon Hock with Golden Garlic bits and Special sauce
- Fried Frog with Dried chilli
- Pan-fried Chinese Yam and stuffed morel mushrooms
- Golden Broth Baby Cabbage
- Choice of Cantonese Sausage Fried rice or Cantonese Stir-fry Hor Fun
Double Boiled Soup
Cantonese cuisine is known for its refined flavours and emphasis on natural ingredients. One of its most revered practices is the art of double-boiling soups. This technique involves simmering ingredients in a double boiler to extract the full depth of flavour. This results in a rich and clear broth.
At Ru Garden, each bowl is carefully filled with herbs and ingredients every morning. They are then placed in a steamer for four hours to allow the nutrients to meld into the soup. True Chinese epicureans will only drink the soup and leave the ingredients untouched.
The ieatishootipost set includes six bowls of soup where each person gets to choose between the Cabbage and Lean Pork Stew with Scallops soup or Chinese Herb with Sea-snail and Pork rib Soup. Each bowl offers a nourishing and satisfying experience.
Shunde Shredded Chicken Salad
This dish is bound to remind you of Yu Sheng! I can already imagine that in time, Singaporeans will want to toss the salad themselves. It’s one of those dishes that Ah Le discovered in Guangzhou and brought to Singapore. Essentially, it’s shredded poached Kampung chicken, tossed with a variety of condiments. This dish instantly caught my attention with its interesting presentation and comforting flavours.
Flaming Beef Casserole
To truly appreciate this dish, you need to watch the video. At the table, alcohol is poured over the lid and set aflame – teasing you with the sight, smell, and sound before you even get to taste it.
The beef slices and aromatics are cooked à la minute in a sizzling claypot together with a flavourful Sha Cha sauce. Fans of Chaoniu will recognize this sauce, which is specially sourced from Guangdong. Our feedback to Ah Le was that the beef could be more marbled, and the shacha sauce could be a bit more robust to bring out its full potential.
Special Deboned Fried Fish with Crispy Garlic and Special Sauce
One of their standout dishes is the fried Soon Hock. They use live Soon Hock and carefully debone it from the dorsal side (top) rather than the belly. While this method is more time-consuming, it ensures the fish cooks evenly by dividing its thickest part.
The fish is fried to crispy perfection and served with fried garlic, scallions, and a flavorful soy sauce crafted from a specially sourced aged soy sauce from Guangdong. We were told that this was the dish that won the Guangdong Sous Chef Ming a gold medal in a culinary competition in China! This is a dish you won’t want to miss!
Sichuan-Style Live Frog
Their menu features several fiery Sichuan dishes. Since we’re not big fans of intense spice, we included just one spicy Sichuan-style dish in our set. This is a unique twist on the famous La Zi Ji (辣子鸡), or Sichuan-style spicy chicken.
Instead of bite-sized chicken, tender frog is fried with an abundance of dried red chilies! What we have here is a dish that’s fiery, flavourful, and packed with bold, numbing, yet surprisingly irresistible heat. They use live frog that is farmed locally.
Stuffed Morel Mushrooms with Mountain Yam and Asparagus
What was interesting about this dish is the morel mushrooms which are stuffed with a prawn paste and their sautéed mountain yam. Foraged from the forests of Yunnan, these mushrooms, also known as “sheep stomach mushrooms” (羊肚菌, yang du jun) due to their unique, honeycomb-like caps, have an earthy flavour. Their meaty texture is a great contrast to the crunchy asparagus and slimy mountain yam. It’s a dish we would order again!
Baby Cabbage in Golden Broth
The soft and silky Wa Wa Cai (baby cabbage) is an ideal complement to their velvety smooth golden broth, which is made from chicken feet and pork skin!
Fried Rice and Noodles
With the ieatishootipost set, you have a choice between fried rice or fried kway teow for the staple. Between the two, we would recommend their fried rice.
Conclusion
This boutique modern Chinese restaurant offers a unique focus on Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine, with an option for private dining. With an intimate seating capacity of just 45, the space features four booth tables, a private room and two small tables. Many of the ingredients are specially sourced, and the menu is inspired by the owner’s frequent culinary explorations in China. So come with the expectation of making some new culinary discoveries.
Disclosure: This was a media tasting and video was produced in partnership with Ru Garden.
