THE Crystal Jade chain is a Singapore success story.

It is everywhere here (36 in total, the latest being Crystal Jade Dining In in VivoCity). But it has also become hits in food capital Hong Kong, Bangkok and Shanghai.

Maybe I'm biased, but I think the best comes from Singapore. So I was excited when I tasted the new items on the menu at the VivoCity branch.

With Crystal Jade, the dim sum rules.

The winner here is the deep-fried prawn roll and mango ($4.50 for three pieces), which is delicious, even though I like my dim sum savoury. The sweetness of the mango wasn't intrusive but added to the overall taste.

For dishes, the poached Chinese spinach with lily bulb ($18) is good.

This is a very simple dish, with minimal ingredients and - from how it looks - made with minimal effort.

But the restaurant gets it right. The lily bulb adds a hint of sweetness to the spinach.

The sauteed diced fish with dried chilli and peanut ($18) is equally good but the flavours pack a major punch.

Maybe I bit on a chilli seed but my nose was tingling. Still, the cod is juicy with a nice crunchy crust over it.

And if there's one thing they do marvellously, it's soup. And the double-boiled mushroom soup with bamboo pith and cabbage ($10 per person) is no exception.

There is the subtle but heady aroma of mushroom. Order the soup with the fried rice ($16), which has bits of diced seeds and preserved vegetables in it.

Crystal Jade Dining In
VivoCity, #01-112
Tel: 62785626
Opening hours: Lunch 11.30am to 2.30pm on weekdays (opens 11am on Saturday and 10.30am on Sunday); Dinner 6pm to 10pm
Rating: 4/5