I MADE the mistake of picking last Sunday to go for dinner at Huang Jia in the newly opened Leisure Park Kallang.

It had slipped my mind that Hong Kong superstar Jacky Cheung was holding his concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium next door.

And like the eateries at the stadium, this month-old Cantonese restaurant suspends its a la carte menu on concert nights and offers only set meals.

There were three to choose from, ranging from $48.80 to $88.80 per person.

I chose the $68.80 one, which had a decent selection of dishes that ranged from a shark's fin soup with crab meat and crab roe to a steamed cod fillet covered with soya crumbs.

Most of the dishes were passable for a set meal designed to serve hungry hordes rushing for a concert. But one - the imperial special roasted crispy chicken - stood out.

It was introduced at the table as the restaurant's speciality, and it well deserved the honour.

The meat was juicy and tender while the skin was crispy and had a lovely aroma.

If there was a fault, it was that the meat tasted a tad bland, as though the marinade had not had enough time to permeate it.

But a dip of salt and pepper served with the chicken remedied that.

Still, I could not write a review based on just a set menu. So I went back for dinner again later last week to check out the specialities.

The roasted crispy chicken ($16 for half a bird) was beckoning enticingly from the menu, so I ordered it again.

This time, however, the meat was more flavourful but the skin less crispy.

Still, it was more than decent.

It was listed as one of the chef's specialities - there is a whole page on the menu devoted to these although the restaurant apparently does not have a head chef but depends on 12 chefs who work as a team.

They were recruited from other Chinese restaurants in town, including Tung Lok.

Another speciality worth trying was the braised fillet of marble goby in thickened shark's bone cartilage ($18 per person).

The fish was more deep-fried than braised, and was slightly dry. But it was fresh and the shark's bone broth it came in was delicious.

The hand-made jade noodles with prawns in superior stock ($10 per person) had a light and clear flavour, which made it a very nice way to end the meal with before moving on to dessert.

It was a big serving, but because there was little oil in the stock, I happily slurped up the entire bowl of soft noodles.

Dessert was a baked pudding called 'su bu li' ($6). I had no idea what that was, which was why it caught my eye.

The waiter described it as a coconut and cream pudding, but it turned out to resemble a mini souffle filled with a creamy custard that had a light coconut fragrance.

It was more Western than Chinese but with something this delicious, who would quibble over that?

There was one dish I did not like, though.

The steamed tofu with pumpkin sauce, crab roe and sea urchin ($8 per person) was spoilt by an overly firm tofu.

Also, the pumpkin sauce was too bland to flavour the tasteless tofu.

The roe and sea urchin did lend flavour to the dish but weren't enough to do the job properly.

The food at Huang Jia is not the best but it is pretty good for the price.

And the restaurant boasts a chic, contemporary ambience of black tempered with rich reds, including some red chandeliers.

Its owner, an investment holdings company called the Kwok Group, may be freshies in the restaurant business - Huang Jia was its only restaurant until Huang Ting opened in The Central last Thursday - but they seem to have got most things right.

Do learn from my mistake, though, if you want the best dishes from the a la carte menu. Stay away on concert nights at the Indoor Stadium.

Unless, of course, you're catching the concert.

Huang Jia Restaurant
#01-01 Kallang Leisure Park
5, Stadium Walk
(S) 397693
Tel: 6344 0250
Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 6 to 10pm

Food: ***1/2
Service: ***1/2
Ambience: ***
Price: Budget from $60 per person