Not going to lie, not going to miss this place. Not authentic Singaporean food and way over priced. If they plan on opening in DC they better do a better job. Hawker centers are cheap, simple and the food is bursting with flavor. They don't have to do cheap but it better be full of flavor, doing the bland knock offs is such a disservice to the cuisine of my motherland
Anna K.
Beautiful ambiance and service was fine. We tried the roti, chili crab, hokkien mee, and char kway teow. The latter was by far our favorite dish. The chili crab was a bit of a disappointment, but it wasn't bad- it just wasn't for us. It was coated in a thick sauce (that didn't have much flavor) and made for a messy experience. They did provide bibs and gloves though which was a nice touch.
Carol L.
Super expensive, portions were very small and flavors weren't authentic. The best thing about the tasting menu was the dessert. Open kitchen concept is cool, but if you sit away from the kitchen, the restaurant is pretty dark (at night). Service was fine, no complaints. Likely won't come back seeing as I can get better food for better value elsewhere.
Emily L.
I came here for DC's restaurant week and honestly it could've been better. I made a reservation for 8:00 and even though I came 10 mins early at 7:50, I wasn't seated until 8:15. After that, the waiters ignored my table and I saw a party that came after us already having their first course. I flagged down a waiter at 8:30 just to have my order taken. Crab roll - 4/5 This was a good starter and the crab paired well with the mantou bun, but I would've preferred it to be warmer. Fried rice - 3/5 The first few bits were great, but it started getting overwhelming since there was so much sauce and little rice. Pork belly - 2/5 The pork belly was cooked perfectly, but the choice of sauce just ruined it for me. The mustard seed was also not the best pairing for this dish. Coconut sago - 5/5 This dessert was the best thing I ate the whole night. I've never been to a restaurant where the dessert was better than the entree, but this dessert will make me give them another try. It was perfectly sweet and the coconut sorbet was refreshing.
Shawn F.
Nice Singaporean food spot in the Tyson's Galleria. It's in the upper level of the mall right by the CMX theater. The restaurant has a large open concept dining area and an outdoor seating area as well. Came for dinner on a Saturday night and service was good, with server coming to check in regularly. Dishes size vary, with certain dishes that are easy to share. Overall good experience and worth checking out as a unique dining experience in the Tysons area.
Sarah K. P.
Came here on a date night before the Cirque show a couple of months ago and the ambiance was really cool. We got to pretend to be grownups for a change with no kids and this experience did not disappoint. When we first got there it wasn't super packed but they had a DJ in the corner and his music was entirely too loud; we practically had to yell to hear people at our own table. Drinks were delicious; they did take a while to come out. Again, it was pretty empty initially so we weren't sure why everything was so slow. We ordered some apps and the server explained the small plates vs bigger plates for sharing and we ordered quite a bit of food. Everyone at the table raved about the oysters. The chicken thighs were good, but the curry roti puff was hands down the main event! I can't remember what I ordered but it was easily forgettable; the chicken was poached... so while it may be safe to eat the texture and presentation made it a pass for most at the table. We did have a hiccup with a skunked wine that the manager came over to fix/apologize.
Faience44
This is an upmarket Singaporean restaurant in a high-end Washington area mall. The space is large and quiet and intimately lit, with good service, but I just wasn’t blown away by the food. We had a combination of starters - an underwhelming so-called “carrot cake”, six decent shrimp and a so-so chicken satay. - before moving onto the main course. Two of us had the very large and bland beef cheeks ($48 U.S. a plate) which really didn’t make it as the highlight of meal out. The menu does need spicing up.
Ruiming Yu
Great place, nice view, friendly service but normal food.Went there cause I’ve been told it’s the first Singapore fine-dining restaurant, but was disappointed as it’s not the same I tried for my four months staying in Singapore.We had the laksa and also the chili crab. Laksa was no way similar to the soup I had in Singapore. The flavor or shrimp and seafood in this soup was not strong enough so it was covered by the salt and soy sauce added to it. The chili crab was great, using the authentic garlic chili. It was fun removing the shell and trying to get the meat in the legs using a fork.Service was no doubt great, never had my cup empty, and they really discussed about the dishes you were having rather than casually asking. That day was rainy so we chose to dine inside, but the view from the balcony looked amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Sophia Xu
Good ambience with a cool interior. Food service was pretty fast, and food was generally good.Lemak chili chicken was tender, flavorful, and rich. The carrot cake was a pretty unique twist on daikon and the texture between the cooked sweet daikon with the sourness of the pickled daikon worked very well together.Nasi lemak was a bit disappointing (flavor wasn't too special mostly just salty). Lala kam heong had very small clams that just aren't worth it for the price.Overall wouldn't crave it again but would come back if looking for a more upscale Singaporean restaurant
Matthew
What a shame the service is so poor. My food was plated beautifully and just as delicious. However, the service was so poor it distracted my enjoyment of the dishes. Several times thoroughly the 1.5 hours we were there (table of 2 and only three other tables of guest) I was extremely aggravated with the lack of service.We were seated immediately-close to the open kitchen, in the most uncomfortable chairs. I had to walk around and look for the host as the person that was serving us water didn’t speak much English, the manager was busy on her cell phone texting, and the waitress was a ghost. After about 6 minutes the host reemerged. We finally moved to a table with over chairs to at had cushion backs. We sat, read the menu, drank a whole bottle of sparkling water, before the waitress showed up. Manager still texting.The appetizers came out quick-though the other three table already had their food so it shouldn’t have been a wait. Then, one of the main dishes came-and the other, after waiting 20 min I finally had to walk to the manager, who was still on her cell phone (see photo) to inquire-as we hadn’t seen the waitress again. The waitress had walked through a door that’s in the kitchen area-and didn’t return. It took another 10 minutes before the other person at my table had his main course.Then again, after he finished (I had to sit and stare as I had eaten my dinner 35 min prior and the waitress and manager were missing and couldn’t order dessert) it took 15 min with his empty plate sitting in front of him before the waitress finally re-emerged and delivered the check.Jiwa, you need a new manager-one that works with the staff and not always on her phone. You need to fire everyone on the floor and hire new-and have a weeks training-then you need to have a soft opening and make sure you’re ready to open.You have a lovely restaurant in a great location-please don’t allow these people to ruin your business.
Good ambience with a cool interior. Food service was pretty fast, and food was generally good.Lemak chili chicken was tender, flavorful, and rich. The carrot cake was a pretty unique twist on daikon and the texture between the cooked sweet daikon with the sourness of the pickled daikon worked very well together. Nasi lemak was a bit disappointing (flavor wasn't too special mostly just salty). Lala kam heong had very small clams that just aren't worth it for the price. Overall wouldn't crave it again but would come back if looking for a more upscale Singaporean restaurant
Emily Kim
Very nice and fancy environment to have dinner! Server was very nice and kind. Foods were amazing and I really like their crab dish with mantou. Price was high but reasonable. Recommend whenever you want some nice dinner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chili Crab with Mantou
Lauren Fellers
I went on a date night, and we were excited to try a type of food that was new to us, but unfortunately it didn't live up to our hopes. Service was slow, despite the restaurant being almost empty. The dishes were also paced weirdly - we both ordered an appetizer and a main dish each at the same time, but they all came out individually some time apart (ie I would be served my main dish and we would wait a while for the second main dish to come out, etc.). All of that would have been fine, but the food itself wasn't flavorful. We had the sweet and sour pork, the skate, the lemak chili chicken, and the kampung fried rice. The pork and the fried rice were the best in terms of taste, but they weren't outstanding, just passable. The other dishes were very bland (honestly, the lemak chili chicken just tasted like watery coconut - I didn't get chili at all), and I just can't believe that that's intentional. The sambal was a bit disappointing as well. We were hoping for something that would be delicious or surprising, given how the restaurant is marketed, but none of the food stood out. The portion sizes were fine and the decorations inside are pretty, but for the high price (honestly, for any price) the quality just wasn't there, and combined with the service it's hard to recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Saminda Wijegunawardena
Uneven quality of high-priced dishes combined with uneven service from our primary waiter made this a disappointing experience. The elegant decor and collaborative support from other staff could not offset these major gaps, Jiwa Singapura falls short.We started with the Roti Prata (hand-folded bread, curry sauce) and it was incredibly bland. The curry sauce had an odd flavor, neither my wife or I enjoyed it.Next it was the Popiah (fresh spring roll with shitake, vegan mushroom XO sauce) and these were quite good, remarkably distinct flavors and beautiful presentation.Our last small plate was the Salted Egg Shrimp (sauteed shrimps, salted duck egg, chili, curry leaves) and this was also very good, tasty savory flavor in the sauce and succulent shrimp.Onto the large plates, and the much-hyped Char Kway Teow (wok-fried flat rice noodles, squid, shrimp, and chinese sausage) was at best middling in flavor, a disappointment.Next was the Vegetable Fried Rice (wok-fried rice, market vegetables, chili, burnt onion) and while quite simple, it was well executed again with some distinctive flavor.Our main item was the Chili Crab (snow crab, chili sauce, mantou buns) and while I enjoyed all the touches and the bold presentation, the sauce itself was lackluster and didn't meet the freshness of the snow crab. The buns were a nice treat however.Our desserts were excellent and salvaged the disappointments in the prior courses. The Sago Gula Melaka (young coconut sorbet, coconut ice, sago, gula melaka syrup, nata de coco) is brimming with tropical flavors, and beautifully served; probably the only must try on the menu. The Pandan Semifreddo (plum sorbet, coconut basil cream, coconut toasted rice powder) earned points for presentation and creativity, one of the most unique desserts I've ever tried and also recommended.Our server was nice and well intentioned but left us stranded between courses multiple times, forgot to bring out an item that was requested to accompany our food, and seemed a bit overwhelmed. In contrast, the other staff was almost always there to offer help when they saw us waiting.Beautiful decor, with a lovely center piece floating above a seating arrangement that radiates out from the core.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Salted Egg Shrimps, Spring Roll
Eddie K.
I love Crane's in DC (probably one of my favorites in DC) so I had to give this place a try since it's from the same Chef/owner. We went during restaurant week. I did like the interior and the plating/presentation of the food. Service could have been better- waited forever for our cocktails and the second round of drinks never came - server blamed it on how busy the bar was but it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes though. The restaurant week menu/food was just okay for me. I ordered couple dishes for my daughters off their regular menu and definitely our favorite was the Lemak Chili Chicken (sort of like Chicken Cacciatore). We also enjoyed the Roti Prata and the Salted Egg Shrimp - this dish is a little spicy. On the restaurant week menu, I did like the Kampung Fried Rice and the pork belly. The crab roll and dessert were just okay. Will have to give this place another try when I am back at Tyson's Galleria.
Not going to lie, not going to miss this place. Not authentic Singaporean food and way over priced. If they plan on opening in DC they better do a better job. Hawker centers are cheap, simple and the food is bursting with flavor. They don't have to do cheap but it better be full of flavor, doing the bland knock offs is such a disservice to the cuisine of my motherland
Beautiful ambiance and service was fine. We tried the roti, chili crab, hokkien mee, and char kway teow. The latter was by far our favorite dish. The chili crab was a bit of a disappointment, but it wasn't bad- it just wasn't for us. It was coated in a thick sauce (that didn't have much flavor) and made for a messy experience. They did provide bibs and gloves though which was a nice touch.
Super expensive, portions were very small and flavors weren't authentic. The best thing about the tasting menu was the dessert. Open kitchen concept is cool, but if you sit away from the kitchen, the restaurant is pretty dark (at night). Service was fine, no complaints. Likely won't come back seeing as I can get better food for better value elsewhere.
I came here for DC's restaurant week and honestly it could've been better. I made a reservation for 8:00 and even though I came 10 mins early at 7:50, I wasn't seated until 8:15. After that, the waiters ignored my table and I saw a party that came after us already having their first course. I flagged down a waiter at 8:30 just to have my order taken. Crab roll - 4/5 This was a good starter and the crab paired well with the mantou bun, but I would've preferred it to be warmer. Fried rice - 3/5 The first few bits were great, but it started getting overwhelming since there was so much sauce and little rice. Pork belly - 2/5 The pork belly was cooked perfectly, but the choice of sauce just ruined it for me. The mustard seed was also not the best pairing for this dish. Coconut sago - 5/5 This dessert was the best thing I ate the whole night. I've never been to a restaurant where the dessert was better than the entree, but this dessert will make me give them another try. It was perfectly sweet and the coconut sorbet was refreshing.
Nice Singaporean food spot in the Tyson's Galleria. It's in the upper level of the mall right by the CMX theater. The restaurant has a large open concept dining area and an outdoor seating area as well. Came for dinner on a Saturday night and service was good, with server coming to check in regularly. Dishes size vary, with certain dishes that are easy to share. Overall good experience and worth checking out as a unique dining experience in the Tysons area.
Came here on a date night before the Cirque show a couple of months ago and the ambiance was really cool. We got to pretend to be grownups for a change with no kids and this experience did not disappoint. When we first got there it wasn't super packed but they had a DJ in the corner and his music was entirely too loud; we practically had to yell to hear people at our own table. Drinks were delicious; they did take a while to come out. Again, it was pretty empty initially so we weren't sure why everything was so slow. We ordered some apps and the server explained the small plates vs bigger plates for sharing and we ordered quite a bit of food. Everyone at the table raved about the oysters. The chicken thighs were good, but the curry roti puff was hands down the main event! I can't remember what I ordered but it was easily forgettable; the chicken was poached... so while it may be safe to eat the texture and presentation made it a pass for most at the table. We did have a hiccup with a skunked wine that the manager came over to fix/apologize.
This is an upmarket Singaporean restaurant in a high-end Washington area mall. The space is large and quiet and intimately lit, with good service, but I just wasn’t blown away by the food. We had a combination of starters - an underwhelming so-called “carrot cake”, six decent shrimp and a so-so chicken satay. - before moving onto the main course. Two of us had the very large and bland beef cheeks ($48 U.S. a plate) which really didn’t make it as the highlight of meal out. The menu does need spicing up.
Great place, nice view, friendly service but normal food.Went there cause I’ve been told it’s the first Singapore fine-dining restaurant, but was disappointed as it’s not the same I tried for my four months staying in Singapore.We had the laksa and also the chili crab. Laksa was no way similar to the soup I had in Singapore. The flavor or shrimp and seafood in this soup was not strong enough so it was covered by the salt and soy sauce added to it. The chili crab was great, using the authentic garlic chili. It was fun removing the shell and trying to get the meat in the legs using a fork.Service was no doubt great, never had my cup empty, and they really discussed about the dishes you were having rather than casually asking. That day was rainy so we chose to dine inside, but the view from the balcony looked amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Good ambience with a cool interior. Food service was pretty fast, and food was generally good.Lemak chili chicken was tender, flavorful, and rich. The carrot cake was a pretty unique twist on daikon and the texture between the cooked sweet daikon with the sourness of the pickled daikon worked very well together.Nasi lemak was a bit disappointing (flavor wasn't too special mostly just salty). Lala kam heong had very small clams that just aren't worth it for the price.Overall wouldn't crave it again but would come back if looking for a more upscale Singaporean restaurant
What a shame the service is so poor. My food was plated beautifully and just as delicious. However, the service was so poor it distracted my enjoyment of the dishes. Several times thoroughly the 1.5 hours we were there (table of 2 and only three other tables of guest) I was extremely aggravated with the lack of service.We were seated immediately-close to the open kitchen, in the most uncomfortable chairs. I had to walk around and look for the host as the person that was serving us water didn’t speak much English, the manager was busy on her cell phone texting, and the waitress was a ghost. After about 6 minutes the host reemerged. We finally moved to a table with over chairs to at had cushion backs. We sat, read the menu, drank a whole bottle of sparkling water, before the waitress showed up. Manager still texting.The appetizers came out quick-though the other three table already had their food so it shouldn’t have been a wait. Then, one of the main dishes came-and the other, after waiting 20 min I finally had to walk to the manager, who was still on her cell phone (see photo) to inquire-as we hadn’t seen the waitress again. The waitress had walked through a door that’s in the kitchen area-and didn’t return. It took another 10 minutes before the other person at my table had his main course.Then again, after he finished (I had to sit and stare as I had eaten my dinner 35 min prior and the waitress and manager were missing and couldn’t order dessert) it took 15 min with his empty plate sitting in front of him before the waitress finally re-emerged and delivered the check.Jiwa, you need a new manager-one that works with the staff and not always on her phone. You need to fire everyone on the floor and hire new-and have a weeks training-then you need to have a soft opening and make sure you’re ready to open.You have a lovely restaurant in a great location-please don’t allow these people to ruin your business.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Good ambience with a cool interior. Food service was pretty fast, and food was generally good.Lemak chili chicken was tender, flavorful, and rich. The carrot cake was a pretty unique twist on daikon and the texture between the cooked sweet daikon with the sourness of the pickled daikon worked very well together. Nasi lemak was a bit disappointing (flavor wasn't too special mostly just salty). Lala kam heong had very small clams that just aren't worth it for the price. Overall wouldn't crave it again but would come back if looking for a more upscale Singaporean restaurant
Very nice and fancy environment to have dinner! Server was very nice and kind. Foods were amazing and I really like their crab dish with mantou. Price was high but reasonable. Recommend whenever you want some nice dinner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chili Crab with Mantou
I went on a date night, and we were excited to try a type of food that was new to us, but unfortunately it didn't live up to our hopes. Service was slow, despite the restaurant being almost empty. The dishes were also paced weirdly - we both ordered an appetizer and a main dish each at the same time, but they all came out individually some time apart (ie I would be served my main dish and we would wait a while for the second main dish to come out, etc.). All of that would have been fine, but the food itself wasn't flavorful. We had the sweet and sour pork, the skate, the lemak chili chicken, and the kampung fried rice. The pork and the fried rice were the best in terms of taste, but they weren't outstanding, just passable. The other dishes were very bland (honestly, the lemak chili chicken just tasted like watery coconut - I didn't get chili at all), and I just can't believe that that's intentional. The sambal was a bit disappointing as well. We were hoping for something that would be delicious or surprising, given how the restaurant is marketed, but none of the food stood out. The portion sizes were fine and the decorations inside are pretty, but for the high price (honestly, for any price) the quality just wasn't there, and combined with the service it's hard to recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Uneven quality of high-priced dishes combined with uneven service from our primary waiter made this a disappointing experience. The elegant decor and collaborative support from other staff could not offset these major gaps, Jiwa Singapura falls short.We started with the Roti Prata (hand-folded bread, curry sauce) and it was incredibly bland. The curry sauce had an odd flavor, neither my wife or I enjoyed it.Next it was the Popiah (fresh spring roll with shitake, vegan mushroom XO sauce) and these were quite good, remarkably distinct flavors and beautiful presentation.Our last small plate was the Salted Egg Shrimp (sauteed shrimps, salted duck egg, chili, curry leaves) and this was also very good, tasty savory flavor in the sauce and succulent shrimp.Onto the large plates, and the much-hyped Char Kway Teow (wok-fried flat rice noodles, squid, shrimp, and chinese sausage) was at best middling in flavor, a disappointment.Next was the Vegetable Fried Rice (wok-fried rice, market vegetables, chili, burnt onion) and while quite simple, it was well executed again with some distinctive flavor.Our main item was the Chili Crab (snow crab, chili sauce, mantou buns) and while I enjoyed all the touches and the bold presentation, the sauce itself was lackluster and didn't meet the freshness of the snow crab. The buns were a nice treat however.Our desserts were excellent and salvaged the disappointments in the prior courses. The Sago Gula Melaka (young coconut sorbet, coconut ice, sago, gula melaka syrup, nata de coco) is brimming with tropical flavors, and beautifully served; probably the only must try on the menu. The Pandan Semifreddo (plum sorbet, coconut basil cream, coconut toasted rice powder) earned points for presentation and creativity, one of the most unique desserts I've ever tried and also recommended.Our server was nice and well intentioned but left us stranded between courses multiple times, forgot to bring out an item that was requested to accompany our food, and seemed a bit overwhelmed. In contrast, the other staff was almost always there to offer help when they saw us waiting.Beautiful decor, with a lovely center piece floating above a seating arrangement that radiates out from the core.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Salted Egg Shrimps, Spring Roll
I love Crane's in DC (probably one of my favorites in DC) so I had to give this place a try since it's from the same Chef/owner. We went during restaurant week. I did like the interior and the plating/presentation of the food. Service could have been better- waited forever for our cocktails and the second round of drinks never came - server blamed it on how busy the bar was but it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes though. The restaurant week menu/food was just okay for me. I ordered couple dishes for my daughters off their regular menu and definitely our favorite was the Lemak Chili Chicken (sort of like Chicken Cacciatore). We also enjoyed the Roti Prata and the Salted Egg Shrimp - this dish is a little spicy. On the restaurant week menu, I did like the Kampung Fried Rice and the pork belly. The crab roll and dessert were just okay. Will have to give this place another try when I am back at Tyson's Galleria.