Paradise Group of Restaurants Introduces Casual Dining Concept, Paradise Inn
Paradise Group Introduces Casual Dining Concept,
Paradise Inn
With the success of Taste Paradise and Seafood Paradise, the Paradise Group has added a new winning 3-in-1 casual dining concept, Paradise Inn, to their expanding portfolio.
The first of its kind in the local F&B industry, Paradise Inn serves classic and popular Chinese dishescooked with the freshest and most traditional ingredients, including a spectacular list of 10nourishing, double boiled soups using the most superior ingredients. It is also a teahouse, with an exciting array of fruits-infused iced tea, herbal/floral infused teas with healthy properties, Hong Kong styled iced milk tea and local ‘teh’ and ‘kopi’. Lastly, it is also a dessert house with a generous offering of 15 different ‘tong shui’ (desserts), prepared using premium and most authentic ingredients.
Thisexciting and original concept was inspired to provide consumers the taste of both classic and popular Chinese cuisine which the owners felt were lacking in the market. The signature Paradise Group philosophy of offering ‘quality food and good service at the right prices’ will also be emphasized at the Paradise Inn outlets.
Founder Eldwin Chua, 30, shares, “We have been working on introducing a more casual eatery that offers our quality Chinese dishes since last year. We want to let our customers have a taste of our offerings at all levels, even when they just want a quick, casual lunch or dinner.”
With this in mind, Chua has taken the traditional concept of a Chinese inn to a groundbreaking, never-seen-before level by giving it a modern twist. Decked in bold red and black colours, certain touches, such as a red cushion on top of the stool, or an attached tray below the table for menus, have been customized for the customer’s comfort, so that they will feel right at home. Chua has also flown to China to hand-pick items for an authentic appeal, such as lanterns with red tassels, and tableware with the image of the famous Chinese portrait, a riverside scene by one of Song Dynasty's greatest artists, Zhang Zeduan.
“Traditional and Popular Chinese Dishesat Affordable Prices”
Chua’s mission for the menu at Paradise Inn is to serveclassic and popular Chinese cuisines which include long-forgotten classic such as the Thousand Island Cod (from $18) and the Wok-Stew Tofu Prawns (from $18), all at affordable prices. Ninety percent of the dishes are Classic Cantonese fare, with the rest made up of popular local dishes. It also boasts a generous list of Chinese desserts, flower teas,Hong Kong tea as well as local ‘teh’ and ‘kopi’ (from $1.50).
The signature here is the 10 types of value-for-money double-boiled soups ($13.80- $15.80 per pot that serves 2 to 4 people), which have been steamed in their traditional pots individually for 12 hours for the most concentrated flavours, served with a burner to keep the soup warm,andaccompanied by a ladle. Favourites include Double Boiled Duck Soup with Salted Vegetable ($13.80), Double Boiled Water Goby Soup with Fresh Apple ($15.80) and Double Boiled Black Chicken Soup with Ginseng ($15.80). On the glossy menu, the restorative properties of each soup are also explained.
Chua has also incorporated his special ways of cooking to offer the best flavours, such as braising pig trotters in-house until tender for the Vermicelli with Pig Trotter dish (from $12). He also concocted a mixture of ingredients for infusion into the bean paste and cleans the freshwater fish in a special way to remove its earthy flavours for the Paradise Steamed ‘Song’ Fish Head with Spicy Bean Sauce ($16 per portion). The ‘Dong Po ’ Pork ($12 per portion) was stewed for 12 hours with fresh fruits so as to achieve a natural sweetness.
Even simple, daily dishes have been transformed into winning dishes. For the Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish and Water Chestnut ($8 per portion), the kitchen crew minced the meat by hand each day so as to achieve a slightly fibrous, chewy texture. The Crisp Fried Shrimp Paste Chicken (from $10) was marinated with a specially imported prawn paste from Malaysia.
Tea & Dessert
While the dessert selection tends to be rather limited in Chinese restaurants, the dessert list at Paradise Inn defies that preconception by its list of 15 home-brewed, delicious desserts, from traditional Barley Sweet Soup with Gingko Nuts and Beancurd Skin ($3), Stewed milk custard ($2.80) to Durian Pudding ($3.50). Even though some desserts, such as the peanut paste can be bought commercially, Chua has insisted that these be ground in-house, and even filters the peanut paste four times to ensure a smooth consistency.
There is also a selection of refreshing fruit-infused ice teas, such as the Lemongrass & Passionfruit Iced Tea ($4.20) and floral-infused teas like Jasmine, Osmanthus, Dried Longan & Chrysanthemum($3.20), which boast nourishing properties.
To cater to customers who may want to dine in their offices or order dishes for home parties, there is also a takeaway counter so orders will be more efficiently met.
For fans of Taste Paradise, there’s more to look out for. Watch out for the 7,000 square feetflagship Taste Paradise in ION Orchard, which boosts a S$2.8 million fit-out, and promises to be the most majestic outlet of the Paradise Group!
ELDWIN CHUA
Founder of the Paradise Group, 30-year-old Eldwin Chua, can be said to have literally built his empire with his own two hands. From a zi char stall in an industrial estate, which gradually grew into a 550-seat seafood dining destination and a contemporary restaurant serving Chinese cuisine with a difference, to a 30,000 sq ft flagship restaurant in Singapore’s latest headline-grabbing icon, the Singapore Flyer, Eldwin has built up a three-restaurant group in less than a decade.
Since his early teens, Eldwin has inculcated a strong work ethic. It was working part-time in seafood restaurants in his late teens that resulted in his passion for the culinary side and for seafood in particular. While he did decide to take his first entrepreneurial step at the tender age of 22 years, it was not without the required amount of passion and ingenuity.
From the first, it was clear that Eldwin needed a strong philosophy and foundation to ensure that his food stands out so diners will be attracted to his inaccessible location. Despite the humble surroundings, Eldwin believes in providing brilliant homemade dishes based on quality ingredients and this has continued to be the linchpin of the Paradise Group business.
Many of Eldwin’s original dishes have proved such stellar bestsellers that they have formed the backbone of ongoing menus. The crab in superior stock with vermicelli served at Seafood Paradise at Defu Lane continues to be well received. Eldwin has also put his own spin on the Singapore iconic chilli crab by using sambal with the egg-based gravy flavoured by dried shrimp rather than ketchup and vinegar. In addition to the seafood stars on the menu, the honey-pepper pork ribs are stalwarts, having been there since the beginning and the deep-fried homemade beancurd with dark gravy with sea cucumber served in a mini wok over a warmer is also a stayer.
Eldwin consistently seeks customer feedback, which is taken to heart to constantly improve the menus, the food and the service. This has become a modus operandi that has permeated the entire organisation as well – every customer’s feedback is valuable. Even now with full-fledged kitchen teams headed by executive chefs experienced in their own right, Eldwin still involves himself in the process of bringing new dishes on to daily specials; only the most successful make it onto the regular à la carte menu.
When Eldwin opened the 130-seater up-market Taste Paradise on Chinatown’s Mosque Street in 2006, he did so with a kitchen and service team in place headed by Executive Chef Fung Chi Keong and Melvin Fan respectively, both previously with the PineCourtRestaurant in Meritus Mandarin Singapore. Chef Fung was tasked with creating a menu with a difference that would build Taste Paradise’s reputation with the same strengths and attract new clientele to the Paradise Group. Restaurant manager Melvin Fan trained up a stable of staff competent to provide service in a restaurant of this standard.
EDLAN CHUA
Twenty-eight year old Edlan Chua, brother of Eldwin, came onboard the Paradise Group in 2006. Performing mostly an operations and executive role, Edlan is responsible for translating Eldwin’s vision – concept, menu, people - into reality and has taken on the marketing aspect now that the Paradise Group will be in branding and consolidation mode leading up to and beyond the opening of the flagship Seafood Paradise@Flyer.
Edlan was nearing the end of his six-year contract in the commando division of the Singapore Armed forces when Eldwin approached him to join him in the business. At that time, Seafood Paradise at Defu Lane has grown appreciably and Taste Paradise was taking its first successful steps on the Singapore restaurant scene. In the last stretch, Edlan was juggling both learning the business as well as the army with the blessings of his army superior.
Learning as much as he could about the business, right down to the costing of ingredients, was important to Edlan for running smooth operations as he felt this would enable him to make informed decisions and no one would be able to pull the wool over his eyes. Sharing similar expectations of the business as his brother, Edlan is able to be the sounding board for his brother’s ideas as well as provide input.
Swearing his commitment to his brother and the business, Edlan wants to do what’s best for the company in the best way he can. He believes that the Paradise Group can grow to be an established player on the Singapore restaurant scene and still uphold the philosophy of providing quality food with good service at the right price.
PARADISE GROUP OF RESTAURANTS
PARADISE INN
Funan Digitalife Mall
#02-10/11
109 North Bridge Road
Singapore 179097
Tel 63384018
West CoastPlaza #B1-48
154 West Coast Road
Singapore 127371
Tel: 67779950
Singapore Flyer #01-01
30 Raffles Ave
Singapore 039803
Tel 63365058
Paradise Inn @313 Somerset
Opening December 2009
TASTE PARADISE
No 48/49 Mosque Street
Singapore 059527
Tel 6226 2959
Taste Paradise @ Orchard ION
Opening July 2009
SEAFOOD PARADISE
Singapore Flyer #01-01
30 Raffles Ave
Singapore 039803
Tel 63365101
No 91 Defu Lane 10
#01-01 SweeHinBuilding
Singapore 539221
Tel 64872429
For more information, kindly contact:
Kenny Koh/Lynn Yeow
Silver Spoon Communications
Mobile 9739 1424 , 9768 3848
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