[Review] Full of Luck Restaurant: Where Modernity and Traditions Meet

Full of Luck Restaurant recently unveiled a new look and menu for its flagship shophouse restaurant at Holland Village. Previously a bar serving dim sums, the restaurant now offers contemporary yet authentic Cantonese cuisine to cater the younger and more fun-loving generation of food lovers.

So instead of the usual har gao, siew mai or char siew bao, think spicy cheese tart, truffle beef claypot rice and raindrop cake.

With Full of Luck being the sister restaurant of Li Bai at Sheraton Towers, we naturally had high expectations. Would it be as good as what we think it would be?

Upon entering this 100-seater two-storey restaurant, we were greeted by a warm cosy atmosphere.

The tea room on the ground floor featured elm wood furnitures, mirrors and counters, while the dining hall on the upper floor with its indoor green veranda offered a modern and casual environment suitable for intimate gatherings.

For those would just like to drop by for a quick business meal or those less acquainted with Chinese/ Cantonese food, the Weekday Set Lunches from $14++/pax and Meal Sets from $31++/pax are available.

As we visited on a lazy Saturday, we chose several ala carte dishes. Here are our top 6 recommended dishes!

This dish pays homage to Singapore's famous chilli crab, yet offers an innovative twist to the traditional dessert cheese tart. Served as an appetizer, it kept us engaged and hungry for more as we sank our teeth into the savoury chilli crab meat, soft cheese, juicy bits of pomelo and buttery shortcrust pastry - all in a bite.

We can only describe this as simply delectable and yummy, especially if you love crabs but dislike the hassle of removing the crab shell. We also love cheese and the melted cheese did combine well with the divine sweetness of the pomelo to embellish the overall taste of this appetizer. A tantalizing opening act to introduce the chef's culinary skills.

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Grilled 45 min, the char siew was perfectly charred and slightly crispy on the outside, and the honey provided a nice contrast to the barbequed pork. Instead of a sweet sauce glaze that may be used in other restaurants, the meat here is glazed with honey and the sides torched with sugar.

Every bite was a moment to savour and the meat was lean, yet still juicy. Overall, the meat was soft and lean, and the sides were crispy and almost candy-like. Yummy!

Braised to simple perfection, enjoy a luxurious claypot filled with fresh slices of garoupa and savoury tender dried bamboo with garlic and a flavourful sauce. The braised garoupa was fresh and overall a dish nicely done. It was not starchy and synergized well with the beancurd.

This was our favourite dish because it was just cooked to perfection. It was a very healthy dish that felt like it was homemade – with fresh mushrooms, almond flakes and lots of ginko nuts. I am sure many restaurants that market themselves as serving healthy food are going to copy this dish but I doubt they would be able to do it so well.

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This was one inspiring dish with generous portions of seafood and we strongly recommend this for the health conscious.

It was a lovely combination of aromatic poached seafood rice with crispy rice crackers and generous servings of fresh prawns, scallops, top shells and mushroom which infused a natural sweetness. It was light tasting and should not be mistaken for the mui fan which is starchy. An epitome of healthy Cantonese cooking, it certainly is a nutritious seafood broth.

Remember the raindrop cake - a clear, wobbly and beautifully delicate cake that took the world by storm last year? Full of Luck gives this an oriental floral twist with the use of osmanthus flowers.

Refreshing, fragrant and chilled, the osmanthus raindrop cake was served with soy powder and brown sugar syrup. Overall, we found it simple, minimalistic and refined without being overpretentious.

Overall, Full of Luck Restaurant is an affordable, casual version of Li Bai, the highly acclaimed Cantonese restaurant, without compromising on the quality of ingredients and its refined, traditional cooking. We loved how it showcased traditional Cantonese cooking, with a modern twist. Health buffs will also be delighted to have this restaurant as another dining option. 

We highly recommend it for cosy family gatherings. Of course, the auspicious name and convenient location right outside the Holland Village MRT are a major plus too!

243 Holland Ave, Singapore 278977

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