Choon Hoy Parlor moves to Capitol Singapore with creative local dishes and Singapore’s largest baijiu collection

Those who appreciate elevated local flavours would probably have visited Choon Hoy Parlor at Beach Road, a cosy restaurant that describes its brand of food as “Singapore soul food”.

Opened by chef-owner Dylan Ong, who first made his mark on the restaurant scene with French-Asian spot The Masses, Choon Hoy Parlor was opened as a platform for the seasoned chef to explore heritage flavours.

The result at Choon Hoy Parlour is a blend of nostalgia and comfort, but elevated with a tinge of modern creativity.

As chef Dylan puts it: “A lot of elevated Singapore food feels too different from what we know. What we want to do is keep it 90% Singaporean, but just have that 10% that makes it different.”

Interestingly, it had opened at Beach Road a little over a year ago in May 2024, where it took over the unit where The Masses once stood, after it shifted to Capitol Singapore that same month.

When chef Dylan had an opportunity to take over the unit right beside The Masses at Capitol Singapore earlier this year, he decided it was time for Choon Hoy Parlor to also relocate to the mixed development.

Choon Hoy’s new outlet at Capitol Singapore retains a lot of the vintage charm, but jazzes things up with a myriad of retro fixtures, including floral chandeliers and old-school tiles.

The most striking feature is probably its dense ensemble of warm-toned flowers perched right above the entrance that makes it easily noticeable from far away.

There’s a bit of a Hong Kong cha chaan teng vibe going on — especially when the speakers start blaring the classic Cantonese hits that the playlist cycles through.

New slate of “Singapore soul food”

Choon Hoy Parlor’s move to Capitol Singapore sees chef Dylan and his team creating an assortment of interesting new modern Singaporean dishes, while keeping many staples such as the mini fried pomfret (from S$9.90).

One very intriguing dish on the current Choon Hoy Parlor menu is the Singapore local breakfast — roti bakar (S$8.90), that combines all the components of our familiar breakfast set into one toast.

The bread base is sourced from a heritage bakery in Whampoa, and it’s slathered with a kopi butter and salted egg kaya, then finished with tea smoked caviar.

It’s satisfyingly rich with a dose of saltiness and egginess that reminds us of dipping kaya toast into soy sauce-doused soft-boiled eggs, but without the goopy mess.

Those who are familiar with chef Dylan’s mischievous riffs on local classics would also want to have a taste of the same same, but different pork satay (from S$16.90).

Its name leaves a lot to the imagination but it’s actually Choon Hoy Parlor’s ingenious combination of satay, popiah and Peking duck.

You’re given a DIY platter filled with sauces, mint, ulama raja (a plant most commonly used in nasi ulam), jicama, satay and egg crepes, and are encouraged to assemble to your liking.

The satay here is full of flavour, lean but juicy and goes amazingly with the zingy pineapple marmalade and robust satay sauce, and no matter which combination of ingredients you choose, each bite is full of fun, contrasting textures.

Zi char enthusiasts can also try Choon Hoy Parlor’s very unique rendition of the coffee pork ribs — mocha prime pork rib (S$25.90).

Compared to the usual coffee pork ribs, this one is less sweet and has a greater depth of coffee flavour.

What makes it so unique, though, is the Vietnam egg coffee-inspired egg yolk espuma on the bottom which adds an additional layer of creaminess and eggy fragrance.

More discerning foodies might also remember that the original Choon Hoy Parlor at Beach Road served a rather mean dry laksa, made by Jelebu Dry Laksa chef-owner Renee Tang, who was part of the launch team, but has since left.

There’s a new-and-improved version of the dry laksa, the claypot dry laksa (from S$18.90), and it might be our favourite new item at Choon Hoy Parlor’s Capitol Singapore space.

As always, the homemade rempah is intoxicatingly aromatic and exuberantly spice forward, while the claypot bolsters the flavour with a gentle kiss of smoke.

But the secret is in the noodles.

For this dish, chef Dylan opts for squiggles of bee tai bak (silver noodle needles) instead of the usual rice noodles, allowing better sauce coating while giving each bite a delectable bounciness.

Being a celebration of all heritage flavours, chef Dylan doesn’t forget to pay homage to Malay flavours at Choon Hoy Parlor, too.

The assam stingray (S$39.90) is a charming love letter to the assam pedas where chef Dylan chooses stingray as the protagonist in this dish, since it’s a fish that’s very commonly featured in Malay cuisine as well.

Although stingray is very prone to being tough when overcooked, the texture on this is perfect — soft, flakey and slightly firm — and can be very addictive when paired with the tangy and moderately spicy assam sauce.

Singapore’s best baijiu bar?

Choon Hoy Parlor’s shift to Capitol Singapore also sees it expanding on its alcoholic options with an expansion into baijiu (a class of distilled Chinese liquor).

With its opening at the new location, Choon Hoy Parlor is now recognised as the bar with the biggest baijiu collection in Singapore — in fact, it’s the biggest collection in Asia, outside of China

This aspect of the restaurant is designed in partnership with Benson Tong, a former-chef-turned-baijiu specialist who works with the renowned Kweichow Moutai brand.

Those curious to explore the under-featured liquor can check out the diverse range of baijiu that Choon Hoy Parlor carries, which ranges from light and tropical to umami.

There’s a tasting flight (S$28) available that lets you try three different types of baijiu — our favourite was the Golden Star kaoliang chiew, which comes in at a whopping 62% ABV but was shockingly smooth.

For something really exclusive, Choon Hoy Parlor even offers its own master blend of baijiu called Harmony of Spring Flower (S$18), that blends an assortment of baijiu into one fruity martini-esque concoction.

If straight liquor is too much, there’s also a slew of cocktails and highballs to choose from.

One particular crowd favourite was the La Teh’ Time (S$18), that harmoniously blends kopi with maotai, and actually sports a chocolatey finish — sweet and easy to drink!

Ultimately, Choon Hoy Parlor’s new Capitol Singapore outlet feels like an interesting evolution of the restaurant’s identity. 

Whether it’s to bring your family for tasty elevated “Singapore soul food” or to delve into baijiu, we think this is worth a visit.

This was an invited tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the under-the-radar kopitiam stall selling handmade pasta and our review on viral matcha spot Cafe Gyoen.

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Choon Hoy Parlor at Capitol Singapore.