Worth a try.

Upin is rumoured to be opened by ex-HDL staff, so I had some expectations that it would be somewhat similar to Shang Pin in terms of food quality and service standards.

The soup bases are charged the same way as Shang Pin; choose any combination and they’ll charge you the price of the most expensive one. In terms of flavours, it’s also largely similar to Shang Pin. There’s Tomato ($12), Pig Bone ($16), Mushroom ($16), Chicken ($16) to name a few.

I tried the chicken, mushroom and tomato soup. The soups were super thick! The tomato soup tasted exceptionally sweet and had bits of ginger within. The chicken soup was made from boiling black chicken, herbs and mushrooms so it had a herbal taste which I really liked. The mushroom soup was a little hack I came up with previously; ordering it will give me enough mushrooms for the meal and I wouldn’t have to order a separate mushroom platter.

Black pork, $12.

Beef, $15.

Pork belly, $8.

I have to say that Upin’s meats were not too bad, thickness and texture wise they were well worth the price. The fats to lean meat ratio for the beef and black pork was great! And I’m really glad that the meat didn’t come frozen solid.

Handmade fishballs (half portion), $3.

Chicken slices (half portion), $4.

Fried beancurd, $6.

Only 5 rolls for a hefty $6! Not quite worth it I feel.

Shrimp paste, $12.

The shrimp paste was really good. It had a very good texture when you bite it. In other words, QQ.

Sauces and fruits, $3 per pax.

Quite an extensive range of sauces and fruits, though I would say for $3 I pretty much expected it.

The service at Upin was prompt but a little over eager I feel. For example, I was taking my time to choose the soup bases but the staff kept trying to “sell” me the soups. In another instance, I had two more slices of fruits on a plate of empty fruit shells but the staff requested that I shift my two slices elsewhere so that they could clear my plate.

I don’t think I’ll eat Upin again, because it’s really similar to Shang Pin and I prefer Shang Pin Marina Square much more for the ambience.

227 Orchard Road, #04-19, S(238858)

+65 6288 5550

Daily: 11am to 12midnight

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