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Soaring 55 floors above the ground, Marina Bay Sands' first Chinese fine-dining venue sets out to make a statement. While it's tempting to pigeonhole Jin Ting Wan as just another restaurant trading its kitchen prowess for skyline views, our visit proves otherwise – the 162-seater brings serious culinary and cultural heft to the table, with the views playing second fiddle.
It starts with a promising trio: Guangxi-born Executive Chef Albert Li brings decades worth of Michelin and Black Pearl-recognised experience; wine sommelier Joe Yang from Guangdong curates one of Singapore's largest and most varied repertoire of Chinese wines; and Head Tea Master Jacky Zhao Gang brings his 20 years of knowledge on Chinese tea artistry to the fore with the restaurant's dedicated tea programme.
The space
Jin Ting Wan's setting does much of the talking. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame a sweeping panorama of the city skyline and sea. By day, the restaurant is swathed in natural light; by night, it glows softly against the glittering bay. We are told the interiors are inspired by Song Dynasty architecture, represented by deep blues and gilded accents. But one unmissable aesthetic detail is the numerous dragonfly motifs peppered across the hallways – Jin Ting Wan literally translates to 'Golden Dragonfly Bay' after all.
The space is segmented into a main dining hall, two private dining rooms, private dining suites, and the opulent Art Lounge. The latter is often where guests convene before or after a meal, lounging in velvet banquettes flanked by towering decor shelves, while sipping on exquisite tea, of course. It's a vision of imperial grandeur, and you'll definitely need to set aside a couple of hours for your visit to properly bask in the luxury.
The food
Here, Cantonese cuisine is both anchor and springboard. Beyond its usual Hong Kong-style expressions, Chef Albert dives deep into Guangdong's food history and is unafraid to bring in influences from Shunde, Teochew and Hakka traditions into his dishes. The tasting menu is priced at $198 per person for dinner, with add-on tea and wine pairing options at $98 per diner. It's a feast that you'll want to come hungry for, spanning five courses from appetisers to the Hokkaido geoduck soup, mains, noodles and dessert.
Lunch, on the other hand, is a prime time to explore the dim sum selection, which is brimming with both precision and playfulness. You'll get what we mean when you see the radish puff with Chinese ham ($15), a crimson-red pastry shaped like a handbag, with the restaurant's motif doubling up as a 'bag charm'. It's a visual delight as much as it is one for the tummy, with fragrant shreds of radish and ham encased in a delicate, airy pastry shell.
The steamed red rice rolls ($16) remind us of our favourite 'Spring Is In The Air' cheong fun from local dim sum joint Victor's Kitchen, in that it triggers that same brain-scratching, satisfying feeling of sinking your teeth into silky rice sheets, followed by crispy fried vermicelli, then bouncy morsels of prawn and pork. A real treat.
Jin Ting Wan's poached Hokkaido squid is a popular order, despite the steep price tag ($68). Thick slices of fresh rocket squid are poached soon after harvesting to retain their firm, snappy texture. They're then doused with either a green scallion and Sichuan pepper sauce, or a milder peanut and garlic chilli oil. We much prefer the version with Sichuan peppercorns, savoury and flavour-packed with just a slight mouth-numbing kick.
But one mustn't miss Chef Albert's version of roasted 'Pipa Duck'. The traditional Shunde specialty is given an elegant upgrade, featuring a 90-day-old Irish duck, fully deboned and plated beautifully on a pipa lute, golden-brown skin side up. The meat is gently seasoned with black pepper, tangerine peels and water chestnut, hence any potential gamey aftertaste is nicely counteracted. A final pairing of thin rockmelon sheets and sweet sauce provides a refreshing contrast to the oily, wafer-thin skin, keeping you going in for more.
As the meal decrescendos, you might find a peculiar, blackened object making its rounds on the Lazy Susan. It's nothing to be wary of, just a mound of 'Buddha's Hand' or fermented bergamot. The prized citrus delicacy originates from the Chaozhou-Shantou region, and is often enjoyed after meals in thinly-shaved, bite-sized nibbles, or as a soothing tea.
The drinks
Jin Ting Wan’s beverage programme is no afterthought; it’s one of the restaurant’s defining pillars. The tea list alone boasts over 80 varieties, many rare and limited-edition batches from private producers, sourced by Zhao himself. In the Art Lounge, guests can explore anything from Feng Huang Dancong from Guangdong to aged Pu'er from Yunnan.
But one brew that stands out is the restaurant's signature Fu Yu Jin Ting tea. This blend of wildflower-scented raw Pu'er and Moonlight White tea is floral and gently sweet. The entire tea ceremony is presented from start to end in careful, precise steps that are as technical as they are meditative, inviting you to sip, chat and linger.
And the wine programme genuinely impresses as well, with one of the country's widest collections of Chinese wines. Head Sommelier Joe Yang's selection of over 100 labels is a thoughtful representation of the apex of Chinese winemaking at the moment, with both established and rising producers on the list. Regions like Ningxia, Hebei, Shandong, Yunnan, Shanxi and Xinjiang are well represented, and those in the know will already be familiar with names like Fei Tswei, Xige Estate, Canaan Winery and Allofme. But even if not, this is a great place to dip your toes into the world of Chinese winemaking, and like us, find a few surprises along the way.
For us, Jiangyu Ferment's Cloud Chardonnay from Deqin is luminous, creamy, fruity and bright, with gentle oak notes from ageing in used French barrels, while the Tempranillo by Canaan Winery's Chapter and Verse is completely unexpected and pairs exceptionally well with rich, fatty dishes – think collagen-dense pen cai over the Chinese New Year holidays, or even against the robust flavours of the Pipa Duck.
Time Out says: 5/5
A meal at Jin Ting Wan sits firmly in the 'blowout' category. At this level of refinement, from the pompous ornamentation all around to the micro-details in each morsel of dim sum, the restaurant is clearly not geared towards the average crowd. Definitely take your most important client, or picky mum-in-law here – someone who you desperately need to impress. That said, if ever a special occasion calls for pampering yourself as if you were Song Dynasty royalty, this might be the place.
Find out more about Jin Ting Wan here.
Jin Ting Wan is open daily from 11.30am to 9.30pm at 10 Bayfront Ave, Marina Bay Sands, Tower 1, Level 55, Singapore 018956.
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