Scotts Square, Orchard Road, Singapore
Michelin-Approved • Fujian Cuisine • First International Outpost
Chef Sun Xiao Yang | 18 Years of Culinary Excellence
Restaurant at a Glance
Cuisine Fujian (Hokkien) — Southeastern Chinese
Recognition Michelin-Approved (Bib Gourmand / Plate level)
Chef Chef Sun Xiao Yang — 18 years culinary experience
Location 6 Scotts Road, #02-01/02, Scotts Square, Singapore 228209
Opening Hours Daily 11:30am–3:00pm, 5:30pm–10:00pm
Telephone 8067 6688
Nearest MRT Orchard Station (~5 min walk)
Capacity ~35 diners (main hall) + 4 private rooms (6–12 pax each)
Price Range SGD $29–$169++ per dish; expect $80–$150++ per head
Halal Status Not halal-certified
Overall Rating 8 / 10
Overview & Context
Ban Lan represents a significant moment in Singaporean fine dining: the Michelin-approved Fujian restaurant’s first foray outside mainland China, landing in the heart of Orchard Road at the prestigious Scotts Square. With Chef Sun Xiao Yang at the helm, the restaurant brings an 18-year culinary pedigree to bear on a cuisine that is frequently underrepresented at the fine-dining level despite Fujian province’s outsized influence on Southeast Asian food cultures through centuries of Hokkien diaspora migration.
Fujian cuisine — known locally as Hokkien cuisine — is characterised by its restraint. Unlike the bold, oily profiles of Sichuan cooking or the sweet-soy depth of Shanghainese cuisine, Fujian cooking prizes the natural integrity of its ingredients. Broths are long-simmered and light; seafood is treated with minimalism; fermentation and aged wines provide background complexity rather than dominating flavour. Ban Lan’s menu faithfully honours this philosophy, presenting dishes that reward careful attention rather than instant gratification.
Ambience & Interior Design
Spatial Composition
The main dining room is intimate by deliberate design — accommodating approximately 35 covers across tables for two, four, and six. The spatial economy is managed through thoughtful furniture placement rather than density; the well-spaced layout prevents the claustrophobia that smaller restaurants sometimes suffer. Large windows along the perimeter admit ample natural light during lunch service, transforming the character of the space between lunch and dinner.
The interior language is quietly sophisticated: sleek lacquered wood panelling, warm amber lighting suspended at eye level, and cushioned seating in muted earthy tones. The palette is restrained — warm creams, dark teak, occasional flashes of celadon in the tableware — evoking a contemporary interpretation of a classical Fujian scholar’s residence without descending into pastiche. The absence of loud signage or decorative maximalism is notable; the room signals confidence rather than performance.
Private Dining
Four private rooms accommodate groups of six to twelve, each centred on a lazy Susan table that facilitates the communal, rotational dining etiquette typical of Chinese banquet culture. These rooms are best suited to corporate entertaining, family celebrations, or any occasion where privacy and the ability to order freely without social distraction is valued.
Service Character
Service operates at a measured pace appropriate to the calibre of the kitchen. Staff demonstrate fluency in the menu and are willing to contextualise dishes within their Fujian culinary heritage — a meaningful quality in a restaurant where several preparations have significant cultural or historical depth. The attentiveness is professional without feeling surveilled.
Dish-by-Dish Analysis
- Buddha Jumps Over the Wall — $156++
Composition & Provenance
Fo Tiao Qiang (佛跳墙) is among the most venerable preparations in Chinese haute cuisine, originating in Fuzhou during the Qing Dynasty. The name, famously, evokes the idea that the fragrance of the broth would compel even a Buddhist monk to leap a monastery wall to taste it. Ban Lan’s version adheres to classical form: sea cucumber, abalone, scallops, fish maw, quail eggs, and shiitake mushrooms, slow-simmered in a master stock enriched with aged rice wine.
Technique & Process
The broth undergoes a 24-hour simmering process followed by re-steaming and a resting stage beneath lotus leaves — a step that infuses a faint floral-herbal note and allows fats to redistribute throughout the liquid. This extended preparation is not merely ceremonial; it is architecturally necessary for the layered flavour profile the dish depends upon. The lotus leaf stage in particular imparts a green, slightly grassy top note that prevents the broth from becoming entirely bottom-heavy with umami.
Sensory Profile: Hues, Textures & Facets
Visually, the dish arrives as an amber-bronze pool of broth in a covered clay or ceramic vessel, parting to reveal a mosaic of textures: the alabaster curve of abalone, the translucent ivory of fish maw, the burnished gold of mushroom caps, and the glistening pearl of scallops. The broth itself carries a warm topaz hue deepened by the aged wine.
Texturally, the dish is a study in contrast and occasionally disappointment. The scallops are exemplary — yielding at the first pressure of chopsticks, separating into concentric layers with gentle precision. The fish maw, properly rehydrated, offers a yielding, slightly gelatinous resistance that absorbs the broth intensely. The abalone, however, was noted as uncharacteristically tough — a shortcoming in an otherwise technically accomplished dish. The quail eggs are silken within, providing gentle richness.
Flavour-wise, the broth presents in phases: initial sweetness from the shellfish stock, a mid-palate surge of aged-wine umami (deep, vinous, slightly oxidative), and a long, earthy finish from the shiitake. The lotus leaf contributes a faint herbaceous note perceptible only on the exhale. This is a broth of considerable architectural complexity — warm, comforting, and intellectually interesting in equal measure.
- Fuzhou-style Crispy Pork Ribs — $29++ (Sm) / $36++ (Lg)
Composition & Provenance
This dish draws from the Fuzhou culinary tradition of using Fujian rice wine (红曲米酒, hongqu mijiu) — a fermented wine made with red yeast rice — as both a marinade and flavour base. The sweet-fermented character of the wine gives the sauce its distinctive quality: tangy and subtly alcoholic, with natural red pigmentation from the yeast culture.
Technique
The ribs are coated in a batter made with sweet potato starch rather than conventional cornstarch or wheat flour — a choice that produces a distinctly lighter, more translucent crust with a fine, glass-like crispness rather than the thick, doughy exterior associated with Western-style battered ribs. After frying, the ribs are tossed in a 10-spice sweet-tangy sauce and finished with fresh mint leaves, whose cool, green brightness cuts the richness effectively.
Sensory Profile: Hues, Textures & Facets
The colour palette is vivid: lacquered mahogany ribs, sauce of a deep terracotta-amber, punctuated by the bright jade of fresh mint leaves. The sweet potato starch batter imparts a pale gold, semi-gloss finish that remains structurally intact even after extended contact with the sauce — a technically impressive outcome that speaks to correct oil temperature during frying.
The textural experience is one of precision layering: the outer batter provides a clean, audible snap on bite; the inner meat is succulent, pulling gently from the bone with a slightly sticky resistance typical of well-marinated pork. The sauce coats without saturating, creating a lacquered rather than sodden final bite. The mint is not decorative — it provides a live herbal contrast that refreshes the palate between mouthfuls.
- Steamed Crab with Hokkien Glutinous Rice Cake — $89++ / $169++
Composition & Provenance
This is Ban Lan’s most visually commanding main course: a whole red crab — with its naturally vivid scarlet carapace deepening during steaming to a coral-orange — presented atop a bed of stir-fried glutinous rice (nuomi). The combination of freshwater or coastal crab with glutinous rice is a Hokkien tradition that predates restaurant culture, rooted in celebratory home cooking where the rich roe of the crab perfumed and enriched the sticky rice below.
Technique
The crab is steamed to preserve the integrity of the roe, which would break down and disperse under higher-heat methods. The glutinous rice is separately stir-fried in a wok at high heat to develop wok hei — the complex, slightly smoky, almost caramelised character that only a properly seasoned carbon steel wok at commercial gas pressures can achieve. The two components are then combined on the plate, the residual heat of the crab beginning to warm and perfume the rice from above.
Sensory Profile: Hues, Textures & Facets
The visual presentation is unambiguous in its generosity and impact. The crab, coral-orange and glistening, commands the plate; the rice beneath it ranges from ivory-white to a faint gold where the wok hei has caramelised the outer grains. Flecks of green scallion and the deep amber of the roe create a palette of warm, festive hues.
Texturally, the dish operates on three distinct registers simultaneously. The crab meat is soft and cohesive, separating cleanly from the shell in tender, rope-like fibres. The roe is dense and creamy, coating the palate with a buttery, marine richness. The glutinous rice provides a pliant, chewy-firm substrate — each grain distinct yet adhering lightly to its neighbours — that absorbs the combined juices of crab, roe, and wok hei into a deeply savoury whole.
Flavour-wise, the dish achieves a harmony that is difficult to engineer deliberately: the sweetness of fresh crab, the umami depth of crab roe, the aromatic lift of scallion, and the smoky-savoury bass note of wok hei all occupy different sensory registers without competing. This is the most technically and experientially successful dish on the menu.
- Steamed Mindong Yellow Croaker with Yong’an Yellow Chili — $79++
Composition & Provenance
Mindong (闽东) refers to the eastern sub-region of Fujian Province, where the yellow croaker (黄鱼, huangyu) has been prized since antiquity for its fine, white flesh and clean flavour. Yong’an yellow chillies are a fermented Fujian condiment with a significantly gentler heat profile than most chilli preparations — their value lies not in capsaicin intensity but in a complex fermented tang that functions more as a seasoning agent than a heat source.
Sensory Profile: Hues, Textures & Facets
The visual presentation is defined by the contrast between the pale, steamed flesh of the fish and the golden-yellow chilli paste draped across its surface. The fish arrives whole — a considered choice that signals freshness and respect for ingredient integrity. The chilli paste is a vivid ochre-yellow, carrying flecks of the fermented chilli skin and occasional seeds.
The flesh texture is the star: steaming has allowed the protein to set gently and uniformly, producing a soft, large-flake structure that disaggregates entirely on the palate with minimal effort. This quality — sometimes described in Chinese culinary writing as 嫩滑 (nèn huá, tender-smooth) — is the Platonic ideal for steamed white fish. The fermented chilli adds a gentle, acidic warmth that lifts the natural sweetness of the fish rather than suppressing it.
- Tie Guan Yin Tea-Smoked Crispy Sesame Chicken — $46++ / $79++
Composition & Provenance
This is the signature dish most expressive of Ban Lan’s culinary philosophy. Anxi Tie Guan Yin (安溪铁观音) is one of China’s most celebrated oolongs, grown at altitude in Anxi County of Fujian Province. Its characteristic profile — floral, green, with a gentle roasted finish — is here used not as a beverage pairing but as a primary flavouring agent in a 13-hour preparation that is among the most technically demanding on the menu.
Technique
The process unfolds across multiple stages: initial marination in a spice blend and the Tie Guan Yin tea; coating in sesame seeds; blanching to set the outer proteins; air-drying to reduce surface moisture; baking to drive further moisture loss and begin Maillard reactions; and finally flash-frying to achieve the crackling, sealed exterior. Each stage is a technical prerequisite for the next — the air-drying is essential for the baked skin to achieve crispness; the baking is essential for the flash-fry to work at speed without steaming the interior. The 13-hour timeline is not affectation.
Sensory Profile: Hues, Textures & Facets
The visual appearance is immediately striking: the chicken glistens with a deep amber-mahogany lacquer, punctuated by the cream-gold of toasted sesame seeds on every surface. When sliced, the interior reveals a pale, luminous flesh still glistening with retained juices — the combination of blanching and careful temperature management having preserved moisture through the subsequent drying and frying stages.
Texturally, this is one of the most accomplished preparations of chicken encountered at this price point: the skin achieves a level of crispness that is simultaneously delicate and structural, shattering cleanly without adhering to the teeth. The flesh beneath separates from the bone with near-zero mechanical effort, yet retains the fibrous coherence that prevents it from reading as overcooked. The sesame adds textural punctuation — a grainy, slightly yielding crunch distributed across every bite.
Flavour is the most complex dimension of this dish. The tea imparts a floral, slightly astringent high note that emerges on the mid-palate after the initial impact of rendered fat and toasted sesame. The spice marinade contributes a warm, aromatic depth — not identifiable as any single spice, but cumulatively evoking star anise, white pepper, and possibly five-spice in attenuated form. The combination rewards slow eating and produces a notably long finish.
- Pomegranate and Seaweed Jelly — $12++
Composition & Provenance
The dessert is a classical Fujian preparation built around 仙草冻 (xiancaodong) — a sea stone flower jelly extracted from a marine algae and formed into long, thread-like strands. It is paired with freshly pressed pomegranate juice and finger lime pulp (whose cellular vesicles, when broken, release small bursts of citrus liquid). Notably, no sugar syrup is added — a philosophically consistent choice in a restaurant that prizes the natural character of its ingredients.
Sensory Profile: Hues, Textures & Facets
The visual presentation is delicate and jewel-like: pale translucent jelly strands, a deep ruby pomegranate juice, and the small, caviar-like pearls of finger lime pulp catching the light. It is a dessert that is as visually precise as it is modest in ambition.
Texturally, the jelly strands have a slippery, gossamer quality — cool and barely resistant, dissolving almost immediately on the tongue. The finger lime vesicles provide a momentary textural counterpoint: small, firm, and then suddenly yielding with a burst of sharp citrus. The effect is refreshing and palate-cleansing rather than satisfying in a conventional dessert sense — which is precisely its function.
Reconstruction Recipes & Cooking Instructions
The following are educated reconstructions based on published accounts, Fujian culinary tradition, and culinary analysis. They represent approximations of Ban Lan’s methods for the home or professional kitchen.
Recipe 1: Tie Guan Yin Tea-Smoked Sesame Chicken
Ingredients (Serves 4–6)
⦁ 1 whole chicken (~1.5 kg), ideally free-range
⦁ 40g Anxi Tie Guan Yin loose-leaf oolong tea
⦁ 3 tbsp soy sauce
⦁ 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
⦁ 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
⦁ 1 tsp white pepper
⦁ 1 tsp five-spice powder
⦁ 1 tsp ground star anise
⦁ 1 tbsp sesame oil
⦁ 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
⦁ 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
⦁ Neutral oil for flash-frying (1.5L)
Method
- Brew the tea strongly (40g in 500ml water at 90°C for 5 minutes). Cool completely. Combine with soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, five-spice, and star anise. Submerge the chicken and marinate refrigerated for 6–8 hours, turning once.
- Remove chicken from marinade and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Brush with sesame oil. Coat generously and evenly with mixed sesame seeds, pressing firmly to adhere to all surfaces.
- Blanch the coated chicken in barely simmering (not boiling) salted water for 12 minutes to set the outer protein layer. Remove carefully and allow to drain on a rack.
- Air-dry the blanched chicken uncovered in a well-ventilated area or in a refrigerator set to fan mode for 3–4 hours minimum. The skin must be completely dry and slightly taut to the touch.
- Bake at 180°C (fan-assisted) for 25–30 minutes until the skin is dry and pale golden. Remove from oven and rest 10 minutes.
- Heat oil to 200°C in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan or wok. Flash-fry the whole chicken for 3–4 minutes, basting constantly with the hot oil, until the exterior is deep mahogany and the sesame seeds are toasted. Drain immediately.
- Rest 5–10 minutes before chopping into serving pieces. The chicken should be fully cooked from the baking stage; the fry is purely for texture and colour.
Recipe 2: Steamed Crab with Glutinous Rice
Ingredients (Serves 2–3)
⦁ 1 large fresh crab (~700g–1kg), cleaned and halved
⦁ 300g glutinous rice, soaked overnight and drained
⦁ 2 tbsp light soy sauce
⦁ 1 tbsp oyster sauce
⦁ 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
⦁ 3 stalks scallion, finely sliced
⦁ 2 tbsp dried shrimp (optional, for depth)
⦁ 2 tbsp neutral oil
⦁ Salt and white pepper to taste
⦁ Fresh ginger slices for steaming
Method
- Steam the soaked glutinous rice for 25–30 minutes over high heat until just cooked through but still slightly undercooked in the centre. Season with a light salt solution. Set aside.
- Heat a wok over maximum flame until smoking. Add oil, then quickly stir-fry the glutinous rice in batches, pressing flat against the wok surface periodically to develop char. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper. Toss with half the scallion. Remove from heat.
- Plate the fried glutinous rice as a bed on the serving dish. Place the crab halves cut-side down atop the rice, arranged to suggest the complete crab. Place ginger slices between crab and rice.
- Steam the assembled dish at high heat for 10–12 minutes until crab is fully cooked (flesh opaque, roe set but still creamy). The rice will absorb the crab juices during steaming.
- Finish with remaining fresh scallion and a light drizzle of sesame oil. Serve immediately.
Recipe 3: Fuzhou-style Crispy Pork Ribs
Ingredients (Serves 3–4)
⦁ 600g pork ribs, cut into 5cm sections
⦁ 3 tbsp Fujian red yeast rice wine (红曲米酒) — substitute: 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine + 1 tsp red yeast paste
⦁ 2 tbsp light soy sauce
⦁ 1 tsp sugar
⦁ 120g sweet potato starch
⦁ Oil for deep-frying
⦁ Fresh mint leaves to garnish
⦁ For the 10-spice sauce: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp each: five-spice, white pepper, Sichuan pepper (ground), dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, star anise, clove
Method
- Marinate ribs in the red yeast wine, soy sauce, and sugar for minimum 4 hours or overnight. The red yeast will impart a faint crimson tint to the meat.
- Combine all 10-spice sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes until slightly reduced and fragrant. Set aside.
- Remove ribs from marinade and pat dry. Coat evenly in sweet potato starch — the coating should be thin and uniform, not thick. Allow to rest 2–3 minutes until the starch has absorbed surface moisture.
- Heat oil to 175°C. Fry ribs in small batches for 4–5 minutes until cooked through and pale golden. Remove and drain. Increase oil to 195°C and return ribs for 60–90 seconds for a second fry to achieve the glass-like crunch.
- Immediately toss the hot ribs in the warm 10-spice sauce to coat. Plate and garnish generously with fresh mint leaves. Serve within 5 minutes of saucing.
Delivery & Access Options
Dine-In
The preferred mode of engagement with this menu. Given that multiple dishes depend on wok hei (glutinous rice), proper service temperature (Buddha Jumps Over the Wall), and structural textural integrity (pork ribs post-saucing), the dine-in experience is substantially superior to any delivery format. Reservations are strongly recommended, particularly for weekend evenings and the private dining rooms.
Takeaway / Self-Collection
Takeaway is available at the restaurant’s discretion and is best limited to dishes with structural resilience: the pork ribs hold reasonably well in transit due to the sweet potato starch batter, and the seaweed jelly dessert travels without degradation when kept chilled. The crab dish, the fish, and the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall are not recommended for takeaway — the first two suffer textural loss within 15 minutes of plating, and the latter’s broth risks temperature collapse.
Third-Party Delivery Platforms
Ban Lan’s listing status on platforms such as GrabFood, foodpanda, or Oddle was not confirmed at the time of writing. Given the nature of the menu — premium proteins, temperature-sensitive preparations, broth-based dishes — it is likely that the restaurant either does not participate in third-party delivery or limits its delivery menu to select, transit-robust items. Customers are advised to contact the restaurant directly at 8067 6688 or visit the website to confirm current delivery availability and menu scope.
Private Dining & Catering
The four private rooms at Ban Lan accommodate groups of six to twelve and may be booked for celebratory meals, corporate entertainment, or family banquets. For larger group catering needs or off-site arrangements, direct consultation with the restaurant is required. This is not a restaurant with publicised catering infrastructure, and any bespoke arrangement would need to be negotiated directly with management.
Recommended Booking Channels
Channel Details
Phone 8067 6688 — direct reservation and delivery enquiry
Walk-in Possible for lunch; dinner walk-ins at capacity risk
Website Available (URL not published in source material)
Chope / inline Check current listings — may not be listed
Private Room Advance booking mandatory; contact restaurant directly
Full Tasting Menu & Pricing Summary
Dish Price (SGD) Serving Category
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall $156++ Single pot Signature Starter
Fuzhou Crispy Pork Ribs $29++ / $36++ Small / Large Main — Pork
Steamed Crab + Glutinous Rice $89++ / $169++ 1 / 2 crabs Main — Seafood
Steamed Yellow Croaker + Yellow Chili $79++ Whole fish Main — Seafood
Tie Guan Yin Sesame Chicken $46++ / $79++ Small / Large Signature Main
Pomegranate & Seaweed Jelly $12++ Individual Dessert
Note: All prices are subject to prevailing GST and service charge (++ notation). Expect approximately 30–35% addition to quoted prices for the final bill.
Critical Verdict
8 / 10
Ban Lan is a technically accomplished restaurant with a clear and coherent culinary identity. The kitchen demonstrates genuine mastery of Fujian technique — the 13-hour chicken, the 24-hour broth, the sweet potato starch batter — and the commitment to ingredient quality is evident across the menu. For a city as competitive in its Chinese fine dining offering as Singapore, Ban Lan occupies a distinct and defensible niche.
The principal caveat is value. At these price points, execution must be flawless, and the occasional technical shortfall — specifically the tough abalone in an otherwise superb broth — is more consequential than it would be at a lower price tier. The portion sizes are calibrated for appreciation rather than satiation, which is appropriate for the cuisine but requires clear expectation-setting for guests accustomed to more generous Chinese restaurant formats.
The three dishes that unambiguously justify the visit are the Steamed Crab with Glutinous Rice, the Tie Guan Yin Tea-Smoked Sesame Chicken, and the Fuzhou Crispy Pork Ribs. These three preparations collectively demonstrate the range, technical depth, and sensory intelligence that Fujian cuisine at its best is capable of. Ban Lan is a restaurant for occasions — but it earns that designation.
Ban Lan • Scotts Square, Singapore • 8067 6688
Review based on a media tasting conducted November 2025. Recipes are editorial reconstructions.