QIN is the inhouse restaurant of The Clan Hotel. Opened by Tunglok Group, the restaurant serves Chinese food but with a modern twist. In Chinese, the restaurant name is 亲 which means kinship, in keeping with the overall theme of The Clan Hotel.
Located at the 4th floor of the property, the venue boasts of sweeping views of Singapore’s CBD owing to QIN’s high loft-style layout and floor-to-ceiling windows. QIN is comprised of two levels – the lower level is where the restaurant is located while the upper loft level is a bar where guests can unwind before or after their meal. The walls here are quite notable with their TCM medicine cabinets – inspired design.
I have been to QIN numerous times, from the time they launched their inaugural menu in 2021 down to my latest visit last week to check out what new Chef Marvas Ng has in store for this prized Tung Lok outlet. While other Tung Lok restaurants focus on traditional Chinese cooking, QIN is where they allow their chefs to exercise greater creative control. Chef Marvas Ng is of course no stranger to Singapore’s culinary scene, having come from Path, a restaurant which I also wholeheartedly enjoyed.
Here are some of the dishes I tried:
Straits Wild Caught Sea Bream “Hai Diao” ($28)
Delicately sliced wild-caught sea bream from the Singapore Strait is paired with a local vegetable spring roll, white radish, and ikura for a briny pop. Glazed with an aromatic Hainanese sauce, the dish balances subtle sweetness with layered textures.
Local Marinated Cherry Tomatoes ($22)
Cherry tomatoes marinated for three days in a citrus concoction, topped with chrysanthemum jelly, tart yuzu and local sorrel. The dish is visually appealing with bright, balanced flavors that awaken the palate. The red tomatoes were exceptionally sweet and possessed a fruit-like quality. Well, tomatoes are technically fruits.
Hokkaido Pork Belly (Yume No Daichi) “Har Cheong” ($20)
With Chef Marvas Ng taking the helm, one of his plans for QIN is to develop the bar concept. With it, he has also launched some bar-friendly finger food to accompany their repertoire of cocktails and alcohol selection. Here, snow pork belly is thinly sliced and marinated in har cheong (fermented shrimp paste) and sesame oil and then fried to a golden crisp. It is paired with a housemade Teochew chili dip. Eating this, I felt two emotions – one of guilt and another of ecstasy. This did not taste like a run-of-the-mill fried pork belly, with the shrimp paste giving it an added depth that will make you reach out for more. At the same time however, I felt the constant need to run an extra 10 minutes the next day for each piece that I downed.
Wagyu Beef “Hei Hu Jiao” (1 pcs $6 | 3 pcs $16)
Here, croquettes of rich, buttery wagyu beef are enhanced with black pepper and shallots and served atop mustard seed puree. One can order this individually or in sets of three, with each bite balancing richness with a subtle sharpness especially once you reach the filling in the middle.
Shanghainese Hairy Crab Roe “Dou Hua” ($22)
This was one of my favorites among those I’ve tried. Brown crab roe sits atop delicate, in-house made soy curd and accented with pickled chili. Who would have thought that soy curd, a dessert offering, would go nicely with crab? Both the briny and subtly sweet flavors seem to come together seamlessly. This is also a dish I remember having in Path previously.
Straits Line Caught Local Threadfin “Qing Zheng” ($42)
I also adored the fish dish. Here, fresh threadfin is steamed and served with seasonal tubers, elevated by a Canton-style shallot soy vinaigrette. This is the main to go for if you prefer something lighter.
Spanish Bellota Ribs “Shao Kao” ($34)
In contrast, the sous-vide and charcoal-grilled acorn-fed Spanish bellota pork ribs is the heavier but equally good option. It comes topped with Cantonese chu hou sauce, crispy aromatics and romaine salad. Overall, I found the meat to be tender, flavorful and slightly smoky.
Cameron Highland “Nai Cha” ($12)
When conceptualizing this dessert, Chef Marvas shared that he tried different types of tea but none were prominent enough in terms of taste except for black tea. That to me, is the star of this dessert. The roasted black tea sorbet in the middle layer provided a caffeinated kick which I totally did not expect for a sweet ending. The other layers consist of black tea konjac boba and creamy nai gai (whipped cream cheese). It is also topped with crispy buckwheat. On the surface, it looks deceptively simple but grab a bite to discover its complex textures and flavors.
Sesame “Su” (1 pcs $7 | 3 pcs $18)
Here, black sesame comes paired with Okinawa brown sugar and wrapped in layers of filo pastry and fried golden brown. It’s a crunchy, nutty and satisfying option and something not usually found in other places.
Gula Melaka “Ma Shu” ($9)
A more traditional option is the “ma shu” consisting of soft warabimochi made with gula melaka, topped with coconut flakes and a hint of sea salt. This is a local twist on a Japanese favorite, sweet yet balanced.
Every visit to QIN leaves me pleasantly surprised as each chef leaves his own imprint in the cuisine. Fans of Chef Marvas’ cooking from Path would be delighted to find his penchant for sauces is retained here, while the Sinitic qualities of the cuisine is ramped up as compared to QIN’s previous menus.
Dishes at QIN are on an ala-carte basis for dinner. Lunches are available as sets from S$38 or ala-carte.
QIN Restaurant and Bar
5/F The Clan Hotel
10 Cross Street
Singapore 048417
+65 6980 3535
Opening Hours:
Daily, 12PM to 2:30PM / 6 to 10PM
