San Ren Xing 三人行 - Thomson Plaza — Restaurant in Singapore

San Ren Xing: A Delightful Taste of Fujian Cuisine at Thomson Plaza

My recent dinner at San Ren Xing in Thomson Plaza was a genuine pleasure, offering a refreshing exploration of Fujian flavours with a few delightful surprises. From the unique Nanping Noodles to the attentive service, it was a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience.

We began with a truly standout appetizer: Turnips seasoned with orange and lemon. This seemingly simple dish was a burst of bright, zesty flavours. The crispness of the turnips, combined with the sweet and tangy notes of the citrus, was incredibly appetising and a perfect palate cleanser to start the meal. It was a refreshing and unexpected introduction to the cuisine.

For my main courses, the Nanping Noodles was a must-try, and it certainly lived up to expectations. This signature dish featured silky smooth noodles in a rich, savoury broth, accompanied by a generous mix of fresh clams and prawns and vegetables. The broth had a subtle depth of earthy flavour that was both comforting and satisfying, and the freshness of the ingredients shone through. It was a well-balanced and flavourful bowl that showcased the heartiness of Fujian cooking.

The Deep Fried Corn Shape Fish was another interesting and well-executed dish. The fish was incredibly crispy on the outside while remaining moist and tender within. The unique corn shape added a playful element to the presentation, and the light batter allowed the natural flavour of the fish to take centre stage. It was a delightful textural contrast to the noodles.

No Chinese meal feels complete without Xiaolongbao, and San Ren Xing's Xiaolongbao did not disappoint. The delicate skin held a flavourful and piping hot broth, and the pork filling was succulent and well-seasoned. They were expertly made, delivering that satisfying burst of flavour with each bite.

The Stir-fried Asparagus with Bacon was a classic done well. The asparagus was perfectly cooked, retaining a pleasant crisp-tender texture, and the crispy bacon added a salty, savoury counterpoint. It was a simple yet flavourful side dish that complemented the other richer dishes nicely.

Throughout the meal, the service staff were equally impressive. They were attentive, prompt, and genuinely service-oriented, always ready with a smile and ensuring our needs were met without being intrusive. Their professionalism added significantly to the overall positive dining experience. San Ren Xing offers a lovely introduction to the diverse and flavourful cuisine of Fujian.

The standout Nanping Noodles and the delightful appetizer were particular highlights, and the quality extended to the other dishes as well. Combined with the excellent service, San Ren Xing is a welcome addition to the dining scene at Thomson Plaza and a place I would happily recommend for a satisfying and enjoyable meal.

Highly...

Came here on a Friday evening at about 630pm, made a reservation online just in case but the outlet was not as packed as I'd imagine to be, though the tables are quite limited cos the restaurant is kinda small compared to a standalone Chinese restaurant.

Service was quick, didn't see any staff mingle among themselves or skiving away but the female manager was kinda scolding one of the staff for always taking long breaks multiple times with another staff lol

Ordered the signature claypot noodles, it was quite fragrant, like there was a tad of wokhei taste to it and the smallest serving at $11.90 was enough for two (at least for me and my hubs).

The lean pork with popiah skin, hubs said it was quite nice but I find it mediocre cos they were trying to market it as an adaptation to Peking duck but to me, it was just that they added popiah skin to the lean meat for you to roll it up to eat. Maybe because there is no sauce to it (like hoisin sauce) and the flavour only comes from the lean meat itself which I didn't find it v flavourful.

The Sichuan style spicy chicken aka 辣子鸡 portion was enough for 2-3 pax, their chicken cubes were of larger pieces, quite crispy and flavourful.

Xiao long bao was decent but I wouldn't order it again. The skin was thin but the broth was not flavourful and out of 6 pieces, I had 3 and only 1 had a little bit of soup.

The sambal on the table in a small ceramic jar was quite nice tho.

Overall damage for 4 dishes was $70++ after service charge and gst, price is above average. They are transparent with their pricings, the last page of the menu actually shows you how much they charge for wet wipes ($0.50/pcs), plain water ($0.50/cup) and stuff like that. I personally wouldn't travel down to Thomson plaza...

Had the Homemade Popiah with Shredded Lean Meat, Deep Fried Chicken with Almonds, Stir Fried Vegetables with Black Fungus & Mushrooms, Stir Fried Broccoli with Garlic and the Stir Fried Beancurd.

Enjoyed all the dishes, especially the popiah with meat and the beancurd. Chilli here is nice, tastes similar to Putien. In fact, their dishes seem to be inspired by Putien and are quite on par with them in terms of taste and quality.

The only gripe we had was with their lousy service. Staff were not friendly or welcoming and one younger male waiter in particular was really rather rude with the way he spoke. The day we went, some dishes were also sold out, but they didn't inform us until we tried to place our order.

Overall, would come back again since the food is great but the service really needs to improve.

Edit (Mar 2025): We ordered the Mapo Tofu, Stir-fried Mushroom, Si Chuan Spicy Chicken, Sauerkraut Fish, and Hot Yam Paste in Coconut. The mapo tofu was really delicious, it's rare to find one in Singapore that is sufficiently spicy and numbing. The mushroom was not bad, quite flavourful. However the chicken and fish weren't as tasty, I remember those served at the Bugis outlet was much nicer. The dessert was not bad, though it seemed a bit starchy.

Ambience here is alright, quiet enough for conversations as there weren't many diners on a Friday evening. There seems to be a lot of self-collection orders, as there is a 20% discount for this option. I hope the management can do something about their aircon, which seemed to be useless as it was really hot.

Overall, San Ren Xing is a good place to go for authentic Chinese food, though I'd probably return to the Bugis outlet instead...