Healthy Chinese food. Yes, it exists. At least at Imperial Herbal Chinese Restaurant, where dining isn’t just about savouring the rich culinary tradition of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. It’s also about healthy eating. Originally opened in 1988 at the Metropole Hotel, this unconventional Chinese restaurant uses healthier cooking techniques, as well as some concepts in Chinese medicine, to prepare gourmet Chinese cuisine. In fact, on Thursday evenings, an in-house Chinese physician is available to consult guests on their health.

From wheatgrass to wolfberries, the ingredients in Imperial Herbal’s menu are health-oriented. The preparation of some dishes also takes on a healthy twist, such as the popular Fluffy Egg White (no sign of high-cholesterol yolks), which is scrambled in a little oil and water and served on a crispy basket with smoe dried scallop. In addition, all soups are double-boiled to retain nutritional properties.

With panoramic views of the waterfront, the restaurant is spacious with plenty of tables and even some colourful cushioned chairs adding to the brightness. It’s hard to miss the "medical hall" in the dining room, where a handsome wooden Chinese medicine cabinet showcases dozens of small drawers likely filled with enchanting medicinal ingredients. So for a culinary and possibly a medical adventure, visit Imperial Herbal Restaurant, where delicious and healthy Chinese food really exist. (Mar 2012)

"At Imperial Herbal Sin Chi Café, young execs lounge on velour seats next to a huge medicinal cabinet stuffed with dried cordyceps, deer tendons, lily bulbs, fritillary (or crushed pearls) powder and polygonatums." -Time Out Singapore

"Known especially for its medicinal herb-based cooking aimed at creating a balance between yin and yang. The menu is adventurous - its more than 20 double-boiled herbal soups extend past the usual to include crocodile and turtle tonics (not for the squeamish)." -I-S Asia-City

Our absolute "must-try" recommendation is the signature Imperial Herbal Chicken. A whole chicken is stuffed with the best of chinese herbs, ginseng, berries and mushrooms, wrapped in plastic and foil, packed inside a layer of clay and baked on a slow heat for many hours. The preparation harks back to Qing Dynasty China, when the myth is that a starving beggar buried a stolen chicken in mud near a riverbank to hide it. Later that night he returned and retrieved the chicken, its feathers covered in mud. He started a fire of twigs and branches to cook the chicken. But not having any utensils he placed the entire chicken directly into the fire. A tight clay crust formed as the fowl cooked, and when the crust was cracked open the feathers came right off the chicken exposing juicy tender meat and emitting an incredible aroma. The roasted chicken was so delicious he decided to start selling his creation to the villagers. Imperial Herbal Chicken tastes as good as the story suggests!

We always love cosying up to a lovely cup of tea. With teas like the Menthol Herbal Tea (a great remedy for ailments of the throat) and 8 Treasure Tea (like a fanciful bouquet of potpourri), tea-drinking at Imperial Herbal is a bit more therapeutic than sipping on any old cup of tea.

We absolutely love the Scallion Pancakes, a generous portion which was thick and doughy with fragrant scallions, and although pan-fried golden brown, not too oily. For those looking for something wholesome, consider the Stir-fried Boxthorn Vegetable (leafy greens on the wolfberry plant) with Chinese wolfberries (known for being good for the eyes). The adventurous may consider trying the Black Bean Curd in Carrot Sauce. Made from black beans rather than soya beans, this tofu dish is prepared with some wheatgrass as well as a light carrot sauce (believed to be able to prevent cancer). (Mar 2012)

"...But beyond the numbers, restaurateurs believe that consumers are actually motivated to sup at herbal restaurants not because of a passing fad (albeit an old one since the Chinese have been practising TCM for more than 4,000 years), but because of genuine concern for their health and for their heritage.

The thought is that consumers – often the same ones who, as children, turned up their noses at herbal soups and anything TCM – are starting to realise that they’re losing an important part of their culinary past. 'Most people no longer know how to prepare herbal soups,’ say Wang-Lee Tee Eng, the owner of Imperial Herbal Sin Chi Café. 'The recipes aren’t being passed down because the daughters, the traditional family cooks, now work outside the home.’ Besides, some double-boiled soups can sometimes take half a day to cook – that’s a luxury of time few Blackberrytoting execs can afford to spend sweating over a stove.

After my session with sinseh Li, manager Doris Ho recommends I drink some of her double-boiled sharks fin cartilage with panax ginseng and pilose antlers. 'I can tell you’re stressed,’ she says, staring intently at my earlobes. 'Stress ages you. This soup slows the aging process.’ Old phobias die hard. I smile politely and ask for hawthorn juice instead." -Time Out Singapore

American Express: 12% off total food bill (excluding set menu and food in café). Offer valid till 31 Dec 2013.