There’s another award-winning food chain picking Richmond as its first Canadian outpost.
Singapore Cantonese fine dining restaurant, Crystal Jade Palace, is taking over the old Mobler Furniture unit at 3351 Sweden Way.
Well, it’s part of the building.
It will sit inside the upcoming GreenTee Golf Richmond Centre, an indoor golf complex by JKWG Development with screen golf bays, a club fitting studio, a pro shop and a sauna under the same roof.
JKWG operates several golf courses and member-owned private clubs in BC.
If you remember the Korean brunch spot that was previously in Kerrisdale, Jess Restaurant, it is part of JKWG.
The restaurant is the fine dining end of the Crystal Jade group, which started in Singapore in 1991 and grew to more than 100 locations across Asia.
Its sister restaurant, Crystal Jade Golden Palace in Singapore’s Paragon mall, held one Michelin star from 2016 to 2018.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong & Macau outpost held Michelin BibGourmand from 2009 – 2015 and Shanghai and Seoul held that same Michelin designation in 2017 & 2018.
The Richmond plan was announced in mid-August, and the work on the ground has kept going since.
JKWG has hired Allen Ren as the restaurant’s executive chef.
He has more than 23 years running Chinese kitchens in Asia and Canada, most recently as executive chef at iDen & Quanjude in Vancouver, and specializes in Cantonese and Huaiyang cooking.
Crystal Jade’s group executive chef, Martin Foo, also flew in with his master chef team to work with the Richmond kitchen, and the golf centre has started bringing on pre-opening staff.
Back in Singapore, the picture looks a bit different.
On September 29, receivers from Kroll were appointed over the group’s Singapore and Hong Kong holding companies.
Four more Singapore outlets closed on October 6, bringing this year’s closures there to nine and leaving nine open, and the receivers say the business is being readied for a sale.
The restaurants still open in Singapore include Crystal Jade Palace at Takashimaya and Golden Palace at Paragon.
Nothing published so far says whether the receivership touches the Richmond restaurant, and JKWG calls Crystal Jade Palace “our new restaurant” in its own posts.
The upcoming restaurant has been in hiring mode since September, so the restaurant is likely to open sometime this Fall.
Crystal Jade Palace joins other upcoming Richmond food spots like Trusty Congee King, Lai San Wan Noodles and Sangoku.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
Address: 3351 Sweden Way, Richmond, BC
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