Paradise Dynasty is a solid Cantonese restaurant, but its canteen-like mall location and disappointing signature dishes mean Din Tai Fung can rest easy on its Michelin star (awarded to the original Taipei branch) without having to worry too much about this Singaporean competitor. The crowds, too, have voted with their feet, so that while they swarmed Paradise Dynasty at its opening, when reservations were not even being accepted, the restaurant now feels pretty sad with its double-height atrium space strewn with empty green tables and reverberating with the sounds of whatever promo or mini-concert is taking place on the lower floors. We, too, are unimpressed with the place’s star dish, xiao long bao (Shanghainese dumplings) flavored with black truffle, cheese, crab roe or foie gras (get all eight flavors for B285). It’s an intriguing gimmick, but none of these flavors are particularly memorable. It must be said though, the plain xiao long bao (B195 for 10) are still pretty darn good, if not quite as heavenly as Din Tai Fung’s. Comparing both restaurants’ drunken chicken (B65) is another easy win for Taiwan: the one here is dry, the sauce too boozy; the one at Din Tai Fung is incredibly tender, flavorful and well-balanced throughout. Paradise’s other signature dish is the freshly made la mien noodles in pork bone soup. The noodles are quite toothsome, but the marbled pork (B195) topping is too dry and flavorless. And we’ll take the much richer pork bone stock at Japanese faves Chabuton and Ramentei over this one any day. Still, we like the menu’s second half, the standard Cantonese dishes that don’t try to reinvent the wheel. The sweet and sour chicken (B215) lacks a bit of crispiness, but the fluffy balls of tender goodness are totally addictive. The French beans in minced pork (B185) are another excellent dish that demonstrates good wok technique: the veggies are wilted on the outside and still crisp inside. We also recommend the jelly fish salad (B160), a deliciously fresh and slightly spicy salad. Paradise Dynasty may be a bit of a letdown given all the hype that accompanied its opening—and you do have the formidable Crystal Jade and Four Seasons Restaurant on the ground floor—but this remains a good option within Paragon: excellent service, great food and decent prices.