The menu, as I  understand is not as extensive as the original branch in Hong Kong. And they have no Liu Sha Bao…which makes me sad. We had the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50 for three), Steamed Egg Cake (ma lai gao, $3.8o), Siew Mai ($5) and har gao ($5.50). The Steamed Egg cake was softer than the local versions but was no great shakes, the BBQ pork bun however was the best I have ever tasted. With a polo bun shell and sweet bbq char siew on the inside, I had no problems polishing off three of these buns. The siew mai and har gao both contain pieces of fresh shrimp. They are also made to order, so none are just sitting around.

Their Teochew-style dumplings ($4) were filled with chives and pork-  which reminded me faintly of crystal dumplings – and the Beef Balls with Beancurd Skin ($4.40)was a miss for me. Both had an odd flavour that perhaps, I did not appreciate but others might. Tim Ho Wan is also well known for their liver chee cheong fun, but I got the BBQ pork filled rice roll (chee cheong fun) and that was simply heavenly. So were the deep fried Spring Rolls with Egg White. Mmm.

I have not eaten at the one in Hong Kong, so I do not have any preconceived notions about the dim sum at the Singaporean arm of Tim Ho Wan. It is definitely worth a visit, but I would never queue more than 20 minutes for it. Wait for the hype to die down, then go.

Tim Ho Wan is located at Plaza Singapura’s new extension on the first floor.

The doorway to enter, and inside the restaurant

The restaurant had a classy and oriental decor, and a relaxed, clean atmosphere to it. Service was reasonably attentive and good, as the staff were polite and prompt with orders taking and tea refilling (the latter being very important to me as I like to take frequent sips to ‘cleanse the palate’ between dishes or bites!).

We started off with some porridge, soup, various appetizers and dim sum dishes.

The yummilicious Siew Mai topped with Baby Abalone

The Steamed Mini Abalone Siew Mai was a refreshing change from the usual roe-topped, meaty dumpling, with a juicy baby abalone perched on top of it. This added a layer of bouncy, chewy texture and savoury shellfish flavour, which I feel was not too “sea”-ish (which some shellfish sometimes are) and complemented the overall look and taste of the dumpling well. Definitely one of my favourite dishes of the meal.

Lean Meat and Century Egg Porridge and Hot and Sour Soup

The porridge and hot and sour soup were the usual stuff, nothing much to shout about. The former was of a refined, smooth quality though – which some people might like.

However, the next item was really quite a star. One of the dishes Cherry Garden is known for is its Kurobuta Pork Char Siew; and man, do they cook this well. The meat was plump and delicious, glazed with a light coat of sweet and savoury char siew sauce that was rich but not overpowering.

The lovely, juicy Kurobuta Pork Char Siew

And look at it’s beautiful, pink exterior. Simply wonderful.

Other appetizer and dim sum items which we had included the Drunken Chicken, Wok Fried Radish Cake in XO Sauce, Steamed Conpoy Dumplings with Dried Scallops and Shrimps, and the Steamed Ginger and Sesame Drunken Chicken Dumplings (in the following picture).

Various dim sum items and appetizers

The dumplings were overall well executed and enjoyable but not really that spectacular. And the same went for the Drunken Chicken and Wok Fried Radish Cake in XO Sauce. The upside was that the quality was pretty good and the construction of the dishes were rather exquisite.

The Steamed Prawn and Bamboo Pith Dumpling with Gold Powder (pictured below) was quite a delight though, both taste and looks-wise.

The beautiful gold dusted Steamed Har Gao

This was a beautifully presented dish – I don’t really think the gold powder enhanced the taste, but I’m a believer of full sensory culinary experiences and so this worked for me. The prawns were fresh and crunchy, and it was delicious so we ordered another basket (as well as of the Mini Abalone Siew Mai mentioned above).

We also had a few other stir fried and cold dishes – the Soya Sauce Chicken, Stir Fried Asparagus and Maize in XO Sauce, Wasabi Prawns with Mango, Netted Crispy Rice Turnover with Prawn, Apple and Mango, Fried Calamari and the Prawn Salad.

From left, the Soya Sauce Chicken, Stir Fried Asparagus and Corn in XO Sauce, and the Crystal Dumplings

The Soya Sauce Chicken was simply lovely – succulent and juicy, accompanied by a really tasty sauce. The Stir Fried Asparagus and Maize in XO Sauce was also quite enjoyable and tasty.

And I found the prawn salad really interesting and  filled with lots of ingredients, some of which were rather unusual, like Japanese seaweed.

The exciting Prawn Salad

For the fried items, the Wasabi Prawns with Mango were quite yummy, crisp, hot, sweet and sour all at the same time, and the Netted Crispy Turnover also made a good effort at being an enjoyable fried treat.

The calamari dish however was quiite a disappointment, as it was really dry and tough.

Yummy fried stuff (clockwise from left): Fried Calamari, Wasabi Aioli Prawns with Fresh Mango and Fish Roe, and Crispy Netted Rice Turnover with Prawn, Apple and Mango

As usual, when it was time for desserts we were already pretty full and weren’t sure how much we could fit into our stuffed selves. And so we ordered 1-2 desserts each, but when they arrived we discovered that they were served in rather small portions and SO darn delicious, that we wished we had ordered more!

The Custard Buns with Dark Chocolate were a nice change from the usual liu sha baos (though I do love those very much), and were also very delightful with warm and rich molten chocolate oozing out from within. It was literally bursting with flavour, and the bun was also moist and fluffy – not too hard or thick.

The wonderful selection of desserts – (clockwise from top left) the Dark Chocolate Custard Bun, the Avocado Cream with Walnut Ice Cream, the Mango Pomelo Sago with Sorbet and the Watermelon with Aloe Vera and Lemongrass Jelly

Another of the desserts I really loved was the Avocado Cream with Walnut Ice Cream. Sounds kind of weird but the smooth creamy taste of avocado and the nutty flavour of the ice cream really go well together. The Watermelon with Aloe Vera and Lemongrass Jelly was also very good as it was a light, refreshing dessert that really helped to lighten the ‘heaviness’ in the mouth and stomach! Didn’t try the Mango Pomelo Sago though but heard good things about it from the family.

At $48++ per pax for the dim sum buffet (without alcohol or drinks), it’s not considered cheap, but I would say that it is worth the money spent. I enjoyed the dim sum dining experience at Cherry Garden, and would recommend it for an exquisite lunch date with close friends or family.

Cherry Garden

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Cherry Garden
5 Raffles Avenue
#05-00 Mandarin Oriental Singapore
Tel: +65 6885 3538
Website: http://www.mandarinoriental.com/singapore/fine-dining/cherry-garden
Open from 12 – 2:30pm for lunch, 11am – 1pm (1st seating) and 1:30 – 3:30pm (2nd seating) for brunch, and 6:30 – 10:30pm for dinner.

And that is the Imperial Treasure Group. So far, I’ve been to their outlets in Tampines, Great World City, ION Orchard and 111 Somerset for both dim sum and regular Chinese fare, and none have really disappointed me yet. In addition to great dim sum, they also do a mean roast duck, delicious soya sauce chicken, as well as other quality various stir fry dishes and Chinese noodle dishes.

The cross section of the marvellous Char Siew Sou – taken at the Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant at Tampines 1

For the dim sum, what really stood out for me was their Char Siew Sou – which I hardly ever order at restaurants because I don’t usually fancy it, as those I had tried before had crust that was too thick and cakey and meat that was not very flavourful – but the one at Imperial Treasure, oh my. It was good stuff. After biting into a light flakey crust bursting with generous and rich tasting char siew chunks inside, I was a convert.

The Scallop Rice Rolls, Har Gaos, Mushroom Dumplings (clockwise) from the Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine at Great World City

The other dim sum delights (pictures above and below) like the Har Gao (Steamed Prawn Dumplings), Steamed Mushroom Dumplings and Scallop or Prawn Cheong Fun (Rice Rolls) also fared pretty well – I particularly like the scallop rice rolls, with their juicy filling of scallop, smooth rice roll wrapping and lightly salty soy sauce.

The Mushroom Dumplings are really chock full of earthy mushrooms in a thin crystal skin – I’d say it might not be not for everyone though, as the mushroom taste is pretty strong. The Har Gaos were good quality but pretty standard – one thing good was that the skin was pretty thin, allowing the sweet and juicy prawns to shine.

More dim sum –  Prawn Rice Rolls, Fried Carrot Cake and Steamed Liu Sa Pau (clockwise) at the Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant, Tampines 1

The Fried Carrot Cake was also quite delicious, fried to a tender crisp on the outside but still tender and soft on the inside. The Deep Fried Prawn Dumplings though rather delectable and exquisite, unfortunately lacked the plump and juicy filling that I usually prefer this dish to have. For the steamed Liu Sa Paus (salted egg yolk custard buns), it is a bit hard for me to comment as I’ve usually had them somewhat cold or slightly overcooked (as I requested for it to be left on the steamer to be kept hot) as I must have it only at the end of the meal and my companion prefers it to be served with everything else – but from what I remember, it seemed like it had the potential to be really bursting with warm and smooth liquid and flavour.

Was also rather glad that they provided chilli that was the really rich, fried deep red sambal type, instead of the processed slightly sweet light red type (though I do think the latter can be quite nice too).

The Roast Duck, Seasonal Vegetable with Three Kinds of Egg, Steamed Fish with Lily Bulbs dishes from Imperial Treasure Noodles and Congee House

For the stir fried dishes, some I’ve tried at the ION branch were the Chicken in Claypot in Clam Sauce (excellent), Kung Po Chicken (quite good), Steamed Fish with Lily Bulbs (excellent – the fish was so smooth and well executed), Seasonal Vegetable with Three Types of Egg (again excellent – the light broth sauce from the eggs was tasty yet not too rich or overpowering), Deep Fried Prawns with Lemon Sauce (not too bad). The roast meats there were rather delicious as well – especially the really tasty and juicy duck!

Truffle Mee Pok

We also tried a rather interesting noodle dish at the Great World City branch – Flat Egg Noodles (Mee Pok) with Shimeji Mushrooms and Truffle Oil – which was wonderfully truffle-infused without being overpowering, and complemented the light and earthy taste of the mushrooms and the egg-y flat noodles. I really liked it. And they also have some other unique noodle medleys as well.

Their Chinese tea is also enjoyable and goes fabulously with the dim sum – my favourite one to have at Imperial Treasure is Ju-Pu – Chrysanthemum mixed with Pu-er. As for service, it is pretty standard really; although one time when we went to the Great World City branch, some of the wait staff had somehow managed to mess up one or two orders, resulting in some food delays and minor displeasure. But that was the only lapse and it was still tolerable, so I’d definitely go back for the high quality, delicious and reasonably priced food.

And it’s apparently not just me who likes this chain – Imperial Treasure outlets seem to almost always have queues during mealtimes – so I’d suggest you call in advance for seats if you wish to pay them a visit!

I also heard that the Marina Bay Sands branch has a really nice ambience and great food, so going to check that out next.

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Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine
1 Kim Seng Promenade
#02-06 Great World City
Tel: 6681 6424

Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant
10 Tampines Central 1
#02-04 Tampines 1
Tel: 6484 3323 I

mperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House
2 Orchard Turn
#B3-17 ION Orchard
Tel: 6509 8283

Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant
111 Somerset Road
#02-21/22/23 TripleOne Somerset
Tel: 6732 8231

Wen Dao Shi or 126 in bustling Geylang

I love this place. I love the food, its old school coffee shop feel, pun-y name and all. If you’re a person who enjoys food variety, this place is for you. Imagine my delight upon opening a menu chock full of delectable dim sum items, depicted by many bright (not very professionally taken but all the more charming for that) pictures of the food.

The menu with lots of colourful pictures – only available in Chinese though

Wen Dao Shi (or 126 or Wan Dou Sek – and to me, ‘want to sek’) is a place of many names. And dishes too, apparently. Situated in the bustling Geylang district, parking is of course, a nightmare – but if you go really late at night or perhaps even for a late lunch on the weekend, the fight for lots seems to be somewhat bearable.

So at this place, there’s an insane selection of bite sized treats – perhaps about 3 to 5 types of siew mais (standard, prawn, crabmeat etc), har gaos, cheong funs, baos etc, and another 10-20 types of steamed or fried dumplings/rolls. And then there’s also the porridge, meats, noodles (they have crab vermicelli / thick beehoon soup here too I think!) and even seafood otah and chicken curry.

A generous serving of the yummy Lean Meat Century Egg Congee

Shall section this according to the type of items – first up are the steamed dim sum dishes. The Siew Mai King (actually, I think the name is not quite this, but don’t remember the actual one) was really big, plump and juicy, with a good mix of meat and prawn, and some mushroom bits to balance out the flavours (around $4+ I think).

Steamed dim sum dishes (clockwise from top left): Siew Mai King, Stuffed Golden Tofu, Crabmeat Siew Mai and the Xiao Long Baos

A variation of this that I found rather unusual but good was the Crabmeat Siew Mai, which although didn’t look particularly impressive, tasted quite marvellous indeed. When bitten into, the taste of crab will spread out across your tongue, slowly seeping from within the soft and slightly spongy flesh of the siew mai, as you chew. The Golden Coin or Fortune something dish (mushrooms wrapped in beancurd skin) was really good too – bursting with flavour and sauce! The Xiao Long Baos were so-so.

The big and succulent King Prawn Har Gao

I really like the King Prawn Har Gao (also around $4+ I believe) here too – the skin is not too thick, and the serving of prawn within is generous and seemed quite fresh too. When paired with the awesome chilli sauce that this place serves – a piquant and fragrant thick dark red sauce, it is definitely quite satisfying.

The unique Crabmeat Chee Cheong Fun

The Crabmeat Chee Cheong Fun ($4) is another one of their interesting dishes – again, looked fairly normal, but tasted great – the shredded crabmeat wrapped inside a soft and delicate skin and smothered with some sort of delicious brown sauce, melted in my mouth after each bite and left me wanting more.

And a seafood otah dish may seem a little out of place at a dim sum joint, but not at 126 where it seems like ‘everything goes’. The version they serve up here has huge chunks of fish meat encased in a soft, spicy patty of deliciousness. Really quite delicious – though one time they under-steamed it a little and it ended up being a tad bit watery. It was perfect the other two times I went.

Clockwise from left: Homemade Barley, Seafood Otah, and Fried Scallops

Jumping to drinks, I really liked their homemade barley as well – it had a hint of ‘ling yang’ (I don’t know how to explain this but it’s some sort of Chinese herb that people use to cure fever) in it and was cooling to the taste. Especially great for pairing with the fried dishes.

For the fried items, I thoroughly enjoyed the Fried Scallops – they were coated with just the right amount of batter (not too thick and soggy) and fried to a gorgeous but not too oily crisp, with a sizeable juicy scallop inside. Totally. Delicious.

Fried goodies! Scallop Beancurd Skin Roll on the left, and Fried Prawn Dumplings on the right

The other fried items I’ve tried so far were quite normal though; the Scallop Beancurd Skin Roll was a nice level of crispy at least, but was pretty thin and empty – there was little sign of scallops within – which made it just okay and not particularly enjoyable. The Fried Prawn Dumpling, while had a decent amount of prawn, did not deliver up to my expectations in terms of flavour (I felt the taste of the prawn didn’t come through strongly enough) and was a bit too oily and over-fried for my liking.

I do really like the overall variety, quality and relaxed, homely feel of the place though, and would definitely pay it a visit again sometime to try the other dishes offered. A friend also told me that their curry xiao long baos (I think?) and some other items were really good too.

While the dim sum at Wen Dao Shi doesn’t have a particularly refined quality, it is hearty, homely, and quite tasty indeed. Spent about S$30++ for 2 pax each time we went – which is quite reasonable for what you get. Do give it a try if you like dim sum! And then let me know what you think about it

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搵到食 Wen Dao Shi
126 Sims Avenue
Tel: +65 6746 4757
Open 24 hours

I kept being told to give Tao Tao House a go, with several friends arguing over its position in the Top Three dim sum joints in Melbourne. So finally, I drove down early on a Sunday to check out what the fuss was about. In fact, I was a little too enthusiastic and arrived early at 10.30am only to find that the doors stay shut till 11am. A brief detour for coffee was necessary just to get out of the winds, but by the time I returned at 11.10am, the place was already 3/4 packed out. So my early-bird plan wasn’t so unusual after all. My mistake was not to make a prior booking so my party was shown to the table right by the entrance and I was copping wind gusts each time a customer walked through the door.

Still, I was pleasantly surprised that the food trolleys did make their way to my table constantly, and not when they were down to the last plates. This is an indicator of good service, unlike some other restaurants in which lazy service staff tend to serve outwards from their pick-up point . But then again, you’re in a Chinese restaurant, you expect good service – are you serious?

So let’s quickly jump onto the food trolley.

First on my plate were the siewmai, har gow and braised chicken feet. The siew mai was of a nice texture, firm to bite into but with a bit of responsive bounce. The use of diced pork instead of a blended mix that cheap restaurants resort to gives it a slightly chunky structure. The prawn meat was fresh, and it was steamed well enough to preserve the overall juiciness. The har gow skin I found too thick and more of a distraction to the use of the sweet prawn meat. The chicken feet was braised nicely, good flavours, but wasn’t tender enough for my own personal liking.

This was actually nice, although I don’t know what it’s actually called. Still I can tell you what’s in it. It’s got fish and prawn meat layers on top of a piece of green pepper, then topped with a black bean sauce. As a combination, it worked VERY well. My dad thought the green pepper was undercooked, but I like the slight taste of the raw green and think it adds a welcome twist of freshness.

The carrot cake was nice, rather run of the mill sort. No complaint. At this point, would have been good it we were provided more chilli sauce instead of the measly single that lasted us for the entire meal despite requests for more.

I love ox tripe, and it didn’t matter that I thought this was under-flavoured or under-garnish, I still finished this order. Needed more chilli or dark soy flavourings I thought.

The pork bun is one of THE key dishes that dictate the level of pleasure you derive from a yumcha session. At Tao Tao House, the filling is prepared very nicely. The interplay of sweet and savoury flavours stemming from the sticky sauce that envelopes the BBQ’d pork chunks. But the bun is also about the bun. The bun was too thick, which wouldn’t have been a major down-side except that the bun had the tendency to cling to your teeth. This is a major NO-NO in the circles of bun making. I might not be a full-time bun connossieur, but I do take this aspect of buns seriously. Hey, if the Emperor would call for the chef’s head due to a displeasing bun, that’s no laughing matter!

The best offering of the meal was undoubtedly the custard tarts, and I now wish I had ordered extra portions. Firstly, the pastry was crumbly and flakey, but still had the strength to keep together when you picked it up. The custard was of a tender texture, and close to melting in your mouth. Bravo!

On the other hand, the custard bun was a huge let down. Same issue regarding the bun layer, but the custard within was dry and sugary sweet. Do note that I rank all custard buns against the lofty standard which is served at Singapore’s Shangri-La Shang Palace.

Overall, Tao Tao House is one of the better yumcha restaurants in Melbourne where you can expect that fresh ingrediants were used in the preparation of the dim sum. It is relatively cheap for small – moderate eaters. Remember to make your reservation! It’s a relaxing place that isn’t over-crowded, perfect for a group catch-up without having to wreck your brains about the food

Prawn rolls

So we went there, and had a pretty good experience – firstly the ambience and design were really nice, classy and modern with a light blue and white colour scheme – much unlike the usually rowdy, very Chinese type decor. Of course, I’m not saying that the latter isn’t good, but sometimes having the former can be quite refreshing too. Service was pretty normal, though we were kept waiting for pretty long for some orders, as it appeared that they had forgotten them – the chee cheong fun and steamed custard buns.

Shark fin dumpling

I usually don’t believe in ordering dishes with shark fins in them to avoid cruelty to sharks, but since  my parents like it… sorry sharks. It was really quite good though! Came with a fresh leafy kailan too, and a flavourful but light broth.

Following that, we had the usual har gao, siew mai and scallop dumpling dim sum baskets. The latter two were pretty unique – the siew mais came with wolfberries and plump mushrooms, and the scallop dumplings with some black roe garnishing. All of these were tasty and firm, and seemed to be of pretty good quality.

Yummy dim sum

We also had some really delicious crabmeat ee-fu noodles, with big, fat juicy pieces of crabmeat. Okay, I’m probably kind of biased because I absolutely adore crab and its slightly sweet yet savoury flavour encased in a springy meat. This was nicely done, as they kept the pieces chunky and the sauce fairly light and not too overpowering. And the meat was placed on top of the noodles, not fried with it, so it was not overcooked. Quite a generous portion too.

Crabmeat ee-fu noodles

And finally, the last two dishes arrived – the Royal China chee cheong fun (1 roll char siew, 1 roll scallop and 1 roll prawn), and the steamed custard bun. The Royal China chee cheong fun was quite nice as the skin was not too powdery or thick. But overall pretty normal though it was nice to have some variety in the filings.

The Royal China chee cheong fun

And the steamed custard buns, or also known as liu sha paus, were actually very much a delight! I absolutely love it when the salty and sweet egg yolk custard paste oozes out from the soft, fluffy bun. And oh did this one burst out in joyous song when bit into. The contrast in both texture and favour was just… heavenly.

The lovely steamed custard bun

I would most definitely go back there again. Plus, the prices were pretty reasonable, at an average of $5 per basket. Including some other items not mentioned here like porridge, roast duck, tea, spent about $130 for 4 people.

Great for a lazy Sunday brunch treat for the family!

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Royal China
1 Beach Road
#03-09 Raffles Hotel
Tel: +65 6338 3363

I first visited Marigold for dim sum over three years ago. When we returned to Sydney last November, it was on my “must visit” list.

We’re joined by Craig and Caroline, and Jac’s brother J. My theory is that dim sum is a meal best enjoyed with with more people – you get to maximise your tasting choices!

We pounce on a dish of suckling pig. It’s ribboned with delicious delicious fat, tender morsels of meat, and topped with crunchy strips of crackling skin.

Fried prawn dumplings aren’t usually my favourite, but I really enjoyed these.

They’re golden and crunchy, thanks to the wonton wrappers, and filled with tender and bursty prawns with only the barest hint of binder, such as corn or potato flour, making them light and pleasant to eat.

Pet hate: overzealous use of binder in any dumpling, dim sum or otherwise. It makes me cringe, because it never tastes as good as it looks.

My preferred style of prawn dumplings, har gao arrive shortly after. They’re steamed prawn dumplings, wrapped in a sticky glutinous rice flour wrapper.

The best wrappers are thin yet robust, and don’t tear as soon as you try to wrestle them away from the steamer basket. They should be slightly al dente, a sign of the perfect glutinous rice flour dough.

The prawn filling sometimes features coriander, chives, spring onions or bamboo shoots sliced finely, but these are au naturel, just the way I like them!

The chive lovers at the table (not me!) enjoy the chive and prawn dumplings too.

A crowd favourite is definitely the salt and pepper squid, which arrives straight out of the deep fryer and tongue-searingly hot.

When the lady cooking gai lan wheels her cart next to us, Jac and I both respond ‘yes!’ simultaneously.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit, this is probably the only vegetable dish I ever order at dim sum, but it’s one I love nonetheless. The stems are crunchy and the leaves are tender and fragrant.

You can’t help but feel a little more saint-like after eating something as healthy as this. Well, maybe only a tiny bit, given the meat-to-veggie ratio of the rest of the meal!

These sui gao are boiled dumplings which I’ve not eaten for years. They’re wheat flour wrapped dumplings filled with minced prawns and served drizzled with sesame oil and a little soy sauce.

I find myself marvelling at the perfectly circular shape of these scallop dumplings. They’re deceptively light, with only a thin layer of batter surrounding a sweet, plump scallop.

One of my favourite varieties of rice flour rolls also make an appearance, jam packed with pieces of tender char siu.

And while we’re on the topic of char siu … the perennial crowd pleaser, char siu pau, was another dish we couldn’t miss.

It’s just not dim sum without these pillowy soft steamed buns.

Speaking of delicious char siu … check out this beautiful dish of Marigold’s char siu!

The dessert cart taunted us as we waited for the savoury options to arrive. But we made sure they stopped at our table once we’d enjoyed our fill of savoury foods!

Everyone loved the mango pancakes so much we had to order seconds. And thirds.

These sugary doughnuts and mango pudding are a less successful. We bite into the doughnuts expecting gloriously spongy soft insides, only to find that they’re mostly hollow, and bland.

Jac’s not thrilled with the mango pudding on this visit, it’s also a little bland, and lacking the stand out flavour of fresh mango.

TFP and I can’t go past the egg tarts. The flaky lard-based pastry makes for delciously messy eating, and the creamy egg custard is silky with just the right amount of wobble. They’re the perfect mix of sweetness and salt, as the pastry is not sweet at all.

I’ve never seen these peanut and coconut dumplings before. They’re wrapped with the same glutinous rice flour dough as some of the savoury dumplings, and steamed in a piece of banana leaf. They sounded like they’d be right up my alley, but ended up being a bit of a fail.

Too greasy from the oil used on their leafy wrappers, and lacking sugar, I found these bland despite their satisfying texture.

The durian fans at the table (TFP and I) cheered when we were offered these golden puffs. Wrapped in a buttery dough and stuffed generously with fruit straight from the spiky shells, these puffs are highly aromatic, and absolute bliss for durian fans.

Our friends and family smile politely, and Craig is even game enough to give one a nibble. But in the end, I’d say this is definitely one for fans only. Not the best way to initiate yourself into the stink-fruit club!

And somehow, I also managed to find the stomach space for a bowl of steaming sweet bean curd. Served with a sweet, lightly gingery syrup, the bean curd is lovely and soft. It’s actually a rather refreshing palate cleanser after the rich food that went before.

Dim Sum is served at Marigold from 10.00am – 3.00pm on level 5 of the Citymark building in Haymarket.

Dinner starts at 5.30pm and is served until late.

Another one of my preferred place for ‘yumcha’ would be at Kam Fook.  Located on the same floor as Max Brenner and a floor below Event Cinemas of Westfield Bondi Junction.  They are possibly my second preference compared to Zilver cause of their Fung Zhao (凤抓) – Chicken Feet sauce tasted slightly different to the ideal sauce I’ve always had. Apart from that, most dishes were acceptably delightful.
Kamfook was established in 2005 at Bondi Junction, offering Yumcha to the Eastern Suburbs with some of the best chefs under their roofs.
Kam Fook offers a generous 20 metres of opened frontage to its dinners allowing 268 seating within the restaurant.  The restaurant uses hand-made Chinese furniture with the high quality finishes of the 20th century décor with an aim to offer a modern interpretation of Chinese restaurant to their patrons.

U can't miss this restaurant with such massive sign...

Char Siew Bao - Steamed BBQ Pork Buns.

Char Siew Bao - Steamed BBQ Pork Buns.

Plump & Shiny Har Gao - Steamed Prawn Dumplings.

Gao Choi Gao - Garlic Chive and Scallop Dumplings.

Siu Mai - Steamed Pork Dumplings.

Deep Fried Wu Kok - Taro Dumping.

Crispy and fluffy on the outside and soft mashed taro with pork on the inside.

Pineapple Custard Bun.

Definitely my family's preferred dish. Crispy, crunchy pineapple layer on the exterior of the bun and sweet custard on the inside.

Fung Zhao (凤抓) - Chicken Feet.

Steamed Sticky Glutinous Rice with Chicken in Lotus Leaf Wrap/糯米鸡/ Lo Mai Gai.

Ham Sui Kok (咸水角) - Savoury Glutinous Dumpling, slightly crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside with flavoursome diced pork meat.

Deep Fried Salt & Pepper Lobster - only available during the weekend.

Dessert - Cup of Smooth Slippery Mango Pudding & Coconut Jelly Cubes.

Definitely not available in my hometown Icy Cold Glass Bottled COCA-COLA.

You can already tell whats my favourite dimsim dishes from these recent posts. Or these are probably the best dimsim dishes one can ask for? What are your favourite dimsim dishes?

Taste: 4/5
Customer Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Address: Shop 6010, Level 6, Westfield Shopping Centre, 100 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction.
Contact: +61 2 9386 9889
Website: http://www.kamfooksydney.com.au

Zilver Chinese Restaurant is definitely one of my favourite ‘yum cha’ or also formerly known as ‘dim sim’ restaurants in Sydney.
This restaurant is well hidden from the main streets, as it is located on the first floor of Sydney Central Building with a small escalator leading customers to the entrance of their restaurant.
Zilver is not only renowned for serving contemporary and classic Chinese dishes but also an arena where most Asian artists and celebrities have their autograph session held at.

20070322 - Show Luo 罗志祥 & Rainie Yang 楊丞琳 Concert Press Conference.

20071125 - Raymond Lam Fung 林峰 & Bernice Liu 廖碧儿 judge for Miss Sydney Oriental.

20080507 - Jay Chou 周杰伦 Concert Press Conference.

Upon walking into the restaurant, we were welcomed by the wall of fame. Where familiar faces from the Asian celebrity world emerges as we wandered into the restaurant. Greeted by a cheerful waitress and led to our table. The ever so busy restaurant was filled with patrons waiting for their yumcha trolley to stroll by. Usually newly seated patrons get the most attention from the yumcha trolleys. As we were getting comfortable with our seat, we could see ladies swerving their yumcha trolleys toward our direction offering us a variety of dim sim dishes.
Waiters and waitresses linger around and are attentive to your demands.

Har Gao - Steamed Prawn Dumplings.

Massive size Siu Mai - Steamed Pork Dumplings.

Char Siew Bao - Steamed BBQ Pork Buns.

Fresh hot BBQ Pork Bun with the perfected authentic BBQ sauce. Double thumbs up!

The best Lao Sa Bao - Steamed Custard & Egg Buns, watch out as you take your first luscious bite as it is really juicy. Without proper care, u will have the sauce all over your fingers. Double thumbs up!! Definitely better than the ones I had in Singapore.

Gao Choi Gao - Garlic Chive and Scallop Dumplings.

Deep Fried Wu Kok - Taro Dumping, Crispy and fluffy on the outside and soft mashed taro with pork on the inside.

Steamed Black Sesame Buns.

Fung Zhao (凤抓) - Chicken Feet. One my favourite dish, however not many would dare to try. It has chewy, soft and slimy texture but a sweet and tangy flavour.

You may generally foretell a good restaurant from the rest by looking at the type of patrons they cater to. If a Chinese restaurant is filled with Chinese patrons, it proves that they have preserved the delectable authentic dishes and has not alter the taste. Cause no one knows food better than their own ethnic group. Same theory applies to other ethnic cuisines.

Zilver’s Chef – Award-winning Hong-Kong born executive chef  who has more than 30 years of cooking experience under his belt, breathes magic into classic Chinese cooking techniques by thinking “outside the wok”.

Taste: 4.5/5
Customer Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Address: Level 1, 477 Pitt Street, Haymarket NSW 2000 (Sydney Central Building)
Contact: +61 2 9211 2232
Website: http://www.zilver.com.au

Char Siu Pau (Steamed BBQ pork buns)

Though we’ve been friends for close to eight years, I only recently found out that my good friend L had never experienced the delicious chaos that is dim sum.

Whether it’s the lining up for a table, to the billing system or the endless chatter of pushy waitresses offering you food from steaming carts, for the uninitiated, eating at a dim sum restaurant can be a little intimidating.

For starters, dim sum is traditionally served from as early as 7.00am, if you can find a restaurant open (common in parts of Asia, but not in Perth!), and service ends typically at 3.00pm.

There’s growing numbers of restaurants now serving all the favourites through dinner, but dim sum is usually eaten for breakfast, brunch, lunch or as a snack anywhere in between.

Har gao (steamed prawn dumplings)

Once you’re seated, the real fun begins, as trolleys of steamed dumplings clatter towards your table. 

My all time favourite steamed dumpling are har gao. Chunks of fresh bursty prawns are mixed into a delicious paste that’s steamed inside a sticky glutinous rice dough. There’s something so addictive about the slightly al dente wrappers.

Watch out as you manoeuver your chopsticks around a dumpling – those sticky wrappers have an uncanny tendency to stay attached to the steamer basket!

Pai gwut (pork ribs) with black beans

A big grin spreads across our friend I’s face when another trolley comes along stacked high with pork ribs in a black bean sauce.

The ribs are chopped into bite-sized pieces, perfect for sharing. The black beans add a burst of salty flavour to each bite.

Salt and pepper chicken wings 

Waitresses bearing trays laden with fried treats arrive, and we pounce on the last dish of fried chicken wings.

They’re liberally dressed in a spicy salt mix that includes a tumble of chopped spring onions and generous pieces of red chili.

Chili heroes J and I are game to enjoy their wings with bites of chili, but it’s a different story of L and me, who instead just go for the least chili-doused wings on the plate.

This dish comes with four pieces … but there’s only three pictured above because someone (not me!) started eating before I snapped a pic.

You’d think after years of being friends with a food blogger they would be used to the routine by now

Siu Mai (steamed pork dumplings)

We also enjoyed some plump Siu Mai – steamed pork dumplings wrapped in wonton wrappers and topped with bright orange flying fish roe (which you might recognise from Japanese menus as Tobiko).

Spring rolls

When the offer of hot spring rolls straight out of the fryer comes up, we’re given the option of vegetarian or meat versions. 

The decision is unanimous - meat please! - we all say at the same time.

kai lan with oyster sauce

Lightly steamed or blanched kai lan is one of the healthiest options on the dim sum menu, and comes doused in a flavoursome oyster sauce based dressing. The crunchy stems are my favourite part.

Salt and pepper fried squid tentacles

The crunchy salt and pepper squid is J’s favourite, and the talking subsides as we all dig in. Dragon Seafood Restaurant always seem to manage the perfect balance between salt and spice in their flavouring mix, with just a bit of fragrant garlic for good measure. 

BBQ pork puffs

These baked puffs are one of my favourites, featuring a flaky buttery crust and sweet-salty barbecue pork filling. 

Loh mai (Lotus leaf glutinous rice)

I and J both polish off the sticky rice, fighting it out for every last scrap of Chinese sausage, shiitake mushroom and chicken. 

Fried prawn dumplings

And just in case you’re still in the mood for more prawns – don’t forget the fried prawn dumplings, which come wrapped in super-crunchy wonton wrappers. They’re the evil twin of Har Gao, and just as delicious as their saintly-steamed siblings! 

This crash course in dim sum was highly successful, with the final bill coming in under $20 a person. 

I realised L’s dim sum conversion was complete, when we piled in the car and drove out of Northbridge, as she declared her new obession for Char Siu Pau.

I wish I could say that I’m almost done with my Hong Kong posts, but I’m not. I just happened to have gotten the easier ones out of the way first.

I put this one off for quite a while because I’ve been pacing back and forth restlessly, mulling over how best to present to you the cheapest 1-Michelin starred restaurant on the face of the planet. Should I wax lyrical? Burst into colourful prose? Throw around a several handfuls of hyperboles?

So I sat back down, and sighed, and decided I’ll do the usual boring thing of letting pictures speak for themselves. I know, how very original of you Christine.

You see, at other places there are queues, and then at Tim Ho Wan there are queues.

Now if I had been ill-prepared, thinking I could skip into a Michelin-starred restaurant without reservation and without even going early, then I very much deserved to squat in the line.

But we were early. We knew there would be a wait, and that the queues were legendary, so we got up at the crack of dawn, and found ourselves at the back of a queue anyway – at 9.15am, 45 minutes before the shop even opened at 10. No reservations allowed.

They have another outlet, but rumour has it that this original outlet is still the best.

The rest of the 45 minutes was spent lolling around in the summer heat, and as luck would have it, when it opened, every single person in front of us fit into the tiny shop, except for us. Only 20 people in at a go. Can you imagine that?! We passed the next half an hour slobbering with our faces plastered to the glass windows watching everyone else eat. It was excruciating. The lady staff outside passed us a slip of the menu in English, in what I think was pity, and we calmed down enough to order.

You can leave to walk around once you have taken your queue number, but if you’re not around when they call for you, your table goes to the next number. No way we were risking that.

It’s dim sum, so it’s nothing foreign. There are rather less common items of course, but if you look closely, you’ll noticed we placed an order for 2 of the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork. I had a feeling I wouldn’t share. You might want to up that to 3 orders of the baked buns. Take my advice.

So after another half hour, we got ushered in, had to squeeze ourselves in between cramped tables of diners, and into the table right at the back of the restaurant next to the kitchen. The place is so tiny, if I had stopped to turn around to gawk at the food on the other tables, I would have knocked someone’s har gao over to another table. Sitting beside the kitchen, we got to see some rolling action from one of the chefs prepping an astonishingly thin cheong fun (rice roll) very deftly.

This is, perhaps, a symbol of Tim Ho Wan, a signature dish with a halo around it. Each order of the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork comes with three buns, and that may or may not be enough for you. Alone. No sharing.

Think of it as a po lo bao (polo bun – a popular Cantonese confectionery), with a crisp, sweet crumbly exterior, that yields to pillowy insides and a treasure trove of glistening char siew. These are so light, they’re barely filling, and so delicious I practically inhaled all three before I knew it. About 750 of these are sold each day. Stuff of the baking gods I swear.

And here we have Siew Mai, as is mandatory. Succulent, flavoursome, and springy with a delicate wrapping of dumpling skin on the outside. An excellent rendition this was.

Har Gao, yet another staple. I must rave about the humble appearances of all the dumplings and their exceptional quality. Paper-thin dumpling skins once again, and what I think is the perfect ratio of crunchy prawn to skin (9:10). You can see the skill in these dumplings, and the light handling of the dumplings. I imagine I’d tear the skins like a barbarian if I tried sealing them.

I had read on several sites that the Chiu Chow Style Steamed Dumpling is an interesting and unique dumpling dish at Tim Ho Wan. The skins of these are slightly thicker and tackier than the other dumplings, and are filled with a mixture of garlic chives, peanuts, what I think is water chestnut, and a couple of other crunchy ingredients.

I liked this Deep-fried Dumpling Filled with Meat very much. It’s quite like a glutinous rice ball stuffed with meat, deep-fried till golden brown and crisp. The skin is a little sweet and is an excellent contrast to the salty filling.

Do something for me. Please don’t miss out on the Steamed Rice Roll with Shrimp. Or any of the cheong funs for that matter. I probably run the risk of some readers condemning me with fire and brimstone, but this is very probably the best cheong fun I’ve ever had. They’re made fresh to order, and I saw them with my very eyes since all I had to do was look over at the kitchen.

Oh how it shines. It’s slippery, unimaginably thin, and with just the right amount of…tension. See, some cheong funs are difficult to cut into, they stick too much, and are too elastic. This one had just that tiny bit of chew, but remained staggeringly delicate. Doesn’t matter what filling you order yours with, it’s the vermicilli sheets that win.

Deep-fried Beancurd Sheet Roll with Shrimp. Let’s just say that there wasn’t a single dish that we tried that wasn’t good. This was done well, crunchy, brimming with filling, and when dipped into a bit of that black vinegar, never fails. It’s not something worth raving about, but it is delicious.

The menu describes this as Tonic Medlar & Petal Cake. I have no idea what in nine hells that is (in fact, some of the other menu items are even more hilarious). All I know is that this is an Osmanthus and Wolfberry Jelly. That’s all! And here I was thinking Tonic Medlar sounded like some potion from Warcraft. It’s a light, palate cleansing type of dessert, just slightly sweet and floral. The jelly wasn’t as light as I would have liked it to be, but it’s passable.

We could have ordered more, but we had an entire list of other places to hit after Tim Ho wan. I’d like to think we tried most of the crowd-pleasers.

And I know you have been waiting for this. You’re probably clawing at your screen wondering just how cheap is the cheapest 1-Michelin starred restaurant.

The total damage done was HKD$140.

Or SGD$23.

See? This is why you should consider a couple more orders of the Baked Buns.

Eat in a 1 star Michelin restaurant before I die? Check.

-

Tim Ho Wan 

2-20 Kwong Wa Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon

10am-10pm

]]> http://spiceboxtravels.com/2012/01/20/lucky-shrimp-dumplings-for-chinese-new-year-har-gao/ Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:00:56 +0000 spicebox travels http://spiceboxtravels.com/2012/01/20/lucky-shrimp-dumplings-for-chinese-new-year-har-gao/

One my first essays on food was about my mother-in-law, who welcomed me to my husband’s home in Trinidad with curried armadillo, a local delicacy.  This was an appropriate beginning to a relationship  centered in the kitchen.  We both love the kitchen and are both capable of letting the hours pass us by as we cook for our family in the kitchen. Just not at the same time.  (I think there must be at least one other mother-in-law/daughter-in-law pair out there familiar with the scenario of too many cooks in the kitchen.)  I’ve told my husband, with only the slightest hint of exaggeration, that no kitchen would be big enough his mother and me to cook together.  More politely, I urge my mother-in-law, who we call “Mommy,” to take it easy, she is my guest, let me do the cooking this time.

A lot of that has to do with my difficulty handling play-by-play correction/advice (“Not like that, like this!”).  But we also have two different cooking styles.  I do enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, but I am also a fan of trying new recipes.  My mother-in-law, I thought until recently, never used recipes, being instead the kind of intuitive cook that most of our mothers and grandmothers are.  Well, the things you don’t know about people! After nearly twenty years of cooking in parallel, if not collaboratively, I learned, while chatting over the appearance of a boiled Hainanese style chicken, that my mother-in-law sometimes uses recipes. “They said to add one cup of water,” was the revelation that cast her in a whole new light.  “Who said?” I queried.  “The newspaper,” came the surprising response.  Now, it seemed, I could learn to cook from her.

“Mommy,” I asked tentatively, “Can you teach me how to make har gao?”  For those of you unfamiliar with the name, you’ve likely tasted these translucent and lovely shrimp dumplings if you’ve ever had dim sum.

Chinese New Year is on Monday 1/23/12, when we’ll usher in the Year of the Dragon.  By now, Chinese households are traditionally given a thorough cleaning, new clothes are bought for new beginnings, and preparations are underway to prepare a special meal of symbolic foods to be eaten on the eve of the new year.  Dumplings, whose shape resemble gold ingots, are traditionally made on the new year for prosperity.  I usually make pork-filled dumplings in prepared potsticker wrappers, but I thought I try something new this time.  In addition to the good luck associated with dumplings, shrimp is associated with joy and laughter.  New year, new beginnings, and a new start in the kitchen with my mother-in-law, who shared with me her recipe for har gao.  Gung hay fat choy!

*     *     *

Lucky Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gao)

Making the dough to wrap these dumplings is tricky.  Instructions are sufficient as a start, but only side-by-side coaching and practice can perfect this skill.  Boiling hot water is used to make the dough, which requires fast moving and teflon-coated hands.  After the torturous kneading, make sure to keep the dough covered with plastic wrap or a moist cloth at all times because it dries out fast.  It’s also a particularly sticky dough, so I recommend keeping your work surface and hands lightly oiled.  Finally, the dough is delicate, so it needs to be rolled thin enough to be attractive, but thick enough to prevent breakage.  Heed these warnings and you’ll create some lovely, love-filled dumplings.  These make a great, light meal served with a soy based or chilli dipping sauce and some stir-fried Chinese greens.

Filling recipe is adapted from Chinesefood.about.com.

Yield: 30-36 dumplings (depending on size and your dumpling wrapping ability)

Ingredients

Filling:

1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup bamboo shoots, finely minced

2 Tbsp green onion, finely minced (about one large stalk)

1 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1 egg white

4 tsp cornstarch

Wrapping:

1 lb wheat starch

4 Tbsp tapioca starch

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups boiling water

1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil

Technique

1. Make the filling first so the flavors can meld.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.  Store tightly covered in refrigerator until ready to wrap dumplings.

2.  In another bowl, sift together the starches and salt.  Bring 3 cups water to a boil and pour immediately into the starch mixture, stirring immediately with a spoon.  Add oil and stir, then knead into a dough with your hands (carefully, it’s hot!) until you have a ball of dough.  Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rest for 20 minutes.

3.   Prepare your work surfaces by saturating a paper towel with oil and using this to apply a light layer of oil to both your work surface (or large plate) and to your pressing surface, which can be the side of a cleaver, your palm, a small sheet of plastic wrap, or a ravioli press (another revelation– this is what my mother-in-law uses!)

4.  Prepare individual dumplings by pinching off about an inch of dough, rolling into a ball, then pressing in to a flat, even circle about 2-1/2 to 3  inches in diameter (same as a prepared potsitcker wrapper).

5.  After making your dough circle, use a spoon to place a teaspoonful or so of filling in the center of  the circle.

6.  Carefully fold the dumpling in half by bringing one edge over to meet the other side and pressing the edges together.

7.  After your dumpling is sealed, use your thumb and index finger to crimp edges into pretty pleats.

8. Repeat until you have used up all of the filling.  You may have extra dough left over (handy for dumpling wrapping accidents).  Keep prepared dumplings covered with plastic wrap until ready to steam.

9. Prepare a steamer (available in Chinese markets and kitchenware stores).

10.  When all of your dumplings have been assembled, place them in a single layer with space around each in a steamer basket lined with parchment paper (or on an oiled plate) and steam 15-20 minutes until slightly translucent and the shrimp filling is pink. Let cool for a minute before removing to a platter (if removed too soon they’ll be more likely to break).  Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, such as soy sauce, vinegar, or chilli sauce.

*     *     *

Here are a few other lucky Chinese New Year recipes:

-Tea eggs (eggs are symbolic of fertility)

-Potstickers (symbolic of traditional gold ingots and prosperity)

-Flowering chive omelet (the Chinese word for flowering chives is a homophone for “everlasting”, thus a symbol of longevity)

And please visit these other Chinese New Year posts on the Chinese New Year Blog Hop organized my friend Grace at HapaMama.com:

HapaMama: The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac

Bicultural Mama: Symbolism of Chinese New Year’s Foods

I’m Not the Nanny: Lunar New Year Activities in DC and Baltimore

Travels With Baby: Celebrating Chinese New Year in Taiwan

Cheryl Tan/A Tiger in the Kitchen: Turnip Cake

Jeanette’s Health: Chinese New Year Traditions

Asian in America: Pineapple Tarts: Treats for Chinese New Year: Lunar Year of the Dragon

Wok Star: Chinese New Year Stir Fry

Thanksgiving 2007, Flushing NY.  Mommy did all the cooking.

The word Bosses might sound a bit intimidating for the fact that it’s Chinese name is 黑社会, or literally translates as Triads  but truth be told, this place is far from that.

With its rather unique name and one-of-a-kind black based decor (how cool is that for a restaurant?), Bosses serves modern and contemporary dim-sums and other kinds of Chinese cuisines. From soup and vegetables to meat and seafood items, I am sure you are able to find something you like from its long list of menu items.

I dropped by the restaurant mainly for it’s 2011 Fall Winter 2011 Dim Sum Creation. The Dim Sum menu at Bosses is updated periodically to give its customers more varieties and choices in its menu items which I reckon, is not a bad thing at all.

Pan Fried Radish Cake ($6.50)

Served piping hot and fresh with pan-fried eggs over the almost-pure-white radish cake, I quite like the overall texture of the radish cake that comes with dried shrimps within. The chilli sauce compliments this traditional dim-sum dish rather well too.

Shanghai Steam Meat Dumpling or Xiao Long Bao ($6.50)

I have the love-and-hate feelings towards Xiao Long Baos or more commonly known as soup dumplings. It’s just so addictive to down one after another into my stomach but too much of it makes me feel too very full after a few pieces . That said, who could resist the flavourful meat and soup within? In my opinion, Bosses serves up rather good Xiao Long Baos. Each of the dumplings are handmade by the chefs and the skin is of the perfect thickness. Just by putting the whole piece in your mouth you could feel the soup “splatter” immediately. Don’t leave it for too long on the table otherwise it will not taste as nice as it should be.  And do eat these together with the ginger slices in dark vinegar!

Cantonese Prawn Dumpling aka Har Gau ($5.50)

I purposedly flip over one of the Prawn Dumplings to show how thin the skin is that you could see the succulent prawn tightly wrapped in it. If you love prawns, this is the dim sum to go for.

Prawn and Kai Lan Rice Roll ($6.50)

Each half of the rice roll comes with huge and juicy prawns with added Kai Lan vegetables for the extra crunchiness. To be honest I’ve not tried such Cheong Fun combination before but I quite like it.

Crispy Mango Salad Prawn Roll ($6.80)

Very crispy on the outside, I love each bite of this Prawn Roll as it brings along an audible crunch. The Mango Salad tastes both sweet and salty at the same time. Die-die-must-try for this dish!

Queen of Shumai ($6)

Prawns and more prawns! I love the way the shumais are being presented. Big and succulent prawns on top with juicy pork meat underneath. The shumai goes really well with the restaurant’s chilli sauce.

Spicy Fried Chicken ($14 onwards)

Full of dried chilli, herbs and fried chicken in a basket. One of the Chef’s Recommended dishes, this spicy yet savory side dish is a must-try for those who likes to challenge their own limits towards spiciness. How hot can you go?

Bosses Stir Fry Noodles ($16 onwards)

Decent stir fry noodles with lots of ingredients such as pork slices, prawns and greens. Taste quite good but some might find it abit too salty so if you can’t take too much salty food, let the waiting staff know to go less generous on the salt and flavourings.

Signature Flowy Custard Bun ($5.50)

Some would say that if you never try the Signature Flowy Custard Bun, you’ve never been to Bosses and I personally very much agree to that statement. This is another die-die-must-try dish here.  Custard Bun or “流沙包“ is essentially made up of salty egg yolks, butter and sugar and no doubt Custard Buns can be found at most Chinese Dim Sum restaurants, I must comment that the standard of the Custard Buns here is like no other. Beneath that bright orange skin is simply - pure indulgence.

Conclusion
It’s not hard to notice that the most of the dish prices at Bosses are towards the higher side of the scale but as they all say, you pay for what you get. Both the dim sum and main dishes I’ve tried at Bosses have far exceed beyond my expectations. I would highly recommend Bosses as one of the place for great dim sum. Waiting staff are attentive to my needs throughout my dining experience there which is another thumbs up from me.

Ratings: 5.0 foodiedoos out of 5.0

Bosses
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk
#02-156
Singapore 098595
Tel: 6376 9740

Steam Chai Tao Kueh, usual Chai Tao Kueh is deep fried but this is steam and it came in very soft texture with the strong taste of dry shrimp.

After the Steam Chai Tao Kueh here is the Deep Fried Chao Tao, which is the same ingredient to form the Chai Tao Kueh but this is deep fried to golden color, outside crispy and inside soft, so delicious.

Siew Mai, skin is thin and lot of port and shrimp in it, delicious.

Chee Cheong Fun, shrimp rolling inside Chee Cheong Fun, the sauce is sweet and tasty, not over salty and just right for my taste bud.

Steamed Pork Stomach, this is a little bit cold and that making it quite hard, if it will heat up then should be taste very good.

My favorite phoenix feet, the color tell that it is definitely nice and it never disappointed me as well, long hour of marinated and cook time making the phoenix feet suck all the juicy sauce to make it rich in flavor.

Char Siew Pao that we never miss, soft and fluffy bun filled with char siew. Eat it while it still hot to enjoy.

Prawn Dumpling top with Scallop, skin is thin and soft while the prawn is soft and Q.

Taufu top with fish paste, it is a same taufu that we eat during steamboat which is soft and tasty.

Mai Lai Kuih aka Malaysian style sponge cake, is so soft and springy as when you press down it will come up immediately.

Some other dessert that we have is Chin Dui and Tart, both is as well taste very good.

Overall it taste so good and remain the quality, lucky for Air Itam and Farlim people to have another delicious Dim Sum around here.

Maxims Dim Sum Farlim
Medan Angsana 1
Breakfast
N5 23.414 E100 17.034

After a fairly soft opening just short of two months ago, this recent addition to the quiet end of Hawthorn has been touted as a rising suburban gem. I was gleefully delighted when I found out that ex-Flower Drum dim sum chef Jason Au would be bringing his vast experiences to the table. Again I gave myself an excuse to try out a new place, by shouting my family for brunch… sad I know.

We were somewhat sceptically surprised when we arrived at a fairly quiet yum cha session on a Sunday morning (11am). Nonetheless we were happily greeted and escorted to our tables by the window. The deep-mahogany-look with splashes of oriental flavour remains largely unchanged from previous extensive renovations by Confucius Court back in 2009-2010. Though I had high expectations coming to Tao Tao House, I was also expecting to leave satisfied but not choc-full of food – well that was what I thought…

Char-siu-sou (crispy BBQ pork bun) – had a lovely mild sweet & savoury pork filling, encased in a light-crumbly pastry.

Ji-bao-har (paper-wrapped crispy prawn) – golden fried rolls filled with a light prawn-pork middle.

Sok-mai-har-gao (corn & prawn dumplings) – typical har gao with the addition of juicy bursts of corn. The skin was a little thick though.

Fung-zao (braised chicken feet) – the trend of subtler flavours continues here, with a mellow balance of savoury sweetness, mild kick of heat and soft gelatinous goodness.

Left: Gao-choi-gao (garlic chives & pork dumplings) – had a fragrant morsel of pork and fresh-young garlic chives with a translucently thin skin. Again the glitch lies in the skin, which although perfectly thin, they were a tad on the soft side without that bouncy bite.

Right: Yu-chi-gao (shark fin dumpling) – familiar scrumptious notes on the palate.

Left: Har-cheung (prawn rice noodle rolls) – though the skin was adequately thin, they were a little too fragile lacking in that essential elasticity and firmness to bite. Crisp curls of prawn and a light soy sauce were however, on par.

Right: Gum-gu-gnao-cheung (mushroom & beef rice noodle rolls) – had a sweet note of enoki and stock infused beef mince.

Scallop siu-mai (scallop & pork dimpling) – were incredibly juicy morsels wrapped in a silky soft skin, with a delicately sweet scallop and pork umami with each bite. One of the best I’ve had in Melbourne.

Left: Har-gao – this staple yum cha item is generally a good gauge of a yum-cha’s quality. Small nibbles of prawn interspersed in a succulent filling, and delicately wrapped in a translucent skin that has a slight bouncy bite.

Right: Japanese tofu – lightly fried Japanese tofu, which is predictably silky soft and eggy. I could eat this all day.

Loh-bak-bao (Chinese turnip bun) – a light flaky pastry shell conceals within thin noodles of sweet-earthy turnip, dried-baby-prawns which add a hint of salt, and meat juices of chicken mince to bring it all together.

Nai-wong-bao (custard egg bun) – had a vibrant yolky-yellow filling with a mouth watering aroma of custard when you break them in half. It has a smooth, buttery texture that is not too sweet but lusciously eggy. The bun is soft and fluffy – just the way it is meant to be.

Dao-sar-tou-zhai (rabbits filled with a sweet bean paste) – The exterior is an extremely soft and bouncy glutinous rice shell, lightly rolled in a layer of coconut. The inside is meticulously spread (even into the ears, unlike many I’ve had before) with a not-too-sweet but divine white bean paste.

Mango pancake – although the egg-crepe was beautifully golden, the cream based filling is pretty standard- very much similar to that available at other yum cha joints. Although I do have a serious bias towards ice cream based ones.

Red bean flower – each petal of the buttery pastry is mouth-wateringly golden brown, and filled with a earthy red bean sweetness and rich, floral notes from lotus paste. If my stomach was not so incredibly engorged, I could have ordered another plate.

Left: the final pieces of the red bean flower…

Right: Egg tarts – These cute little custard tarts had the thinnest (almost flimsy) pastry base and sweet-gooey custard middle. Piping hot, deliciously creamy and somewhat richer than what I would normally like.

Rating: nigh on Yummy+1 – a noteworthy yum cha place with a lot of potential, which I’d rank amongst the likes of other yum cha powerhouses if not for the disappointing variability with the ensheathing skins. The desserts are impeccable and especially memorable; the dim sum fillings are scrumptious with flavours slanting towards milder and subtler nuances; and prices are reasonable. Though newly opened, the staff were warm and attentive; and the floor manager showed courteous interest and concern with our dining experience.

You may also like these other Yum Cha places:

[Tea and some dessert items were on the house, courtesy of the Manager]

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Almost Always Ravenous.

Foreword: I must again point out, that I will try REALLY hard to lower my benchmark - set so very high after returning from my Michelin star experience in Hong Kong - and try to not be excessively unenthusiastic or critical of Yum-cha in Melbourne.

A pre-Harry Potter-theatre lunch at yet another yum cha place … not that I’m complaining. Though I pass it quite frequently whilst in the driver seat, and have heard many reviews both good and bad, I’ve never really set foot inside this place before. The name is reflected in the sense of grandeur when you step inside, from the dragon theme carvings, to the old-fashioned chandeliers dangling above us, and even the throne-like comfy leather chairs – which I noted were quite heavy and clumsy to get in and out of, but comfy nonetheless.

P.S. Apologies for the atrociously blurry photos – I left my SLR at home and I didn’t use flash either…

Top left: Har gao (prawn dumplings);
Top right: I think this was corn & prawn dumpling;
Bottom left: Chinese spinach & pork dumpling;
Bottom right: Shark fin Dumpling.

The skin wrapping the piping-hot steamed dumplings had a nice transparency and a chewy bite, and only occasional imperfections – i.e. breaks in the seal of the skin. The little morsels of meat inside were juicy and flavoursome, with the siu mai (see below) being particular succulent. Actually I wonder now if it was just the steam wafting up that caused my photos to be blurry…hm.

Top Left: Siu Mai (pork & mushroom dumpling)
Top Right: Glutinous rice ball & Chinese sausage – Being rather bland and unremarkable, I wouldn’t recommend the glutinous rice ball.
Bottom Left: Century egg & lean pork congee – I soon learned after ordering this, that noone else on the table was going to have any, but luckily the congee was a winner – it was perfectly 綿(see below) with chunks of earthy century egg and crispy yau ja gwai. To all those shocked by these “eggs”, actually once cooked the century eggs are quite subtle in flavour.

綿 (meen) – Cantonese term used to describe the soft and velvety texture of Cantonese congee)

Century egg – 皮蛋 (aka preserved egg, hundred-year egg, thousand-year egg…etc) – are essentially eggs preserved with clay, ash, salt, lime and rice hulls for a period of time (generally between several weeks to months). The end result is a dark green yolk, brown-tinged white and on the palate it is jelly-like in texture with a slight sulfuric odor. Depending on the region, there are various ways of eating century eggs – have it cooked with congee, presented as a cold dish with various pickled vegetables or even eaten with tofu.

Chinese doughnut – 油炸鬼(Yao ja gwai) in Cantonese /油条 (you tiao) in Mandarin – are deep fried strips of dough, commonly eaten with congee or soy milk in East and South East Asian communities.

Bottom Right: Mango pancake – Delicious mouthfuls of sweet mango, cream and eggy-pancake wrap. Though I personally prefer the ice cream (instead of cream) version.

Left: Silken tofu & sweet syrup – decently well done tofu that is smooth and soft. The syrup is not too sweet though lacking in a hint of ginger.

As simple as it looks, this dessert is notoriously difficult to perfect. From the delicate silken tofu that must be divinely velvety and soft, to the syrup broth that needs to be both not too sweet and not too strong on the ginger but enough to convey acidity, and finally to the skilled scooping so that no evidence of broken tofu is seen. Sigh, me and my HongKong standards now… apologies.

Right: Mango pearl tapioca pudding (sai mai lo) – tasty but rather dilute of tapioca pearls. I prefer my sai mai lo to be thicker and denser in flavour – but even in HongKong there are many many variations of this, so it’s more a personal preference.

Thanks to my awesome *ahem* photography skills and memory, I have forgotten to take some photos and took some terrible photos of a few other ones. Anyways, from what I can remember … The scallop dumpling was actually surprisingly scrumptious, with slices of crisp scallops wedged between the juicy pork this was another winner of a dumpling for me. The hand-made beef balls were ok, but nothing like the melt-in-your-mouth version at Tim Ho Wun.

Rating: provisional Yummy, possibly +1 for a number of the dishes, though contrasted with a number of lacklustre items.

From my initial impression, this place serves reasonably tasty Cantonese Yum cha in pleasant surroundings with polite service, but it also comes with a steeper price tag than other suburban yum cha restaurants. I may well adjust this rating at later visits when I have acquainted myself with a wider array of dim sums, especially since there were many dishes that I’d normally order which we didn’t. Can you believe I didn’t have egg tarts – tragedy!!!

There are clearly no sign of the haphazard service and rudeness as the likes of Tai Pan, though I myself actually much prefer the lively yum cha atmosphere at Tai Pan with the frequent metallic “cling-clangs”, rowdy conversations and more importantly a greater variety of dim sums.

Red Tea House Dim Sum 红茶馆点心
Red Tea House Dim Sum红茶馆点心 is one of the most popular Dim Sum restaurant in Farlim, it just opposite old Sunshine Farlim and it cover in front of a few shop lot. Suggest to park at old Sunshine Farlim car park since it FOC and a lot of space available. I have not visited this Dim Sum many months after so many new Dim Sum open up lately, in my mind they are serving good dim sum and hopefully I won’t be disappointed.more….

Viva Dim Sum
Penang has so many Dim Sum, it just like every corner has a couple of restaurant serving Dim Sum and even Hotel are doing Dim Sum promotion, we receive a couple of forward mail reviewing new Dim Sum restaurant in Tanjung Bungah, the restaurant name is Viva Dim Sum and the picture really attractive. more…

Dim Sum Food Restaurant
Good Morning, Chinese culture to have a good breakfast is to eat Dim Sum, we heading down to town for Dim Sum and main intention is to try out Fish Meat Hor Fun(红烧鱼肉河粉) which was highly recommended by my friend Kenji.
Dim Sum Food Restaurant点心小厨, located at Macalister road and same boss for Restaurant Zim Sum. more…

Maxim Dim Sum Restaurant At Pekaka
Maxim Dim Sum is a very well established company where they has other outlet in Gurney and opposite Queensbay Mall, like their outlet in Gurney and opposite Queensbay Mall where huge range of noodle, rice and side dish available for reasonable price. Back to the Dim Sum here where I did not visit for quite some time, remember the first time I visit was around 3 years back and that time is very crowded where table are stretch across couple of shop lot and now they has even a new shop lot just next door, total up now the Dim Sum restaurant has 4 shop lot just to served Dim Sum. more…

Restaurant Zim Sum
Restaurant Zim Sum
Restaurant Zim Sum? Why they call it Zim Sum instead of Dim Sum? i have totally no idea. Maybe they try to be stand out from the crowd. Restaurant Zim Sum serving morning session only, from 6am – 12pm. more…

Ah Ma Dim Sum at Kuta Bali Café
This is my second visit to Ah Ma Dim Sum, first visit when they are newly open and pack with people. Quite surprise that their business drop so much just after 2 months, it was so silent and not much table fill with peoples.
Best part is no queuing required and most of the dim sum is available even at 10am. more…

Le Dynastie Dim Sum at Farlim
Le Dynastie Dim Sum was newly open Dim Sum restaurant in Farlim, they just started operation on 15/5/2010. Location is not so noticeable as it not facing main road and no advertisement like banner or whatsoever nearby. more…

Restoran Chew Chun 超全点心
Good Morning! Is time for our favorite Dim Sum, we went to mainland to try Chew Chun Dim Sum(超全点心) but surprise us is that totally no crowd in the Saturday morning. Initially we plan to try out their Teoh Chew Fish Head Bihun but since the shop is so empty so we decide to try out it Dim Sum before trying other food. more…

Insa Dunia Dim Sum点心城
Insa Dunia Dim Sum点心城located at Insa Dunia Food Court that usually very crowded during breakfast, it a very big restaurant that has a lot of table and big parking space in front. more…

Bah Kut, very disappointed with the first Dim Sum on the table. Bah Kut is very chewy and the only thing can be eat is the sauce.

Chee Cheong Fun, as usual this is our favorite and rarely miss out Chee Cheong Fun on our visit to every Dim Sum Restaurant. Rice noodle rolling with prawn with the dried shrimp chili paste, the sauce is very salty and the chili paste just normal.

Char Siew Pao, fluffy skin with delicious char siew inside, char siew mix with sesame which add extra flavor to the char siew.

Egg Tart, another disappointed dish where the egg custard is very less and too sweet, crust is not crunchy and hard.

Deep Fried Prawn Roll, prawn rolled with tofu skin and deep friend, very oily and taste just normal.

Har Gao, steamed prawn dumpling, skin look very thick but it taste not bad as it was quite soft.

Siew Mai, pork mince and prawn mix together with fish roe on top, first Dim Sum on table that I would say taste not bad as the mixture of pork mince and whole prawn create a nice texture and the taste not bad.

Tofu with Fish Paste, Fish Paste was added on top of the Tofu and artificial Shark Fin as decoration, taste just normal.

Har Mai, Prawn on top of the Siew Mai, it taste like the siew mai just that additional prawn on top and different skin on side.

Overall quite disappointed as most of the Dim Sum we ate are not nice.

Insa Dunia Dim Sum点心城
Jalan Kg Baru, Insa Dunia Food Court, Bukit Mertajam, Penang
N05 21.046 E100 28.364
Breakfast

First we have is the Shark Fin Soup, it quite a big bowl of broth soup with little amount of crab meat and some artificial shark fin on top. It tastes good.

Chee Cheong Fun, rice noodle roll filling with fresh big prawn with chili paste on side.

Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling, surprise us by the amount of fresh prawn inside, it was so tender inside and crunchy outside.

Plain Deep Fright Tofu,

Orange Flavor Deep Fried Fish Meat, quite disappointed with orange flavor flour use to wrapped around the fish meat as it taste weird to us and the amount of fish meat is so little that we can’t even feel it present.

Pork Lard and Liver wrapped with Pork Meat, the taste of this dish is just too sweet, avoid ordering this dim sum as it totally not ate able.

Cha Siew Pai, Fluffy skin and great char siew inside, sesame added into char siew make the overall taste better. They always people come to pack 50 – 100 away so be there early to avoid out of stock.

Siew Mai, I like the texture very much where the pork and prawn blended together and create a great piece of dim sum.

Har Gao (Steamed Prawn Dumpling), the skin look to be non-transparent and suppose to be thick and hard but surprisingly the skin is soft even though it quite thick.

Chicken Feet, my favorite and almost all my Dim Sum review did include this dish but these restaurant chicken feet just normal.

Overall Red Tea House Dim Sum is one of the best Dim Sum I ever had, they serve huge range of Dim Sum and even bee hun which look to be delicious.

Red Tea House Dim Sum 红茶馆点心
Opposite Sunshine Farlim(old)
FORTUNE COURT, JALAN THEAN TEK, 11500 AIR ITAM, PENANG
N5 23.898 E100 17.261
Breakfast Only

Shop 6003, Highpoint Shopping Centre
200 Rosamond Rd, Maribyrnong
(03) 9318 6833‎

Yum Cha; Mon-Fri 12 noon – 3pm, Sat-Sun 11am-3pm

Located within the busy Knifepoint Highpoint Shopping Complex, Plume has been serving yum cha for many years, and appears to be doing fairly steady trade (though nowhere near as busy as they used to be when we first started going). The family go on a regular basis, but mostly due to its proximity to our grandpa rather than because of the quality or value (which are lacking, or certainly have diminished over the years).

Here are some of the dishes we had;

In order; sticky rice, sesame fried prawns, fried white bait, fried squid tentacles, shark fin dumplings, prawn stuffed tofu, sui mai (pork and prawn dumplings), har gow (prawn dumplings), tripe, har cheung (rice paper roll stuffed with prawns), jar leung (rice paper roll stuffed with fried chinese dough stick, also with vegetables), and gai lan.

The sticky rice was pretty good, as were the fried sesame prawns. The whitebait was ok, but cold by the time we got them, the squid was ok but a little rubbery and oily. The pastry on the shark fin dumplings were too thick and dried, the fillings were so-so. I really enjoyed the silken tofu stuffed with prawn meat, the only downfall to this dish is it says that despite us Chinese people having successfully used chopsticks for eons, maybe it’s time to let go.  The silky soft tofu is very difficult to pick up, and a spoon would have been lovely at the time.

The sui mai and har gow, which are two of my favourite yum cha dishes were disappointing. I judge a yum cha restaurant on their ability to produce these two stalwart (and essential) dishes. The sui mai flavour was not quite there, whereas the har gow pastry was too thick and the flavouring on the prawn only just average. So, big fail in my books.

The tripe was pretty tasty, however was chewy from overcooking, the har cheung was tasty covered in the sweet soy sauce that I love, though took far too long to come. The dough stick wrapped in rice paper is another one of my favourite yum cha dishes and was again a disappointment. This dish is cooked to order (i.e. not available on the carts which roll past), yet it somehow managed to be luke-warm at best by the time it came to our table. This dish is usually served with a peanut sauce and a sticky hoisin sauce, however just came with soy. Though, this dish is not one that is offered at most yum cha’s so I guess points to Plume for having it on their menu despite not doing it well.

I’m not sure how much each costs as when dining with the family it’s always a massive battle to pick up the bill. So much so, we have (and still have) a family feud over who was to pick up a bill (I shit you not!). I do know that Plume’s yum cha is priced on the higher side of normal despite their food being on the lesser side of average.

So it’s no surprise that the following of Plume seems to be dwindling. Years ago, we used to have to fight for a table only to be turned away. Now, and we dined on Chinese New Year, we waltz straight in and there are empty tables. It appears that most in the west are shifting to the much better Gold Leaf in Sunshine.

One gripe I have about yum cha in Australia is the carts. Whilst I love being able to see my food before I eat it, I much prefer the yum cha in Hong Kong; where dishes are made to order. You get a sheet of paper, and tick the dishes you want, which are steamed or fried fresh to order. I hate the fried yum cha food here in Australia, as it is often cold by the time it arrives to your table.

I dream of the days of yum cha a la carte in Melbourne. What ever happened to Duck Duck Goose, which was rumoured to be serving yum cha a la carte? Still waiting…

Jess’ Ratings:

Taste: 5/10. It’s ok. It’s doable. Just not great.

Authenticity: 5/10. Well, all the correct dishes were served. Just not served great. What’s authentic? Authentic for Melbourne yum cha? or for Yum cha in Asia? Because correct me if I’m wrong, there isn’t anyone that does yum cha a la carte in Melbourne. So, if little Cantonese women bashing their carts into your chairs yelling out the dishes they have on offer in said cart whilst trying to offload dishes onto your table, and young waiters ignoring you whilst you desperately try to get their attention for more tea is your idea of yum cha in Melbourne, then Plume is authentic as can be.

Value: 4/10. Expensive for average yum cha.

Ambiance: 5/10. Busy.

Service: 4/10. Chinese people are not about the service.

Overall: 5/10. Average. Only if you’re in the area and can’t get into anywhere else.

... arrived at our breakfast place, Federal Restaurant.

... yam ball with stuffing.

... I think these were siew mai.

... these fried saucer has a prawn in each of them.

... no idea what were these called, but there were variety of stuff in it.

... peach lookalike buns. It has lotus paste in it.

... finally, genuine HK's chee cheong fun. The sauce used was nicely matched with the food.

... extra prawn dumplings for us.

Rating: 5.5/10

As per our request to our tour guide, DC. Dim sum breakfast in HK is a must. Hence the 2nd day in HK, DC brought us to this chain restaurant, which he deemed as possibly the best dim sum in town, or city. Upon looking at the menu, I had the most puzzled face ever in human history. Aside from the chicken-intestines, the names of the dishes were in at least 4 – 5 letters words. Much like Chinese poetry. Even the Chinese educated guys like DC and EL have got no idea on what are those stuff. While LGJ was sitting quietly waiting for food to be served. Though this meal not gonna be free food is good food for him. Perhaps Taiwanese don’t read Hongkie’s Chinese?

Anyway, the food here weren’t that bad. But they aren’t spectacular either. Quite similar to most dim sum restaurant I can find in Malaysia, except maybe the meat used here were freshier while those in Malaysia’s lacked of consistency. The prawns, like earlier when we had wanton noodles, were still as equally crispy. I tried not to use the condiments as to fully savour the taste of the dim sum. Somehow, they still tasted rather bland for me. I guess I’ve been pampered with condiments my whole life. Wished I was bringing a bottle of Peri-Peri sauce with me that day.

Usually at most Dim Sum restaurant at Penang, it will be very crowded at around 9am to 10am, especially on weekends, however, surprisingly it’s not when we was there. It’s kinda good and bad for me, as I hate crowded place, but if a place got lesser customer, does it also means that the food is not good?

At Siang Hai Dim Sum, there ain’t any people pushing trolley with Dim Sum on it to your table for you to choose. You need to walk to the counter and choose yourself.

The “bird nest“, where the nest is made of yam, and is filled with vegetables inside. Ok la, better than some I had tried. The fried thing with char siew inside is okok only lo.

Prawn dumpling or whatever. Well, most restaurant fail as this la, same goes to here. The skin of the dumpling is too dry, and the prawns inside is dry too, not juicy. Those good one you will taste some gravy inside the dumpling, but for those that fail, you won’t.

Yeahhhh! “Xiao Long Bao” at a Dim Sum restaurant that proclaimed themselves originate from Shanghai! It must be good right? But it’s not. Real “Xiao Long Bao” got soup inside, and you can drink it, but this? No at all. It’s totally dried up! Duh….. Besides, the skin is also way too thick compare to what it should be.

“Siu Mai”. Just average la, at least this is not so dried up.

Toufu with minced pork. Ah, this is good. I like it very much, especially the minced pork, very nice. The toufu however was cooked too long until it became a bit too hard.

Prawn siu mai or something. Again, just normal lo.

Pork ribs. Hm…nothing to shout about too.

“Har gao“, or prawn dumpling. Ok la, better than others a bit as the size is bigger, and not so dry compare to others.

Normal normal fish ball.

“Chicken Leg”, hm..ok lo. This one is not the real spicy version, and I always prefer chicken leg cooked with mushroom and soy sauce than this.

One also have to notice, the choice of Dim Sum here is not much, around 20++ for the steam type, and 10++ for the fried type. They don’t have those fancy fancy things like others have, most of the Dim Sum they serve is original one.

Overall, the Dim Sum here is just average la, just like most of the Dim Sum restaurant I went. This type of Dim Sum restaurant, I won’t go back and visit again since nothing there interests me. I prefer to try out other restaurant until I can find the perfect Dim Sum restaurant here.

Location: 5No. G5,6,7,8,202A, Jalan Macallister, 10400 Georgetown, Pulau Pinang.

Google Map: