Yu sheng 鱼生

But the first course was a distinctly Singaporean Chinese new year dish — yu sheng or lo hei.

The raw fish slices were a little too thin and scant. Otherwise, the rest of the dish was rather predictable.

Appetizer platter

Things started to get more exciting as dinner progressed into more un-familiar territory.

The cold appetizer platter featured:

1. Boiled chicken in chilli oil (very very mild);
2. A light salad of chilled crunchy vegetables (quite refreshing);
3. Lightly spiced fried fish cubes (quite tasty).

Shanghai pen cai 上海盆菜

In recent years, pen cai 盆菜 or poon choi has become a popular Chinese New Year dish in Singapore. Poon choi is a Hong Kong custom, so this Shanghai-cuisine restaurant probably came up with their own version to provide a local festive touch.

The top layer is a spread of baby abalone, chicken, beancurd skin rolls, omelette-wrapped meat dumplings, some kind of fish cake, some kind of meat ball, prawn, fish maw, and mushroom.

Beneath the meat items are stewed vegetables like lotus root, cauliflower, broccoli, and giant red dates.

With so many ingredients, the stock was intensely sweet and flavorful. This was a very hearty and comforting casserole. We’re considering ordering this for takeaway at next year’s reunion dinner (if we’re eating at home).

Braised pork knuckle

Braised till uber tender, the pork knuckle fell apart with a gentle prod. The soft, smooth gelatinous skin collagen of the pork knuckle glided down our throats — such a sinful pleasure but you’d be damned if you let such a delicacy go to waste.

Steamed red garoupa

The set menu actually comes with sweet and sour fish, but they gave us steamed red garoupa by mistake. Not complaining! The fish was fresh and steamed to perfection.

Stir-fried snow peas

No Chinese meal is complete with an obligatory dish of greens.

Xiao long bao

This is Savor Rey’s signature xiao long bao or soup dumplings. Thin and delicate, the skin encased a glob of tasty minced pork and a generous amount of scalding hot broth.

Fried pumpkin cake

Coated with panko, the exterior of these pumpkin cakes were delightfully crispy and not too greasy. The insides reminded us of nian gao 年糕 — sticky, chewy, and not too sweet. Very more-ish, if not for the fact that we were already very stuffed.

Fresh fruit platter

And to balance out our rich and satisfying meal, a platter of chilled watermelon and mandarin orange.

The meal cost around $228. All the items were well-executed, so we were all happy diners. The only gripe we had was that the staff was short-handed so service was kinda spotty.

This was a nice change from the usual steamboat or Cantonese-style banquet dishes that we usually have for Chinese new year reunion dinner. Hope everyone had a wonderful Lunar New Year celebration too! May you be blessed with abundance and good health in the Year of the Water Dragon!

Savor Rey La Mian Xiao Long Bao Restaurant 稻香拉面小笼包馆
3 Kampong Bahru Road
Singapore 169340
Tel: +65 6223 5038

The images in this post were shot with Sony NEX-C3 with SEL1855 lens (on loan from Sony Singapore).

Pagoda of Eight Treasures 开运八宝塔, S$88.80

For their 2012 Lunar New Year menu, the fine-dining restaurants of the Crystal Jade brand is offering a spectacular mix of dishes that marry classic Chinese delicacies with local and regional touches.

At a recent media luncheon, we were given a sneak preview of this exciting festive menu. The most eagerly anticipated dish was definitely the Pagoda of Eight Treasures, inspired by the traditional Indonesian Nasi Tumpeng that’s served at celebrations and festive occasions.

It tastes as gorgeous as it looks!

The centerpiece of this platter is a cone of fried glutinous rice with conpoy, dried shrimp and mushroom.

Seven surrounding “treasures” complete this dish — marinated octopus, French bean fritters, preserved sausage, preserved liver sausage, chicken fillet nuggets, deep-fried quail eggs, and sauteed shrimp with mushroom.

Not only did it wow us with its presentation, we were also impressed taste-wise. The various components are a thoughtful and winning combination of flavors and textures.

Visually stunning and pleasing to the palate, this communal dish is guaranteed to be an impressive centerpiece for your home or office celebrations!

The Pagoda of Eight Treasures is also available for takeaway. It will be served in a dish with compartments. The rice will stay in the middle, with a plastic cone to help hold the rice in shape during transportation.

Golden Yu Sheng 金装发财鱼生, S$88.80 (large)

Of course, no Lunar New Year celebration in Singapore is complete without lo hei. What I like about Crystal Jade’s yu sheng is that it tastes very fresh and natural.

And look at the artistry of the raw salmon slices, beautifully carved and arranged into a rosette and delicate leaves!

Double-boiled Quail Soup with Chinese Herbs 滋补药膳炖仙鹤, S$22 per serving

Highly recommended is the double-boiled quail soup. Slow-cooked for hours, the clear consomme is both nourishing and intensely flavorful.

Steamed Sea Bass with Preserved Vegetables 甜菜蒸鲈鱼件, S$12 per serving

For Lunar New Year, a fish dish is a must as the Chinese word for “fish” is a homophone for “surplus”.

For this rustic and elegant dish, moist and delicate sea bass is complemented with sweet-salty mui choy. Excellent as a course on its own or with rice.

Braised Dou Miao with Assorted Dried Seafood 海中宝扒豆杯, S$12 per serving

And of course, no Chinese meal is complete without a vegetable dish. Sweet, luscious pea sprouts with strips of braised abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber and dried scallop, this dish is very easy to like.

Glutinous Rice Cake with Coconut 椰丝年糕 & Fried Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Grated Peanut 脆米花煎堆仔, S$2.40 per serving

A little less sticky than the usual nian gao, this glutinous rice cake tastes rather similar but uses grated coconut, coconut juice, and white sugar to replace brown sugar. There’s also added crunch and aroma from the coating of roasted sesame seeds.

The fried glutinous rice dumpling is like a peanut tang yuan, but coated in sesame seed and deep-fried.

All 6 dishes in this post will be available only for the 2012 Lunar New Year season beginning 26 Dec 2011 to 6 Feb 2012 (15^th day of CNY in 2012). They will be served at:

1. Crystal Jade Dining IN, VivoCity #01-112, tel: 6278-5626
2. Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant, Takashimaya Shopping Centre #04-19, tel: 6735-2388

The Pagoda of 8 Treasures will be available at the two restaurants above, as well as Crystal Jade Golden Palace at Paragon (tel: 6734 6866) and Crystal Jade Kitchen at NEX (tel: 6634 4920).

All dishes featured are available for dine-in or takeaway.

Many thanks to Crystal Jade Culinary Concepts Holding and linea Communications for the invite.

Braised Fish Maw Soup with Crab Meat 红烧蟹肉鱼漂汤

We ordered a 7-course set meal. First dish was this thick soup. Tasted like the typical Chinese banquet shark’s fin soup, but minus shark’s fin.

Peking Duck (served with crepes) 北京片皮鸭

There was a Peking duck promo going on. For ordering the set menu, we just had to top up S$10 for a whole Peking duck, but only the crispy skin is served.

Sauteed Premium Scallop with French Bean & Cordyceps Flower 丛草花甜豆炒带子

The next dish was a feast for both the eyes and palate! Dry ice effect was used to create a stunning presentation, while sweet crunchy vegetables such as sugar snap peas, celery, and bell pepper augmented fresh juicy scallops.

Those brown noodle-like strands are cordyceps flower. STUMPBO has written a detailed and useful post on the differences between cordyceps and cordyceps flower, as well as how to prepare a wholesome cordyceps flower chicken soup!

Steamed Pa Ting Fish with Blended Spicy Sauce 老干妈酱蒸巴丁鱼

Patin fish is a freshwater fish with silky and delicate flesh. But sometimes, it tends to have a muddy taste, so the spicy and savoury gravy was a suitable condiment. This would also go very well with rice!

Sauteed Wild Mushroom with Garlic Butter 蒜香牛油炒野菌

A delicious assortment of oyster, Shimeiji, shitake, and enoki mushrooms lightly sauteed with garlic and butter.

Crispy Skin Sakura Chicken 淮香脆皮樱花鸡

This was a rather decent rendition of crispy skin fried chicken. The bird was on the small side, which is probably due to the use of hormone-free Sakura chicken.

Stir-fried duck slices in teriyaki sauce

This was another add-on dish (at extra cost) from the Peking duck we had earlier. We could choose to have the meat stir-fried in a variety of styles, but we chose teriyaki sauce cos it’s more kid-friendly. The duck slices were surprisingly tender and juicy.

Cheese Baked Lobster with Ee-fu Noodle Base 芝士龙虾配伊面底

Here’s the carbo filler: Ee-fu noodles topped with cream sauce, cheese, and lobster.

Dishing out the noodles into individual portions

The white cream sauce was a little too heavy and clumpy; otherwise it was rather tasty.

Pomelo Sago with Mango 杨枝甘露

This was more like a beverage rather than dessert. The consistency of the mango puree could have been thicker. It could also do with more mango chunks and sago.

On the whole, the dishes were well-executed but stopped short of being outstanding. Portions were on the small side. The wait staff have to be commended for being efficient and polite. I was too occupied to take pics of the interior, but the decor was modern and classy.

Mouth Restaurant (China Square Central)
22 Cross Street
#01-61 China Square Central
Singapore 048421
Tel: 6438 5798
URL: www.mouth.com.sg

Weekdays: 11.30am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm
Weekends: 11.am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm

My favorite soy sauce chicken stall!

Gosh, we’ve been regular patrons of this soy sauce chicken for more than a year now, and I can’t believe I still haven’t blogged about them. Way overdue post!

Actually, they don’t need the extra publicity at all. As it is, Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken already enjoys snaking queues from the moment it opens till closing time. A minimum 20-minute wait is the norm. But trust me, the wait is worth it!

Sleek, luscious chicks!

Just looking at the glistening, beautifully glazed birds hanging from the metal racks is enough to make one drool! The chickens are stewed in rose wine-scented braising sauce, with its sweetish marinade penetrating beneath the skin of each chook.

Subtly flavored and perfumed, the meat is smooth, tender, and succulent. The chicken is thoroughly cooked with no bloody bits in the thickest parts. Even the breast portion is moist and not stringy, which is no mean feat.

Besides great taste, this stall’s soy sauce chicken is wildly popular because of consistent standards and attractive pricing. Prices start from S$2.00 for a plate of soy sauce chicken rice (but portion isn’t very big), and each chicken costs just S$14.00 (S$7.00 for half chicken). Most stalls sell a whole soy sauce chicken for around S$20.00. That’s why many customers here order whole chickens to share or takeaway!

Although the birds here are slightly smaller, it’s still worthwhile. Depending on how greedy you are, half a chicken can feed 2 people comfortably. Usually, I’ll buy half a chicken (chopped up), then go home to cook rice and stir-fry a vegetable dish. This will make a very hearty meal for hubby and me. Yes, we’re both greedy eaters!

Chicken drumstick noodle, S$3.00

Like me, hubby is also a huge fan of Hong Kong Soya Sauce’s chicken. I wouldn’t say they are THE best soy sauce chicken in Singapore, but they are certainly among the best.

Their soy sauce chicken noodle is a class act, too. Click here to read my review for inSing. I recommend upgrading to chicken drumstick for just an additional S$0.50.

Char siew and roast pork are also available here. Both are competently executed, but pales in comparison to their outstanding soy sauce chicken.

Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle 香港油鸡饭面
335 Smith Street
#02-127 Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Singapore 050335

Open: 10am – 8pm (closes earlier if sold out)
Closed on Wed

Happy Mothers’ Day to all mommies! Let’s show our love and appreciation for our moms not just today, but everyday!

It’s nice to go meat-less once in a while. Unfortunately, in Singapore, Chinese vegetarian food has somewhat of a bad rep. Mention Chinese veg, and images of oily, fried mock meats (made from gluten) smothered in artificially flavored sauces come to mind. Very unhealthy, and very pointless, if you ask me. Why eat fake meat if one wants to go vegetarian?

Which is why one of our long-time favs is Lingzhi (operated by Tunglok Group), because their menu emphasizes natural flavors and textures of fresh ingredients. Rick and I brought our moms here for lunch a couple of weekends ago.

Beancurd skin rolls, S$16.00

Our protein dish featured two kinds of beancurd: Beancurd skin rolls (top) and slices of braised silken beancurd (bottom), drizzled with a light, sweet-salty braising sauce and topped with wolfberries. The silken beancurd — listed as 老豆腐 or literally “old tofu” in the menu — has a rather interesting texture.

Eggplant in spicy sauce, S$16.00

This dish is originally spicy, but we asked them to tone down the spiciness level cos both our moms don’t take spicy food.

Served in a claypot, the main star of this dish was chunks of stuffed eggplant braised in savoury and mildly hot gravy (I believe the base is vegetarian oyster sauce). Button mushrooms and potato cubes were added for additional texture. Fried mini mantou (Chinese buns) were provided to soak up that scrumptiously tasty gravy!

Braised Bai Ling mushrooms with spinach and truffle, S$20.00

See those three slices of shaved black truffle? They gave off a distinctive earthy truffle scent! However, both our moms weren’t impressed with either their scent or texture, haha!

I think they enjoyed the thick, succulent Bai Ling mushrooms more. This meaty, slightly chewy mushroom variety is also known as “mock abalone mushroom” because its texture and shape resemble the abalone. Paired with lightly stir-fried spinach, this was a delightfully refreshing dish.

Deep-fried lotus root rolls, S$16.00

It seemed like something golden and crunchy was needed to bring balance to the meal, so we ordered this. Wrapped within crispy wrappers is a mixture of diced lotus root and French bean. Pleasant, but not wow.

Stir-fried ee-fu noodles, S$12.00

Stir-fried with shitake, straw, and button mushrooms, the noodles were al dente, flavorful, and moist without being soggy. A nice way to round off our light but satisfying lunch.

Prices here are on the pricier side, but LingZhi is positioned as a fine-dining establishment. No complaints about execution and presentation. In fact, even our most discerning moms were impressed with the chef’s masterful cooking and control of flavors. This isn’t our first visit (the flagship outlet is at Liat Towers), and they’ve managed to maintain the same standards over the years, which is no mean feat.

Total bill for 4 adults — inclusive of Chinese tea, rice, pickles, 10% service charge & 7% GST — was S$104.05.

Lingzhi Vegetarian Restaurant
238 Thomson Road
#03-09/10 Velocity @ Novena Square
Singapore 307683
Tel: +65 6538 2992
URL: www.lingzhivegetarian.com

Monday to Friday
Lunch : 11:30am – 2:30pm
Dinner : 6:00pm – 10:00pm

Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays
Lunch : 11:00am – 2:30pm
Hi-Tea : 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Dinner : 6:00 – 10:00pm

Dinner got off to a great start with an excellent trio of appetizers.

Poached Sakura Chicken

First up was cold-cut drunken chicken. The Shaoxing wine had a subtle briny and savoury depth, which I’m told was due to the addition of prawn paste. Thankfully, the meat didn’t taste too strongly of alcohol. The chicken was firm and succulent due to the use of Sakura chicken (reared without growth hormones and antibiotics).

Roast Pork Belly

The roast pork belly was decent, with an adequately crisp crackling. It would have been rather forgettable, if not for the piquant jellyfish and pickle that accompanied it.

Fragrant Pumpkin in Salted Egg Yolk

This was incredibly fun to munch on! Bits of salted egg yolk underneath the batter contrasted nicely with the sweet cubes of pumpkin.

Francis's special concoction - liver dipping sauce

At our table was Francis of Cafe de Hong Kong, who brought along his unique blend of liver sauce. With a base of sweet bean paste, this creamy and robust dip went very well with the appetizers.

Double-Boiled Four Treasures Soup

Each of us got a generous mini pot of this luxurious broth. Thick, juicy Shitake mushroom, sea cucumber, fish maw, and dried scallops in lightly thickened stock – this was utterly rich and comforting!

Crispy Beancurd Skin Wrapped Prawn

Another crowd-pleaser – fat prawns wrapped in crispy beancurd skin. Reminded me of dim sum-style beancurd roll 腐皮卷, except this came with a whole prawn.

Home-Made Tofu Topped with Dried Bonito

This looks simple, but it was comfort food at its best. The interior beancurd was silky and wobbly, while the exterior soaked up the rich sauce like a sponge. Simply gorgeous!

Zi Yean’s Emperor Chicken Stuffed with Preserved Vegetable

Personally, this was the climax of the meal!

The mui choy (preserved vegetable) stuffing

Gently pry open the bird, and the tender meat falls apart to reveal a stuffing of preserved vegetable beneath the ribs. The sweet-saltish pickle had been braised till soft, and complemented the chicken nicely. Together with that rich, brown gravy, all that’s missing was a bowl of rice. Ok, make that two bowls of rice!

Sauteed French Beans with Dried Shrimp in XO Sauce

These slender stalks of French beans were sweet and retained the right amount of crunch without being too raw. I couldn’t detect much of the XO sauce, but I actually preferred it this way.

Hand-Made Seafood Chinese Pasta

Also known as Cat’s Ears, this kind of rustic homemade fresh pasta is hard to find. The noodles was slightly floury, but what saved this dish was the sweet and refreshing seafood stock.

Tempura Ice Cream

Dessert came in the shape of a heart!

My "heart' is broken!

We were expecting ice cream in light tempura batter, but what we got was chocolate ice cream in a thin crust of bread. We ate our hearts out anyway!

Once again, thanks to Eslim for organizing this month’s dinner. And it was great meeting new friends and familiar faces again! Till the next session, cheers!

Zi Yean Restaurant
Blk 56 Lengkok Bahru
#01-443
Singapore 150056
Tel: +65 6474 0911 (aircon section) / +65 6471 0253 (non-aircon section)
URL: www.ziyean.com.sg

Destination: Swatow Seafood Restaurant @ Toa Payoh

Tasting panel: DJs Jiafa & Weibin + 4 lucky winners and their family members

Kampong Chicken 豆酱鸡

And so, lucky me got to tag along for another delicious foodie outing, courtesy of Y.E.S. 93.3FM! This time, it was lunch at Swatow Seafood Restaurant (previously Fortunate Restaurant).

Teochew/Swatow cuisine 潮汕菜肴 is known for light and clean-tasting flavors. We sampled a variety of cold cuts and appetizers. My favorite was this cold-cut steamed chicken. The meat was oh-so smooth and succulent! Crunchy and piquant, the cubes of pickles underneath were an excellent complement to the tender chicken.

Chilled Pig's Head 猪头粽 & Chilled Pork Knuckles in Jelly 猪脚冻

These are two very traditional Teochew dishes. As ancient villagers were loath to waste food, they cleverly chopped up the meat from the pig head (the part that no one wanted to touch!) and transformed it into a tasty aspic.

In the olden days, there was no refrigeration. So pork knuckle jelly — also a kind of terrine — was a winter dish that was invented to make meats last longer.

Braised Sliced Goose Meat Teochew-style 卤鹅片

Having soaked up the flavors of the braising sauce, the sliced goose was deliciously tender and flavorful.

Crispy Pork Liver Roll 肝花 & Crispy Prawn Roll 虾枣

Look at the pair of goldfish! They look so lively. Can you guess what vegetable was used to carve them? If you guessed yam/taro, you’re right!

Steamed Pomfret Teochew-style 潮蒸鲳鱼

Another classic Teochew dish, this steamed pomfret was fresh and meaty. The fish stock was refreshingly light and sweet.

Teochew-style Oyster Omelette 蚝烙

Interestingly, many of us thought the starchy bits of this oyster omelette tasted like chai tow kway!

Crispy Pork Knuckle 炸元蹄

Ah, if you like crispy pork trotter, this is a must-try! With tender meat and amazingly thin, crispy skin, we all agreed that this dish was wonderfully executed.

Braised Eight Treasure Vegetables 八宝素菜

Although this was mostly vegetarian, it was no less satisfying than the meat dishes. A variety of mushrooms, dried scallop, as well as kailan stems were stewed till they were soft and had totally absorbed the robust flavors of the stock.

Steamed Crystal Buns 水晶包

Although this isn’t the classic version of Teochew crystal buns, it was worth a try. Each petite bun was bursting with juicy turnip and vegetables, encased in soft, translucent skin that melted in the mouth.

Fried Kway Teow with Kailan & Preserved Radish 潮州芥兰菜脯粿条

This is the traditional way in which Teochew kway teow is fried, although this version has been updated to reflect a healthier cooking style.

Sugar-coated Yam Bars 反沙芋条

Now, my mom used to make this at home, so I know how tricky it is to get it right! It looks simple, but most people don’t know that the process to transform the sugar syrup into powdery sugar requires much skill and experience.

What makes this version special is the addition of sesame seed and spring onion for extra fragrance. Another winner that got the thumbs-up from everyone!

"My steamed Teochew pomfret is just as good!"

This outing felt like a big family gathering! Four lucky YES 933FM listeners got to bring along a family member for our foodie feast.

"I think my cute daughter gets her good looks from me!"

We also had a most adorable little princess as a participant!

Thumbs up for Teochew cuisine!

To listen to more of our thoughts on Swatow Seafood Restaurant, tune in to Y.E.S. 93.3FM on Wednesday, 22 September 2010 from 6pm onwards. Live radio is available on the official website. You could also win a chance to participate in the next outing!

Many thanks to YES 93.3FM for the invite, as well as Mr Ang and staff of Swatow Seafood for the warm hospitality.

Swatow Seafood Restaurant
Blk 181 Toa Payoh Lorong 4
#02-602 (next to Toa Payoh Library)
Singapore 310181
Tel: +65 6363 1717

Soup Rice with Vegetable & Mushroom, S$5.00

Since she’d been here before, I asked, “What’s good to eat?” Momo replied, “Soup rice!”

Turns out that soup rice is a souped-up version of Teochew porridge. Instead of rice in plain porridge water, it’s rice in tasty soup stock with a choice of meat or veggies.

It was very comforting and, I have to admit, far nicer than I’d imagined.

Stir-fried French bean with pork & chilli, S$8.00

We both love 干煸四季豆, so we unanimously voted to order this classic Sichuan dish! Decently executed, the sweet-salty flavors and slick, crunchy textures paired nicely with our soup rice.

Wanton in hot chilli oil, S$4.80

The wantons were pretty good, but the vinegar-chilli oil dressing seemed rather toned down. Could it be that they automatically reduced the chilli because we had asked them to reduce the chilli for the French bean stir-fry?

Li Bai Drunken Chicken, S$7.00

Big mistake ordering this cold appetizer. The wine was way too strong, to the extent that the chicken tasted bitter. We didn’t like this at all.

Steamed Pork Dumpling, S$3.60

On the other hand, their xiao long bao aka soup dumplings were really good. In fact, we ordered another basket after finishing the first!

Surprisingly, these dumplings held a great deal of soup. The broth was clear and robust in taste. I also liked the fact that they were meaty and not too dainty.

Compared to other established xiao long bao specialists like Din Tai Fung and Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, Imperial Treasure may not be as well-known, but they can certainly hold their own. To see how five xiao long bao specialists measure up against each other, read this article I wrote for inSing.com.

Total bill was S$40.72, inclusive of charges for tea and taxes.

Imperial Treasure La Mian Xiao Long Bao
6 Raffles Boulevard
#02-138J Marina Square (located at Center Stage, next to Central Atrium)
Singapore 039594
Tel: +65 6338 2212
Open: 11am – 10pm daily

Happy birthday, Singapore! Today, our nation celebrates 45 years of independence. Like many other Singaporean families, we watched the National Day Parade on telly with our extended family at home. How about you?

Xiao long bao aka soup dumplings may not be a local culinary creation, but this famous Shanghai snack is very popular here. In recent years, numerous xiao long bao specialists have sprung up in Singapore. Read this article to find out where to find some of the best xiao long bao!

Three Sundays ago, Rick and I had a double-date with Keropokman and his babe (and my old schoolmate), Momo. It was Momo who suggested dimsum brunch at a very old-school Cantonese establishment — Yan Palace Restaurant.

Steamed Pork Dumplings "Siew Mai", S$3.20

We kicked started our meal with the pre-requisite siew mai. Meaty and bouncy — it was rustic but good.

Deep Fried Yam Balls with Lychee, S$3.20

Curiosity got the better of me. Yam puff with lychee? We all agreed it sounded much more interesting than it tasted.

Baked BBQ Pork Pastry, S$3.20

With its thick crust, the char siew puff didn’t look promising. Surprisingly, the pastry was buttery and rather melt-in-the-mouth. Definitely not as stellar as Crystal Jade’s version, but I’d order this again.

Steamed Chicken Claws in Spicy Sauce, S$2.60

I didn’t touch the chicken feet. Not very nice, according to Keropokman and Momo, who are THE chicken feet experts.

Steamed Dumplings "Teochew" Style, S$2.60

Filled mostly with veggies, these were pretty refreshing.

Steamed "Cheong Fun" with Prawn, S$3.60

The rice flour rolls were rather thick but sufficiently soft, with a single big prawn in each roll.

Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling, S$3.60

Except for siew mai and har kow (which come in fours), dimsum items always come in threes. I wonder why?

Anyway, the wait staff at Yan Palace thoughtfully cut all trio dimsum items into halves so all four of us could have a go.

Steamed Prawn Dumpling "Har Kow", S$3.60

The har kow — though petite in size — boasted fresh, bouncy prawn and sufficiently thin, resilient skin.

Deep Fried Banana & Prawn Rolls, S$3.60

Momo and I both love banana and prawn rolls. Not many places do this well, but this was a very good rendition. Would definitely order this again if we return.

Deep Fried Pumpkin Pastry with Oatmeal, S$2.60

Another interesting-sounding item. Couldn’t detect where the oatmeal part was. The crispy skin was slightly chewy (probably glutinous rice flour dough).

Pan Fried Carrot Cake, S$3.20

Radish cake = too dense and not enough flavor. Will skip this next time.

Steamed Spare Ribs in Black Bean Sauce, $3.20

Well-executed, but nothing wow about the steamed spare ribs.

For old-school, decent quality, and affordable dimsum, Yan Palace fits the bill nicely. The dimsum is not say the refined type, but I was impressed with the freshness of the ingredients, particularly the prawns.

Out of around 30 items on the dimsum menu, we ordered 12. The bill, including tea and taxes, came up to a very affordable S$50.55 for 4 people.

By the way, good luck if you’re coming here for Sunday breakfast/lunch. Expect full capacity, with lengthy queues at the door to boot. Apparently, Yan Palace remains a popular Sunday dimsum destination for large families and groups.

Yan Palace Restaurant
Blk 531 Upper Cross Street
#01-49 Hong Lim Complex
Singapore 050531
Tel: 65-6222 2516
URL: http://yanpalace.com.sg

Mon – Sat: 11am – 2.15pm
Sun & public holidays: 10am – 2.15am
Dinner: 6.30pm – 10pm daily