type good dim sum places in google singapore and out came out several local blog sites reviewing and rating their favourite spots for yum cha. having been to the more popular joints like crystal jade and even the cathay, g and i were game to uncover some of these less renowned places for yum cha.
sunday 16.06.2007
after reading chubby hubby's post on his discovery of victor's kitchen at sunshine plaze, we decided to head over to check it out. it was kinda cool, amidst the somewhat deserted mall, just following one's nose would lead you to the small cluster of makan places on the ground floor. we were almost afraid that the shop would be closed, being a sunday, but we were very quickly proven otherwise, with customers spilling out form 3 separate shops onto the corridor, having 'long' after 'long' of dim sum. we plonked ourselves right outside the shop that was the kitchen and quickly ticked off all the dishes that were raved about.
siew mai - check....feng zhao - check...pai guat - check...carrot cake - check...pei tan chok - check
it was a good thing it was g who brought the order into the kitchen cause the owner was your typical hong kee lao ban (read: moody). the food came quite promptly and we tucked in. think out of the 5 things we ordered, the siew mai was the most ordinary. the feng zhao was prepared a tad differently from the usual stewed in generous sauce type that i was used to, but it was still good. big pieces of tender chicken feet, seasoned with loads of garlic. the pai guat was cut into yummy bite size pieces, steamed till all the soft cartilage could be eaten. i think the lao ban's secret here was using that bit of chinese wine (g and i both felt the effects after! *grin*) the wala wala porridge was again different, pei tan but with fish slices instead. very cheng, with the porridge more liquid then the usual hong kong congee consistency. it did make me realise that i still prefer my pei tan chok thicker and heavier, with big chunks of pei tan and pork bits. the highlight for me was the carrot cake. steamed till smooth, this is probably the second place that i've been to where they prepare the carrot cake this way. its like chawanmushi smoothness with a bit of the chwee kuay consistency. to top it off, the carrot cake was filled with bits of scallops and sausage and garnished with xo sauce. this was probably the only thing that i thought was good. i doubt we'd be back to victor's kitchen any time soon, although the waiter uncle did put a smile on my face.
victor's kitchen
91 bencoolen street
sunshine plaza
#01-21
(65) 98382851
friday 22.06.2007
following yet another blog's discovery and rave on fantastic xiao long bao, we headed over to shanghai ren jia for lunch. having driven up and down thomson road many, many times, g wasn't quite sure the shop was there! right next door to han's, the place actually looked closed because of the way the lighting was in the shop. upon entering, although there was only one other table of diners, the place had a little bit of a buzz. manning the kitchen were a bunch of shanghai-nese ladies whose constant chatter immediately made one feel at home. sensing we were not quite sure what to order, one lady pulled up a chair and began to give us a run down of what was good and popular. we finally decided on the shen jian bao, which was highly recommended and apparently sells out very quickly on the weekends, xiao long bao (but of course) and mei cai kou rou.
the food did take a while to get to us, but it was just because every single thing was made fresh. the moment the bao's left the steamer, they were immediately panfried and served piping hot. slight crisp to the shen jian bao, not at all oily, with very moist and flavourful fillings. perfect with a dip in vinegar. while we enjoyed the jian baos, the ladies skillfully laid out the dough, cut them up and filled them for the xiao long baos. at the same time, they steamed the buns that were served with the mei cai kou rou. i wasn't too keen on the kou rou but g filled one bun for me and it was good. tasting the mei cai, one could tell that they preserved it themselves and it really complemented the not too fatty kou rou very well in the freshly steamed bun. the xiao long baos probably took the spotlight, given the fact that they were made literally on the spot. slightly smaller then the usual served at crystal jade, each pocket was still infused with really home cooked chicken broth and minced meat balls. its was really quite awesome and i would definitely be back to try out the noodles and guo tie the next time we were in the mood for some shanghainese style yum cha!
shanghai renjia
906b upper thomson road
(65) 64567752
siew mai - check....feng zhao - check...pai guat - check...carrot cake - check...pei tan chok - check
it was a good thing it was g who brought the order into the kitchen cause the owner was your typical hong kee lao ban (read: moody). the food came quite promptly and we tucked in. think out of the 5 things we ordered, the siew mai was the most ordinary. the feng zhao was prepared a tad differently from the usual stewed in generous sauce type that i was used to, but it was still good. big pieces of tender chicken feet, seasoned with loads of garlic. the pai guat was cut into yummy bite size pieces, steamed till all the soft cartilage could be eaten. i think the lao ban's secret here was using that bit of chinese wine (g and i both felt the effects after! *grin*) the wala wala porridge was again different, pei tan but with fish slices instead. very cheng, with the porridge more liquid then the usual hong kong congee consistency. it did make me realise that i still prefer my pei tan chok thicker and heavier, with big chunks of pei tan and pork bits. the highlight for me was the carrot cake. steamed till smooth, this is probably the second place that i've been to where they prepare the carrot cake this way. its like chawanmushi smoothness with a bit of the chwee kuay consistency. to top it off, the carrot cake was filled with bits of scallops and sausage and garnished with xo sauce. this was probably the only thing that i thought was good. i doubt we'd be back to victor's kitchen any time soon, although the waiter uncle did put a smile on my face.victor's kitchen
91 bencoolen street
sunshine plaza
#01-21
(65) 98382851
friday 22.06.2007
following yet another blog's discovery and rave on fantastic xiao long bao, we headed over to shanghai ren jia for lunch. having driven up and down thomson road many, many times, g wasn't quite sure the shop was there! right next door to han's, the place actually looked closed because of the way the lighting was in the shop. upon entering, although there was only one other table of diners, the place had a little bit of a buzz. manning the kitchen were a bunch of shanghai-nese ladies whose constant chatter immediately made one feel at home. sensing we were not quite sure what to order, one lady pulled up a chair and began to give us a run down of what was good and popular. we finally decided on the shen jian bao, which was highly recommended and apparently sells out very quickly on the weekends, xiao long bao (but of course) and mei cai kou rou.
the food did take a while to get to us, but it was just because every single thing was made fresh. the moment the bao's left the steamer, they were immediately panfried and served piping hot. slight crisp to the shen jian bao, not at all oily, with very moist and flavourful fillings. perfect with a dip in vinegar. while we enjoyed the jian baos, the ladies skillfully laid out the dough, cut them up and filled them for the xiao long baos. at the same time, they steamed the buns that were served with the mei cai kou rou. i wasn't too keen on the kou rou but g filled one bun for me and it was good. tasting the mei cai, one could tell that they preserved it themselves and it really complemented the not too fatty kou rou very well in the freshly steamed bun. the xiao long baos probably took the spotlight, given the fact that they were made literally on the spot. slightly smaller then the usual served at crystal jade, each pocket was still infused with really home cooked chicken broth and minced meat balls. its was really quite awesome and i would definitely be back to try out the noodles and guo tie the next time we were in the mood for some shanghainese style yum cha!shanghai renjia
906b upper thomson road
(65) 64567752
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