We (ok, I) have been looking for good and affordable dim sum buffet for quite some time and heard about this swanky downtown hotel offering a weekend a la carte spread for $28++ per person. The catch is, we can’t descend on the restaurant there and then because we had to have a reservation. And there was a 2 month waiting list.
That needed to be explained because it would now make sense why we had to try out Every. Single. Thing. on the menu.
This is lunch for two.
Braised Spinach With Crabmeat and Roe in Chicken Consomme
The buffet limited each diner to one portion so I picked this. Despite the spinach, it bore a stronger taste of crabmeat and the roe was undiscernible. It was slightly viscous which helped keep the brew hotter than warm. Good if you like to drink your soup slow or if you like scalding your mouth and dribbling all over the rest of your meal.
Spicy and Sour Seafood Soup
The silken tofu at the top was quite a surprising addition that diffused the twang of the soup. I have to say I can’t really tell that there was seafood in it if not for the chunks of prawn.
Deep-fried Golden Cheese Dumpling
Think of this as a misshapened glutinous rice ball filled with mozzarella and deep-fried. It’s one of the worst items on the menu if not merely for the fact that there was very little taste in it. It’d definitely work better with a sharper-tasting cheese.
Deep-fried Taro Paste Wrapped with Truffle and Mushroom
No picture of this one because it looked boring and we ate it before I could remember to get a pic. It smelled quite strongly of truffle but it tasted only of taro and mushroom. The taro shell was a little too thick for my liking and it makes you feel quite bloated after a while.
Crispy Prawn Dumplings
It’s hard to make mistakes with common dim sum fare like this. We got 2 portions in the end. The skin was light and the prawns were springy. I like the color of the mayonnaise – it’s a transluscent shimmering glob of pale yellow.
Pan-Fried Shrimp Bean Curd Roll
Again, no pictures but everyone’s probably seen this one. We were actually wondering what the stuffing was in this. Didn’t look like prawn. Tasted and looked a lot like pork paste. It didn’t taste bad but it just didn’t fit what we had expected.
Crispy Vegetables Spring Roll
No pics for this because everyone’s seen a spring roll. Bad choice and stupid idea to order spring rolls at a dim sum place. If you’ve eaten spring rolls anywhere else, this was pretty much the same.
Pan-Fried Radish Cake (Left)
I hate radish cake and the only reason why we ordered this one was because we were systematically ordering down the list in the menu. That said, I thought this was one of the better items served. The crust contrasted perfectly with the crunchiness of the shredded raddish and the creaminess of the cake. It didn’t taste overwhelmingly like pork like the versions at some other restaurants.
Pan-Fried Chicken and Spring Onion Pancake (Right)
Nope, this wasn’t a pancake. We actually got a little sick of this two dishes because we ordered them together and they bore similar textures and taste. Kind of. This wasn’t particularly memorable.
Pan-Fried Three Treasures Stuffed With Shrimp Paste in Black Bean Sauce
Take a minute to look at the picture and read its name. Sounds good doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. Because it’s just yong tau foo served in a fancy big plate. I like the plate.
Steamed Crystal Shrimp Dumpling (I call it har kow)
All the dumplings served had the same flaw – their skins were too soft and soggy and disintegrated before you could fish them out. Recipe would have benefitted from a good dose of plaster or whatever it is that hardens har kow skin. But of course we had to find out if this is just a one-off mistake because…
Steamed Crystal Crab Meat Dumpling
…we got this after. It’s pink and pretty but NOTHING like what was shown in the promotional poster at the doorway. I couldn’t find any crab in it though and it was like a lighter version of the har kow.
Steamed Squid and Coriander Dumpling
No, we weren’t lucky the third time round. This looks more fascinating than it is and for some reason, the skin was slightly sour although it didn’t add to or distract from the flavor. Mostly because there wasn’t much flavor to the dumplings. Can’t taste the squid or coriander. In fact, we took it apart and didn’t see any discernible squid OR coriander.
Steamed Abalone Siew Mai
Pieces of presumably canned abalone distinguish this from its lower-class sibling, the regular Joe Siew Mai. I like the fact that the pork’s tender and there weren’t chunks of fats in it but I didn’t like the fact that it tasted like pork. Not that it’s fair to expect pork to not taste like pork…
Shrimp Wanton Soup
The wantons were ok – they were the same as the har kows but with a thinner – and better – skin. The soup however was a bit tasteless. We ate it all the same though.
Steamed Beef Ball with Sun-Dried Orange Peel
We laughed at the appearance of this because they were all f-ugly. I’ve seen better-looking innards. I’m not too sure what the beancurd skin lining the bottom of the balls did other than to make them look like cooked testicles though. That aside, they were springy (ha.ha.) and meaty (ha. ha. ha.) but didn’t taste like sun-dried orange peel. Quite tasty.
Steamed Xiao Long Pau
Quite nice. The meat’s melt-in-the-mouth and there’s enough soup in each to ooze all over your face when you bit hard into one. Not that I’d commit social faux pas like that but I’m just saying.
Steamed Shark’s Fin and Scallop Dumplings
Oh right. These too. There’s a precocious piece of shark’s fin at the top which tastes suspiciously like scallop. I couldn’t see any scallop in the dumpling so I guess the scallop’s really in the stock. Better than the har kow if only for the fact that it’s got that extra piece of murder.
Poached Shrimp Wanton with Chili Vinegar Dressing
I’d have expected this as an appetizer but it was in the main menu. It’s the exact same wanton as in the soup except greasier. Which is fine by me because I like floppy wantons.
Crispy Honey Vinaigrette Sliced Sea Bass
This was very much like Thai fish crackers. It may look thick but it’s surprisingly crunchy.
Deep-Fried Prawn Coated with Wasabi Mayonnaise
The batter was light and the wasabi was generous. I also liked the unidentifiable yellow bits at the top. We liked this so much we got 2 portions and I think we both agreed we should have gotten like 10 portions of this at the start of the meal.
Beef Brisket With Chilli and Chinese Peppercorn
No picture for this because it looked like every other plate of sliced beef you’ve seen in your life. Didn’t taste of chilli or chinese peppercorn but it was very similar to the braised beef you find in Taiwan. I’d actually feel hungry again while typing this but I also remember feeling utterly sick the last time I stood up.
The place is definitely value-for-money and I’m likely to head there again some other time (maybe I should start making a booking…) but it’s not the best dim sum in town like what some press have been labelling it. Service is great though – very friendly serving staff who actually refilled our tea leaves and not just the water in the pots. They actually look believably happy taking our orders. That’s much appreciated. I think I’ll want to try the rice and noodles the next time I’m there. Hm.
You Siao ah! eat so much!!