Yum Cha @ Chinatown

I wish this post is read in the first few hours after you awake from a good nightsleep.
Refreshed and chilled from yesterday's heavy downpour.

To indulge in a little dim sum adventure.
Of nothing avant garde.
But a simple, centuries-old hearty breakfast.

Come on, join me in my yum cha reminiscence.

A warm Glutinous Rice In Lotus Leaf (S$3.50) to start off the meal. The soft, almost melting texture of the rice was pleasant. Ingredients for the filling, which included dried shrimps, chestnut and pork provided a lovely contrasting texture as well as flavours to the soft, bland rice. The lotus leave used was fresh, hence the milder scent as compared to the dried ones.

A staple, the Siew Mai With Fish Roe (S$3.00) was firm, with fresh shrimp and pork filling. Rather ordinary, albeit the use of fish roe instead of the dyed sago seeds. Then again, how do we define an extraordinary Siew Mai?

Moist and tad sweet the filling was, for the Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (S$2.00). Served warm, the skin was fluffy and thin, just enough to infuse with the filling's marinate at the first bite. A dish to please a many, but not me who feeds on the dark, savoury kind of filling.

An utter disappointment, the Fresh Prawn Rice Flour Roll (S$4.00) was. Like an enlarged piece of kway teow used in noodle dishes, it was definitely too firm for a dim sum. While the prawns were fresh and succulent, the sauce was nothing but a blindly savoury combination of oil and soya sauce. Where's a touch of sweetness when one needs it?

Not unlike the Lotus Leaf version, the Fried Glutinous Rice (S$4.00) was soft and moist. With aromatic ingredients such as shitake mushrooms slices, pork and dried shrimps, this dish was simply flavourful. Savouriness was well-controlled, with a touch of sweetness to boost.

You can imagine my childlike excitement when I discovered a dish called Steamed Mini Goose Liver Xiao Long Bao (S$4.00). The skin was rather thick. The sweet juice was abundant and oozed as I cracked the skin. The meat/liver filling was soft and somehow milky. It fell short of my own expectation as there was no hint of the aromatic liver taste. Then again, how much pate can one get at S$4.00? I'm counting my blessing for the lovely texture.

The Baked Mini Egg Tarts (S$2.00) was good. The pastry was crispy and dry while the custard/egg filling was sweet and smooth. Typical, yes. But a typically good egg tart is hard to come by these days, isn't it?

Not a dessert that I would order, the Pamelo Sago In Mango Juice (S$4.00) was a visual feast that came with a bitter taste, perhaps due to the pamelo sacs. A rather synthetic-tasting mango juice too, I thought.

The Crispy Red Bean Paste With Banana (S$3.00) ended the sightly bumpy excursion. Though not with a bang, the dessert was commendable for its slightly unconventional take on the pancake skin which was breaded and fried instead of the generic pastry. The paste was quite refined and tad sweet.

I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did.

As I wished you'll read this in the morning, here's wishing you a productive day ahead.
And bring an umbrella to work.

Yum Cha Restaurant Pte Ltd
20, Trengganu Street (off Temple Street)
#02-01 (Chinatown)
Singapore 058479
Tel: (+65) 6372 1717
Website: www.yumcha.com.sg