Celebrity Chefs and non-celebrity Dim Sum

The Marina Bay Sands complex officially opens this week, with its impressive Skypark, casino, shopping mall and celebrity chef restaurants, I headed down there a few days ago to check out progress.

Obviously what intrigued me most was the celebrity chef restaurants – there’s been a lot of excitement in the Greedy Glutton house about the arrival of world-famous names such as Santi Santamaria, Guy Savoy, Wolfgang Puck and Tetsuya Wakuda. Such is their status, they have been awarded their own ‘wing’ within Marina Bay Sands, reached by dedicated lifts.

It’s an impressive setting when you emerge from the lift – an enormous atrium, with views down over the entire casino, so you can watch the old ladies lining up their chips on the roulette tables.

Out of the celebrity chef restaurants, only Santi and Guy Savoy are currently open, although both were closed for lunch. There was no menu displayed outside Santi, but we did spend a few moments marvelling at their wine collection displayed in the window. Guy Savoy’s peepy-hole windows provided another entertaining diversion, as did the menu – or the prices displayed on it to be more precise. Crispy Sea Bass main course? $120.00++. Five course degustation menu? $340.00++ (without drink). Not for a cheap night out then.

Also sharing the celebrity chef wing is a new branch of home-grown favourite Imperial Treasure – Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine. Realising that this was rather more within our budget, we took a table for lunch.

The restaurant’s décor is modern and opulent, with its deep-sofa booths and contemporary floral centrepieces, and befitting of its glam surroundings. Its high-end aspirations are evident as soon as you cross the threshold, when you are greeted with wafts of truffle – which is liberally applied throughout the menu.

We, however, opted for rather more humble selection of dim sum, including Barbecue Pork in Honey Sauce, Baked Char Siu Bao, Har Kau, Crispy Beancurd Roll with Shrimp and Custard Buns with Salted Egg Yolk. All of it was delicious – fresh, hot and tasty – and even served with a smile.



The chefs at Imperial Treasure may not enjoy the international stardom of their next-door neighbours, but the food they produced today for our lunch certainly kept this Greedy Glutton more than happy… and perhaps more importantly – it was affordable!

You can read more about Marina Bay Sands opening on my NileGuide blog here.

Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine - http://www.marinabaysands.com/Restaurants/Imperial_Treasure_Fine_Chinese_Cuisine.aspx

World’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant

As soon as I discovered that Hong Kong is home to the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world, it went straight to the top of my list of lunch spots to try. Tucked away on a back street in Kowloon, the unpretentious – almost shabby – surroundings of Tim Ho Wan are not what you would normally associate with a restaurant awarded the most sought after accolade in the culinary world. But then Michelin doesn’t award stars based on ambience or service, rather they concentrate on the following important aspects: Quality and compatibility of ingredients; Technical skill and flair that goes into the preparation; Clarity and combination of flavours; Value for money; Taste and Consistency.

In addition to its Michelin star, Tim Ho Wan has also recently featured in several local Hong Kong newspapers and magazines, and word has quickly got round that this place is serving up some of the best Char Siew Bao in town. The throng of people crowding the pavement waiting patiently to take a seat, was therefore inevitable – even though I had deliberately avoided the lunch rush and arrived after 3pm.



The crowd was good-natured though, with everyone united in their excitement of what lay ahead. Within just a few minutes I had made a whole crowd of new friends, with everyone wanting to know how I, as the only non-local among them, knew to come here; checking what I had ticked off from my list; and ensuring I had included Char Siew Bao (“They’re the best!”).

So strong was the camaraderie, that when one man realised he no longer had time to wait and handed my his ticket – thus vastly bumping me up the queue, nobody took offence – they all congratulated me on my good luck and seemed genuinely excited for me.

So just 30 minutes into my queuing time, I found myself squeezed into the corner of the little café – although I admit I did feel slightly guilty when my lunch companion told me she had been waiting one and a half hours to eat.



And so finally to the food. Of course, having continually heard that “they’re the best!”, it would have been foolish not to try the Char Siew Bao – and wow, they certainly delivered.



Baked, not steamed, the pastry with its crispy sugary coating, melted in the mouth, revealing sticky, sweet, succulent pork within. Now I don’t want to be melodramatic here, but I almost cried on my first mouthful it was that good.



The Har Kau was equally impressive – not only were the chunky prawns fresher than fresh, but even the translucent casing tasted good…



The Mixed Vegetable Dumpling with Sour & Spicy Sauce was a tumble of beautifully fresh vegetables, lightly sautéed in vinegar and doused in a spicy sauce to stunning effect



And the Siew Mai offered up bundles of juicy pork and prawns.



I had ordered what I thought was far too much just so I could taste a selection of dishes – after all, this is the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world, and indeed my meal only came to HKD$58.00 (about SGD$10.00). However, it was so scrumptious I just kept on eating – telling myself “just one more”, and by the time I’d finished having “just one more”, somehow all the baskets were empty.

So yes, I can happily say that Tim Ho Wan really is worth the wait. Needless to say, don’t come here if you are in a rush - I’ve heard that the queues can last up to 3 hours! I guess you could always nip round the corner to the Ladies’ Market and stock up on knock-off handbags while you wait... but just make sure you don’t miss your number being called or you’ll end up at the back of queue again – trust me it happened to someone while I was waiting… and yes, he almost cried.

Tim Ho Wan - 2-8 Kwong Wah St., Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Dim Sum at Raffles

I know, it’s been a long time since I actually wrote about anywhere in Singapore – so I thought I’d come back in style… with a visit to somewhere I’ve been planning on going to for ages: Royal China at Raffles.

It’s certainly a beautiful setting, worthy of its location in Singapore’s most famous hotel. High ceilings, ornate pillars and those distinctive duck-egg blue walls combine to give it a rather regal atmosphere.

We’d heard good things about their dim sum, so a few of us met up for lunch one day to give it a go. They don’t have a huge dim sum menu – only 12 items all together, so that made choosing a bit easier, although we did manage to stop ourselves from just taking one of everything (and only because we quite fancied checking out some additional items off the a la carte menu).

We kicked off with the Steamed Shark’s Fin Dumpling with Chinese Parsley, which were simply stunning and definitely a good start to the meal.



We went on to pig out on the Deep Fried Spring Roll with Seafood & Cheese (sounds a little odd, tasted delicious)



Steamed Crystal Dumpling with Mushroom



Steamed Minced Pork Dumpling with Abalone, Steamed Barbecue Pork Bun and Steamed Prawn Dumpling with Black Moss



Crispy Prawns Roll with Sesame



and Crispy Yam Roll with Dried Oyster



All of it was pretty exceptional, except for the soft shell crab we ordered a la carte - the egg yolk coating was way too strong and the crab a little mushy, I don't think anyone finished theirs, which is saying something considering how small the portion was.

The dumplings though were definitely worth coming back for - my only complaint would be that perhaps they were a little fussy – the flavour of the black moss overpowered the freshness of the prawn in the dumpling for example. But really – I’m nit-picking… in all fairness it was some of the best dim sum I’ve had in Singapore… although I still think Yan Ting at the St Regis pips it at the post. (What? I haven’t written Yan Ting up yet? Damn, I’d better get back there quick…)

Royal China at Raffles - http://www.raffles.com/EN_RA/Property/RHS/Restaurants_Bars/Royal_China_at_Raffles.htm

Third Time Unlucky

After two weeks trekking in the Himalayas coping with average food, we were delighted to get back to Singapore and prepare to gorge ourselves once more. Any time we are away for any length of time, I return with desperate dim sum cravings, and so within a week of being back, I’ve managed to squeeze in not one, not two, but three dim sum feasts. Having already visited old regular Crystal Jade Dining In, and new favourite Dim Joy, come the weekend it was time to try somewhere new.

Lei Garden always seems to receive favourable reviews and as we had shopping to do in the area, we called in to Chijmes to give it a shot. There was an enormous queue when we arrived, always a good sign, and thankfully they were all waiting for large family tables, and so we swanned straight past them and were shown immediately to a table.

I have often walked past Lei Garden in the evenings and thought that it doesn’t look very enticing due to its stark lighting. I was pleasantly surprised therefore just how welcoming an atmosphere it has – nicely presented tables, tanks full of live seafood and not too brightly lit at all. They even had a chef station for preparing specials to order within the restaurant.

We put our dim sum order in and then, because we’re greedy, we also flagged down a waitress with a tray of specials to grab something while we waited. She just so happened to have one of my favourites – Prawn and Mango Rolls, so how could I resist? Well unfortunately I wish I had resisted, this was not a good start to the meal… not only were they cold and soggy, they were dripping in grease. The paper doily left on the tray was translucent at the end and the plate beneath completely sodden.

Not a good sign of things to come. Thankfully things did improve somewhat – but not significantly enough to convince me to return here. The old favourites Har Gao and Char Siew Bao were nothing to get excited about, neither was the Pork Dumplings in Spicy Sauce

the Crystal Dumplings with Assorted Mushrooms were slightly better,

as was the Shredded Beancurd with Spicy Sauce and Peanuts.

The Xiao Long Bao, however was very disappointing – no soup and very little flavour,

and the Egg Tarts were just average.

Mr Greedy Glutton finished off with some Pan Fried Pork Dumplings – after seeing him take a bite and the grease literally pouring out of it onto the plate, I politely declined to join him…

So having been for Dim Sum three times in one week, I think you could say I got my fix… I shall certainly not be returning to Lei Garden next time though, no matter how bad the craving…

Lei Garden – 30 Victoria Street, #01-24 Chijmes

Little Bundles of Joy

Occasionally I find a new restaurant that gets me really excited… and Dim Joy on Neil Road did just that. I first heard about it in an old copy of Appetite magazine, which promised ‘dim sum delicacies that triumph some of the larger, popular institutions in town’. Well that sounded right up my street, how could I resist?

I’m glad this was featured in Appetite, because tucked away in a restored shophouse set back from the road on Neil Road, I would never have found this little gem in a hundred years of sightseeing in Chinatown with visitors. In contrast to its traditional facade, the interior of this restaurant was surprisingly modern, decked out with chrome and wooden furnishings, giving it a trendy fast-food feel.

The food however, was anything but fast-food fare (and that’s certainly not intended as a criticism of the speed of service, rather a compliment of the quality). The service also was extremely friendly and attentive.

We kicked off with some old favourites – some Har Gao,

Shrimp and Chive Rice Rolls and some Char Siew Bao.

All of these were superb – the Shrimp was exceedingly fresh, the casing not too thick or sticky. You’ll notice the Char Siew isn’t as red as usual, but it was still sweet and succulent and delicious.

For any vegetarians who usually struggle with choice at Dim Sum – Dim Joy has an extensive selection, and all vegetarian items are clearly marked on the menu with a bamboo symbol. We tried the Prosperity Pouches – a selection of vegetables wrapped up in freshly made pancake parcels – beautifully presented and simply devine!

The Crisp Pumpkin Balls struck just the right note of sweetness,

and the Northern Pancakes (non-vegetarian) were also stunning.

Everything is home made here – even down to the Soy Sauce and Chilli Sauce, both of which were fruity and tangy and worthy of accompanying such superb dim sum.

I have to say this is among the best Dim Sum I have tried in Singapore – its renditions of the old favourites are fantastically executed and there are enough twists to tradition to keep it interesting. The freshness of the ingredients is evident throughout. On top of all this, the bill at the end is more in line with a Yum Cha or Crystal Jade bill, rather than a Shang Palace bill, to which I would liken it in quality.

Mr Greedy Glutton was disappointed that there were no Xiao Long Bao on the menu (to him the biggest attraction of going for Dim Sum), but they had Custard Buns, so I was willing to forgive and forget.

Truly a great find… I was grinning throughout our lunch… and I am sure Dim Joy will become a firm favourite for future weekend lunches…

Dim Joy - http://www.dimjoy.com/
80 Neil Road

Post-Yoga Dim Sum

It was post-yoga on a Friday afternoon and we were all hungry and ready for a large helping of dumplings... so we went to the closest possible spot, Crystal Jade Palace and dug right in, going for all the usual favourites:

Har Kau

Xiao Long Bao

Rice Roll with Shrimp

Char Siu Bao

All of these, it has to be said, were top notch. We also tried their Pork Dumplings Teochew Style, which were fantastic and have become a new favourite:

And the Crispy Pork Belly which was luscious:

As you can see, we weren't shy in our ordering, but it was all so fantastic, there was nothing left to go back to the kitchen I can assure you.

In fact, we went on to order dessert - the waitress recommended these little fun bags, describing them as being sesame and peanut - I'm not entirely sure what they were, but they were uber-sticky and oozed sweet black 'ink' all over the plate (if anyone can enlighten me, please do!)

And of course we had to order everyone's favourite - Custard Buns, which were so awesome they had five women round the table moaning with ecstacy...

My usual dim sum hangouts tend to be Crystal Jade Dining In at Vivocity, and Yum Cha at Chinatown (mainly because I'm lazy and they're easy to get to)... but I think I have now found a new favourite... courteous service, a classy surrounding... but most importantly, fabulously fantastic food... In the words of Mr Schwarzenegger: "I'll be back!"

Crystal Jade Palace - http://www.crystaljade.com/CrystalJadePalaceRestaurant.htm

A Favourite Lunch Spot

Din Tai Fung is one of my favourite lunch spots and I usually pop in here alone if I am out and about for a gut-filling, good-for-the-soul noodle soup. This time, I happened to be with some friends – which can only mean one thing…extra dishes!

I am terribly unadventurous whenever I come here, but I just cannot see past their Noodle Soup with Pork and Prawn Wanton, so predictably that is what I ordered today, and it was as satisfying as ever.

We also ordered a few side dishes – the Kang Kong with Garlic,

some Xiao Long Bao, for which Din Tai Fung is famous, although I am not entirely sure that this fame is justified – don’t get me wrong, they are good… just not that good…

And some new additions to my Din Tai Fung usuals: the delicious Crispy Prawn Pancakes

and the Vegetable Dumplings (which I didn’t actually get a chance to try so can’t comment).

I don’t think you can really go wrong with Din Tai Fung, it continually delivers the goods… although I’m not sure about their ‘no photograph’ policy… and no brownie points go to the waiter who rudely told me to put my camera away…

Din Tai Fung, Wisma Atria - http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/area_a_detail.asp?AreaNO=147&AreaCountryNO=5