Especially for Mother’s Day this year, Yum Cha Restaurant will be launching special dim sum sets available from 1st to 14th May ’17 at both their flagship Yum Cha Chinatown and Yum Cha Changi outlets.
Show your appreciation for mum with these beautifully handmade Steamed Rose Floret Buns, with each color holding a different but equally dear meaning. The pink rose – a symbol of gratitude and admiration, filled with red bean paste and garnished with rose petals. The purple rose – signifying faithfulness and an ever-lasting reminder of our appreciation for a mother’s devotion, filled with healthy sweet potatoes. Last but not least, the white rose – representing appreciation and gratefulness, with shredded sweet coconut wrapped within the bun. The buns wowed us with their dainty, elegant appearance, but we felt that they were a little dry and could have benefited from more filling.
Also exclusive to Yum Cha Chinatown is their Mother’s Day Set Menus(starting from $228++ for 6 pax), with dishes such as Salted Egg with Stuffed Scallop, Boiled Chicken with Ginseng and Deep Fried Golden Prawn Ball.
The Boiled Chicken with Ginseng Soup was an excellent introduction to the set course, with a whole chicken impressively submerged in a giant porcelain bowl of clear chicken broth. Imbued with the the essence of the chicken, the soup was light yet flavourful, with a predominantly sweet, meaty flavour and an subtle underlying herbal bitterness from the ginseng. The chicken itself was tender and fall-apart. Chicken soup for the soul indeed.
Slightly more sinful than the soup but no less delicious, the Salted Egg With Stuffed Scallop comprised of bouncy deep-fried prawn balls with the scallop stuffed into its base and the entire ball smothered in salted egg sauce. Pro-tip: Pick it up with the lettuce and eat it together for added crunch and freshness.
Though the Pork Rib with Black Pepper Sauce was tender and fall-apart, there was something about the sticky sauce that didn’t quite gel with me. Perhaps it was the cloying sweetness and lack of wok hei that kept it from being something I would think about ordering again.
Steaming enticingly in its stone pot, the Black Grouper Served in Hot Stone was enjoyable enough, but the fish was taken just slightly too far and I felt it could have done with more sauce. The spring onions and whole garlic cloves however, were fun to pick at and eat.
A pleasant surprise came in the form of the unassuming vegetable course. The Sauteed Hong Kong Kai Lan with Dried Conpoy was served 2 ways – traditionally steamed and with leaves shredded then deep-fried to a crisp. Resembling seaweed and with a taste reminiscent of nutty kale, this was one of my favourites and not something anyone would expect out of a traditional yum cha restaurant at all.
Last but not least before dessert, the XO Seafood Fried Rice was deliciously fluffy and smoky, peppered with bits of egg, prawn and scallop. I finished the first bowl easily, and was left wanting for more.
It might be my bias toward savoury more than sweet, but I found the Wolfberries and Osmanthus Jelly too set and not wobbly enough. The level of sweetness and overly herbal taste did not agree with me either, but others seemed to enjoy it.
For those not inclined to set courses, Yum Cha also serves a wide variety of reliably tasty dim sum, including stalwart favourites such as Steamed Pork Ribs, Prawn Dumplings, Fish Roe Siew Mai, Pan-Fried Carrot Cake and much more! Too busy to travel down? Yum Cha does delivery as well(min. order of $70, free delivery with orders above $120). Enjoy fresh dim sum right in the comfort of your own home or office.
Yum Cha — Chinatown
20 Trengganu Street (Off Temple Street)
#02-01 (Chinatown) Singapore 058479
Mon to Fri: 10:30am – 10:30pm
Sat, Sun & Public Holidays: 9am – 10.30pm
