Dim Sum?
In Singapore, it is not uncommon having dim sum for breakfast.
One can find it anywhere, from hawker centre, food court to fine restaurants in 5-stars hotels.
Of course, prices varies, one can expect to pay more when good ingredients are use.
Dim Sum is an asian delight and ingredients are mainly fresh seafood, meats and poultry, many chefs now include western ingredients like foie gras, truffles and cheese.
When I go for dim sum, I like the traditional ones. I don't care if it is a neighbourhood hawker centre or a fine luxurious restaurant, importantly the taste. Dim sum takes a lot of a chef efforts to make and therefore one must slowly savour it, and mind you if you gobble it down in one mouth the chef will get upset.
That also explains why I do not really fancy dim sum buffet, some people just eat it like it is a mass produce fast-food.
Lei Garden is a Cantonese restaurant which I have heard a lot about but have not tried.
This restaurant is favoured by many tourists and also the locals here.
Today I decided to make a trip down for dim sum.
When I entered the restaurant, few saltwater tanks with many colourful fishes greeted me and I got excited.
Excited because it was like entering to Underwater World Sentosa. (laughs)
The tanks are well-maintained and there was great varieties of lively fishes, lobsters and shellfish. (the typical Cantonese restaurant)
mini egg tarts
it was like biting into a filo pastry filled with smooth silky custard, a subtle sweetness,
bursting with aroma of fresh egg yolks.
roasted pork with mustard sauce
this must be the signature dish, a well-marinated pork belly, roasted to give a crispy layer of skin that breaks apart like shattering glass in your mouth, giving you the earthy savoury aroma and a crunchy texture.
(it looks a little thin because the chef must have sliced away the lower bone for the ease to eat)
xiao long bao
well-executed but nothing out of extraordinary (can give it a miss)
'har gow' (Shrimp dumplings)
I have tried many 'har gow' in my foodie journey but none can compare to these.
the skin was thin, the prawns were fresh and big giving a good crunchy texture and taste of the sea, unlike those kind where they soaked them into the soda water to give crunchy texture and no presence of the taste of prawns.
(must have for all serious dim sum fans)
mushroom black moss roll
I could not remember the full name but this was a savoury dish, with crunchy texture (squid paste) and nice aroma of the greens and black moss, maybe also sea cucumber.
(thickened sauce is not just for display as it really holds the dish together and definitely not nice if it is watery)
crispy crab roll
i did not taste any crab in this dish but the interior has a nice moist ingredient with fibrous strands just like crab meat. the fried exterior which is some kind of noodles did not give any unpleasant oily taste.
siew mai (pork dumpling)
these can be close to what i mentioned as traditional dim sum, there aren't any weird abalone or fish roe on it. it may look simple but it is definitely one of the best siew mai I have had so far.
texture was bouncy, apparently, roughly hand grounded pork was used, presences of good graded dried shiitake mushrooms, finally a good dose of marinates were added. Divine!
"Ju Cheong Fan" (rice rolls with prawns)
looks like an ordinary rice rolls in any dim sum eateries? you are right.
how about the taste? Excellent and special.
I like the simplicity of this dish because it means need skills to make.
the star of this dish is definitely the rice roll, it gives the mochimochi texture so chewy and the smooth silky outer that it slips down your throat so quickly, then the rich aroma of the rice flour
(for the moment I want to ask if they ground their rice flour prior to making it)
For many people, they find Lei Garden a pricey dim sum house but what you pay is what you get. Such a fine dim sum house is hard to find in Singapore and it is a must-go place for all the dim sum fanatics.
Lei Garden (Orchard)
Cuisine: Chinese, Asian
Address: #03-00 Orchard Shopping Centre, 321 Orchard Road, Singapore
Telephone: +65 6734 3988
Opening Hours: Lunch 11.30am to 3pm, Dinner 6pm to 11pm
Lei Garden Restaurant (Chijmes)
Address: #01-24 Chijmes, 30 Victoria Street, Singapore
Telephone: +65 6339 3822
Opening Hours: Lunch 11.30am to 3pm, Dinner: 6pm to 11pm
No comments:
Post a Comment