Saturday dim sum brunch with BB at Kovan. $24.40 for the spread. 😍😋👍🏼

What was on the table:

Steamer of har gow (虾饺): 3 plump prawn dumplings, translucent wheat-starch skin, pink prawn visible through
Steamer of siu mai (烧麦): 3 yellow open-top dumplings topped with orange fish roe / prawn bit, pork-shrimp filling
Plate of beancurd skin rolls: 3 deep-fried golden beancurd-wrapped pork/shrimp rolls with a side mayo dip
Plate of chee cheong fun (rice noodle rolls, 肠粉): smooth white rolls in dark sweet soy sauce, sesame seeds + scallion garnish
3 Hong Kong-style egg tarts: shortcrust pastry shells with smooth yellow custard, the satin-smooth top
Steamer of xiao long bao (小笼包, soup dumplings): 3 pleated soup dumplings, hot from the steamer
Side dish of chwee kueh (steamed rice cake): white round cake with dark soy + chai poh topping (the Singapore-Teochew breakfast crossover)
Side condiments: red chilli sauce ramekin, mayo ramekin

Kovan is the mature heartland HDB town in northeast Singapore with strong food heritage, especially Cantonese / dim sum / zi char. The Kovan area hosts several long-running dim sum specialists and weekend brunch spots that locals queue for at 9-10am weekends.

The dim sum order strategy that this spread reflects:

Must-order steamed items: har gow + siu mai (the inseparable pair)
Must-order fried items: beancurd skin rolls (the textural contrast to all the steamed dumplings)
Must-order rice/noodle: chee cheong fun (the soft starchy filler)
Soup dumplings: xiao long bao (the Shanghai crossover that became dim sum standard)
Dessert dim sum: HK egg tarts (the sweet ending)
Optional local crossover: chwee kueh (the SG-Teochew breakfast crossover that some dim sum places include)

Dim sum brunching with BB is the Saturday slow-eating ritual that the format was built for:

Many small dishes: encourages sharing, conversation, leisurely pace
Steamer-to-steamer arrival: each round of dishes arrives separately, dragging the meal out
Tea reset between dishes: hot Chinese tea (pu-er, tieguanyin, jasmine) clears the palate
Order more as you go: the cart-and-order tradition lets you add dishes mid-meal

The Singapore dim sum scene splits into:

HK-style fine dim sum (premium tier): Tim Ho Wan, Hua Ting, Hai Tien Lo, Wah Lok
Old-school dim sum specialists (heritage tier): Red Star, Yum Cha, Swatow
Heartland dim sum (affordable tier): Kovan / Hougang / Toa Payoh stalls
Hotel dim sum brunches: weekend buffets at hotels, $40-$80 per pax

At $24.40 for two at the Kovan tier, this comes out to around $12 per pax for the spread shown. Solid value for the variety covered.

Overall: 4.3 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid Kovan dim sum brunch. The har gow and xiao long bao were the standouts. Would re-visit.

Original IG post