Dim sum ($21.80)!
Jalan Besar dim sum brunch spread — siew mai, har gow, chee cheong fun, char siew bao and friends, $21.80 for two.
Monday brunch with BB at a Jalan Besar dim sum spot. The area has a few quiet Cantonese spots that do honest yum cha without the Orchard mall mark-up, and we wandered into one that wasn’t on any famous-stall list.
We ordered the usual greatest hits:
- Siew mai
- Har gow (prawn dumpling)
- Chee cheong fun with char siew
- Char siew bao
- Lo mai gai (glutinous rice in lotus leaf)
- Egg tart (pastry version)
- Chinese tea
Total: $21.80 for two.
The siew mai was the litmus test — meaty pork and prawn, juicy filling, properly pleated. Har gow skin was thin enough to see through but didn’t tear, prawn inside was firm and clean. Chee cheong fun had silky rolls with that soft slip, char siew inside had good colour and sweetness, doused with sweet-soy and sesame.
Char siew bao was the proper steamed white bun version, fluffy with a slight chew, generous sticky red filling inside. Lo mai gai was hearty — sticky rice steamed with chicken, mushroom, lap cheong, wrapped in lotus leaf for that signature aroma.
Egg tart was the surprise — pastry crust shell rather than shortcrust, custard set just right, lightly wobbly.
At $21.80 for two, this is fair dim sum pricing in Jalan Besar — half what you’d pay at a hotel restaurant.
Overall: 4 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid neighbourhood dim sum — would revisit when in the area.
