Food Review: Yum Cha Restaurant - Mothers' Day Special


Yum Cha Restaurant has been known for its dim sum for many years already, however, this was my first time dining here! In conjunction with Mothers' Day, the restaurant has launched new dishes - three to be exact - and they're available from 1 May to 14 May. So, if your mother loves dim sum, take this chance and bring her here for a sumptuous treat!

Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables Bun ($2++/pc)

This bun is somewhat similar to a 扣肉包 (kong ba bao), with the pork belly encased in soft bun. The pork belly was tender without having too much fats in it. However, I felt the bun could be a bit softer and less thick compared to the amount of meat inside.

Pan Fried Salted Fish Bun ($5++ for 3)


Salted fish in a bun? When I first heard it I thought it was a little weird too, but it was actually quite tasty. Made up of salted fish paste and minced meat, this bun had a unique combination of flavours, with the salted fish taste coming out quite distinctly. However, as usual, I would prefer if the bun itself was less thick.

Almond Tarts ($3.20++ for 3)
I love tarts and I'm such a sucker for them! However, the almond used in Chinese desserts isn't my thing so I was a little hesitant to try. But of course, in the end I will always still take at least a mouth hahaha. What drew compliments from me is the tart crust! It was light and flaky and buttery, just like those of the egg tars. The almond filling was a bit too sweet for me though.


The above is part of their regular dinner menu, and besides the abovementioned 3 dishes, we got to try other dishes from their dinner menu too!

Fish Maw in Shrimp Paste ($4.80++ for 3)

This dish was pretty enjoyable! Love the prawns which are big and succulent and together with the fish maw, provided the good bite overall.

Pumpkin Yam Golden Cake ($4.80++ for 3)

Once again, the name bewildered me and I was anticipating how this dish would look like. True enough, the layers of the yum and pumpkin made it seem like a cake! But of course, this is far from desserts. The cuboids were pan fried and thus made the yam crisp. Despite me not being a fan of yam/taro-related stuff, I'd have to say this was not bad!

Signature Salted Egg Prawns
As much as I want to give credits to Yum Cha for being in trend with the whole salted-egg-yolk craze, I feel that this dish was a disappointment. While the prawns are fresh and presentation eye-catching, the salted egg yolk taste wasn't distinct at all. As you can see from the above picture, the salted egg is on the prawn itself, not a sauce. It is only found on the prawns, with their shells on. So once you peel away the shell, you can't really taste any salted-egg anymore. :/

Top: Shark's Fin Xiao Long Bao, Crystal Mushroom Dumpling
The Mushroom Dumpling was a little forgettable, to be honest...


This tasted like the usual XLB to me, despite the fancy name of 'shark's fin' lolol. But the soup was nice, and there was sufficient meat in the little fella, the skin holding up the contents well.

Prawn and Mango Sesame Fritters ($4.20)
Prawn and mango? Two of my favourite food yet I can't imagine how it'll taste like when put together. A nice sweet and savoury combination that is covered in thin dough and deep fried. But because of that it's also a bit oily.

Black Pepper Beef with Lotus
This dish was a delight to eat as the beef was tender (without using tenderiser which is just ugh) and the lotus root chips provided a nice crunch and snack.

Crispy Fried Beancurd

This tasted like a typical tze char dish, quite ordinary, and thus quite forgettable.

Fried Seafood Vermicelli

This plate of fried vermicelli was overflowing with ingredients - think prawns, scallop, sliced fish, and a fistful of shredded lettuce plonked on top. There was some wok hei, but not the best I've tried.

Salted Egg Custard Bao
Watch it flow~~
I love 流沙包 so much that I just have to order this every time I eat dim sum! The buns here are a stronger shade of yellow instead of the usual white, and are appropriate in size. (Some shops shrink their baos till they're so small it's no longer shiok to eat it...) Adrian, our host for the night, guaranteed us that the salted egg custard will flow, and that kind of raised our expectations. When we prised it open carefully, indeed, to our delight, the salted egg custard really did flow! It was not too fluid though, retaining some viscosity, and it tasted slightly more sweet than savoury. This time, I think the buns were just nice, not too thick.


Their main branch in Chinatown (the other in Changi Business Park) boasts quite a large seating capacity, and this is especially for the weekends when the crowds fill the restaurant and servers go down the aisle pushing the dim sum pushcart, just like in traditional restaurants.


Overall the food is tasty enough, price is affordable and ambience ample. If your mother or parents enjoy dim sum/Chinese food, this is a good place to bring them for a hearty and satisfying meal! The special items launched for Mothers' Day - Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables Bun, Pan Fried Salted Fish Bun and Almond Tarts aim to recreate the nostalgia of the younger days of our mothers'/elders' lives, hence would be appropriate to give them a treat here at Yum Cha! Remember that these 3 items are only available till 14 May.

Thank you Adrian and Yum Cha Restaurant for the invite!



Yum Cha Restaurant
Chinatown
20 Trengganu Street (Off Temple Street)
#02-01 Singapore 058479

Mon - Fri 1100 - 2300
Sat, Sun, PH 0900 - 2300
63721717

Changi Business Park
6 Changi Business Park Ave
1 #01-33 UE Bizhub EAST (next to NTUC)
Singapore 486017

Mon - Sun, PH 0700 - 1500, 1800 - 2100
67891717

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