HongKong cuisine may not be as spicy or have such diverse dishes as other Asian cuisines. But you have to admit, there are some things that simply stand out in the world of HK food. After all, where else can you find a good yum cha meal, tang yuan dessert or a cup of milk tea?
Well, it’s a good thing that Singapore’s restaurant scene is getting more globalised. With that, a 4hr flight to HK can be condensed to a 30min travel to any part of our island-country for a decent HK food fix!
Here are 3 HK hotspots I’ve found in Singapore so far…
Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant
191 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208882
Swee Choon has been around for quite some time and is an established name for HK yum cha in Singapore. I only got to know about this place last year but yes, that first experience was impressive.
As you can tell, we ordered quite a few dishes so I think that gave us a well-rounded experience at Swee Choon. I liked how the dishes were not overly oily or salty. I was a particular fan of the carrot cake and egg tarts. Xiaolongbao is also a signature dish at Swee Choon – not exactly a HK dish but who cares if it’s done well!
From memory, that meal didn’t break our wallets and we were all quite happy with a good-quality meal at a reasonable price. With it being opened to the wee hours of the night, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this place for a supper spot too!
Ah Chew Desserts
1 Liang Seah Street, #01-10/11, Singapore 189032
Ah Chew is another well-known name for Chinese/HK desserts. The first time I tried to go with my friends, it was a weekday night after dinner and that place was packed. So we had to settle for some other dessert place 😦
The next time I went with Ms CC, it was a weekday afternoon and we managed to snag a table during this off-peak hour. The menu is extensive but because we weren’t that hungry, we decided to share 1 dessert only.
It’s a simple dessert but we were happy with the quality. Now, I’m not an expert on what makes good zhi ma hu (black sesame paste) but I’ve had ones that were gluggy or diluted. Ah Chew’s wasn’t like that at all – that bowl of zhi ma hu we had was smooth and of good thick consistency.
The skins of the tangyuan were also smooth and I liked how we could combine both peanut and black sesame tangyuans – I can never decide which filling I prefer!
So going by the popularity of the place and the quality of dessert we had that day, I reckon this is a pretty reliable place for a good HK dessert!
Legendary Hong Kong
#03-80, Jurong Point 2 Shopping Center, Singapore 64833
Now, this place is about the closest dining experience you’ll get to the real thing. Why? Just check out where this place is located…
Haha you just have to give our country props for always being able to recreate the outside world within our humble borders.
The layout of the restaurant is also like a typical 茶餐厅 in Hong Kong. When my family and I stepped in, we felt like we were transported to Hong Kong!
I actually liked how the hot milk tea came sugarless. The tea was thick enough and the fact that it was unsweetened allowed me to better appreciate the taste of the tea.
My brother and dad had the noodles dishes. As simple as they look, they both commented that the noodles had a good texture (i.e. not clumpy) and they enjoyed them very much.
As for me and my mum, this is what we went for…
My friends, this is the real deal. Haha my mum kept going on about how this roast duck was soooo much better than the one we had in London (and at the famous Four Seasons too! Will blog about that experience sometime). She was definitely much happier with this plate that we had!
I personally found the meat a little leaner than the ones that I had in Melbourne (maybe the ducks in Australia are fatter?). But I cannot fault the skin of the roast duck – tasty and crisp with the right amount of fat. It went downright well with the chilli provided!
I saw the tables around us enjoying baskets of tim sum and I asked if we could order 1 too. My family agreed – yay!
How can you say no to Liu Sha Bao (Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun)?? Haha so glad my family agreed to order this!
I didn’t find the custard as smooth – it was a little coarse at the sides. But hey, the buns came out piping hot, the custard had adequate ‘ooze’ factor when we broke them open and we could taste the rich yolky flavour. That was enough to end our meal satisfactorily!
So there – 3 HK Hotspots in Singapore. Whether you’re thinking of a good yum cha, Chinese dessert or cha can ting (茶餐厅) meal, you really don’t have to look far to feed that craving!
What's my next meal? 