*WARNING - PHOTO OVERLOAD
There has been a lot of good recent reviews about this restaurant online and since we were in Singapore, we wanted to try out their yum cha and see how it fares compared to back home. Having been to another popular yum cha restaurant located on Orchard Rd on my previous trip, my hopes weren't really set that high.
We arrived on a weekday for brunch and there were a lot of people waiting in line. Most had bookings prior and if you plan to go, then best to book in advance as the waiting time can be long, actually very long. We waited for nearly an hour as the reservation lady was busy attending to people with bookings and she ignored us most of the time until she noticed my friend standing in front of her desk for a while. This was the horrible part I wanted to leave. My friends insisted we stay and I'm glad we did cause it was well worth it! Thanks guys!
Eventually we got a seat at the front of the restaurant. It's not ginormous inside but large enough to accommodate many diners on its single level.
Ordering was done by choosing what you wanted from the menu and then numbering it down on a paper. Very similar to how it is done at Din Tai Fung. We ordered A LOT for four people. But this was because we waited so long and was so hungry.
We started off with a 4 mini teas which was basically 'Bo Lei'. I'm not a really a fan of this tea and much prefer the 'Jasmine' tea variety. However, I drank it cause apparently it is suppose to be good for you and cleanses the body. It was bitter and strong.
Our main tea was 'Chrysanthemum' tea which seemed rather popular here with it being stocked as iced tea, poppas and what not. I found the 'real' taste to be smokey in taste and odd. Not like the sweet tea I'm usually accustomed to.
Condiments were served and these weren't optional either as it was charged in the final bill. Some chill sauce and picked mustards. Quite nice.
The food started rolling out and I'll let the pictures do the talking cause I can't remember what they were called or how much they cost.
Oozzing with custard. Delicious to the max. Custard bun.
Pork ribs on top of tofu. Spare ribs.
Steamed shrimp rice rolls with chinese vegetables which gave it a good balance.
Steamed Teo-chew dumpling.
Bit off with a pea on top?
These Prawn Dumplings were so good and full of flavour.
Chicken feet cut up into little pieces. Steamed chicken feet.
I never order this back home cause it just looks like a plain, old, boring sponge. Boy, was I wrong. It was not too sweet and just hit the spot. It was just so good, I'm drooling at the thought of it. Steamed sponge cake.
Mini egg tarts.Crispy and addictive.
Baked just right out of the even. Baked BBQ pork pie.
Deep fried bean curn skin wrapped with seafood.
Pan fried carrot cake.
We were too bloated and full to the point we couldn't breathe and to our horror, they bring out more mini 'Bo Lei' teas.
Everything was delicious. I don't normally say this very often, but it was one of the best dim sum I've ever tasted. My friends also thought the same. Service was really good except for the waiting part which was partly unavoidable.
Definitely recommend this to anyone travelling to Singapore and BOOK ahead of time to avoid the nasty waiting experience we encountered.
Where?
391 Orchard Road
#05-08/09 Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238872
Opening Hours
TBA
Website
www.eastocean.com.sg
