Exams have FINALLY ended. The second I walked out the door I heaved the biggest sigh of relief, said a little prayer that whatever I had remembered and written down for Contract Law would reap me a good grade.
So, if you've been following my Instagram you would know I've been feasting the past couple of days. I, for one, have very little self control and the minute I see good food I get hungry. Sigh, I wonder what's happening to me:(
Anywho, my mom brought a client to Yan Ting last week and insisted we go again because the dim sum was exceptional. So... HOW COULD I SAY NO? I immediately jumped off my sofa and squealed "Yes!" and 4 days later, made our way down to one of the pricier dim sum places in Singapore.
Yan Ting is a place where you would sit down, look around and place the pockets of people you see around you during a weekday lunch as either business lunches or a lifestyle for the rich and the famous. The restaurant was a third occupied, with much room for admiring the poshness of your surroundings. Old chinese songs would fill the atmosphere as the sound of rich businessmen rings through the restaurant.
In all honesty I felt a tad out of place. Simply because the place was so quiet and the utensils so delicate I was afraid I would be a bull in a china shop (Which I usually am). But I was greeted by a young, petite lady who ushered us to our table, asked what tea we would like to have and served us the menu.
I have come to realise the items I order are items I have been ordering since I was a child. These things do bring back wonderful memories when, as a kid, my grandfather would invite the entire family to East Ocean at Shaw House (Back then) for our weekly lunch on Sundays. Patronizing the restaurant for over 30 years, my grandfather made it a second home. It was over indulgence, with orders for char siew bao, bo lo bao, char siew sou, siew mai and sharkfin soup streaming in, followed by a plate of refreshing fruits to end the meal.
And one by one, the dishes arrived. Having ran 19km the night before and no breakfast in the morning, my stomach was screaming for some nutrition. And boy did I get nutrition alright.
Char Siew Sou
$6
I can safely say this is the best in the market. Having tried several char siew sou's like the ones from Crystal Jade, Paradise Pavillion, East Ocean and Bosses, these were unlike the rest.
The skin of the pastry was thin and baked to crispy perfection. One bite and a hint of sweetness erupts from the pastry, flaking into tiny bits and brimming with char siew. One bite, another, another and soon after you'll be left wanting more. Even my mother, who isn't a fan of such a dish, commented that this was even better than the one at Crystal Jade. And who could compare? Sure, it's more expensive here at Yan Ting but for such quality I would definitely fork out more money. I could have eaten all 3 on my own and still have ordered more but alas.
Chinese Shrimp Dumplings aka Har Gau
$6.80
Alongside the best char siew sou (imo) is the best har gau I've tried. Several times I've ordered these only to realise the skin would be too thick and the chef too stingy with the shrimp. But these. Oh, these. The shrimps were stuffed into a thin layer of skin and, when served, was steaming hot. Don't say I didn't warn you. These were a delight to eat.
Chinese Roast Pork Steam Buns aka Char Siew Bao
$5
Somehow, these didn't amaze me. I would credit it to the fact I was in awe of the aforementioned dishes that when I bit into this it wasn't as satisfying. But don't doubt the quality of the dimsum. The charsiew was fresh with a subtle hint of sweetness. However the skin was too thick for my liking.
XO Radish Cake
$10
Whilst browsing through the menu, my mom insisted we get the XO radish cake. So we decided to get this plate of unhealthy goodness. Hey, it's XO sauce, it had to be good. And guess what? It was. The more I ate the more I loved it. The XO sauce gave it such a kick that I even willingly ate the beansprouts! The egg also proved to be the binding ingredient for this dish to have been a huge success. However at $10 it was rather steep in my opinion. Nonetheless I would order it again.
Abalone Dumpling Soup
$17.20
Another dish my mom recommended was the abalone dumpling soup. And by jolly was this faaaaantastic. I wouldn't normally order this at dimsum restaurants (I'm not even sure if all restaurants have this) but this was nothing short of delicious. The broth was a delight to drink, the abalone abundant and the skin of the XLB (if I'm not wrong) enclosing the goodness inside it.
Egg Tart aka Dan Dat
$6
And how could I leave these babies out? I forgoed the custard buns for these (Inserts extremely sad face here) but I didn't regret it. Albeit small in size, these packed a punch of flavour. The pastry was light and buttery, encasing the goodness of the custard almost scalding your tongue but proving to be such a burst of flavour. Unlike other egg tarts with a hard outer skin, this hit the spot.
Herbal Jelly aka Gui Ling Gao
$8
Last but not least, gui ling gao. I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of all things healthy but since I indulged so much I decided to have something light for dessert. The gui ling gao was a perfect way to end lunch. The syrup in a separate dish for if your desired sweetness.
OOTD
Ombre Top from Zara
Crotchet Shorts from Megagamie
Clutch from online
Necklace from Diva
Watch from Gucci
Shoes from Tory Burch
Off for a good nights rest and a long day at the gym tomorrow. See you guys around!
