 bpacker's Singapore Travelogues | | | |
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| Page Views: 3,914 Last Visit to Singapore: June, 2005 I Used To Live Here | Eating Tim Sum in an Old Chinatown Restaurant by bpacker - last update: Jan 3, 2008 |
| (L-R_Carrie, Chin, Tony, AussieJen, Moi & hubby) |
Quick Update: I dropped a little phone invite to Aussiejen on Saturday after she commented on my tim sum page. Since I was having tim sum at the non-English-speaking Red* restaurant, would she care to join hubby and moi along with our penang pal and his gal? We'd help with the baffling orders in Mandarin.
Aussie Jen did turn up and we were delighted. We ordered a round of delectable morsels in bamboo steamers for them and followed up with a tour of the wet market at Chinatown after the meal. The Aussie couple didn't even flinched when they saw frogs being skinned, a gigantic fish leaping on the floor in an unsucessful bid for freedom, cakes of birds' saliva ( bird nest ) and strange shavings from an antelope's horn that was used to cure fevers. After all that excitement, we went to a tamer location next and ended in one of Singapore's oldest tea shops where we saw Jasmines, Gunpowders, Greens and more. Jen got 2 pretty chinese tea cups and I left with a bag of rose bud tea. The tour ended with hugs of gdbyes and promises to meet, someday in Melbourne:)
Following a discussion on the VT Forum on tim sum, my appetite for these delectable snacks was whetted. Visions of savoury dumplings and soft rice rolls danced in my mind, so strong was the urge to eat ! So when the weekend rolled around, I did what I had to do and popped over to an old, cavernous restaurant in Chinatown called " The Red Star". Like any other tim sum restaurant in Hong Kong, the Red Star opens early in the morning at around 7am, so that the elderly can eat tim sum after their morning exercise. But instead of old folks over here, you'll see young families jostling for the best seats. Still, there are similarities between the Singaporean and HK restaurants: the noisy ambience, the rustic bamboo steamers and waiters with the de-rigeur push cart trolly. All of which make tim sum a more authentic dining experience.
Here's a visual guide for the uninitiated.
(My apologies for the grainy shots. They were taken with an idoit camera of mine at a high ISO. All the names in brackets are in Cantonese.) |
| A golden infusion of Chrysanthemum |
|  | Tea Drinking Tea drinking is as important to a dim sum meal as a hot, strong brew will clear the palate and keep the conversation flowing. A popular tea which is said to aid in digestion is pu'erh, a strong, fermented tea. And if that's not strong enough for you, try the bitter ooloong, the chinese version of a double-shot expresso. If not, try my favourite, a fragrant, sweet golden infusion of chrysanthemum blossoms. |
| Yam Dumpling, Red Star Restaurant |
| | Yam Dumpling (woo kok) This is Red Star's best dish . Dumplings made with mashed yam, diced shiitake mushrooms, shrimp and pork. This soft, melt-in-your-mouth dumpling is surrounded by a light and fluffy, crispy-brown dough. |
| Velvety Smooth and Succulent, Chicken Feet |
| | Phoenix Talons / Chicken Feet ( fung jau) Ah, this is another favourite of mine though the mere mention might turn any Westerner off. Still, the litmus test of any good tim sum restaurant is the preparation of the chicken feet. The skin should be velvety smooth and so delicate that it peels easily off the diminutive bones. Also, the taste should be sweet and redolent of spices like cinammon, ginger and star anise. |
| Soft, White, BBQ Pork Buns |
| | Barbecued pork buns (cha siu bau) Another hot favourite at Red Star is the cha siu bau, a bun with barbeque-flavoured pork meat and onions inside. Customers over here snatch these directly from the waiters themselves instead of waiting for the trolley to be pushed to them! The char siu bau in Red Star is simply delicious. The fluffy and white bun simply melds nicely with the sweet pork inside. |
| | Dessert : Mango Pudding A sweet end to your tim sum meal. Ah, the mango pudding is sweet, tart and silky rich all at the same time. A spoonful of evaporated milk sits at the top, waiting to be poured unto the delicious dessert. |
| | The De Riguer Push Cart Trolley As I mentioned, the hallmark of any authentic Tim Sum Restaurant is the push cart trolley filled with every imaginable goodie. Dining here is like eating in an airline, only better as the food is actually edible. Just wait in your seat and the waiter will come up to you and ask if you like any delicious morsels in the bamboo steamer. If you do, the waiter will present you the food and put a tiny stamp on a card. |
| A tim sum indulgence at Red Star |
| | FAQ Quite a number of folks have written to me since I've put this delectable pictures up. Here's some common questions asked:
1)Where the hell is Red Star?
Chappie, it's not in Hell, Norway but in Singapore at 54, Chin Swee Road #07-23 . The restaurant is in on old HDB area office in Chinatown.
2)Can I make reservations?
This place is popular as hell, so they don't allow reservation. Walk in and wait for a table. If not, try your luck -> Tel: (65) 6532 5266 .
3)You mean to say it's crowded?
Yes, bloody long qs, esp during lunch time on weekends. You can avoid the crowds though if you're an early bird. Pop in at 7am.
4)What can I expect when I reach there?
Queue up for a table and when you finally get one, flag down those trolleys of goodies. The waiter will stamp your card each time a goodie is given to you.
5)I can't speak Cantonese! How do I order?
Hunger is a universal language. No need to talk really, just point to the bamboo cases and ask to see the goodie before accepting it.
6)Are credit cards accepted there?
Strangely yes . They accept VISAs and Mastercards.
7)How do I get the waiter to refill my pot of tea?
No need to. Service is so efficient there that your pot gets magically filled up every 10 min.
Photo Note: A pot of tea and delicious dumplings nestled within bamboo steamers. The white dumpling that you see in the front are shrimp dumplings ( har kau) while the yellow ones at the back are pork dumplings ( siu mai) . Bite into their thin wheat skins and the juicy aroma of pork will burst into your mouth. |
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| bpacker's Singapore Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for bpacker about Singapore | | | | |
eriksson977 Fri Sep 25, 2009 16:30 UTC
Hello Glen, Outstanding pages. Thanks for the virtual tour. Tomas Eriksson :) | bxf Sun Aug 23, 2009 19:20 UTC
Why would anybody quote a price in a currency other than the one in use locally? Firstly, the entire world is not American. Secondly, exchange rates fluctuate, so a figure in a foreign currency is useless. | bijo69 Tue Nov 4, 2008 12:05 UTC
Great tips Glen! Looking forward to my visit to Singapore!!! | bpacker Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:01 UTC
Alternateuniverse: LOL, everyone knows well enough not to take whatever I write literally. It's supposed to be funny so do read in between the lines.. |
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