Dim sum-body say Chinese New Year? Celebrate now at the best dim sum restaurants in Singapore
Gather family and friends for your yearly reunion with our guide to the best dim sum! From nostalgic favourites to Michelin star-worthy picks, catch up over these traditional bite-sized delights that are well-known and loved by the Chinese. Pair your dim sum with some fragrant tea and you’re all set for an enjoyable meal as you usher in the Year of the Boar!
1. Tim Ho Wan at Plaza Singapura and Westgate
One of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, this is one place you won’t want to miss. The Hong Kong establishment gets its claim to fame from its freshly made dim sum, hand-crafted with care using only premium quality ingredients.
Their much-raved about dish, the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork, is a definite must-try. Sink your teeth into its sweet crispy exterior and savour the sweet and salty pork filling encased within the soft fluffy bun.
Other noteworthy dishes include the rest of the famous “Big Four Heavenly Kings” - the light and pillowy Steamed Egg Cake, the soft and crisp Pan Fried Carrot Cake, as well as the Vermicelli Roll with Pig’s Liver with its smooth texture and tender meat.
What are you waiting for? Treat your family to affordable Michelin-approved dim sum this Chinese New Year.
2. Canton Paradise at Bedok Mall and The Star Vista
Another notable restaurant that serves authentic dim sum classics, Canton Paradise has a vibrant interior reminiscent of Cantonese eateries in Hong Kong. Enjoy your meal in a relaxed atmosphere and exchange pleasant banter with family and friends as you dine over an all-day menu of delectable dim sum.
As a nod to the Year of the Boar, try the Steamed Molten Salted Egg Yolk Custard Piggy Buns to liven things up at the table. These little buns shaped like cartoon pigs are almost too adorable to eat. Don’t let the cute exterior fool you though, the naturally sweet and savoury molten salted egg yolk lava will tantalise your taste buds.
For something more traditional, try the Steamed Rice Rolls with Preserved Turnip Filling. Inspired by the local favourite chwee kueh, these silky-smooth rice rolls are made fresh upon order. The rice rolls and preserved turnip filling are perfectly proportionate so both ingredients complement each other. The flavour is enhanced with the addition of the restaurant’s special soy sauce, a combination of first draw soy sauce, which is richer in taste and aroma, premium fish sauce, and other secret ingredients.
For the complete Hong Kong experience, get the refreshingly chilled Hong Kong Milk Tea as the final touch to a perfect meal.
If you’re bored of the usual dim sum offerings and want to switch things up a little, head to Peony Jade for the most interesting dim sum creations! Be thoroughly impressed with the intricately crafted dim sum that makes great conversation starters, especially helpful when you’re sitting with relatives you haven’t seen in ages. Get your phones ready for Instagram Stories as dish after dish of whimsical delights are served. Since this is the Year of the Boar, how apt is it to sink your teeth into the Steamed Piggy Char Siew Pao? These little piggies filled with glazed barbeque pork and bamboo shoots are guaranteed to draw the cameras out for that #instaworthy shot! Peony Jade’s handcrafted dim sum creations are limited and on a first-order-first-serve basis, so don’t hesitate to drop by the restaurant early before they’re all gone. By the way, did you know that the restaurant is a two-time winner of the much coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand award?
4. TEAHOUSE by Soup Restaurant at IMM
Be transported back in time as you and your family dine at TEAHOUSE, a concept restaurant by the original Soup Restaurant, and soak in the nostalgia of Singapore’s Chinatown in the 1950s. Beautifully designed to resemble the traditional teahouses of the past, the restaurant serves authentic Chinatown Heritage Cuisine and handmade dim sum with Nanyang influences in a bid to invigorate the Samsui heritage. Notable dim sum dishes to try include the Samsui Ginger Bao, Ma Jie Chives Dumplings and the unique Mushroom Bao that literally looks like a shiitake mushroom.
Immerse yourselves in the teahouse dining culture over dim sum and hot Chinese tea and take the chance to have a leisurely catch-up session with your loved ones, as what the folks of Chinatown used to do back in the day. The elders especially will appreciate this meal as they take a sentimental walk down memory lane.
Quote <SOUPCNY2019> to enjoy $10 off the CNY Reunion Take Away Set for 5 Pax (worth S$338). The set includes Salmon Yu Sheng, Wellness Treasure Pot with Abalone, Samsui Ginger Chicken with 2 Treasures and Traditional Steamed Rice with Mushroom and Chinese Sausage.
This offer is valid from now to 19 Feb 2019 and availabl for take away only.
Pamper your family at Paradise Dynasty. Dine in an opulent, contemporary setting fit for royalty, reminiscent of the age of imperial China. While the restaurant serves the finest northern and southern China cuisine, the star of the show is undeniably the Specialty Xiao Long Bao, the world’s first eight-colour Xiao Long Bao featuring a myriad of exciting flavours: original, ginseng, foie gras, black truffle, crab roe, cheese, garlic and Szechuan.
Each Xiao Long Bao is meticulously made, pleated with 18 precise folds and weighing just a mere 25 grams to achieve the golden formula. Delight your senses as you tuck into these bite-sized morsels of pure bliss, and let the flavours envelop your tongue as you take your time to savour each distinctive dumpling. One round is definitely not enough! If you’re looking for a restaurant that has great value and excellent dim sum served within a luxurious setting, Paradise Dynasty checks all the right boxes.
6. Crystal Jade Kitchen at Plaza Singapura, Tampines Mall & Westgate
A brand under the three-time Michelin One Star winner Crystal Jade, Crystal Jade Kitchen brings to you heart-warming Cantonese classics. A local favourite, the restaurant has been a go-to for many craving their signature dim sum that is lovingly handcrafted upon order. Have your fill of wholesome dim sum dishes, ranging from the Steamed Siew Mai with Fish Roe, a humble dish given a luxurious upgrade; to varieties of Steamed Cheong Fun of your choice, such as the Steamed Cheong Fun with Charcoal Dough Fritter and Deep-fried Salted Egg Shrimp with Cheong Fun.
Those with a sweet tooth – and a love for all things cute – should order the Animal Shaped Buns! Available in three flavours, namely Chocolate, Pandan and Kaya, these buns come in the form of animals such as piglets and chicks that are guaranteed to elicit squeals of delight.
The Baked Mini Egg Tarts is also another tiny pleasure to pop into your mouth. Baked to perfection, this perennial favourite marries a delicate buttery crust with a smooth and sweet golden yellow custard.
This is comfort food at its finest, evoking fond memories of familiar favourites that you have enjoyed time and time again, and what’s even better is having your loved ones around to create precious new memories with you.
A casual and trendy Chinese restaurant, Treasures Yi Dian Xin is the ideal hang-out spot for you and your friends to fill up on exceptional dim sum and trade stories while soaking up the vibrant atmosphere. Steamed, pan fried, deep fried, and baked - there are just so many ways you and your friends can enjoy your dim sum. Recommended dishes include the timeless Ha Kau, the hearty Pan Fried Carrot Cake and the sinfully delicious Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling with Mayonnaise Dip.
You don’t want to leave out the novelty Deep Fried Porcupine-Shaped Buns filled with Red Bean Paste; these endearing little buns that are so finely detailed you know that they’re crafted with much effort. Fried to crisp perfection and generously filled with red bean filling, these buns are equal parts adorable and tasty.
The Steamed Salted-Egg Yolk Black Custard Bun has an amazingly soft texture with a creamy filling, and is totally on point with just the right amount of sweetness. Another one for the ‘Gram.
With quality dishes that are affordable, who can say no to a gathering at Treasures Yi Dian Xin? Let the festivities begin!
8. The Good Trio (San Ren Xing) at JCube
San Ren Xing, or The Good Trio, believes that the dining table promotes family unity by bringing families together to bond and communicate, and we couldn’t agree more. For some good ol’ family-style dining that we might have neglected due to our busy lives, celebrate the Chinese New Year in a homey, intimate setting at Chinese restaurant San Ren Xing, a home-grown establishment specialising in Fujian and Sichuan cuisine. Though the dim sum might be unassuming to the eye, the incredible depth and complexity of flavours more than make up for the simple presentation. The restaurant’s signature Steamed Pork Dumplings and Steamed Wanton with Chili are some of the must-tries among the fine selection of dim sum.
Other outstanding dishes are the Vegetable Buns, Crispy Bread with Floss and Pan Fried Dumplings. Sometimes, simplicity is best. All you need is your loved ones around you to make a meal even more enjoyable. After all, a family that eats together, stays together.
This Chinese New Year, take the time to reconnect with your loved ones and strengthen your bonds over a plethora of delectable dim sum dishes. Good food brings people together, and there’s nothing like concluding a meal with full bellies and warm hearts.
Looking for more dining places for your family meals? Get some ideas from this list of restaurants in Singapore!