Dim Sum (点心) & Peking Duck (北京烤鸭) @ The Scholar (秀才), Kent Ridge Guild House, NUS

I have been thinking to write an entry on this place since my virgin visit during the 15-days Chinese New Year period this year. My third visit within two months and this time, i came prepared with my DSLR!

It's so apt to have a restaurant by the name of "The Scholar" (秀才) located in the top University of Singapore, NUS. The next restaurant might be named "The Genius" for all we know.

The fear of being labelled elitist might prevent that from happening.

In any case, food is the main star for any restaurant! The eatery can be named "Eat Until Stupid" or any derogatory title but so long the food is delicious, the queue is guaranteed.

Crystal Shrimp Dumplings

(水晶鲜虾饺)

A safe dish as usual! This basket of plump har gao had an additional benefit of being wrapped in exceptionally thin dough.

Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

(家乡烧卖仔)

To find a good basket of Siew Mai is definitely more difficult since it contains more than one type of meat. Cannot-make-it siew mai are usually very dry and that's not the case in The Scholar!

Fresh Prawn Cheong Fun

(鲜虾肠粉)

Okay dish and nothing to complain about.

Char Siew Cheong Fun

(叉烧肠粉)

This plate looked promising with overflowing char siew filling!

Taste wise, the char siew was more savoury than sweet. A dash of sugar might make it slightly more memorable for me.

Steamed Buns w Custard Cream and Egg Yolk

(奶皇流沙包)

After reading my post on Victor's Kitchen, most of you can guess the level of love i had for their lava buns!

I am as equally satisfied with these buns from The Scholar! The sweet-salty filling was actually more solid yet smoother than Victor's Kitchen's version and i didn't have to worry that the liquid will spill all over the table!

Fried Beancurd Skin Prawn Rolls

(鲜虾腐皮卷)

Beancurd skin is yet another ingredient that some people hate. For me, i only like it when it's fried to a crisp!

Thick prawn paste is always welcome but i could not help comparing this to Wan Dou Sek's version which has a special, addictive flavour that lingers in your mouth.

Baked Mini Egg Tarts

(酥皮蛋塔仔)

Looks damn delicious right? Especially that lightly toasted crusts. Tasted only average lah! Give me the egg tarts from Tong Heng anytime!

Shark's Fin Dumpling Soup

(鱼翅灌汤饺)

This is one bowl of soup i would love to have for dinner every day!

I can only describe it as a huge xiaolongbao that have loads of ingredients wrapped within the dumpling skin. Lovers of xiaolongbao who cannot get enough of those tiny dumplings should seriously consider this.

What you get is a rich seafood broth that is way better than shark's fin soup!

Half BBQ Peking Duck

(北京烤鸭)

At a promotional price of S$18 for half a Peking duck (not available on weekends), we could not resist not ordering this!

Came nicely displayed with a saucer of BBQ sauce, please note that the highlight of this item is the skin and you are getting half the skin of the duck, not half the duck! Get it? 

Health freaks should not touch this! Because it's sinfully delicious; leaving a fragrant oily sensation that teases your taste buds! I strongly believe i can whack this "half a Peking duck" alone!

The pancake was too bland and could do better with slightly more oil and served piping warm. Although i agree that it could be this blandness that makes the crispy duck skin psychologically more savoury.

Polo Buns

(菠萝包)

This is not your typical polo (or bolo) buns as you can see from the external casing.

 

And i am not exactly rooting for this version with custard and egg yolk filling as it just didn't taste right as a combination. My colleague mentioned that the char siew version is better. Unfortunately, it was not available then.

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Location

9 Kent Ridge Drive,

Kent Ridge Guild House, Level 1

Opening Hours

Lunch - 12 to 3pm (Mon-Fri)

Lunch - 11.30am to 4pm (Sat/Sun/PH)

Dinner - 6 to 10pm (Sun-Thu/PH)

Dinner - 6 to 10.30pm (Fri-Sat)

Pricing

Crystal Shrimp Dumplings – S$4.20

Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings – S$4.20

Fresh Prawn Cheong Fun – S$4.80

Char Siew Cheong Fun – S$4.50

Steamed Buns w Custard Cream and Egg Yolk – S$4.80

Fried Beancurd Skin Prawn Rolls – S$4.50

Baked Mini Egg Tarts – S$4.50

Shark's Fin Dumpling Soup – S$6.0

Half BBQ Peking Duck – S$18.00

Polo Buns - S$4.50

Subject to GST.

Additional Information
Important Note for Members of the Public - The Scholar is not open to the public. Find a friend who is either a member of the guild house or an NUS staff to bring you in!

The dim sum menu for April is attached for your information.

Dress code is Smart Casual since staff members of the University frequently use this restaurant to entertain visitors. Private rooms are also available for those who wish to have some peace and quiet.

For motorists, please park your vehicle at the visitor's car park right opposite the building. The staff car park behind the building charges very high rate (even higher than CBD okay)!