Dim Sum (点心) - Satisfying My Craving @ Crystal Jade Kitchen (翡翠小厨), Nex Mall

Har Gow, Siew Mai, Liu Shao Bao; i have been desiring these dim sum for the longest time ever.


Thanks to the bull dog cheek baby (who needed porridge for her meal), i finally satisfied my craving at Crystal Jade Kitchen yesterday!

To think about it, i have never had dim sum at Crystal Jade although i often have xiaolongbao, which is considered to be a Northern China delicacy. For the uninitiated, dim sum originates from the Cantonese in Southern China.

The offerings on the simple paper menu are quite little compared to many established dim sum restaurants and i counted not more than fifteen items. Nonetheless, quality counts more than quantity and you have to note that the dim sum is freshly cooked only upon your ordering.

Without further ado, let's begin!

Salted Egg York Custard Bun (流沙包)

In my search for this edible package that spewed out golden, savoury sauce upon breaking its soft casing, this has to be the least favourite.

The dough was too thick and the golden sauce, usually the key, did not manage to elicit any excitement from any of us. Honestly, the taste was alright and would likely cater to those who prefer plain, healthier fare.

BBQ Pork Bun (叉烧包)

These are typical Cantonese style BBQ pork bun.

Why did i say so? They had a higher concentration of oyster sauce with a smokey aftertaste. Not exactly my type since i have always preferred sweeter BBQ pork buns.

Ha-Kau (水晶鲜虾饺)

Nowadays, it's hard to find shrimp dumplings that are remarkably good. Most were likely to feature hardened "skin" filled with dollops of real prawns that had a uniform taste.

Not these at Crystal Jade; as i chomped down the first one, i can instinctively feel the softness of its translucent skin, followed by a stream of juicy seafood freshness and finally, the tender bite of succulent prawn meat!

Siew-Mai (蟹皇蒸烧卖)

Like har gow, i find it equally hard to find siew mai that was out of the normal league.

And just like the har gow i mentioned above, the ones here in crystal jade were so damn juicy (and delicious); it put the rest of siew mai i had so far, to shame.

Beancurd Skin Roll (鲜虾腐皮卷)

A need to have crunchy, crispy stuff forced me to order this.

Crunchy alright, crispy alright but what i love most is the unique ammonia aftertaste! The only way to describe it is to compare it to having century egg. Either you like it or hate it.

Fried Rice in Hot Stone Pot

The pig sister needs her carbohydrates and asked for this fried rice with shrimp, black bean, minced garlic and cut chilli in hot stone pot.

Peppery, a bit charred with a tingling spiciness afterwards - this is sufficient to fulfill the carbohydrates devil although my mom can definitely whip up something better.

=====

Location

23 Serangoon Central,

#01-01/02, Nex Mall

Price

Salted Egg York Custard Bun (3s) - S$3.50

BBQ Pork Bun (3s) - S$3.30

Ha-Kau (4s) - S$4.80

Siew-Mai (4s) - S$4.50

Beancurd Skin Roll (4s) - S$4.30

Fried Rice in Hot Stone Pot - S$13.80

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]