Entree Kibbles: Mongkok Dim Sum (旺角點心) @ Upper Thomson (Next to Springleaf MRT) [Singapore]

Sunday, March 27, 2022

Mongkok Dim Sum (旺角點心) @ Upper Thomson (Next to Springleaf MRT) [Singapore]

With the opening of Springleaf MRT station, it's a given that many people would take the opportunity to travel and try the many eateries in the neighborhood that used to be where I spent my childhood.

Shops come and go, and Mongkok Dim Sum (旺角點心) wasn't part of my childhood memory. Nonetheless, once the craving for dim sum kicked in, my brain remembers walking past a dim sum restaurant right after mookata at 泰好吃 - Thai Hao Chi, and hence, decided to check it out.

Lady luck was on our side that day as the air-conditioned eatery was full shortly after we were seated, with a line forming 30 minutes later. Honestly, nothing much to write about the decorations. On an unrelated note, I was surprised that this Mongkok Dim Sum was a branch from its original shop at Geylang, which I knew had been there for more than 15 years!

Order via the physical form and pass it to the staff member.

Condiment 'tray' consisting of chilli, pepper and soy sauce. What's the one you cannot do without? For me, it's definitely the chilli when it comes to dim sum, but it cannot be too spicy.

Pu Er Tea - first thing to arrive on our table was tea. Costing S$1.30 per glass, you can top up with hot water at S$0.50 which I presume is per time. I found the pricing steep although my mom said it's not that expensive considering that most restaurants would likely charge us between S$2 and $6 per person.

Pan Fried Carrot Cake - some foreign friends had asked me why our carrot cake doesn't contain carrots. Answer: we actually used radish which is called white carrot in Mandarin. Direct translation from an era when English wasn't widely spoken has resulted in this mistranslation.

Whatever the case, I dislike dim sum carrot cake but this was impressive! It managed to attain a balance of two extremes; crisp on the outside and mushy soft on the insides, with pieces of flavor-enhancing meat. Definitely a must-order for anyone.

Deep Fried Mini Buns - I ordered wrongly as my mind was telling me to go for the ones with chilli crab sauce! No idea why my right hand eventually wrote down the item number with just buns, and no sauce. :(

By itself, the buns were pretty good with a middle that showed potential in soaking up sauce to make it better tasting! Guess I would have to make another trip down to confirm the above. p.s. I did attempt to add on a sauce, and was rejected.

Steamed Rice Rolls with Shrimps - while the rolls were normal, and frankly, a bit too thick in my opinion, the deal breaker was the incredibly light and tasty sauce. The chee cheong fun guru, Alex that is, loved this though.

Prawn Dumplings - first and foremost, I had to admit that whenever I eat har gow; I would remove the 'skin'. Therefore, my review should focus only on the prawn filling, which was crunchy and tasty! Not the best yet good enough to satisfy a craving.

Deep Fried Mango and Shrimp Roll - good as a snack even though my taste buds failed in discerning any mango flavor, despite the fact that the yellowish stuff should have come from the fruit.

Beancurd Rolls with Shrimp and Pork - the filling was alright and I took more issue with the beancurd skin; it was chewy instead of crispy, and a tad salty.

Mongkok Pork Dumplings - like the har gow, the siew mai would be good enough whenever the craving strikes; not the best I had. p.s. the best was from Hua Ting and it cost doubled the price of Mongkok Dim Sum.

Steamed BBQ Pork Buns - I find it hard to resist char siew pao when I see it on the menu. It's starch heavy (bad news for those on starch-restricted diet) and not exactly a favorite among my family.

Thankfully, this wasn't bad with a soft texture and delicious filling! Problem is; my family still wasn't keen which means I had to be responsible for what I ordered.

Premium Char Siew Rice with Onsen Egg - another thing I can't resist ordering would be char siew rice, specifically when it came with a mouthwatering photo!

As you can probably see, the char siew was beautifully charred and had a delicious, high fat ratio! Taste was delicious although it did get a bit salty towards the end. Maybe because I was supposed to have it with rice but I simply couldn't take in more due to the dim sum!

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Before and after. Food was generally above average, with the carrot cake counting as the best of the lot, but for the price we paid for; I will definitely be part to check out the rest of the items on the menu. For example, the custard bun, the scallop dumplings, the chilli crab sauce.

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