Sure, you can have dim sum at an all-you-can-eat buffet or at your friendly neighborhood kopitiam, but sometimes you just want to live it up a little. And even though the MICHELIN Guide Singapore doesn’t have a category specifically for dim sum, we’ve rounded up 6 Michelin-starred restaurants serving up great dim sum that won’t break the bank.
Shisen Hanten
Two Michelin Stars, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2017
Most would go to Shisen Hanten for its refined Sichuan cuisine—our inspectors say chef Chen Kentaro’s mapo tofu is not be missed—but not many know of the restaurant’s concise but elegant dim sum menu available at lunch time. On it, you’ll find the usual suspects like steamed Shanghai pork dumplings, steamed siew mai topped With tobiko and steamed cheong fun with prawn or char siew, though you might like to try its Szechuan-style boiled wonton, seeing as to how it is the restaurant’s regional specialty. Prices range from $6 to $12.
Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine
One Michelin Star, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2017
The inspectors love this restaurant for its traditional Teochew dishes like pan-fried taro with prawns or steamed cold mud crabs, but few know that the establishment also offers a dim sum menu daily at lunch time. On it, you’ll find a nice range of the usual dim sum favourites like har gao, siew mai, as well as more regional offerings like Teochew-style steamed pork dumplings ($5.60), steamed roasted peanut dumplings ($4.50) and pan-fried yam with dried prawn ($5.60).
Crystal Jade Golden Palace
One Michelin Star, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2017
Crystal Jade Golden Palace is well-known for its refined Teochew and Cantonese fare, and its comprehensive dim sum menu also reflects some of these regional influences in dishes like the steamed Teochew dumplings with preserved olive and parsley and Teochew pomfret fillet porridge ($15). You’ll also find a page of small plates in the dim sum menu. More unconventional offerings include braised pig’s ear with jellyfish ($12.80) and chilled foie gras with Japanese sake ($28).
Lei Garden
One Michelin Star, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2017
“Expect authentic Cantonese dishes prepared with care and good quality dim sum at lunch,” say our inspectors. “It’s certainly worth ordering the roasted meats and the double-boiled soups in advance.” To be sure, many have waxed lyrical about Lei Garden’s roasted pork belly—just nine little squares of juicy, tender meat topped with a perfect crackling skin comes in at $16.80, but is worth every cent. Most of the other 30-odd items on the expansive dim sum menu are about $5. They include favourites like carrot cake, chocolate swirl custard buns, har gao and siew mai.
Summer Pavilion
One Michelin Star, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2017
Summer Pavilion in luxury hotel The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, serves up contemporary Cantonese cuisine by Chinese executive chef Cheung Siu Kong. A refined and surprisingly affordable dim sum menu is also available during lunch, with prices ranging from $5.40 for three pieces of fluffy, fragrant char siew bao with a unique filling of onions and preserved vegetables, to $18.80 for a bowl of rich broth covering a luxe abalone, conpoy and mushroom dumpling.
Summer Palace
One Michelin Star, MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2017
On top of the regular menu, dim sum chef Leong Kwok Sing also creates monthly specials with seasonal ingredients. This month, you’ll find a steamed beef ball with water chestnut ($7), crispy toasted prawn cake with Parma ham ($8) and crispy truffle spring roll ($7). The regular menu also features many contemporary dim sum creations like the squid ink and seafood dumplings, deep-fried yam puffs with shredded duck and preserved vegetables and baked seafood tarts with morel mushrooms. Prices range from $5 to $10.
