Singaporeans love Dim Sum especially when they are delivered ala-carte buffet style. When I found out that my Classic Far Card (one of the two of free membership programmes offered by American Express Platinum Credit Card) was having a 20% discount off Fairmont Hotel Szechuan Court & Kitchen famous Weekend Dim Sum Buffet, I picked up the phone and made the reservations immediately! Mom, my brother and I are going to have a yummilicious family bonding over Siew Mai and Har Gow that coming Sunday!
Located at 3 level of Fairmont Singapore, the restaurant exude oriental charm and elegance in a modern, colourful decor. We could not resist taking a family photo amidst the gorgeous setting. Sitting just beside the full glass window, I am grateful that I wore my Transitions Signature Lenses. My glasses darken slightly to protect my eyes from the natural sunlight that was shining through. The degree of shade was relatively lighter than what I would have expected outdoors, I reckoned that the glass window was probably treated to deflect off harmful UV lights. Yes, Transitions Signature Lenses are smart enough to adapt to surrounding lights to offer optimal vision for me!
The service staff were attentive, courteous and quickly got us settled in. While munching on the pickled vegetables and peanuts, we were told that their ala carte dim sum menu changes once every few months. For this post, please allow us to bring you through their menu (as at September 2014) starting from the appetiser. Yes, we have dipped out chopsticks into almost the entire menu.
Appetiser
Szechuan Sliced Pork Belly with Garlic Sauce magic lies in the brown garlic sauce. Sliced thinly for easy nibble, you just find it hard to resist reaching out for another piece.
Drunken Chicken with Green Ginger is drunk alright. The chicken meat is firm and soaked in fragrant Shaoxing Wine (I think). I can devour the meat without the green ginger.
Chicken in Peanut and Sesame Sauce had a less appetising Chinese name of Saliva Chicken. Not as innocent as it looks, this chicken hides a spicy punch.
We had mixed feelings over the Crispy Skin Roasted Pork & Honey Glazed Barbecued Pork. The roasted pork is so good while the barbecued pork is just well… fine.
I am not entirely sure why the Crispy Chicken Wing with Shrimp Paste is classified under this category. It is not bad but I have definitely sampled better ones at one of those famous Zhi Char Stalls.
Special Recommendations
Sauteed Frog’s Leg With Spring Onion and Ginger tasted like tough kampung chicken! These frogs have obviously been working out alot.
Mom’s favourite – Stewed Pig’s Trotter with Vinegar and Ginger. The soft and succulent pig trotter is evenly flavoured with gingery sweet vinegar. They have creatively reduce the serving portion by using quail eggs.
Sauteed Sliced Fish with Spring Onion and Ginger failed to impress. Leave room for better dishes.
Steamed Dim Sum
Steamed Glutinous Rice with Chinese Sausage and Chicken Wrapped with Lotus Leaf provided morsels of mushy glutinous rice soaked in the sweetness of Chinese sausages.
Steamed Pork and Prawn Dumpling with Dried Scallop commonly known as Siew Mai was quite a disappointment. The colours looked so bland and the taste was so forgettable. Next!
Steamed Egg Custard Cake was ordered with the expectations of an Egg Custard Bun (Liu Sha Bao). It turned out to be a solidified egg custard cake. Although taste can never go wrong with egg custard, I still prefer them hot and running.
Deep Fried Dim Sum
Deep Fried Banana and Fresh Prawn Wafer Roll looked deceiving ordinary but the combination of bananas and fresh prawns is unbelievably good…
Pan-fried radish Cake with Dried Shrimp and Chinese Sausage hid the sausages really well. I could not find them at all.
Porridge & Soup
I recommend Porridge with Century Egg and Lean Meat as a staple which you savour the rest of the dim sum dishes.
Thick Soup Of Sea Cucumber, Dried Scallop, and Fish Maw tasted exactly like my favourite shark fins soup! Have it with the usual vinegar and pepper.
Baked Dim Sum
Baked Mini Rabbit Pastry with Lotus Paste looks so cute that we really cannot bear to eat it! Outward appearance aside, it tasted exactly like your usual Lian Rou Pastry.
I personally loved the Baked Barbecued Pork Pastry with Sesame. You must bite through the fluffy, savoury exterior to get to its sweet barbecued pork core while its hot!
Desserts
Mom ordered Warm Cream Of Black Sesame & Lotus Seed while my brother ordered Chilled Cream Of Honeydew & Sago. They have a rather limited dessert selection.
I decided to go for Lychee with Jelly. As we were finishing our desserts, the afternoon sky went into a downcast and my Transitions Signature Lenses cleared up instantly.
Whether indoors or outdoors, Transitions Signature Lenses allow me to experience my surroundings in its original intended colours. They integrate perfectly into my life and allow me to transit seamlessly indoors and outdoors without the hassle of switching glasses. I no longer have to bring a bag out just to house my sunglasses. Everything I need now rests on the bridge of my nose.
Interested to experience this mouth-watering Weekend Dim Sum Buffet with your friends and loved ones? Here’s the full information:
Szechuan Court & Kitchen
Address: Level 3 Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road Singapore 189560
Dim Sum Buffet: 12.00pm to 2.15pm (Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays)
Tel: +65 6431 6156
Email: [email protected]
You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places here
