M's Food Find #8

Number 8, the auspicious number for upcoming Chinese New Year. So I shall do another dim sum post, in hope that you guys will be able to enjoy a sumptious CNY!

This time, I went with Regina who just returned from her exchange in Sweden. We met at Vivo City and decided to go for dim sum at Bosses Restaurant (Level 2). Regina loves consulting ladyironchef.com which you guys should all go read. It's chocked full of yummy food places in Singapore.

Both of us were so hungry and on a weekday afternoon, Bosses were pretty crowded still. A good sign? I like its decor and their service were pretty good and prompt too. Make a reservation and ask for a table with good view towards RWS.

Their pu'er tea came in a clear tea pot which was just so adorable. The waitresses and waiters also made sure to fill our tea cups even if they were just in passing. Good attention to detail. We ordered 6 dishes from their Fall/Winter dimsum collection. Cute title. We were so full at the end of it all. A good kind of full.

First of all, their appetiser was fried fish skin with a hint of saltiness which was really yummy when dipped into chill sauce. We had the pan fried carrot cake, which came topped with an egg omelette. Ask for more chilli which came with this dish. Yums. It was served in a very unique plate too. I like it alot, wish I could bring one home with me.

Their har gau was forgettable. Their siew mai was much better. The crystal clear prawns on top of it just made it look that much better. There were also prawns inside the meat. So yeah, well worth it! I also really liked their unconventional dim sum basket.

Chee cheong fun, or rice rolls were really soft and the sauce quite flavourful. We ordered the char siew version. Try their Hakka version, I bet it's a good sort of surprise. We also had their mango and prawn crispy roll. Now that one was not oily at all. Lightly fried to a crisp and mango oozes out. The sweetness of prawn and mango mix well together. Last but not least, my favourite of the lot. Liu sa bao, the salted egg yolk bun. Bosses' version came in orange, and looked like mandarin oranges. So cute! I slowly and tenderly peeled it apart to reveal a flowy salted egg yolk. Well done. It is not easy to achieve that. The second or third best so far I have tasted. Definitely a must order, people! It was Regina's first time having it.

Sorry, the photos quality is terrible. My camera is still in repair. Sighs. Bosses overall review: food comes fresh and piping hot, service is pretty good. Anyhow, start making your reservations for CNY! Bound to get booked out everywhere.

Shang Palace at Shangri-La Hotel, Jin Shan Lou at MBS, Taste Paradise at ION, Crystal Jade Palace at Ngee Ann City, Tung Lok Group; Noble House at PAramount Hotel etc etc! Those are just a few of my favourite dim sum places. Do you have any? Share with me! Would love to try out more. ;)

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

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M's Food Find #5

Today's Food Find post will be my personal dim sum war between Taste Paradise (ION Orchard) and Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant (Ngee Ann City). I can't decide which I like better. So here goes...

I went for Taste Paradise last Sunday with my mum, sis, aunt and cousin. I liked the place the first time I went in July. The VIP service, the private room, the private chats with the chefs and manager. It appealed to my preferences of good service. The food was really good, particularly the XO carrot cake, Char Siew Soh (puff pastry), shark fin's, and the gorgeous fruit platter at the end. That's the first time. The char siew soh melts in the mouth, and is so light and crumbly. Yummy.

Second time now, I have heard how good the roast pork belly is and really wanted to try. It came in small cubes and we had two plates. I found it abit tough as there were very little fats. I like them fatty. XO carrot cake remains the best. Piping hot and really soft and flavourful. We also had special delivery of the 8 flavour xiaolongbao brought over from Paradise Dynasty. All in all, it was a joy.

Today after my haircut at Reds in Ngee Ann City, we debated on where to go for lunch and had a last minute change of heart to try Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant. I haven't been but heard rave reviews. After all, their usual long queues put me off but today was a nice invite straight in. We had to share a long table in a back room but hey, it has its charm. Their roast pork belly is a must order, a nice crunch on top with the right balance of fats and meat. But non of these two beats my favourite and in my opinion BEST siew yok around which melts in your mouth (it warrants a whole post for itself).

When I entered one of the rooms, I spied this whole table of mature businessmen having a banquet. Would have loved to be part of that and tapped into their conversations. Would have been interesting. Okok, and I saw them each have a bowl of soup. Specifically the yellow melon soup with assorted seafood. I just had to order one for myself! And it was really good, the soup was clear yet thick of flavour. Seafood inside were juicy and fresh.

The pan fried carrot cake arrived hot and very very soft. Last but not least, another more unforgettable one was the dessert we ordered, rice dumplings/tang yuan coated with peanuts. When it arrived, there was nothing special about it, very ordinary and deceptive. I bit into mine (so light and soft) and the fragrant sesame paste flowed out. Let's just say the way to eat this is how you would eat a xiao long bao. Careful and mindful of the fluid inside.

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
Both places have their pros and cons,, how does a girl chooses? Well, for me I still like Taste Paradise because of the service I receive there (although the second time round wasn't as good). See, first impressions do count that much.

Till my next food find, Mayy xo
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