One of the things me and my Chinese Aunties (yes that's the name of our group chat) love is dim sum. And we have been to most classic dim sum restaurants in Singapore. So when its time for a farewell-gathering, of course we had to pick a dim sum place! However, everyone also knows how chaotic and packed dim sum restaurants are with reservations weeks ahead, so a friend suggested try out the relatively new Ya Ge 雅閣 at Orchid Hotel for their weekend dim sum brunch.
Available Every Sat, Sun & PH
1st Seating: 11.30am to 1.30pm (last order at 1pm)
2nd Seating: 12.30pm to 2.30pm (last order at 2pm)
Minimum 2 adults (Advance reservation required)
S$68.00++ per adult (Prosecco top up available)
S$48.00++ per 4-12 years old
Warning, long rant ahead:
I checked out their dim sum brunch buffet menu and thought it was very interesting, but at the same time we have a few folks in the group myself included who don't eat so much, so buffet doesn't make sense. So I tried calling to reserve butts on seats first, asking if we can do a mix of buffet eaters and non-buffet ala carte diners. Over the phone, the person said yes it is possible but they will just charge if they "catch" us sharing the buffet items with the non-buffet folks. So I was like ok.
Later on, there's a deposit required to make the reservation and this is where it got a bit iffy when their Tablecheck reservation payment was wonky and the staff sent me a Paynow QR code to pay the deposit, which i was unwilling to do. I think the credit card hold went through in the end, I can't remember, but it was quite stressful. Then when we got to the restaurant they said I had confirmed the buffet for EVERYONE and I realised I did do that over the WhatsApp exchange, because they called it the "Dim Sum Brunch" and it didn't register with me that its the buffet. Luckily my friends were all ok to pay for the buffet in the end, and the staff was also kind enough to waive the buffet for a child. Though I felt like this could have been handled a bit better because it marred the start of the meal, the staff and food did do the price justice in the end. But I don't know if I will go back again. So this review is just on the dim sum BUFFET brunch menu itself in case you are interested and I don't want the prior exchange to affect it.
I didn't know this but the restaurant was situated at the 3rd floor of the seemingly tiny Orchid Hotel, together with a pool and gym.
Here's the dim sum brunch BUFFET menu - there's a page featuring 12 exquisite Chef's Specials and they are limited to 1 serving per diner, and another page featuring free flow classic dim sum items. I was glad the staff made a decision to serve less noodles and rice for the group because I definitely cannot do both carb dish in full!
The freeflow items are more standard. We didn't manage to try everything because it. is. a. lot. of. food.
We started with the most impressive trio of 1) Siew Mai with Abalone in Abalone Sauce
2) Fresh Scallop Dumpling torched with Mentaiko Mayo
3) Steamed Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Lobster topped with seafood sauce and bonito flakes
The moment this was served, the pricing and why they needed advance reservations kinda made sense. Every item was meticulously crafted using premium ingredients. The purple scallop dumpling was so photogenic as well.
We also got the free flow Carrot Cake with Dried Shrimp Paste to share. This was also really good because it was piping hot, and they didn't sting on the shrimp paste! Actually I would order this again from the ala carte dim sum menu.
Next on the Chef Specials was one of the crowd's favourite, despite how WRONG it is to eat sharks' fin. The Double-boiled Shark's Fin Pomegranate Dumpling in Shark’s Bone Cartilage Broth was so comforting and refined, yet I wish they used something else instead of sharks' fin to avoid the unnecessary guilt imposed on us, much like this already prepared bowl of broth. Nice, but ethically its a big no no.
Next to arrive is this quartet of tiny art pieces on a platter, featuring from right to left:
1) Garden Greens Roll with Black Garlic and Tea Tree Mushrooms
2) Pan-fried Snow-flakes Kurobuta Pork with Japanese Leek Gyoza
3) Deep-fried Gourd-shaped Sea Cucumber and King Oyster Mushroom Puff
4) Lava Mango Shrimp Ball
TBH this set was a little bit more odd than delicious. For example, the lava mango shrimp ball tasted like a sweet mochi ball without much of a shrimp taste, and the hot mango puree instead made it feel more like a dessert.
The staff then served up the 2 carb dishes of the special menu, which is this Braised Minced Meat in House's Special X.O. Sauce with Japanese Pearl Rice, that was really good especially with the rice. If we weren't so full by then this would have been a great standalone lunch.
Then we have the Crispy Noodles with King Prawn in Superior Broth. To be super truthful, I did not try it because I was bursting by then. It looked good though and everyone who tried liked it.
We also got a set of 2 Crispy Ugly Duckling with Chicken, Yam and Mushroom off the ala carte menu purely because of how it looked, since we have a child amongst us. This was soooo cute and creative. Again I did not taste any of it and just took a photo.
Another ala carte item that I had to order was this Chilled Mango Sago Pomelo, which was actually really refreshing and I could finish it.
As part of the specials, there's also the Chilled Blueberry Yogurt Snow Ball Mochi and Steamed Red Dates Cake. The latter was really an acquired taste, and the mochi was much better for me. We also got a palate cleanser drink at the end!
The creativity and craft stood out the most in this modern dim sum buffet. For those looking for an interesting take and a relatively peaceful dining experience without chaotic crowds, this might be worth a try. Just make sure you reserve properly.
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if curious ✔️
💁 Bookmark this
Ya Ge 雅閣
1 Tras Link, Level 3 Orchid Hotel, Singapore 078867
Weekend dim sum brunch is avail on Sat, Sun and PH 11.30am or 12.30pm
Post a Comment