Hong Kong Style Dim Sum is one of my favourite weekend breakfast or brunch food. It’s just so satisfying to indulge in a bowl of hot comforting porridge (it has to be century egg one haha) with a variety of steamed or fried snacks. Makes me hungry now I’m thinking about it, lol.
G and I met up at Chinatown and thought we would just randomly pick one dim sum place to yum cha (means ‘drink tea’ in Cantonese). We came across Tak Po along Smith Street which was bustling with customers but we managed to find one available table indoor (it’s air-conditioned inside) just beside the entrance door which was perfect so in we went to get seated.
Tak Po stretches across a few units of space and if you walk slightly further down to the right of this, there’s also an express counter where you can pack some dim sum to go for those who doesn’t have time for a leisurely meal here.
Their menu (click on images to enlarge) includes signature dim sum dishes as well as…
…different congees and claypot dishes, etc.
There were also a few options of Chinese tea to choose from and we picked jasmine tea.
Just need to tick off your orders on the chit and hand it over to any of their staff. When you’re done with your meal, you can then make payment at the counter.
Though the restaurant was full house when we were there, the dim sum (except congee) that we ordered were served almost immediately which I felt wasn’t a good thing because it just meant all the dim sum served were probably of old batches and I definitely didn’t appreciate that for fried dim sum.
So how did the food fare?
The Siew Mai (S$2.60) had a greater ratio of meat to prawns so texture wise, it wasn’t as springy as I would prefer, like the ones from Yum Cha Restaurant @ Trengganu Street that are filled with mostly plump, succulent prawns.
The Prawn & Mushroom Dumpling (S$3) would be a better choice if you like more prawns in the filling. The prawns were coarsely chopped up with big bits so I was still able to get that bouncy bite of the dumpling. The addition of mushrooms in the filling made it slightly more earthy and fragrant too.
We ordered two Creamy Custards Buns (S$1.30 each) and a Char Siew Bun (S$0.90) to share.
The meat filling was quite tasty – sweet and savoury but the bun was the brittle sort, not fluffy or pillowy at all. Still worth a try.
At S$1.30, I thought it was quite pricey for a small-sized bun like this that you can just finish in one mouthful. When I peeled open the bun, I thought the filling looked thick but creamy and flowy which was promising.
But I was disappointed shortly when I noticed the custard had actually split because the oil was oozing out separately which made it really unpleasant to eat as it was just soaked in grease. Not recommended.
The Prawn in Beancurd Skin (S$3.60) had more meat than prawns though the latter should be the main ingredient as per its name. Again, I would prefer the one from Yum Cha instead.
The Prawn Dumpling (S$4.20) was plump and juicy and had a lovely crispy and crunchy skin that wasn’t overly greasy. I liked it with the mayo dip.
I’ve always like the combination of mango with prawns so this dim sum item is what I always look forward to but this Mango Spring Roll (S$3.80) was oozing so much oil when I bit into it that I couldn’t quite enjoy the filling. One bite already felt too much.
The Crispy Yam Dumpling (S$2 each) was quite dense in texture but overall, the meat filling was pretty tasty and I love my yam in all ways anyway. The Fried Carrot Cake (S$0.90) was average. Never a fan of it but since G loved it so she got it.
We were already halfway through the dim sum then our Century Egg & Lean Meat Congee (S$3.50) finally came. A good size portion for the price.
But guess what? It was well worth the wait cos’ this congee was the best dish in the entire meal. Very home-style with lots of ingredients in it. The congee was smooth and very well seasoned. Yum.
Overall, the dim sum here was reasonably priced but definitely not the best I had too. But I wouldn’t mind coming back for its congee and maybe have a deep fried prawn dumpling too.
There is no service charge but 7% GST applies. Do note appetiser-on-table is charged at S$1, wet towel at S$0.30 each, Chinese tea at S$1.20 each person and iced water at S$0.50.
Tak Po Dim Sum Restaurant
42 Smith Street
Singapore 058954
Tel: +65 6225 0302
Website: http://www.takpo.com.sg/
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Opening hours: 7.00am to 10.30pm daily