Around the cinema area of Garden City, most of the choices are either fairly basic or increidly commercialised. That is not to say there aren't choices ... this is just in an unusual place. Indicated by a doorway, go up a few flights of stairs and you are almost in another part of town. That is the beauty of this place, and possibly a few other competitors nearby. The sheer dissonance and fact that quality is always present nowadays.
My housemate/dining buddy had a Groupon for this place, which was pre-paid and had a ten course yum cha lunch with a dessert of the day at the end of the meal. All of the items were preselected by the cooks and staff. Part of the experience of going to a yum cha is by surprise of what they have but usually, it is what is offered and whether the diners want it or not. The essence though was still there, and the food was all quite adequate.
When it comes to the service, honestly it does not matter that much with yum cha. Some of them have that appearence that they could care less, and others are more brash. About the most important aspect of service to have with yum cha is that they are quick, efficient and are constantly offering items to patrons. That latter one definitely seemed to be the case here. Additionally, I found the staff members to be quite good. They were more willing to deliver service, and did so really well.
Where I also have no complaints is the decor. I have found yum cha places to really win when they are on an upper level, giving them a feel of exclusivity. On the tables, everything is set up as needed and the area is spacious with several small touches. A mirror at the further end of the dining area makes it look bigger than it actually is and helps illuminate the room some more. What is particularly striking is the use of red drapes. It really ought to be seen to get the full effect.
Outside of how this particular lot of items was the general selection of yum cha items. There was a really good range to select, with several fried items, heaps of barbecued and crispy meats, the rice noodle rolls, buns, sweets, dim sum in all the sizes and that is just lunch. With dinner, all the dim sum are still present as is everything else mentioned thus far. A la carte dishes are aplenty, with the chef's recommendations, soups, Chinese classics, hot plates, hot pots, big poultry dishes, a heap of vegetables, rice and noodle dishes followed up by several banquets. A whole Chinese-language section also exists. You can also have all the drinks, with several ciders, liquers, cocktails and wines plus tea as well. All the elements for good eating are here.
To start with drinks, we have tea. Heaps, and heaps of tea that is bottomless. This was an extra that needed to be charged, and in defense what is a yum cha experience without the tea? As per usual, relaxing and the flavour got stronger and stronger going further down to the bottom. They have a slightly different pattern to the usual "please refill" request, where the teapot is not taken away, but refilled with hot water on the spot.
Starting off the meal, there was the reliable chicken and sweet corn soup. This is one I don't think I have had in years before now, and it is just as good as I remember. There were no real reasons I did not have it all those years, I just did not order any in the meantime. From trying this one, I can't really understand why not in a way. This was simple, with a bit of an eggy texture (I have always thought) plus chunky bits of sweet corn and lots of shredded chicken. It was hot, soothing and delicious. This is one thing as a kid that I had that I can still like as much as being an adult.
After that was san choi bao. These were fresh lettuce leaves filled with a minced chicken and mushroom filling. The lettuce leaves were served the right size, big enough to not get inundated and soggy but not too big that a bland mouthful of the salad item would be inevitable. Win there. Also, the chicken mince was tender and the mushrooms added to it; it was additionally slightly spicy which is always a winner in my book.
Next it was onto the special oysters. These oysters were topped with a caviar, and a sprinkling of green onions. With the distinct nature of the oysters texture, and their fairly strong taste, the caviar was the milder part of the entry in spite of being the one that flavoured it. I say it is more about presentation than anything, and I will give credit where it is definitely deserved - they deserve it right here.
There was probably an order the next lot came in, and it was so hard and fast that the table was basically full. Up until then, I did not know there was a small compartment hiding to extend the table to either fit more on it and/or seat more people. That is a wonderful idea to save on room in some instances, and be able to cater to bigger groups in other instances. Again, yum cha is all about getting different people together for a whole lot of dumplings. But back on to the topic, there were a good several dishes served in quick succession. These were what appeared to be a sand crab noodle dish, a scallop and cashew stirfry in a crisp wanton shell, oyster sauces greens - bok choy and broccoli, sweet and sour fish, and sizzling stir loin steak. To go with that all, they also had fried rice on the side.
Each of these were good in their own way, some were better than others of course. First, I definitely give appreciation to the crab. Perhaps giving a cracker or something to break the shell and get to harder parts of the meat would do well. The meat was sweet, soft and like butter plus the bed of noodles that it was with a thick gravy like sauce and they were rice noodles. It was not a bad start to the meal, and certainly had a lot of care done to it.
Oyster greens, can take them or leave them really. It is good to have freshness, and in honesty each time these are more or less the same. Well steamed, crunchy and with a thick, dark sauce that is contrasting. Also, while at the quick ones the fried rice was okay at best on its own. It certainly needed the juices and sauces from the rest of the dishes. Next one!
Following that up, it actually was a bird's nest that the scallops were in. Not a real bird's nest, but the style that is so often read on Chinese menus. The amount of scallops was really generous, and they were soft, sweet and ultimately delicious. Mixed in was a range of vegetables which added crunch every which way, and the cashew nuts added some more character to it. This was a well-rounded dish, and the thick sauce was not too bad either.
The sweet and sour dish, with all honesty, more or less wins immediately for me. Having it be fish instead of pork made it a little different, having the texture be more soft and moreish as opposed to the crunch often get with the darling choice. The sauce was thick, sweet, and somewhat fruity (bits of pineapple for show) - in other words, it wins again.
Lastly, the sizzling stir loin is absolutely worth a try sometime. It is served on a hotplate, in which it is still cooking away sizzling as it is placed on the table. The normal choices of vegetables are given, that is capsicum and onion which are both on the verge of being cooked and sweated. That releases sweetness and pepperiness from them that go together really well. The steak was tender, and marinated in a really good sauce that was based off of black pepper. Much like the rest of the items, each serving was substantial between two people - and we are talking about big eaters here.
Finally, after all that food it was time to get onto the dessert. This was a comparatively small entry, a couple of cubes of what seemed to be coconut jelly. All that I really have to say about it was that it was a good choice to end the meal, the flavour was light while being distinct, and that the texture was smooth and went down easy. It was a well chosen choice.
Look, here is the consensus about this particular outlet of the Yum Cha branches; it is just fine as it is, and there are several strengths to be commended for the overall experience. Maybe the food was not as memorable or tasty as the other places, but let's just discuss how it was on its own merits. It had some service that was surprisingly attentive, the expected attention to detail for how the tables and entire dining area are set up are certainly present, and it is really everything that it needs to be.
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