Mention dim sum in Singapore and chances are, the common names thrown out are Swee Choon, Victor’s Kitchen, Mongkok Tim Sum and 126 Dim Sum. Well, did you know that there is another worthy contender – Dim Sum Haus? Not to mention it’s located very near Swee Choon too, just opposite Sim Lim Tower, and I think Dim Sum Haus really gives the latter a run for its money.
Opened in February this year, Dim Sum Haus has quietly gained a steady base of regular customers. Its shop space is not that big but fully air-conditioned, and furnished with simple tables of wooden accents that can be rearranged to suit larger groups.
The chefs have many years of experience making dim sum and all the food is handmade in small batches every day, all to preserve the freshness of the food and to serve high quality dim sum to its customers.
Let’s start off with the usual dim sum dishes. The Har Gau ($4.20+) was fresh and plump with the prawns. However, I thought the skin could be slightly thinner. The Siew Mai ($3.90+) had a firm bite and I personally prefer the meat to be less minced (like more lumpy?). I did enjoy the Char Siew Bao ($3.50+) as it was soft and the char siew meat is very sweet! They make the meat from scratch too.
Other dishes which I thought was ordinary (good, but nothing special) is the Pan Fried Carrot Cake with Chinese Sausage ($3.20+) and Fried Fresh Shrimp Spring Roll ($3.80+). The Japanese Dumpling ($4.60) reminded me of the wantons in chilli oil dish.
Some of their more interesting dishes include the Steamed Charcoal Chicken and Shrimp Dumpling ($4+). Essentially it’s a slightly better version of the usual Siew Mai, but with charcoal skin wrapped around the filling. and some additional roe on top.
The Steamed Crispy Rice Roll with Shrimp ($4.80+) is made up of the Chee Cheong Fun flour on the outside, and within it is another layer of fried beancurd skin wrapped around fresh shrimps. On first bite, you would think that it’s you tiao inside, but it’s not!
My second most favourite dish was this Pan Fried Mushroom Bun ($4.80+). Firstly it looks so much like a real mushroom! Curious as to how they made it look like this, I asked the lady boss and she revealed that they actually dust it with cocoa powder before steaming the bun! Because during the steaming process, the bun will rise, and thus create the crackling effect. Such an ingenious idea! And then thereafter the bun will be pan fried. The fillings inside are mushroom and chicken, and very generous. Mushroom lovers, don’t miss this out!
Saving the best for the last – the Baked Salted Egg Custard Bun ($4.80+) is the bomb! This one stands out because of its baked crust, which I really, really love. The interior was molten and runny, and so full of salted egg yolk creaminess! It was not too sweet as well. Be careful when biting into it because the filling is so generous that it will flow/squirt out no matter how you eat it! This is so good that I will return just for this dish!
Most of the dishes here do pass the mark, and they are reasonably priced too. If you’d like to avoid the long queues at another popular joint on the same street, do come to Dim Sum Haus. It’s definitely worth a try!
Dim Sum Haus
Address: 57 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208809
Telephone: +65 6909 0777
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 2.30am (Last order at 2am); Saturday to Sunday 10.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 2.30am (Last order at 2am); Closed on Monday
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dimsumhaus57jlnbesar/
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