Lhong Tou Dim Sum Siew Mai

Since we were staying nearby on this trip, Jen suggested we try the dim sum at Lhong Tou Dim Sum. And truth be told, we were glad we made the stop. We ordered the basic that we like. Hong Kong Cheong Fun, Har Gao, Siew Mai and the 'Tai Pau' an afterthought because I just felt like it.

We had a half-half Hong Kong Cheong Fun. One roll was with prawns and the other with char siew. The same problem I found with the prawns at Putien, I found it here. Fresh but without the seafood sweetness. The char siew, was not to my liking as it was the more savory variety of char siew.

The crystal har gao suffered the same fate as the other prawn based items. The skin had a powdery mouthfeel that didn’t quite sit right, and the prawn filling inside was bland and underwhelming. Maybe there’s something going on with the prawn supply in the Pulau Tikus and Gurney area.

The “tai pau” which takes 20 minutes to prepare, lived up to its name in size. The filling was alright - substantial and meaty. There was a hint of Chinese wine in the filling too which gave it an extra dimension.

Now with all this items, you would be wondering why would I say I did not regret coming here. It's all due to the siew mai. Beautifully made with a firm and springy texture, each bite revealed hearty chunks of meat. Not the over-minced kind you sometimes get elsewhere. There was a deep savoury flavour that really rounded it off, and it was satisfying in both texture and taste. Easily one of the better versions Jen and I had in recent times.

Interestingly, they offer a few different varieties of siew mai, and based on how good the classic one was, that’s something I’d definitely return for. Next visit, it’ll be a siew mai sampler for sure.