With a decreasing number of restaurants serving authentic Dim Sum fare, Teahouse, a part of the celebrated Tung Lok Group, is truly a well preserved gem. Offering a selection of over 30 varieties of dim sum that is made fresh daily, this restaurant is one of the few that manages to serve the popular Cantonese delicacies throughout the day, without compromising on its standard. With some of their chefs originally from Hong Kong, one cannot doubt the authenticity of the Cantonese cuisine that Teahouse offers!

With its décor resembling that of a conventional Chinese teahouse, its bustling environment also adds to its vibrant ambience. Taking up the entire top floor of China Square, Teahouse looks to be a hot favourite amongst the corporate crowd of bankers, business people and other smartly dressed individuals. However, those on tight purse strings need not worry because this Dim Sum haven is priced affordably and its rather generous portions will leave you feeling satisfied at the end of your meal.

• The Dim Sum

  Those who like their food served steaming hot will be pleased as the Dim Sum arrived at our table still warm from the steamer. Contained within the usual bamboo steamers, common favourites like the Char Siew Bao (Steamed Barbecued Pork Buns) was placed alongside unique dishes like the Steamed Cup with Seafood and Chicken Filling and Steamed Dumplings with Crabmeat and Golden Mushrooms Filling that were creatively redesigned in its appearance.

  I particularly liked the fact that Teahouse manages to mix the old with the new, innovatively recreating the dishes without compromising its original goodness. One dish worth highlighting is the Steamed Cup with Seafood and Chicken Filling, where the “cup” is cleverly made from the “bao” skin, and delicately holds the well blended minced seafood and chicken together which gives a combination of subtle sweetness and fragrance from its fresh toppings.

  The baked mini egg tarts that were served on a humble white plate certainly exceeded our expectations and were agreeably the favourite amongst me and my dining companions. From the crumbly crust to the silky smooth egg custard, we simply loved this Teahouse masterpiece. Also worth commending on are their Deep Fried Prawn Dumplings and the Deep fried Chicken Yam Croquettes that were coated with a batter that was extremely light and crumbly. Initially fearing that these two delicacies would be too heavy for my liking, I was pleasantly surprised by how good they tasted.

• Cantonese Specialties

  From the lively array of yellow, green and red capsicums that accompanied the sautéed prawns to the piping hot Wok-fried “San Bei” Chicken served in a Claypot, our meal definitely looks and smells enticing. However, not to be compared with their Dim Sum, the dishes noticeably paled in comparison.

  The prawns looked juicy and were sufficiently crunchy, but were perhaps a bit overcooked. Also, the Hua Diao wine that was seasoned into the chicken was too strong for my liking. Its saving grace came in the form of their sautéed asparagus that was expertly paired with mushrooms and held its essences well.

• Desserts

  Not known for its desserts, I have to say that Teahouse offers rather high quality desserts that we found to be noteworthy. I would recommend the creamy and naturally sweetened pomelo sago, and the peanut cream with sesame tang yuan (dumplings). The cream was sufficiently thick, and when coupled with the homemade tang yuan, this was surely a delight not to be missed. Fans of the herbal Guilin jelly will should try the Teahouse Guilin Jelly that is served with cheng tng (clear soup).

The SD Food Advisor’s take on Teahouse
As a place for authentic Cantonese Dim Sum, Teahouse is a place that will not disappoint. When coupled with delicious desserts, it is no wonder that this restaurant has retained loyalty from its regulars. However, its once resplendent surroundings and décor has already faded, and is looking like it needs a bit of a makeover. Nevertheless, if you are one to judge a restaurant by the quality of the food and not how new your table looks, then by all means, come to Teahouse to enjoy its humble and sumptuous Cantonese cuisine.