[Buffet] Man Fu Yuan - Weekend Dim Sum Ala-Carte Buffet @ Intercontinental Singapore Bugis

There're two seating for the weekend lunch buffet. One at 11.30am to 1pm, last order at 1230pm and the second seating from 1.30 pm to 3pm, with last order at 2.30pm.

Me and my bro took the first seating and arrived promptly at 11.30am. Though I had made reservations for dim sum buffet, the staff asked again if we're taking the buffet or ala-carte lunch. Ok, maybe best to double confirm, I guess?

Man Fu Yuan @ Level 2

interior

table for 2

dim sum  menu

One could also get the menu online and they are the same for the ala-carte dim sum buffet. The two default signature dish would be served automatically once you're ready to dine. The rest of the stuffs, can place the order with the staff. We ordered our first round and default portion for dim sum is 3 pieces per basket.

peanuts on table

There's a plate of peanuts for one to munch on while waiting for food. The tea options were jasmine, pu-er, chrysanthemum, chrysanthemum + pu-er and white mudan. We went with chrysanthemum + pu-er combo.

tea

Signatures (名厨介绍)

First dish was the braised 8-head abalone, sea cucumber with baby bok choy, flower mushroom, and superior pumpkin sauce.

黄焖8头鲍鱼,海参,菜苗,花菇

Was slightly surprised as I was expecting dishes that were one serving per guests would be plated individually, rather than combined into one. But it's alright. 

The braise sauce was sweet and thickened. Sea cucumber retained some of its chewiness but I'd prefer the softer version.

steamed rock lobster with superior master sauce, ginger, scallions

The rock lobster was half lobster per pax. Sauce tasted mildly sweet and some of the lobster meat was kind of hard to get as it was pretty much stuck onto its shell.

Deep-Fried, Pan-Fried and Baked Dim Sum (炸，煎及焗点心)

Crispy lychee prawn, lychee aioli (荔枝虾球,荔枝生汁酱)

The lychee prawn was cute, and somewhat smaller than expected. Next, was the filo prawn pastry. Its been a while since I had filo pastry and I liked the pastry here. Light and crisp. However, it was hard to detect the prawn filling here.

Crispy filo prawn pastry with wasabi aioli, tobiko

Roasts (烧腊)

Next, the plate of roasts was served. We sampled all three; Braised corn-fed “ Yuen” chicken, soya sauce, rose dew wine, honey-glazed pork belly and roast duck with Chinese herbs.

Trio Combination (三拼盘)

The only dish that made its second appearance on our table, was the char siew / honey glazed pork belly. Sliced chunky, meaty yet gentle to bite.

蜜汁豚肉叉烧皇

best bite

The steamed dim sum will take some time to arrive (perhaps steamed upon order), so you may want to put in your orders earlier.

Steamed Dim Sum (蒸点心)

Classic honey-glazed Duroc barbecued pork bun

Spinach prawn dumpling, tobiko

Prawn and pork siew mai, wild mushroom, truffle sauce

Steamed spare ribs, braised peanuts

Steamed chicken claw with superior master sauce

The truffle sauce on the prawn siew mai was rather disappointing as am not sure why but the flavours were rather muted. The spinach har gow (prawn dumpling) was aesthetically pleasing and in a way, this should contribute a bit to the required vegetables intake? =P

The best of the steamed dim sum were the pork ribs and chicken claw. Staff helped to reduce the pork buns down to two per basket as we were rather full but my bro still wanted to try.

Mains (菜肴)

One of the item from the mains, was the braised grouper served piping hot in a stone pot. The bitter gourd, onions, capsicum were bubbling away in the sauce and its softened texture was lovely.

braised diced giant grouper, bitter gourd, black bean sauce

Crab meat with shredded sea cucumber and fish maw bisque

If you'd like white pepper or black vinegar with the bisque (羹), do let the staff know. I liked mine with black vinegar.

with a dash of black vinegar

Congee, Noodles and Rice (粥, 粉面及饭)

Wok-fried flat noodles, sliced beef tenderloin, yellow chives,beansprout

Wow, if there is one dish that's a must order, I'd say it would be this 粤式干炒牛河 (Cantonese stir-fried beef hor fun). Chef was being very generous with those beef slices! One of the stronger flavours through-out.

strong flavours, soft tender beef

Dessert (甜点)

Cream of mango, pomelo, peach collagen (Chilled)

Both of us opted for the same dessert. The bowl was full of diced mango, mine actually had a big dollop of peach gum. Lovely well chilled dessert. The strawberry slice in there was unusual. Maybe for aesthetic?

Service was attentive, especially from Xiao Ni and Shirley. Our teacups never had the chance to go empty, and our plates were changed to cleaner ones every now and then. 

As it was my bro's birthday, I've pre-ordered the cake slices from Lobby Lounge and the staff helped to serve it after our meal.

passionfruit cheesecake

chocolate banana

Happy Birthday to KS Lee, my gor gor. Wishing you good health, happiness and peace!

Man Fu Yuan Restaurant

Address: 80 Middle Road Level 2 InterContinental Singapore, Singapore 188966

Website: https://singapore.intercontinental.com/dine/man-fu-yuan

Business Hours: 

Sat - Sun: 11:30 am–3 pm, 6–10 pm

Mon - Fri: Friday, 12–3 pm, 6–10 pm

Dim Sum Brunch at Spring Court 詠春园 Upper Cross Street

It was those days when dining in was possible in maximum groups of five. Public holidays and weekends are sure recipe for maximum headache when finding a place to dine out. Had a craving for dim sum and most places were already fully booked, but managed to secure a table at Spring Court for 11am. Had dined here prior with the makan kakis, so came back to try some other items.

Arrived before 11am and already there was a queue to get in. They were not opened for business yet, so the young and old were queuing outside and seemed like there were two lines. I opted for the one that was in the shaded area.

finally at the entrance

Was finally let in after queuing for half hour. The staff checked the reservation and informed that the seating time limit was just one hour. This came as a surprise as the reservation site did not indicate as such. Hence, he relented and added another half hour. Ok, thank you for accommodating but best if it was stated clearly during reservation to avoid any future frustrations.

So, the game plan is to order quickly so that we have time to enjoy the food. The place was really packed and bustling with families, mostly. Some, looks like all three generations are present.

condiments tray (removed shortly after)

yummy pickled radish

Tea and pickles are chargeable at $3.30++ per head. Tea is refillable (add water to the pot), but not sure about the pickles though. I liked the pickles, and don't mind if I can have another portion. Hehe.

Baked Char Siew Bun @$3.80++

Baked Char Siew Bun (insides)

The staff said the baked buns are weekends limited edition. Ok, can. Am easily convinced. Smallish and tasted sweet savoury. Liked that it was non-oily. 

When ordering dim sum, the de facto would be har gao and siew mai, so we got those. And also one, basket of xiao long bao to try.

Ha Kau Dumpling @$5.80++

Siew Mai @$6.20++

Shanghai Dumpling @$4.80++

We ate the har gao and siew mai first, then the Shanghai dumplings. By then, the skin on the Shanghai dumplings had hardened considerably with the top fold, being thick. Hence, least enjoyed this item.

Beef Innards Claypot @$12.80++

Best dish that day for me, was the comforting beef innards claypot because it was served hot. There's tripe, some brisket, fried beancurd and vegetables. Lovely with a hint of herbal.

Next up, a dish that everyone liked. The Wafer Prawn Chee Cheong Fun. There's thin crispy fried fritters inside wrapped within those silky smooth rice flour sheets and drizzled with soy. It was good the last time we tried it, and still good this time round.

Wafer Prawn Chee Cheong Fun @$6.80++

And for desserts, the custard lava buns. Super good but very intense. One is enough.

Liu Sha Bun @$4.80++

dripping good

At that time, there was credit card promotion for OCBC card holders and we got 15% off the bill. Nice!

Spring Court 詠春园

Address: 52-56 Upper Cross St, Singapore 058348

Website: https://www.springcourt.com.sg/

Contact: 6449 5030

Business Hours:

Mon - Thurs: 11am–2:30pm, 6–10pm

Fri - Sun: 11am–2:30pm, 5:30–10pm

Breakfast @ Dim Sum Haus

The good thing about our staycation is that we will traipse around the area to try out whatever that caught our fancy. The night before, we made plans for dim sum and so off we went towards Dim Sum Haus for breakfast.

Tracy leading the way

Actually, I was still feeling pretty full from the dinner the night before. Read more about it here.

Walked for about 15 to 20 minutes from our hotel, and reached around 9.48am. It was almost a mistake to go without a reservation as the place is rather small and weekend dim sum is popular. Luckily for us, managed to snag a table but with time limit of 1 hour.

menu

one of each

At that time, there were some promo code to get $2 off if we order via the app. It worked after fiddling for a while and as we were near the cashier, can confirm rather easily if the order went through.

order via app

was supposed to be a 'light' breakfast

Staff are friendly and drinks were served quickly once the order is confirmed.

soya bean @$2.90

Signatures Dim Sum

Baked Salted Egg Custard Bun 脆顶流沙包 @$5.90

no joke

The baked salted egg custard bun (liu sha bao) are no joke. Very rich, and be fascinated by the golden lava once you break it open. One is more than enough and probably good as ending to the meal.

Steamed Crispy Rice Roll with Shrimp 金网脆皮虾蒸肠粉 @$5.50

I'd recommend the steamed crispy rice roll with shrimp. That combination of smooth slippery and crunchy crispy plus sweet savoury shrimp, was just so good.

 Pan Fried Mushroom Bun 香煎鲜菇包 @$5.80

inside view of mushroom bun

Hmm, was a tad disappointed by the appearance of the mushroom buns as it was not looking very 'mushroom-like'. Taste wise, was decent savory earthy flavors.

Steamed Charcoal Chicken & Shrimp Dumpling" Hak Kam Kai Siew Mai" 黑金鸡烧卖 @$5.20

Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumpling "Siew Mai" 香菇滑烧卖 @$5.10

For the siew mai, I only tried the pork and shrimp siew mai and they were juicy. Pretty good.

Fried Carrot Cake with X.O. Sauce @$6.70

Another dish that I really liked, was the fried carrot cake with XO sauce. There's something about this plate that I couldn't stop eating. The taugeh was good too! The flavors worked well together.

Chicken Feet in Five Spice

Chicken feet was mild and gentle. The skin falls off easily as it was well steamed.

Japanese Dumpling 日式抄手 @$5.80

good sized

The Japanese dumpling, is a twist to the usual spicy wantons. Nice and of a good sized but I prefer the original sauce for that spicy kick.

Breakfast with Tracy, Hence and Ivan.

We were done by 10.30am and there was a queue outside.

Dim Sum Haus

Address: 57 Jln Besar, Singapore 208809

Website: http://order.dimsumhaus.com.sg/

Contact: 6909 0777

Business Hours:

Mon - Fri: 10:30am–3pm, 5:30–10:30pm

Sat: 9:30am–10:30pm

Sun: 9:30am–9:30pm