Hoo Kee Rice Dumpling

Fragrant, firm and full of ingredients, each Hoo Kee Rice Dumpling or Bak Zhang is handmade and prepared laboriously. The chestnuts are crumbly and have a mild sweetness that balances the umami of the moist, flavourful glutinous rice. Pork chunks are marinated well and not greasy, shiitake mushrooms are deliciously juicy, and the imported salted duck egg yolk adds a touch of indulgence to the humble dumpling. The bamboo leaves impart its aroma to the rice dumpling when cooked and hung, with each leaf trimmed, washed, and wiped before being used to carefully wrap its contents by trained hands. It is a deceptively simple-looking dish that embodies skill, technique, and quality ingredients.

So good that I had to come back for seconds. Decided to come here as it was awarded the Bib Gourmand by Michelin even if it wasn’t this year. I had the chestnut and pork version and joy the flavour packed a punch as there are whole chestnuts and big chucks of pork in it. I decided to get a second one to eat the next morning for breakfast as I had a very early flight. It still tasted just as good the next day as I left the leaves on it to prevent it from drying out. Will definitely come back to have h to is each time I visit the city.

By far, the best rice dumpling I ever had. I like the deluxe version @ $5.50/pc Don’t miss it when u around this area. U can bring back home and steam it. Or freeze it and steam it back anytime. Equally nice.

Interesting little stall selling traditional rice dumplings (zhongzi/bak chang), it must be getting harder to find stalls like this in Singapore. At $5 a pop for the "deluxe all in" version it is not exactly cheap. However, it packed with a lot of stuffing and it tasted quite nice.

Tried the $5 york version and disappointed. Looks abit dry inside and cannot see any moist pork texture or fats within. Feels like a lump of dry mashed up pork cubes with rice.

Enjoyed the Deluxe All-In dumpling (chestnut and pork with salted egg yolk and mushroom) ($5.50).

Tried both salted egg and mushroom. Taste: average Filling: below average (very less meat) Price: very expensive at $4.5 for such a small rice dumpling And I agreed with one of the reviews, the rice is very rubbery. For those who rated 4-5 stars, you should try Xiang Ye, larger portion and taste much better.

There's a reason why this is a michelin rated rice dumpling stall -- they take their rice dumplings seriously. I tried the chestnut with salted egg flavor, which was quite a unique flavor that I can't recall seeing elsewhere. The rice was very fragrant without being too oily. The salted egg was bright orange and very flavorful without being too salty or overpowering. The chestnuts were nicely sweetened so they tasted almost like red dates and complimented the saltiness of the egg quite well. Rice dumplings aren't exactly cheap at S$2.80-S$3.60 for one, but it's definitely worth it because the quality and flavor are on a different playing field. They were also nice enough to offer to cut up the dumpling for you if you're eating there. I saw one lady come here and buy back 10 at once!